“I’m sure he deserves it.” She looked at Finn, and her gaze was full of questions and speculation. He hadn’t realized how close he and Anna were sitting until just that second. They weren’t touching, but they were definitely in each other’s personal space.
Finn sat up straight so he wasn’t leaning toward Anna anymore, but judging by the quirk of his mother’s eyebrow, it didn’t really help.
Then Anna pushed herself to her feet and tapped at something on her watch. “I would rather sit here and watch Grizz play for the rest of the day, but I should get back inside.”
“Finn’s going to help me get Grizz in the car so I can take him home,” Alice said, “but then he’ll be along.”
That was definitely a maternal signal that he was about to get a talking-to, but Finn stood up and very deliberately did not watch Anna walk back to the house. Instead he started toward the dog, who wasn’t going to be happy to leave his new favorite game of running in circles while yipping at birds.
He wasn’t surprised when his mother followed him, or when she put her hand on his arm before he could bend over and pick up Grizz.
“Have you totally lost your mind, child?” she demanded.
He was tempted to point out he was far from being a child, but he knew better. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t play coy with me. You two have had your eyes on each other since day one, but I didn’t think you were actually foolish enough to get involved with the woman your grandmother has us actively defrauding every single day that she’s here.”
He wanted to deny it, or at least skirt around the truth, but he didn’t bother. One, she already knew. Motherly instincts and all that. And two, he didn’t want to lie to his mother. It gave him a stomachache and never ended well.
“One thing has nothing to do with the other,” he said, which wasn’t an outright admission of guilt.
“Finn.” Her sigh had just enough of a growl in it to make him wince.
“I would never throw Gram under the bus, Mom. Not for anything or anybody. You know that.”
“I do know that. But it’s easy to slip up and make a stupid mistake, and it’s even easier to slip up if you’re spending time together alone. It’s a lot of risk for a fling.”
A fling? Something about the words made him want to instantly reject them—to tell her he wasn’t sure it was just a fling. But he didn’t. “I’m well aware of the stakes, and this isn’t something you need to worry about.”
“I hope not.” She bent over and picked up Grizz, giving lie to the notion she’d needed help in the first place. “If you can’t keep your fly shut, make sure you keep your mouth shut.”
“Mom!” He shook his head and took a step toward the house. “I’m done talking about this. I love you and I’ll see you when I get home.”
“Love you, too, honey.”
What a mess, he thought as he walked up the porch steps. Not that his mother was wrong, exactly. But he didn’t want to talk to her about intimate details of his personal life, ever.
And he didn’t want to give up Anna.
Chapter Fourteen
“This isn’t what I expected,” Anna said, turning in a circle in the middle of Finn’s apartment.
“I’m almost afraid to ask what you thought my home would look like,” he said, tossing his keys and wallet on the table next to the door.
“I don’t know. Like a bachelor pad or more...plain, maybe? This room looks like it could be a room in your grandmother’s house.” When he nodded and gave her a sheepish grin, she got it. “That’s why you picked it, isn’t it? The older building, with an outdated apartment. It reminds you of home.”
“That and the garage space for my bike.”
“You do have a lot less stuff than Tess, which is good.”
“And most of it was made in the last decade.”
Despite the teasing, his place did have a similar vibe as his grandmother’s house. It was in the structure of the apartment and the possibly original wooden floors and trim. It didn’t have the sleek updated look so many apartments had, but kept the original charm of the historic building it was in. His furniture was leather, but worn and soft, and there were a lot of small touches she hadn’t expected. An old quilt on the back of the couch. Place mats on the wooden table. A few houseplants that were probably in desperate need of water.
“Are you going to give me the grand tour?” she asked, trailing her fingertips down his arm.
“I don’t know about grand. It’s not a big place.”
She laughed and took his hand in hers. “I’m just trying to get in your bedroom, Finn.”
“Oh.” He chuckled and pulled her toward the door on the other side of the living room. “Definitely a grand tour, then.”
The bedroom was decorated with the same type of comfortable, homey furniture as the rest of the apartment. A solid maple dresser and matching nightstands. A sturdy chair with a lamp tucked to the side as though that was where he did his reading. And an old-fashioned brass bed covered by a soft down comforter she couldn’t wait to mess up.
Once Finn put his hands on her, she stopped admiring his decor, except for the brass headboard. The rails were perfect for holding on to as he kissed his way down her body—pausing to lavish attention on her breasts and then nipping at the inside of her thighs before he settled his mouth against her.
He licked and sucked until she cried out and her back arched off the bed. Only when she’d had the first of what she hoped would be many orgasms this weekend did he pull a condom from the drawer and roll it on.
Finn took his time making love to her, kissing her and stroking her hair away from her face as he thrust slowly into her. When she cupped the side of his face in one hand, and he turned to kiss her palm, she felt her heart squeeze in her chest.
Her heart, she thought as she ran her finger over his lip. It wasn’t just her body being thrilled by being in Finn’s bed. Her heart was involved and when she looked into his eyes and saw the emotion there, she knew it was too late to do a damn thing about it.
Then he drew her finger into his mouth and sucked hard as he thrust deeper into her and all of her attention went back to the delicious sense of friction and heat.
It wasn’t until much later, when they lay breathless and depleted in each other’s arms that she let herself think about the connection they had. It wasn’t just physical. She couldn’t deny her feelings, and she also couldn’t deny what she saw in his eyes when he looked at her.
She loved him. And she was growing ever more certain that he loved her.
No matter how hard she tried—wanting to savor the possibilities between them—she couldn’t push back the reality. They were still lying to each other. And maybe they’d wrap filming and the show would air and nobody would ever be the wiser.
But they’d know. And she couldn’t shake the fear that having the Bayview Inn secret between them, even if it never blew up in their faces, would be like having a tiny stone in your shoe. You could keep walking, but eventually it was going to hurt.
“What are you thinking about?” he murmured into her hair.
“I’m not really thinking about anything,” she said, closing her eyes against yet another lie.
“That was a pretty big sigh for a woman who’s not thinking about anything.”
“Fine. I was wondering what the chances are I can steal this bed without you noticing. I really like this bed.”
He chuckled and squeezed her tight. “I’d probably notice if you tried to steal it, but feel free to spend the entire weekend in it with me.”
But they needed food to keep their strength up, so on Saturday, they explored the city. He took her to his favorite breakfast café, and then they walked around the historical districts. In the afternoon, they took the bike and rode along the coast, stopping at a few of the beaches and historical spots. She cou
ld see that he liked Portsmouth, but he didn’t light up the way he did when he talked about Blackberry Bay. He might not even realize it, but most of the things he’d made a point to share with her reminded her of his hometown.
They ate fresh seafood at a place that didn’t look like much, but he’d only told her to trust him and he hadn’t let her down yet. They made love again, and on Sunday morning, her first waking thought was regret that the weekend was over.
“I wish we didn’t have to go back,” he said sleepily, as if he’d read her mind, and kissed her hair. “Not yet at least.”
She closed her eyes, surprised by the emotion that welled up inside of her. She didn’t want to go back, either. “If we don’t go back, the inn won’t get finished and Tess will have to live with your parents indefinitely.”
“I think you just threatened me with my father showing up at my door and dragging us both home.”
Home. That was how he thought of Blackberry Bay, and he probably always would. But it wasn’t her home. Her life wasn’t there, and every day she worked on the Bayview Inn was another day closer to her having to make a choice.
A few weeks ago, she would have said there was no choice. Her home was in Connecticut, as was her career and her sisters. But now she wasn’t so sure, because when she thought of home, she thought of Finn.
Determined to put off their return until the last possible minute, Anna rolled to face him and ran her fingernails down his chest. “We still have a few hours before we have to leave.”
“Breakfast is overrated anyway.”
“So is talking,” she said, and then she silenced him with a kiss.
* * *
“I like working on this house a lot more when there aren’t cameras in my face,” Finn said, looking at the electrical panel Brady had his hands in.
“Probably because you’re actually standing around talking and not actually working,” Brady replied. “And even though you haven’t done anything, you’re still a better fake electrician than you are a fake plumber.”
“You heard about that, huh?”
“One of the cool perks of Anna turning out to be my sister is that I get to hear things about you that you would never tell me.”
Finn shrugged. “I would have told you, eventually. Dad probably would have beat me to it, though. I don’t think I’ve seen him laugh that hard in years.”
“I’ll set my DVR to record that episode.”
They were not only alone in Gram’s house, but they were working in the cool cellar updating the electrical lines running from the kitchen. To fit it into Brady’s schedule and be at a time when Reyna would be home with Parker, the two of them had come back after everybody else left, and it felt like the most peace and quiet Finn had had in ages. He would rather have spent the time with Anna, but a guys’ night out with Brady—even if it was in Gram’s cellar and involved working—was the next best thing.
It would be better if they were kicked back drinking a couple of beers, but he supposed drinking and wiring was frowned upon, as it should be.
“So I’ve got some gossip for you,” Brady said, and then he picked up a coil of wire and held it out. “Here, hold this.”
“What kind of gossip?”
“Reyna had lunch with Sydney and Meredith today and Sydney told her the word around town is that you and Anna are seeing each other.”
“I knew that already.”
Brady shot him a look that should have melted the wire he was holding. “But did you know people are talking about it?”
“I think it was probably inevitable in this town. And we’re kind of trying to keep it quiet, but we’re seen together. I’ve taken her out on the bike a couple of times. We had breakfast at the café. I don’t think it’s really a problem.”
“Except the people being asked to go along with the Bayview Inn nonsense are the same people who know you’re seeing the star of Relic Rehab. You’ve got so many grapes on the grapevine that people are going to start jumping up and down and making wine.”
“I don’t think it’s quite that scandalous. I mean, look at her. It would be more newsworthy if I wasn’t attracted to her.”
“Hey, that’s my sister you’re talking about.” Brady frowned when Finn gave him a questioning look, and then he shrugged. “I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to say that.”
“You’ve known her like five minutes,” Finn said.
“Doesn’t make her not my sister.”
“True.”
Brady sighed. “This is weird, on so many different levels.”
“Trust me, I know. I finally find a woman like Anna and then—surprise—she’s my best friend’s secret sister.”
“Since we’re on the subject, what exactly are your intentions?”
Finn laughed at first, but he stopped when he realized Brady wasn’t laughing with him. He hadn’t even cracked a smile. “Wait, are you serious? It’s not 1890 anymore, you know.”
“I know, but you have this look. Like... I don’t know. I think you’re falling for her pretty hard and I’d be happy for you if I didn’t know you’ve been lying to her.” He took a swig of beer and then shook his head. “This seems like a good time to point out that I haven’t had to lie to my sister, but I’ve had to not tell her the truth, and there is no aspect of your life right now that isn’t giving me a headache.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I want you to tell me the truth of what’s going on between you.”
“I can’t speak for her, but...” He fiddled with the end of the wire in his hands. “It’s serious for me.”
“I’m glad for you because I really want you to have what I have. It’s pretty amazing, Finn. But at some point you’re going to have honesty in your relationship or it’s going to go south on you.”
“You know that’s the one thing I can’t do. Not with everything Gram has at stake,” Finn said, and he really did not want to talk about this anymore tonight. “Why am I still holding this wire?”
“Because I told you to.”
“What’s it for, though?”
Brady sighed. “Because it was starting to piss me off that you were standing around doing nothing, so now you’re doing something. You’re holding that wire.”
When Finn chucked it at his head, Brady ducked and his laugh echoed around the old stone walls of the foundation.
“I was wrong. You’re an even worse fake electrician than you are a fake plumber.”
When they finally called it a night and Brady dropped him off in front of his parents’ house, he looked at his watch, but it was too late to call Anna. Maybe he could send her a text message because that was less intrusive, but he wanted to hear her voice.
And maybe it was pointless anyway. He wanted to have a conversation with her—a real conversation—and find out where she saw their relationship going. He was already in over his head, so if she wasn’t on the same page, the sooner he got out, the less it would hurt.
But how could he have that conversation with her and maybe even talk about a future together when he couldn’t be honest with her?
When he saw Grizz staring at him from the back of the couch, which enabled him to see out the window, Finn gave up on talking to Anna tonight and went inside. He knew he needed to say something to Anna soon—he needed her to know he was all in on their relationship. But he wasn’t sure what that meant yet other than the sense of urgency he felt for the remodeling to be done so he could put Gram’s latest escapade behind him had changed into dreading that final day, because it meant Anna would be leaving.
He didn’t want her to go.
That was the one concrete thing he knew. He couldn’t imagine not having Anna in his life anymore, and he didn’t want to. But he hadn’t figured out the hard parts. They couldn’t just...stay together in Blackberry Bay, with neither of them leaving. He had a home and
a business in Portsmouth. Her home was in Connecticut and she had the show.
And then there was the biggest hurdle of all—one he couldn’t see any way over. If she stayed, the truth about the Bayside Inn was going to come out. Maybe she’d just find out in town one day when people got tired of playing Tess Weaver’s game and it slipped out. He liked to think he’d tell her himself because it was the right thing to do, but the fear she’d walk away made his stomach hurt.
He couldn’t see how they’d get past the lies he and his family had told her.
When Grizz whined for his attention, maybe sensing Finn’s mood, he sat on the couch and patted his lap. If there was one thing Finn did know, it was that rubbing a dog’s belly always made a person feel better.
Chapter Fifteen
“Is the crew here yet?” Anna asked Eryn after looking out the front window for what felt like the tenth time.
“No. Do you want me to call Mike?”
“Let’s give them ten more minutes.” It was odd, though. Sometimes they came in a little later if they’d worked into the night, to make up time, but they usually let Eryn know. They were also aware there was a lot on their plate today, since Eryn had sent Mike the list of scenes Anna had dictated.
Anna and Eryn had left earlier than usual that morning so they could stop at the café and have an actual sit-down breakfast, rather than something on the run, so they hadn’t seen any of the crew before they left the campground.
When Anna’s watch notified her she had a call, she thought it might be one of the guys and pulled her phone out of her pocket. But Duncan Forrest’s name was on the screen and she hesitated, actually considering sending him to voice mail. Not only was it rare for them to call this early in the day, but a call from Duncan directly to Anna was usually scheduled in advance. Otherwise, Eryn communicated with their assistants.
But she knew if she put off the call, she’d only obsess about it, so she answered it as she went down the hall and out the front door to find a quiet place to talk. “Hello?”
The Home They Built Page 15