SWNOVELS Finn Rhodes Forever: Chapter 26
I PULLED the junky minivan into a parking spot in front of Avery’s restaurant, The Arbutus. The car backfired and people on the street ducked like a gun had gone off.
My stomach tightened and warning bells rang in my head.
One spot over, the Thompsons’ car was rocking as they ferociously made out in the front seat. I winced.
“I changed my mind,” I told Finn. “Let’s have dinner at my place.”
Finn’s smile turned smug. “Hell no,” he drawled.
My eyes darted to the restaurant. Through the windows, I could see Avery hustling around, greeting diners and coordinating with the staff, totally in her element. She used to manage the restaurant and when the previous owner was ready to sell, she couldn’t get a bank loan to buy it, so Emmett offered to cosign on her loan if she pretended to be his fiancée for his mayoral campaign. She bought the restaurant, Emmett won the election, and they got married. Last year, she hired a new chef and the restaurant had been featured in some major foodie publications. The place was packed every weekend during tourist season.
“We can order in.” I kept my gaze on the restaurant, heart rate speeding up. “We can cuddle on the couch. I’ll do anything you want.” My voice had a desperate, unhinged edge.
Finn laughed. “Nope. I want to see whatever you had planned.”
Fuck.
I chewed my lip. “I’ll wear lingerie.”
One eyebrow lifted. “You don’t own lingerie.”
“I do, I just never wear it.”
His gaze sharpened, pinning me. He was considering it.
He shook his head. “No way. You’re getting desperate so I know this is going to be a good time.” He opened the car door and walked around to open mine. “Let’s go, Morgan. Out of the car.”
I sighed.
I left the Thompsons in their vehicle and led Finn up the walkway to the restaurant. Maybe they’d get so busy in there, they’d forget what I had planned.
Avery greeted us with a big grin. “Hey, you two—oh.” Her gaze dropped to my outfit before she rolled her mouth into a thin line, eyes bright with laughter. She wrapped me in a hug. “You look terrible,” she whispered in my ear. “Nice work.”
She pulled back and gave Finn a quick hug before leading us to our table. People glanced at my outfit on the way and my stomach dipped.
I’d already taken the joke too far. This evening was supposed to get a rise out of Finn but it was a mistake planning it at The Arbutus. I didn’t care if people were laughing at me wearing something weird but I didn’t want to bring drama to Avery’s business. My heart thumped beneath the ruffles and I sucked in a breath as I took my seat.
Finn glanced at the other two place settings. “Are we expecting guests?”
“Mhm.” My voice sounded strangled.
The front door flew open and Shannon Thompson strode in. She saw us and lit up.
Finn spotted her and choked with laughter, hiding it with a cough.
“Oliviaaaaaaa,” Shannon sang as she approached the table. Diners glanced over at her volume but she didn’t notice. Her bracelets jangled as she walked. She leaned down and gave me a kiss on each cheek. “Mwah, mwah. Finn!” He stood and she wrapped him in a tight hug, squeezing for too long. The corner of his mouth twitched.
“Hi, Shannon,” he said, patting her gingerly while raising his eyebrows at me.
“Love your outfit.” Shannon’s hands rustled through my ruffles while she admired it. “You’re like a big sexy baby.”
Finn snorted but I refused to look at him.
“Okay.” I took my seat. “Where’s Jackson?”
“He needed a moment in the car.” Shannon slipped into the chair across from me, brushing her silk scarf over her shoulder. The restaurant door opened again and Shannon glanced over her shoulder. “Here he is.”
Jackson appeared at our table with a sleazy smile. A thick cloud of cologne consumed the table, forcing all the air out of the room. I coughed.
“Olivia, stunning as always.” He leaned down to give me an awkward side hug before shaking Finn’s hand. “Finn.”
“And who’s this beautiful young woman?” Jackson leered at Shannon while she preened, flipping her hair back.
“I’m not interested,” she said in a haughty tone.
“Like hell, you’re not interested.” Jackson grabbed the back of Shannon’s hair and kissed her. She moaned into him as her hands fisted his shirt.
Beside me, Finn leaned back, looping an arm over the back of my chair, studying his menu with a grin. Other diners peeked over Shannon and Jackson wrestled with each other’s tongues. Avery brought out another table’s food and stopped dead in the middle of the restaurant, eyes wide as she spotted them making out.
My face heated even more. Why did I do this? Stupid, stupid, stupid. I should have taken Finn to see some boring movie instead. I should have known he’d be more entertained by this than anything.
Finally, they broke apart and Jackson took his seat, readjusting his pants. Ugh. Gross.
“So, Finn,” Shannon started, smiling at him. “How do you like being back in town?”
“It’s great.” His hand snuck into my lap, resting on my bare thigh, and he gave me a squeeze. “I’ve missed everyone.”
Shannon inhaled deeply and let it out with a sigh. “Ah, Queen’s Cove. So much to miss. Are you here to stay for good?”
Finn’s mouth turned up and he glanced at me, giving me another thigh squeeze. His hand was so warm on my leg, and I resisted the urge to place my hand over top of his.
“I’ll be wherever Liv is, let’s put it that way.”
I rolled my eyes but smiled at my menu.
“Oh my gosh.” Shannon put her hand over her heart. “That’s so sweet.” She turned to Jackson. “How come you never say things like that?”
He made a face. “What do you mean? I said you had magic hands back in the car.”
I held back a disgusted grimace and tried not to picture the context.
Shannon scoffed. “I jerk you off and you can’t even be romantic about it?”
My hand settled over Finn’s, and I dug my nails into his skin.
He smiled, waving a server down. “We’re ready for a few drinks,” he told her.
After the server left with our orders, Jackson turned to Finn.
“Finn, my guy. I’m telling you, the first few years of marriage, you got sunshine and rainbows coming out of your dickhole, but ten years in? You gotta do more to keep the magic popping, you know what I mean?”
Finn glanced at me with amusement sparking in his eyes. His hand was still on my thigh. “Please go on,” he managed, like he was trying not to laugh.
Shannon sighed, head falling back with drama. “Enjoy this phase of your new relationship because soon enough, all you’ll be talking about is toenail fungus.” She shook her head and jerked her thumb at Jackson. “This one has struggled with it for years. We cannot get rid of his toenail fungus.”
She waited like she expected me to say something but I blinked. “Okay,” I replied, nodding. “Wow.”
“What kind of fungus?” Finn asked, and I stared at him in shock.
His expression said politely interested but when his eyes flicked to mine, they said oh, you wanna play? Let’s play.
Butterflies filled my chest and stomach. He shifted his hand, wrapping his fingers around mine.
“What kind of fungus has Jackson not had, more like,” Shannon answered before going on a long, rambling rant about how tough it was to eradicate toenail fungus because Jackson kept going barefoot in the gym showers.
“I’ve got your drinks here,” the server said sometime later.
“Thank fuck,” I whispered under my breath and Finn gave my fingers a squeeze.
Shannon pointed a spiky nail at me. “Olivia, be sure to check Finn’s feet for fungus every night after he gets home.”
Jackson shook his head. “It would have been so easy to treat if we caught it early. I wouldn’t have lost the nail.”
I buried my face in my hands. If I went to the washroom, I could slip out the back.
“Yeah, Liv.” Finn’s eyes glittered. “I’ll do you if you do me.”
I gave him a dry look. “I doubt that you’ll do me. I’ve offered.”
A broad smile stretched over his face. “Maybe tonight’s your night.”
My stomach flip-flopped at the idea of something sexy happening tonight. A flash of nerves hit me in the gut.
Finn leaned in and I shivered as his mouth brushed my ear. “You’re going to have to work a lot harder than this to get me in the sack, Morgan. I’m not putting out that easy.”
I relaxed. It wasn’t happening tonight.
“Finn,” Shannon added as he took a sip of beer, “you need to be checking her for skin cancer on her labia as well.”
Finn’s beer sprayed out his nose in a storm of coughing. Over at the bar, Avery shot me a what’s going on expression and I returned it with a wide-eyed thumbs up.
These people were batshit crazy, and I needed to get them out of here as soon as possible. I’d ask Avery to rush our meals, I’d eat as fast as possible, and as soon as the meal was over, we’d get the bill and get the absolute fuck out of here.
I flagged the server down. “Can we order? We’re in a rush.”
Shannon leaned forward on her hands. “No leaving early on us.” She let out a loud laugh and Jackson chuckled.
“We’re not in a rush,” Finn told the server, shaking his head before shooting me a wicked grin. “We’ve got all night.”