Love or Luxury

by Heather Thurmeier

  "Need help with that?" asked a familiar voice.

  Down at the far end of the counter sat Finn, his hair slightly messier today than it had been the last time she'd seen him. It made her want to run her fingers through it. The sleeves of his button-up shirt were rolled up his strong forearms, which flexed as he took a sip of his coffee. He looked completely sexy and just as delicious as the apple pie on the plate in front of him. "What are you doing here?"

  Had he come to see her?

  "I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd drop in to say 'hi' and it was as good an excuse as any to have a piece of pie. But then you weren't here, and I thought maybe it was your day off."

  "Not my day off, unfortunately. I'm just late, as Emmett so nicely pointed out."

  Grabbing the coffee pot from the burner, she topped off his cup. "Let me go do a quick round to see where everyone's at, and I'll be right back."

  "I'll be here."

  She felt his eyes on her as she walked away and swayed her hips a little more because of it. Seeing him made her think of their date and all the hip swaying she'd done while they'd danced together.

  "Careful now," a customer said as she overfilled his cup and coffee spilled over the rim, pooling on the table.

  "Sorry. I'd say I'm new, but that'd be lying." Joking with the customers was always the best way to handle a messy situation. A quick-mouthed waitress was practically part of the job description of working at a place like this.

  She did the loop around the small diner and, seeing everyone was basically taken care of for the moment, she grabbed herself a diet soda and leaned against the counter near Finn. "I've worked here for a long time and never once saw you here before, now all of a sudden you're here twice in a week."

  "I never knew the scenery was so nice here before."

  She laughed. "Cheesy. I like it."

  He laughed, too. It was funny how comfortable she felt with him already, even though it had only been one date. He was so easy to talk to, to laugh with. She could get used to this.

  Not too used to it, though. A good sense of humor would never change that he wasn't from the Meadow and didn't want to get married. And then there was still her upcoming date with Reid to think about—her hopes for the last few years finally coming to fruition.

  "I try to impress. So, have you recovered from your first motorcycle ride yet?"

  "I have." Her cheeks grew hot. "I'm sorry for being such a chicken. I never realized it might be scary until it was actually happening."

  "It's okay. And it gets better every time you ride. Once you relax, feeling the wind and the road is awesome, not scary." He stirred a packet of sugar into his coffee and took a sip. "Do you want to go for another ride sometime and test out my theory?"

  "Is that your roundabout way of asking me out on a second date?"

  "Is that your roundabout way of admitting you're interested in going out again?"

  Setting her glass of soda down on the counter, she put her hands on her hips defiantly. "I asked you first." And she needed a minute to figure out if having fun with Finn on another date was worth it, knowing she could never let it be more than a fling—knowing Reid was back.

  Finn reached across the narrow counter and took her left hand off of her hip and held it. He squeezed it softly, rubbing his thumb across her upturned palm, staring at it silently. For a moment, all she could think about was how it had felt to be on the back of his bike, her body pressing into his, her hands clinging to his abdomen. Was he thinking the same thing?

  "Rebecca," he said, his gaze shifting up to meet hers. "Would you go out with me again?"

  Seeing his dark eyes stare at her like that while the heat from his hand warmed hers made it hard to speak, even harder to think. So instead, she simply nodded as she so often found herself doing in his presence.

  "Tonight?" he asked.

  That snapped her out of the moment like being thrown into an icy lake. Shit. She had a date with Reid tonight. A date she had been looking forward to for years with a guy who could be real marriage material. A guy she'd once loved. Someone she thought she still loved until she'd seen him again and feelings of hurt came to the surface.

  But did that mean she was suddenly exclusive and couldn't have dinner plans with anyone else?

  No. It didn't. Especially when hanging out with Finn would never get more serious than a little kissing. Besides, she still needed to give him back his jacket, and she didn't have it with her here at the diner.

  "I can't tonight. I have a… thing" She couldn't say date, could she?

  "A thing." He nodded. "Of course, you're busy. I'm sorry, I know it was last minute."

  "No, I'm sorry. I want to go out again, I just can't tonight. That's all."

  Because I have another date.

  "How about Friday night then? Or are you busy this Friday, too?"

  She shook her head. "No plans for Friday. I'm all yours." That sounded a little more forward than she'd meant it to. "I meant…"

  He grinned. "I know what you meant, don't worry." He squeezed her hand once more before letting it go then fished his wallet out of his back pocket.

  "It's a date then," he said, throwing down a twenty, which was more than enough to cover his bill. "Can I pick you up at your door this time like a real gentleman?"

  No. Because then he might see her lack of décor inside. Best not to risk it. Surely any guy would think she was a gold digger if they saw how she really lived.

  But she wasn't a gold digger.

  Sure, she wanted to marry a man with money, but it wasn't because she wanted to use them for it and be lazy for the rest of her life, living off her husband's money. She wanted to fall in love, be swept off her feet, and have her happily ever after. She also wanted her ever after to include a life in the Meadow where she could stay close to her friends and everything she was familiar with. And the best way to ensure she had that life was to marry a man from Meadow Ridge. To marry Reid.

  So why am I going out with Finn then?

  As he stretched his arm back to tuck his wallet into his pocket again, his shirt pulled tight against his chest. A very sculpted chest.

  Because Finn is fucking sexy as hell.

  Besides, this might be her last chance to have a little careless fling outside the Meadow before she settled down and got married. And if things turned awesome with Reid, like she hoped, she'd call it off with Finn sooner rather than later. Until then, there was no harm in having a little fun, was there?

  "I'll meet you in our usual spot." She loved the sound of that. Having a usual with someone, even if that someone was Finn, sounded like something she could get used to.

  "Okay then. Our usual it is." His voice emphasized the word "our" into something that sounded almost intimate. "Eight. Wear something warm. I'll be waiting."

  So will I, she thought as he turned and strode out of the diner, his helmet tucked under his arm. Friday couldn't possibly get here soon enough.

  But first, she had a date with Reid.

  Chapter Six

  Rebecca tried to ignore the pinch of her Spanx under her dress as she waited at the bar for Reid. God, she hated wearing the tight undergarment, but if she didn't, then the thin material of the dress showed every flaw. She was excited for her date with Reid, but man, she couldn't wait to get out of these uncomfortable clothes and back into her jeans.

  She checked her watch again. Half past eight already and he still wasn't here. He'd texted her to say he was running a few minutes late, but this was pushing it a little. Is this what the life of a doctor's wife was like? Always waiting around, alone?

  After Finn had left the diner, she'd experienced a hearty dose of guilt about dating both men. But the truth she'd finally settled on was that she and Finn weren't exclusive. Nor was she exclusive with Reid. One date with either man did not a relationship make. So really, she had nothing to feel guilty about.

  Of course, if things got serious with Reid again, like they had been before he left for col
lege, then she would call it off with Finn. But until that happened, there was no point in missing out on Finn's company, which she actually really enjoyed.

  After her shift at the diner ended, she set out on her mission of finding the perfect—cheap!—dress for her date. She must have searched what felt like a hundred racks before finally spotting the black strapless sheath dress. And when she tried it on and it fit, her spirits perked right up. Her excitement had only increased as she'd paid and made her way home with her great find.

  That was until now.

  Now she was just the girl in a pretty dress, alone and bored at the bar with no idea when Reid would arrive. Waiting sucked. A serious downside to the whole dating a doctor plan, apparently.

  She took another sip of her appletini and checked her iPhone for the hundredth time. The last text from Reid had come in at 7:50 pm. More than half an hour ago.

  Tapping the icon for the text messages to come up, she scrolled to find Reid's name. But before his appeared, she saw another name—Finn.

  He'd been texting with her off and on since they'd exchanged numbers on their first date. The last one she'd received wished her well with whatever her "thing" was tonight. She hadn't known how to respond to that since her "thing" was a date with another man. So she'd said thanks.

  His next text had said he had a big "thing" planned for their date on Friday.

  She'd giggled.

  Surely, he hadn't meant the comment as an innuendo, but when it came to thinking about Finn, she constantly found her mind wandering into the gutter. It certainly was fun to fantasize about him.

  As if he could feel her thinking about him, a new text from Finn popped onto her screen.

  How's UR thing?

  Fine, how's UR thing?

  Damn. She really shouldn't have hit send so fast. What if he didn't think it was funny to joke this way? What if it turned him off that a girl would be sexually flirtatious, even through a harmless text?

  What thing? I'm at home 2nite.

  Oh, yeah. Too soon. He didn't even know her sense of humor yet. Why had she been stupid enough to think he'd get her silly joke? It wasn't even silly. It was stupid.

  Never mind. Forget I said anything, okay?

  Her palms grew sweaty as she waited for his reply. This wasn't like her, to push the line like this. She always tried to fall in line, do what was proper and expected of her—except where Finn was concerned, apparently. With Finn, she didn't seem to be able to censor herself or reign herself in like she usually did. And look where that had gotten her—a flirtatious text that embarrassed her.

  Oh. U meant my "thing." LOL. It's awesome. As usual, I might add.

  Oh. Wow.

  She swallowed hard. Now how to reply? He obviously got her little joke, but did she want to take it any further? They'd only seen each other a few times. Where they ready to be joking like this, even though she was the one who started it?

  Rebecca drifted back to the kisses she'd shared with Finn on the dance floor. There'd definitely been heat in those kisses. And if she wasn't mistaken, at least once, her body had brushed against something very firm while dancing. Something large.

  She took a big sip of her appletini, hoping the alcohol would steady her now racing pulse. Finn didn't seem like the kind of guy to get bent out of shape about a little joke. At least, he hadn't yet.

  I bet it is. She texted back, then added a winking smiley face. There. Flirty without being too over the top, wasn't it?

  Just then, Rebecca saw Reid up at the front of the restaurant, speaking to the hostess. Damn. She couldn't get caught texting Finn when she was supposed to be on a date with Reid. Time to say goodbye for the night.

  Gotta run and go do my thing. She hit send and turned her phone on vibrate. She didn't want her date with Reid to be interrupted if one of her friends called. Her phone vibrated in her hand. Another message from Finn.

  Nice. Now I'm distracted. Enjoy. C U soon.

  She laughed and blushed. Great, her joke had backfired on her. Good thing Finn had a great sense of humor, one that matched hers. She texted him goodbye and shoved her phone into her purse, hoping the old adage would apply to her phone, the same way it did to her bills.

  Out of sight, out of mind, right?

  No way could she allow herself to be distracted by Finn on her date with Reid. If she was going to give herself the best chance at rekindling things with Reid, then she needed to be fully attentive while on their date.

  Reid walked over with a smile on his face and gave her a quick peck. He was very handsome. And somehow the thought that he'd come straight to her from helping his patients make their lives healthier was a real turn on.

  Turn on? No, maybe not. Comfort. It was comforting to know he was the kind of man who cared about other people.

  They followed the hostess to their table by the window, the ambient light from the tiny votive candle in the center of the table reflecting off the glass. The perfect table for a romantic first date.

  Was this really a first date? It wasn't as if they were strangers. Far from it. Sure, years had passed since they'd been together, but did that mean they didn't know each other anymore?

  After a few minutes of staring at their menus, the waiter came over to take their order—sangria for them both as well as a selection of each of their favorite tapas. They chatted casually about his day at work, about which he sounded excited, and yet tired. And when it was her turn to talk about her day at work, she lied.

  She didn't tell him about how the only bright spot in her day at the diner had been seeing Finn for a few minutes while the rest of her shift had consisted of people complaining and cleaning up after a child who had gotten sick at the table.

  Not fun. And not good dinner conversation to have with a man who wouldn't take it well that she worked at a diner in the first place.

  She did say her volunteering at the women's shelter had gone well when she'd been able to secure funding from a local corporation to supply needed vitamins and supplements to the women and children. She finally felt like she was really making a difference. Someday it would be wonderful to donate more time to the shelter, to make a bigger difference.

  All those things were true, but had happened last week, not today.

  But if she didn't tell him about that, what would she tell him? She hadn't had a chance to stop in at the shelter again since last week because she'd been trying to pick up any extra shifts she could get at the diner.

  The diner Reid would never set foot in.

  Their food arrived as Reid went on about the heart health supplements he suggested to his patients. Not exactly the most interesting dinner conversation, but not the worst either.

  Still. They could use a little lightening up. Dates were supposed to be fun, weren't they? And so far, talking about their jobs wasn't really cutting it. She wanted to know about him, not his work.

  "You know what they're missing here?" Rebecca asked.

  "What's that?"

  She couldn't help but move a little in her seat to the music as she reached for another tiny plate of tapas. It had a great beat. "A place to dance. They're playing awesome music. It's a shame no one can take advantage of it." She shimmied a little more in her seat to accentuate her point.

  "I don't mind. I wouldn't want to dance anyway."

  She stopped shimmying. "Why not? You used to come to the high school dances and, if I remember correctly, it always looked like you were having fun."

  He smiled as if reliving the moment in his mind. "Remember that one time we almost got caught making out in the locker room? I thought I'd get kicked off the basketball team for sure if they found us."

  "The look on your face when we heard the door," she laughed, "was priceless. The shade of red in your cheeks was a perfect match for my red dress."

  "I loved that dress on you. You looked so sexy. It was impossible to keep my hands to myself and dance with a foot of space between us. I'd never hated chaperones more in my life than I did that
night."

  She smiled at him seductively, "I could buy a new, even sexier red dress and we could go dancing again. It would be so much fun."

  "No." He shook his head, the smiling falling from his face as his expression turned serious again. "That was high school. It's different now."

  Or you're different now?

  "Why, don't you like music anymore?" she teased.

  "Yeah, I like music to play in the background while we talk and relax and at a normal volume. But honestly, I have no desire to get up and dance around after I've just finished a long day at work. This is nice. Just sitting and relaxing and enjoying good food." He eased back into his chair even more.

  Disappointment spread through her. Would he always be too tired after work to do anything more than have dinner, or was it because he was still getting his feet wet in his new clinic? But hadn't he been doing these kinds of hours for a long time while in residency? Shouldn't he be used to this life by now?

  She sighed. Was this what she had to look forward to if a relationship with Reid became a real possibility?

  "I like dancing. I think it's kind of fun and good stress relief. Good exercise, too."

  "I jog. I don't need to dance. And really, the thought of eating in a restaurant where people are shaking their bottoms around is very unappetizing."

  "Oh." Her spirits fell a little further, but she shrugged them off. There was a positive in here somewhere, there had to be. She'd just had to work harder to find it. "What if we ate dinner at one place, then went to a club to dance later?"

  He shook his head. "I don't think it's appropriate for a doctor to be out dancing at all hours of the night. People expect a certain level of decorum from a doctor. I don't think I'd ever feel comfortable doing that."

  Well, poop on you.

  Why was Reid being such a stick in the mud? It wasn't like she was asking him to go see a stripper or something. Just a little harmless dancing.

  Finn danced right beside where they'd eaten on their date at Eclipse, and he didn't seem to care. And he didn't seem to give a crap if anyone saw them dancing either.

  But she wasn't on a date with Finn. And Finn wasn't a prestigious doctor in the Meadow.