by Lila Kane
“I spent some time with him last week, Charlotte,” Jake said, strolling next to me on the path through the trees. “It killed him not having you there. And I didn’t even know about this whole mess at that point. I know Finn’s smothering you. It’s kind of Finn’s way. But you have to understand, he’s terrified of losing you.”
My throat dried. To have Jake put it so bluntly left me speechless. I knew Finn cared, I knew it. But Jake knowing it, too, must have meant Finn was doing a terrible job of covering it up. He used to be so laidback and cool about all this relationship stuff. Now I was seeing his new, vulnerable side. And while it warmed my heart, it also scared me. What if something did happen? I could lose him or the other way around.
Things were so much more serious, so much faster than I expected them to be.
“What would you do if you were in his shoes?” I asked Jake, trying to get some perspective.
“Sorry sweetheart,” he said with an easy smile, “I’d probably kidnap you and make you go to the cabin. Just until things calm down.”
I smacked his arm and he laughed.
“I’m just saying, I understand his urge to want to get you away from here. I understand it, and as much as you don’t want to hear it, I agree with it. I know it’s hard to leave your job—especially since you just started—but that’s the luxury of being in the position you are. You can come and go when life events warrant it.”
With a sigh, I said, “It makes me feel like I’m backing down. Like I’m running away.”
“Taking care of yourself and letting others help you isn’t backing down or running away. It’s just smart.”
At the gleam in his eye, I frowned at him. “You’re really good at these backward insults, you know.”
“I’m not insulting you, Charlotte. You’re smart enough to make your own decisions. I’m just…coming at it from an outside perspective. I’ll be straight with you because I know it’s hard for Finn to tell you these things. It’s likely John isn’t through with you. Hanging out here like we think everything is fine is going to make him comfortable and then he’ll make his move. But if you’re not here, it gives Powell and the police more time to catch up with him and stop him before something else does happen.”
“Like I said, I don’t think he’s going to hurt me.”
Jake stopped at the entrance to the Entertainment Community and turned to face me. “Think of it this way, catching him is a good thing—”
“But he didn’t do anything. We catch him and then what?”
“Then get him to talk. About Mark. Kill two birds with one stone. It sounds like he doesn’t respect Mark for what he did to you and it’s likely he’ll help us out if he thinks he’s doing it for you. It’s a decent way to get information on both parties. Better to go that route than wait for something else to happen without knowing when or where it’s coming from.”
I nodded. “That makes sense.”
“See? Perspective. Powell’s thought of all this, of course, and Finn trusts him. I trust him. If he says it’s best to lay low a while, to get away, I’m inclined to agree with him.” Jake smiled, wrapping his arm around me in a playful hug. “I wouldn’t steer you wrong, would I?”
As we started walking again, I said, “He wants me to move in with him.”
“Who? Finn?”
“Of course Finn. He asked me this morning.”
Jake grinned. “Good for him. I swear he was like a girl after you left him that first time. Moody all the time, snapping at me and Mom.”
“Hey,” I said. “I’m officially offended on behalf of all women.”
He laughed. “I’m just saying, it’s about time he got his head on straight. Him asking you to move in? I’d say that’s a lot less about him wanting you to be safe than him just wanting you to be close. Can’t blame him.”
My heart did a little flip. Now, that was nice to hear. I wanted to be close to Finn, too. I just didn’t want to rush anything. I’d already done that and it hadn’t worked out so well.
“That must be her,” I said, pointing to a woman standing in front of the space for lease. “Tracy?”
She turned, a smile on her face. But her gaze swept past me to Jake. She angled her head, confusion racing across her features. Then she laughed. “Jake?”
“Tracy Portman,” Jake said, shaking his head. He hauled her into a hug, lifting her feet off the floor. “I haven’t seen you since—”
He broke off, lowering her to the ground and straightening.
“Since that party on Steve’s boat.” She grinned, eyes lighting in memory. “I’ve never had so much champagne in my life. I kept asking Finn where the cannons were every time another firework went off.”
My body tensed at hearing Finn’s name. I had no idea she knew Finn or Jake.
“I’m sorry,” Tracy said, holding out a slender hand. “I’m Tracy.”
“I’m Charlotte.”
“Great to finally meet you,” she said, turning to take in the space. “Finn always talked about this—Oasis—and it was nice to hear he finally pulled it off.”
My gaze slid to Jake’s. He averted his eyes, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
“I’m sorry,” I said to Tracy. “How do you know Finn?”
She angled back, a curve to her lips that spoke of secrets. I was surprised she didn’t wink at me. “We used to date.”
Her shoes echoed on the tile when she walked into the empty space, looking back and forth. “This is wonderful,” she called, voice bouncing off the tall ceiling.
“Date?” I looked at Jake before glancing back to find Dustin watching other people walk by, keeping his place by the side of the entrance to the space. I lowered my voice. “Date?”
“It was a while ago. It was just a short-term thing, nothing serious.”
“Then why didn’t she contact him about the space, not me?” I asked, following her inside.
He shrugged, looking uncomfortable.
“I really think this might work,” Tracy said as she strolled through the space casually. “My boss is so picky, I swear I’ve looked at dozens of locations. But he insisted this would work, and I think he’s right.”
“What kind of restaurant?” I asked.
“Italian,” she answered, waving a slender hand like it wasn’t that important. “It’s really an investment more than anything else, but he’s already found his chef and they’re fiddling with the menu and all that.”
“I forgot you got that new job up north,” Jake said. “How’s that working out for you?”
“It’s flexible, which I like.” She grinned at him. “Not quite as easy to work for as the Moore brothers, though.”
I blinked, trying to keep my smile fixed on my face. I didn’t know why I hadn’t considered the other women Finn might have dated when we weren’t together. After all, I’d gotten engaged.
“You used to work with Jake?” I asked.
“And Finn, of course.”
“Why didn’t you just contact him about the space, then? If you don’t mind my asking.”
She ran a hand through her hair, her cheerful smile still in place. “I thought it might be a nice surprise.”
Jake coughed and muttered under his breath, “It’ll definitely be a surprise.”
With a laugh that sounded more like a giggle, Tracy grabbed his arm in a flirtatious way. “Don’t act like you had no idea Finn and I still keep in touch.”
Jake’s gaze swept past mine. He shifted from one foot to the other. “No. I honestly had no idea.”
“Well, sure,” Tracy drawled, and I didn’t know why I hadn’t heard her slight southern accent before. “We email quite a bit, and we had lunch last week. I told him I had a new project I was working on but I wouldn’t tell him where. But now that I’ve seen the place…well, wouldn’t it be great all of us working together again?”
Jake gave a vague nod.
“You had lunch with Finn last week?” I asked.
Tracy faced me full on t
his time, her head tilted in question. She seemed to really take me in, studying my features before answering. “Sure did. He seemed a little down and I offered to take him out. Still as handsome as ever.” She nudged Jake. “Both of you are.”
My smile froze on my face. Tracy took that as an invitation to continue.
“Must be hard working for him.” She grinned slyly. “Those suits, they always did distract me.”
Jake coughed again and nodded to the room. “Want to see the rest of the place?”
“Absolutely.”
When Jake walked ahead, Tracy smiled at me once more. “Jake’s a cutie. You two a thing?”
“Oh, no, not me and Jake.”
“That’s too bad. He’s a good guy.”
Not having to lie this time, I nodded. “He is.”
“But Finn…ahh…” She sighed, eyes going wistful. “He always did have my heart. Maybe if he’s finally over that girl who ditched him in college, he and I can give it another go.”
My mouth dropped open, but Tracy didn’t notice. She just walked ahead, linked arms with Jake and started flirting again. I pulled my phone from my purse when it beeped with a message and saw Finn’s number.
My meeting is over in an hour. We can pack up what you need from your place if you’re up for it?
Without answering, I shoved my phone back in my purse and followed Tracy and Jake.
CHAPTER TEN
Finn was in another meeting when I finished my work for the day. Part of me wanted to slip past unnoticed and get away for a bit. Dustin was already waiting for me by the elevator. It would be easy to send Finn a quick text and head out without him knowing.
But my conscience overrode that decision. He’d worry and that wasn’t fair, even if I was pissed off that he hadn’t mentioned Tracy or their lunch last week.
I stopped at Leslie’s desk, catching her as she was grabbing her purse. “You up for a drink?”
She blinked at me. “Rough day?”
“You have no idea. Rough month, really, and I’ll tell you all about it once I’ve got some tequila in me.”
“Sounds promising. Sure.”
“We’re meeting at Paige’s place if that’s okay.”
“As long as there’s food and drinks, I’m there.”
I grabbed a notepad off her desk. “Can I borrow this?”
“Absolutely.” She leaned in and lowered her voice, her eyes flicking to the elevator. “Are you going to explain the escort, too? Cause, yeah…I’m trying to mind my own business, but he’s kind of there all the time now.”
“I’ll explain everything but you’re going to need a lot of wine.”
I scribbled a quick note for Finn and returned the pad to Leslie’s desk. I debated asking her to bring it in to him. Coward. But it was bad enough I’d had to listen to Tracy all afternoon as she went on and on about Finn. During all of Tracy’s reminiscing, and that woman had a wonderful memory of Finn’s attributes, she happened to mention what a great connection they had last week at lunch.
If he was connecting with anyone, I certainly didn’t want it to be Tracy.
But the other part of me, the rational part, kept saying, You broke up with him!
Damn right I did. But not so he’d head straight out with an old girlfriend and connect. Then this week he was asking me to move in with him! I had whiplash. The least he could have done was tell me about her so I had a heads up.
“Be right back,” I told Leslie.
Finn’s deep voice hit me the moment I arrived at the door, almost making me lose my resolve. Damn. He looked good sitting at his desk in his dark suit. Voice serious and focused, fingers strong as he tapped a pen against a pad of paper. No wonder Tracy went on and on about him.
Fuck that. He still should have told me about lunch with her.
“There’s still more work to do here,” Finn said to the person on the phone. “I’m tied up with this project at the moment.”
He met my eyes when I stepped in. Without hesitating, I hurried to his desk and deposited the note. I gave him a short wave and turned.
“Wait—I’m sorry, can you hold for a minute?” he asked whoever he was talking to.
I grimaced, glancing over my shoulder. “I’ll call you later,” I said in a hushed voice.
He stood from the desk, snatching my note and reading it quickly. “You’re going to Paige’s tonight?”
I nodded. “Dustin is at the elevator waiting. I’ll give you a call—”
“Damn it, hold on. Did you get my text earlier?”
Glancing to the door, I kept my voice low, hoping no one else would hear. “I did. We can talk about it later.”
He eyed his phone like he might hang up on the caller. “If you give me a minute, I can walk with you. Or—”
“No, thanks. I’m good. See you.”
“What the hell, Charlotte? Are you still mad about the cabin?”
I smiled my sweetest smile. “No, I’m mad about Tracy Portman, who actually happens to be a nice person I’d probably be friends with if I hadn’t just spent most of the afternoon listening to how much she still loves you.”
His mouth opened and then closed. He gathered himself before saying, “Tracy? How do you know Tracy?”
“She’s the one I met with about the restaurant. Glad to know you two are still in touch. She really is just head over heels for you, so you’ll forgive me if it takes a few hours to process. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
“Charlotte,” he snapped, coming halfway around his desk.
I lifted my chin. “Watch it.”
“There’s nothing going on with Tracy.”
“Is that what you told her last week at lunch?”
His mouth opened again but nothing came out. My lips curved into a pained smile. “I thought so.”
He sighed. “Please, Charlotte.”
“You need to give me this—tonight at least. I need…girl time. I need to vent. I—” I waved my hand dismissively. “It doesn’t matter. Finish your phone call and I’ll see you later.”
I heard his voice behind me as I walked out but didn’t turn back. I had no reason not to trust Finn but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt listening to Tracy talk about him and their relationship. Especially a relationship she still wanted to be in.
Leslie gave me a wide-eyed smile as I reached the elevator. “Time for tequila?” she asked.
“More than time.”
Paige was the ultimate host. She already had a platter of cheese out and wine glasses ready for us when we arrived. When she saw my face, she backed away from the door. “I have hard liquor.”
Leslie nodded. “I’d say it doesn’t hurt to bring it out now.”
I dropped my purse on the chair by the door and collapsed on Paige’s sofa, letting my shoes fall to the floor. “You’re probably going to want to ignore what I’m about to say,” I told Leslie. “You know, being that you’re all in love and flying in the clouds with little hearts in your eyes.”
She laughed. “I don’t have hearts in my eyes.”
“Sure, you don’t.”
“Wait, don’t start without me!” Paige yelled from the other room. “Tequila or vodka?”
“Yes, please.”
Paige snickered and returned with both as well as shot glasses. “I have limes, too. But really you should at least eat some cheese first. The pizza is on its way.”
I snagged a piece of cheese and said, “Men are clueless.”
“Oh, this is nothing new.” Leslie poured three shots of tequila. “Even when you have hearts in your eyes.”
Paige sighed. “Ah…I wish I had hearts in my eyes.”
“What about Tucker?” I asked.
She smiled and shrugged. “A few late-night conversations but I think we’re better off as friends.”
I immediately thought of Jake. “Oh, you know who—”
“Stop.” Paige held up her hand. “I can only handle one set-up every few months. If it’s meant to happen, it’ll happ
en.”
“Cheers to that,” Leslie said, lifting her glass.
I rose mine too and clinked in the middle of the table. “Cheers to fate.”
“And hearts in the eyes!”
On a roll of laughter, I downed my tequila, grimaced and slid my glass to the middle of the table where Paige was already pouring more.
“I didn’t think we’d be drinking tequila tonight,” Paige said. “Did something else happen today?”
“Something else?” Leslie asked.
Paige’s eyes met mine like she wasn’t sure whether or not to say anything. She knew how discreet I was being about all of this. But we didn’t have to worry about the cameras anymore—not with John gone and a new guy at the controls. And I was tired of keeping it a secret.
“Oh, yes, there’s more,” I said. “And I’ll tell you both all about it. But first, another toast.”
I held up my glass and waited for Leslie and Paige to do the same.
“Congratulations, Leslie, on your engagement—”
“Holy, shit!” Paige said, tipping her glass and spilling some of her drink. “Where have I been? How come I didn’t hear this news?”
Leslie held out her hand so Paige could see the ring.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. Then, looking at me, she said, “I changed my mind, Charlotte, set me up. I want a pretty ring.”
With more laughter, we drank another shot. The more I drank, the more I talked. I told Leslie all about Mark and John and how Finn wanted me to move in. Then I told them about Tracy and her stories about Finn and their weeks together.
“Maybe he was just…you know, getting over you,” Leslie said. “I mean, not like he was using her necessarily, but…it sounds like he loved you even though he was too afraid to say it. And then you dump him. That had to hurt.”
“It’s not that,” I said, shifting on the couch. Already feeling the effects of the alcohol and knowing I was going to regret it tomorrow when I had to get up early. “I know he was moving on, too. It’s that I had to hear about it this afternoon. After Finn asked me to move in with him. I had to hear all about how she’s been emailing with him and how they had lunch last week—”