by Jill Lynn
His arms fell to his sides, the hammer heavy in his hand. “Hey.”
“Hi.” They stared at each other for a few beats, two teenagers at a loss for how to communicate, and then Ivy rounded the counter and opened the laptop stationed on the cabinets that lined the back wall.
Not knowing what to say or do, Finn returned to measuring and pounding nails, their almost kiss as fresh in his mind as laundry hung outside to dry. He added pictures so he could check how it looked, stepping back to survey his work.
“The one second from the right is crooked.”
He squinted, trying to find the infraction.
Ivy strode past him and made an adjustment. On her trek back to her safe haven behind the counter, Finn snaked out a hand and captured her wrist, gently pulling her to a stop.
“What’s going on? You okay?”
“I’m fine, Finn.” Her tone, which sizzled and hissed, said otherwise.
“I thought... I know we almost...” He couldn’t bring himself to say kissed out loud. “But I thought we were good. That we decided not to go down that road.”
She gave a very un-Ivy-like snort.
Finn was obviously missing something, but he had no idea what. He liked having Charlie for a sister—at least when she wasn’t asking him for favors he had no interest in fulfilling—because she broadcasted everything for all the world to see.
Ivy was a vault. If she hadn’t just snipped at him, her smooth features would have hidden her upset.
Finn wasn’t sure what to do with the woman whose wrist he couldn’t seem to remove his hand from. Ask what was wrong? Or turn tail and run...again?
* * *
We? There’d been no we in last night’s discussion. Finn somehow remembered them coming to a joint decision, but all Ivy recalled was his quick retreat and the numerous times he’d cut her off. He hadn’t let her get a word in edgewise, and then he’d bolted from the bunkhouse.
Who was Finn Brightwood to tell her how to feel and when to feel it? Ivy had cowered plenty during her marriage, disagreeing with Lee but going along because she hadn’t wanted to rock the boat.
Well, she wasn’t that same person anymore. The younger version of herself had possessed a backbone. The current version of herself was more than ready to take that skeleton out of the closet, dust it off and bring it back to life.
“Mommy!” Sage, Reese and Lola broke through the back door of the café, and Ivy’s muscles switched from hard and angry to pliable and tender in an instant. She knelt to catch the girls’ hugs.
Ms. Lina followed behind them, and after squeezing the triplets, Ivy stood to greet her.
“Thank you for dropping them off.”
“Of course. I knew I had to run some errands tonight—I need to grab a few things at the five-and-dime and then hit Len’s Grocery—so I figured dropping off the girls would force me to make that happen since shopping isn’t my favorite. Your car was unlocked, so I left their car seats in the back.”
“Perfect, thanks.” Ivy had been outside unlocking her car when Finn must have arrived. She’d found so much trash and smashed snacks in the back seat that she’d spent a few minutes cleaning it out. Charlie had told Ivy she’d asked her brother to stop by the café today. But once it neared four and he still hadn’t shown, Ivy had begun wondering if Finn was trying to avoid her.
But that was a crazy idea. Especially since Finn thought they were “fine” or “good” or whatever he’d labeled them.
Lina left, and Ivy gave the girls another squeeze. She was enjoying her work at the café so much, but seeing her girls was still the best part of her day.
“All right, loves, we can head home soon. I just have to send an email before we go. Do you think you can entertain yourselves for a couple of minutes?”
She scanned the space. What would they do with themselves? There was nowhere for them to be. Nothing for them to do. The tables were adult-sized. They should really have a kids’ corner. Especially if Charlie wanted to use the café as a place for her mechanic shop patrons to wait and work. Ivy made a mental note to talk to Charlie about the idea.
“The girls can help me hang pictures.” Finn’s blueberry eyes met hers, full of questions. “If that would help.”
Ivy wanted to refuse Finn’s offer, especially after last night and her remaining upset, but she pressed her teeth tight to avoid a negative answer. “Sure, that would be great. Thank you.” Her wooden tone contradicted the words.
The faster she sent the email, the faster she could remove herself from Finn’s presence. Ivy was in the middle of finalizing the menu with a local bakery they’d contracted to make muffins, scones and cookies. They planned to rotate through something new each week until they found the most popular items, which they’d then carry consistently.
Ivy and Charlie both liked that they were supporting another local business.
“Mommy said you holded us home cause we were all sleepy.” Lola’s tone was part pouting, part curiosity.
“That’s right,” Finn answered. “But you sure tried your best to stay awake, didn’t you?”
“I did!”
“I didn’t fall asleep,” Sage retorted. “I was a big girl.” Outside of yesterday, when she’d succumbed to a nap and Lola hadn’t, Sage was usually the one who managed to stay awake the longest.
“Nothing wrong with sleep.” Finn’s gentle response held humor, and a piece of Ivy’s anger that had formed last night chipped away like a chunk of glacier crashing into the ocean.
He asked about the girls’ day, and Ivy listened with one ear as they chimed in with answers. Her fingers danced across the keys, writing a sentence and then deleting it. She was having a hard time concentrating, with the chatter going on behind her.
Reese told Finn that Ms. Lina had let the girls take her bunny outside today since the weather had been warm, and Finn’s questions and attention to the shyest of her three girls melted another wedge of ice.
Ever since the girls had helped Finn with the chicks, they checked on them every day. If they were allowed or had the space, they’d no doubt want a whole farm full of animals. But that wouldn’t happen in her parents’ pristine home. Ivy’s mom did have a dog, but he was older and not a fan of children, so she doubted he’d be much of a playmate for the girls.
Today Ivy’s phone had buzzed numerous times with texts from her mom.
Managed to get the girls a spot for summer tennis! The rest of the message had gone on to explain how her mother had a connection at the club who’d pulled a few strings for her. Ivy had typed back I DON’T WANT THE GIRLS IN TENNIS, in all caps, and then left it unsent while her frustration skyrocketed.
Mom had also notified Ivy of some updates regarding the pretentious preschool she’d chosen for the girls—not that Ivy got a say in the matter—and that she was remodeling what would be the girls’ bedroom into something calm and soothing.
Hopefully those weren’t code words for how she expected the triplets to behave.
If only Ivy could give the girls the freedom of living at the ranch or somewhere like it, running wild and experiencing the wide-open spaces full-time. The more she watched them blossom in Westbend, the more she wanted that kind of independence for them in the future.
Lola appeared at her side and tugged on her arm. “Mommy, we waited forever, but we’re all done now.”
Done with Finn already? Maybe he wasn’t the exciting toy he’d shown the promise of being back when the girls had first discovered him. Ivy’s mouth itched to curve, but she stemmed the response just as Charlie came through the back door of the café.
“My favorite triplets!” She high-fived each of them as they ran to greet her. “What’s new, girls?”
“We have to wait for Mommy to work,” Sage huffed with impatience.
Reese sniffled as if the situation warranted tears.
Lola spun in a circle, making her skirt flare. “Do you see my skirt, Ms. Charlie?”
“Love the skirt.” Charlie’s smile bloomed. “And how terrible for the three of you, having to wait!”
They nodded gravely, appreciating that Charlie would take them seriously even though she was tamping down amusement.
“What do you have left?” she asked Ivy. “You can take off and I can finish up.”
“I just need to confirm our choices with the bakery.” And instead of sending the email, I’ve been over here distracted by Finn, the girls, thoughts of my parents...
“Okay, then why don’t I take the girls out back to the sandbox while you do that?”
The girls cheered and jumped up and down.
“Are you sure?” Ivy would fight her boss, but she’d quickly learned that Charlie had a huge heart for kids and truly enjoyed the triplets. It was easy to picture her loving Honor well as her foster mom, and when Charlie and Ryker started a family someday, she’d no doubt be an amazing mother.
“Absolutely. Come on!” Charlie held out her hands and the girls grabbed hold. She spared her brother’s work a parting glance. “Finn, the one on the left is crooked.”
Ivy chuckled silently as the four of them exited through the back door and the café returned to peace and quiet. Except for Finn’s groan, which made her laugh more.
How could he amuse her and make her mad at the same time? And who was he? The snarly guy she’d first met? Or the sweet one from last night who had caused unexpected feelings for him to buoy to the surface? Obviously the same had happened for him, though he’d been unwilling to admit it outside of the implication that he’d wanted to kiss her.
Part of Ivy’s attraction to him last night had to be because she missed seeing the girls with a father figure in their lives. Didn’t it? Okay, she wasn’t sure of that, but she was grasping for a reason—any reason—that she’d let herself slide so easily in Finn’s direction. In the direction of Finn’s lips, to be more exact. Because the pull to kiss him... Ivy fanned herself with her hand. It had been strong.
“Warm?”
She whirled to find Finn standing behind the opposite counter, far too close for comfort.
“Something like that.” Amazingly, the words didn’t wobble like her pulse.
“You planning to tell me what’s going on with you? My best guess is that it has something to do with last night, but then again, it could have nothing to do with me. You could have had a rough day at work. Your boss could be a jerk. Your boss’s brother could be a jerk. You could be suffocating from small-town gossip. You could—”
“Okay, okay.” Amusement bubbled despite her annoyance with him.
His mouth quirked as if this was all fun and games. It wasn’t for her. An almost kiss meant something. She hadn’t planned to get anywhere near a shenanigan like that, but yet they’d stumbled right into the thick of it. Which meant she had to deal with the why of it. She’d learned after losing Lee that burying her emotions and reactions didn’t work.
It was one thing for her to agree that it was illogical for her and Finn to enter into any kind of romantic relationship. But having Finn dictate to her that they couldn’t be an item when she hadn’t been able to get a word in edgewise? That had hurt.
“I just... I didn’t appreciate that you made the decision for us last night without any input from me. Believe it or not, I’m not interested in having anything develop with you, either, Finn. Not only are we moving to California soon, but I have a lot going on with the girls. My focus is on them and being the best mom possible. I have reservations, too, and I came to that conclusion on my own. You didn’t have to make it all about you.” Oops. She might have gone a little too far with that last bit, but at the same time, it felt good to speak her truth. She’d failed at that over the years, so learning how to stand up for herself again—without overdoing it—might take some time.
Finn’s mouth hung open for a couple seconds before he snapped it shut. And then he ran a hand across the back of his neck. “I’m an idiot. You’re right. I didn’t listen to what you had to say, and I’m sorry.”
Oh. She’d expected more of a fight out of him. She’d geared herself up for one, at least. But Finn never ceased to surprise her.
“Thank you.” She was supposed to be writing an email while the girls were outside with Charlie. Instead she was staring at Finn, questioning what it would have felt like if the two of them had let that kiss happen.
“So...should we cancel dinner next week? It’s okay if you need some space from me. I might need some space from me right now.” His head shook. “I feel like a jerk, Ivy. I’m sorry I stuck my boot in my mouth.”
His sincerity and the country-boy charm that seeped from his pores as easily as dust blew over the dry Colorado terrain softened her. She liked being around Finn. The girls adored him. What would another meal together hurt? Especially when their time in Westbend was going so quickly. It could be a farewell/thank-you dinner of sorts as the café would be opening in two weeks, and the week after that, Ivy planned to continue on her way to California with the girls.
“Let’s still do it.”
“I would argue with that, but the thought of whatever you plan to make is compelling me not to.” Finn’s grin melted the last of her reserves. “You’ll have to tell me what to bring or buy for dinner.”
“You’re providing the house and kitchen. That’s plenty.”
His eyes narrowed. “Doesn’t seem fair.”
“It isn’t a decision you get to make. I’m in charge of dinner.”
“All right.” His calloused palms rose in defense. “You win.”
“I’ve been winning a lot lately. I think I’m on a streak.”
“You definitely are. Especially since I’m afraid to cross you. Made a mistake yesterday and got reprimanded for it. Rightfully so.” Finn’s low chuckle delighted her more than it should.
“Someone has to keep you in line.”
“Cavemen need direction. What can I say? I’m not trained socially, it seems.”
Ivy was enjoying this lighter turn in conversation, glad that she and Finn could stumble their way back to safer, more agreeable ground.
He morphed into serious mode, but his twinkling eyes gave away his mirth. “I’m very much looking forward to whatever it is you make next week, Ivy Darling. And if you need me to pick something up, please let me know.”
Ivy barely resisted a curtsy in response to his regal tone. “I mean...if you insist on participating, you could see if the bakery has anything chocolate on hand for dessert. The girls would lose their minds over a treat.”
“And you?”
“Same.”
His hearty laugh warmed her insides and created an inkling of worry. Was spending time with Finn a good idea? Or should they go their separate ways?
It’s only three weeks.
True. How much could even happen in that short amount of time?
Chapter Ten
Can you at least give me a hint?
The next Wednesday, Ivy pocketed the text from Finn with a laugh and then retrieved a pint-size table from the back of her Suburban, snaking it through the front door of the café.
Ever since she’d told Finn this week’s dinner was going to be a surprise, he’d been trying to get her to give up the secret.
She placed the table in the corner where a small book and toy case already perched, and retrieved her phone.
You’ll know tonight. And you’re making too big of a deal out of this. Who knows if you’ll even like it?
Though she would imagine the recipe of his mom’s roast would be a hit, Ivy couldn’t be certain. If she’d known that a small surprise would bug Finn this much, she would have started tormenting him sooner.
She returned to her vehicle for the small colorful chairs. The bright yellow and turquoise loo
ked great in the space, and she could imagine her girls coloring, reading or playing in the kids’ corner. She could also picture moms stopping in for coffee, delighted to have a place their kids could hang out in at the same time.
The mayor of Westbend had popped in this week to see how things were progressing, and Ivy had pitched him her idea of having the café available for evening meetings. Bill Bronson had liked the suggestion, commenting that the city council could take advantage of the option—especially on nights when there would be a large turnout of Westbend citizens attending the meetings.
After getting approval for her idea from Charlie, Ivy had set up a scheduling calendar online for meeting options, and a few dates were already filled.
If Ivy left the café with anything, it would hopefully be a steady stream of customers all primed and ready to use the space that had turned out beautifully.
Charlie’s vision was minimalistic—black-and-white with touches of raw brick and warm wood. Farmhouse shabby chic. Ivy had found wire baskets to house the silverware and napkins, and they’d gone with mugs of varying colors for coffee and tea. She’d also found a cooler for drinks that was new but looked vintage. That was humming along at the end of the counter, and Ivy had placed an order for glass bottle options to fill it.
She loved that Charlie’s Pit Stop had a vintage vibe. She loved that the sign outside had the same old-fashioned look as Charlie’s Garage next door. She loved that the café was really coming together, and the realization that she wouldn’t get to stay to see it blossom stung more than she cared to admit.
Her phone buzzed with a text. Finn had sent her a GIF of a caveman saying Me like food. She was still laughing when his next text quickly followed. When are you starting training?
Tomorrow.
After numerous conversations with Charlie, they’d decided George and Kaia were the best hires for the café. Kaia was ecstatic about the opportunity, and so far Ivy had no qualms about hiring her. George was in his sixties and very personable, and with his more flexible schedule, he’d also be a good fit.
