Love and Rumors: A Summer Sisters Beach Reads Contemporary Romance (The Summer Sisters Book 1)

by Jean Oram

  Out on the rocks he’d cupped the back of her neck while kissing her, his hands delving into her hair in a move that had made her fall against him, eager for the contact.

  Some self-restraint she had.

  She snorted, and turned to find Finian standing in the parking lot, listening to Tigger with rapt attention. Her niece took advantage of his focus, talking faster and faster, as though she expected him to suddenly look at his watch and declare that she’d used up her allotted talking time for the next two days.

  Instead, he let the girl take his hand and lead him into the throng of Daphne’s people who were enjoying a picnic before they launched their protest.

  “They keep saying a parking lot isn’t a heritage site,” someone said as Hailey passed them.

  “Those rocks…” added another.

  “What are we doing here?” Finian asked through closed lips as she drew nearer.

  “This? This is the picnic and protest I was trying to duck out of.” She checked her watch. She had a little more than two hours until she had to meet up with the Walker family at the marina. It was going to be tight. “I’m supposed to take photos for Daphne, but I have to be somewhere soon. Help me out and tell me if you see something that would look good in a pamphlet.”

  “Like that human pyramid?” he asked, pointing to five protesters who were wobbling and laughing as they tried to stack themselves into a vertical triangle.

  “Sure.” Hailey swung her camera up and took a few shots. “What else, wingman?”

  He pointed to the protest signs leaning against a picnic table. He picked a wild daisy from the tall grass near the edge of the park and laid it across the top of the table.

  “Nice eye,” she said. This was going to be easier than she thought. With Finian’s help she might make her appointment with the Walker family with time to spare.

  “Oh, my God, you guys!” Daphne squealed to a nearby group, and Hailey moved closer, raising her camera to capture the excitement in her sister’s dancing eyes. Daphne paused, holding everyone’s attention as she hauled Hailey and Finian over. “You’ll never guess!”

  The group pushed forward, eager to hear her news, whispering to each other.

  “Is Finian Alexander our new spokesperson?” one woman squealed.

  Finian flashed Hailey a panicked look.

  “No, Liberty, he’s not. But this man…” Daphne pulled Finian as close as possible. “Found…” She let the anticipation build. “…the spotted turtle!”

  The crowd gasped, their round eyes focusing on Finian.

  “Here! In Muskoka!”

  People squeezed in on him, a thousand questions flowing in rapid-fire succession.

  “And Hailey got photos of it!” Daphne called above the noise.

  The crowd surged toward Hailey, who held her camera bag against herself for protection, looking for a way to escape.

  “The spotted turtle lives in Muskoka!”

  The group began moving toward the parked cars, excitedly making plans. Hailey exhaled in relief. There was nothing like being squished in a mob to make a woman feel claustrophobic.

  “Wait!” They all stopped moving and fell silent as Daphne held up her hands. “We can worry about that tomorrow. Today we have this.” She flung a hand with flourish to the Stop the Hydro Electricity Plant! sign hanging above the protest picnic. “Tomorrow the turtle.”

  The protesters refocused, heading back to the tables.

  “Wow. If I ever need crowd control, I’m calling your sister,” Finian whispered in Hailey’s ear. She smiled and nodded. Her sister was definitely using her powers for good.

  Her smile faded. Oh, damn. She’d just hauled Finian to a rally. She was supposed to be introducing him to drug dealers and tempting him with street racing, not this. She was also supposed to be stalking him from afar.

  She sucked at being a paparazzo.

  Daphne gave Finian a tight squeeze that made his cheeks flush. “Thank you, Finian Alexander. Now, let’s set you up with a veggie dog. You must be hungry.”

  “Veggie dog?” he mouthed over Daphne’s head, making Hailey laugh.

  Her smile froze when she spotted Austin at the sidelines, carefully lining up a shot that had Finian in front of the protest signs.

  She quickly tugged Finian in the opposite direction and pressed her body against his, distracting him so he wouldn’t turn around, giving Austin the shot.

  Being a good paparazzo was much harder than she’d realized.

  * * *

  Okay, this was getting ridiculous. Everyone was all over Finian, and Austin was everywhere. He was going to scoop her, leaving her with nothing. Hailey didn’t think Finian had seen Austin yet, as he was still smiling as if he was king of the world. Although who could blame him? He was a friggin’ hero for finding the turtle. Plus, he was sexy and irresistible, and definitely worthy of being the center of everyone’s attention. But what was she, the one with the photographic evidence they needed to stop the development—chopped liver?

  She inhaled, trying to settle her frustration.

  Okay, all right…it was jealousy ripping at her, pure and primal.

  And it wasn’t because Finian was the only one getting the credit. It was about all the women fawning over him. Which was a silly waste of energy. There was no reason for Hailey to feel jealous or possessive. He was a sexy movie star, so of course women fawned over him. She was just some girl with a camera.

  She held her heavy camera against her shoulder and looked around it at the way Finian was grinning that big perfect smile, as if he and the fawners were the only ones at the picnic. She inhaled a shaky breath, watching how he gave each woman a light touch as he turned to chat with her. Nothing too intimate or encouraging, but enough to show that he wasn’t passing her off. That he was listening. Caring.

  Hailey ducked behind her camera again and fired off a few shots, struggling to keep her cool. It should be her receiving his smiles and touches. Her. Not random women who were supposed to be marching around shouting “Heck no, we won’t go.”

  She swung her lens a few feet to the right, to zoom in on Austin who was looking frustrated as some large hydro power trucks lumbered between his hiding spot and Finian. She smiled and turned her attention back to Finian who was now giving out cheek kisses to the group. Why wasn’t he kissing her? He wasn’t even looking her way.

  With deliberate moves, Hailey set up her tripod, barely refraining from breaking its legs. What was her problem? It was as though she liked him or something. She glanced up at Finian again. Oh, hell. He was looking her way. She gave him a weak smile, grabbed an organic drink from the picnic feast to her right and jammed the straw down inside the juice box. He started to come over and she fumbled with her setup, aiming her camera in random directions, snapping shots that would likely be out of focus, as she tried to act natural.

  Her heart tore into action, pumping harder the closer Finian came.

  Be cool. It’s okay. He came here with you. Of course he’s going to stop by and say hi. He doesn’t want to be abandoned here without a ride back, that’s all.

  “Hi,” she said, as he grabbed her around the waist, his gaze focused determinedly in the distance. He pivoted her and pulled her along with him and she barely managed to snag her camera, still attached to its tripod, as he hurried them to the edge of the group. He didn’t stop moving until they were hidden under the branches of a weeping willow. Then he released her, ran a hand through his disheveled hair and let out a “whew.” There were bags under his eyes she hadn’t noticed earlier. For all the fun he’d seemed to be having, being mobbed, it appeared, had drained him instead of filling him with energy like playing at The Kee had.

  Last night he’d been jazzed, with waves of alpha excitement and energy coming off him, and Hailey had been a sliver too close to taking him to bed because of it. The only thing that had stopped her were thoughts of her sister Daphne, and more specifically, Tigger. Of how her little niece had come to be during a one-night st
and with a summer boy after a Kim Mitchell concert at The Kee.

  Add in the fact that Hailey had had her heart broken by a summer boy—a man she’d thought was different from the rest—and she was a little too sensitive about summer romances and the way Finian kept drawing her into his sights.

  On the flip side, he was hot, intriguing, and his attention was totally flattering. Plus she needed him to want her near so she could photograph him when he finally showed his wild side.

  Finian stretched out in the grass and yawned.

  She stood above him, watching him tip his head back, eyes closed, content. He was so different from her in almost every way. His life was on autopilot. No cares. No worries. It was a miracle they even spoke the same language.

  “What?” He opened his eyes, and she dropped to the ground beside him, feeling unsure. Finian reached over to run a hand down her bare arm, giving her the shivers. “You look bothered.”

  She flashed him a bright smile. “Nah, I’m fine.” She scanned the area. “Where’s Tigger?”

  “With her mom,” Finian said, without glancing around. Sure enough, Tigger was bouncing along beside Daphne, her fancy dress swaying in time with her movements. In fact, the girl was bouncing more than usual—vibrating, really.

  “Ah, crap.”

  “What?” Finian mumbled, his eyes drifting closed.

  “Someone gave her sugar.”

  “Is she diabetic?” He sat up abruptly, his eyes wide as he sought out Tigger in the crowd.

  “No, she just gets hyper. She’ll be fine. Once we scrape her out of the clouds.”

  “She said it would be okay.”

  Hailey laughed and shook her head. She reached over and tapped Finian’s nose. “You were scammed by a five-year-old.”

  “I’m losing my edge.”

  “Her mother restricts sugar like it’s cocaine, so she’s developed ways to get treats from unsuspecting people in order to get her fix.”

  “Interesting analogy.” Finn shot Hailey and enigmatic look.

  “Yeah, well.”

  They both stretched out on their stomachs.

  “Are you an addict?” she asked quietly.

  “No, but I know people who are. Or were.” Finian swallowed hard, his eyes filled with pain.

  “I’m sorry.” She laid a hand over his and he met her gaze.

  “For what?”

  “For causing that expression on your face.”

  The sounds of the crowd grew in the background. It was getting close to protest time.

  “Does your sister do these sorts of things often?”

  Hailey nodded. “She views protecting Muskoka’s environment as her duty.”

  “I can see why the two of you get along.”

  “I recycle, choose products based on their impact on the environment, and drive a car with a small carbon footprint, but I’m not Daphne. I mean, I go to more protests than the average Joe, but it’s not my thing in the way that it’s hers. It’s not a major part of my identity.” Her attention was drawn to her sister, commanding the growing rally with vim. “But I’d do anything for my sisters.”

  “I meant that you both step in to take care of others.”

  “My houseplants are all dead.”

  “Funny.”

  “Not really. I feel guilty every time I look at them.”

  “But it seems like you feel responsible for a lot.” His face scrunched in a frown. “Never mind. I’m probably projecting.”

  Still on her stomach, she locked eyes with him. There was a lot going on in behind those amazing blue eyes of his, and she didn’t have a clue what it was. There was a layer in there she hadn’t managed to unearth yet. She saw glimpses of it right now, but it kept vanishing. Was it an act to up his appeal and intrigue, or was it something real he was trying to hide?

  “You need to have more fun,” he said at last.

  “And what would you suggest?” she said with a laugh, adding a hint of flirtatiousness to her voice, hoping to see his hidden layer again.

  He hunched forward on his elbows, the shade of the tree dappling his torso. “Come here.” His voice was low and full of meaning.

  Rolling her eyes, she leaned forward so their faces were closer.

  She was playing along only so she could snap pictures of him and his version of “fun.” Nothing else. She wasn’t curious. She wasn’t into him.

  Right.

  He watched her until she began to feel self-conscious. Was the dappling sun making strange shapes on her face? She shifted to pull away, but Finian pressed his warm lips to hers, gently grabbing a lock of her hair to keep her close.

  He was doing it again. Pulling her in, drowning her in feelings she’d only read about in romance novels.

  “Hey, lovebirds.”

  Hailey snapped away from Finian, feeling guilty for being the stupidest woman on the planet by falling for his moves. Again.

  But damn, he was a fine kisser and it felt so real.

  She snatched the protest sign from Daphne and, without looking back, hurried off to meet up with the rest of the group.

  “And you, hero boy,” she heard Daphne say to Finian, “if you’re good and wave this sign for the next half hour, I’ll let you come to our cottage picnic tomorrow.”

  Oh, crap.

  Hailey turned to see Finian nodding and smiling. Not tomorrow. And there was no way this man was ever going to see their cottage.

  “Been in the family for four generations,” Daphne was saying, as Hailey made her way back to them under the tree. “It’s almost in its original state which is very rare for a cottage of its age,” Daphne added.

  “I’d love to see it.”

  Hailey thrust the sign back at Daphne. “I forgot I have to be somewhere. And the picnic is off. Trixie Hollow is being fumigated this week.” She turned to glare at Finian. “I think it’s time you stop following me around.”

  It was time he learned who was stalking whom.

  CHAPTER 7

  Finn held his phone away from his ear and winced. Derek was pretty much ready to sell him out to the first women’s hygiene company to hint at an offer that he do a commercial.

  “You’re not Angelina Jolie, you understand that? You can’t pull off this ‘save the world’ crap.”

  Finn inhaled, knowing if he shut up and let Derek blow off steam his agent would get over yesterday’s protest a heck of a lot sooner. Although shutting up certainly hadn’t worked with Hailey at the protest. She’d suddenly gone from all kissy under the tree to running away, and Finn couldn’t figure out why. He’d totally kept his hands off the goods this time.

  In the end, he’d watched her hoof it across the park, her sister hot on her trail. He’d seen them have words before Hailey had taken off to someplace where girls went to have a hissy fit on their own, and Daphne had reappeared to give him a long and silent ride back to his lonely little cottage. Once there, he’d sat on the deck overlooking the lake, and drunk enough beers to give himself a headache come morning. All night he’d wondered where Hailey was and if she’d seek him out again.

  Which was what pathetic losers did.

  And apparently, he was as pathetic as they came, because her words about him not following her had hit hard. All night he’d wondered how many of their “bump ins” had been his fault. Did she really think he was following her around? Because his feeling was that it was her following him.

  He half listened as Derek strived to rant and rave Finn down to the size of a gnat.

  “You can’t go around waving Save the Whales placards.”

  “I think it was for a heritage site and a hydro electric thing,” Finn corrected, rearranging little sunflower candle holders on the mantel of his cottage fireplace.

  “You just undid months worth of work with this stupid stunt. I thought you knew better than this, Finn. A lot better. I thought we shared the same goals.”

  “We do.”

  “I have three kids to feed and an ex-wife to support.”

/>   “I know.” Finn let out an anguished sigh. This was supposed to be the easy life, not him in the middle of a web where if he bounced hard enough everyone else fell off.

  “You have charities depending on you.”

  “I’m aware of that.” He shut off his mind as he moved to the table to tap through the links and images Derek had sent him. Finn knew damn well how spectacularly he was failing; he didn’t need help feeling just how deep it was.

  The photos that had made it online last night were ones of him looking cozy in idyllic Muskoka. Enjoying himself. Content. Kissing Hailey.

  His heart squeezed tight and his protective instincts hit the red line. His hands squeezed into fists and he cursed whoever had broken into her private life like that.

  “How’d they get that shot of Hailey?” he demanded.

  “The girl? Come on, Finn. You know nothing is private.”

  But this was a private moment between the two of them, and she wasn’t a superstar kissing him for attention. She was trusting him every time she let him get close, and he’d broken her trust by letting his life invade their world. And he knew better. A whole lot better.

  This was no longer about stirring her up so she’d go paparazzo on him, but something else. Something he couldn’t figure out. Maybe the beginning…the beginning of what?

  “And for Christ’s sake, Finn,” his agent said, voice tired. “If you’re going to roll in the hay with a local, tell her to brush her hair—she’s going to be in the papers.”

  “It’s the humidity, Derek. It gets frizzy.”

  “Don’t you dare go falling in love with some nobody, you hear me?”

  “I’m not in love.” He stared at the photo, unable to peel his eyes away. It was a beautiful picture and definitely one to keep.

  He sighed. Hailey didn’t need the world on her because her hair wasn’t perfect, because she was perfect. The world wouldn’t understand. The world wanted fake perfect. You could be anyone as long as you were glossy on the outside.