“Oh, so you’re the person who’s an authority on culture now?” Iris was annoyed by Finn’s gruff assessment. Who was she to criticize a group of people she’d only met once? “Oh, that’s right, there’s a lot of culture happening in Watts Mountain.”
Iris’s comment struck a nerve and she immediately regretted it. Finn stopped shoving food around her plate and glared at Iris. She hadn’t really meant to say something unkind about Watts Mountain, but Finn pissed her off, and she was already feeling bad about herself. She didn’t need Finn heaping more on top of her long list of failings. Her mouth was a step ahead of her brain and she couldn’t stop herself from taking some of her frustration out on Finn.
“Wait, I’m confused. Now you’re talking about me?” Finn set her fork down and looked at Iris.
“No, I mean, yes…you were making fun of my friends, weren’t you?”
“I wouldn’t say I was making fun. It was more of an observation.”
Finn’s observation had sounded more like a judgment to Iris. And she was in no mood to let it slide. She’d had a shitty day of career disappointment. She was getting nowhere. Her life was completely stalled. She was doomed forever to be a supporting actress, nothing more than the occasional victim for a crime drama. And now Finn had the gall to be judgmental of her friends?
“Do you hear what you’re saying? You’re saying my friends are shallow.”
“Well, they kinda are, aren’t they? It’s not the end of the world if they are. They’re your friends, not mine.”
“Well, you must think I’m shallow too. I mean, if I’m friends with them, then I must be, right?” Was that what Finn really thought? Was Finn lumping Iris in with the whole of Hollywood and everything that was wrong with it?
“No, of course not, but you must have something in common with these people, otherwise, why would they be your friends.”
Finn seemed so sure that she was making a completely rational point. Her borderline condescending attitude infuriated Iris.
“I don’t understand why you’re so bothered by what I’m saying. I made an observation about the people I met at your party, and you took a jab at Watts Mountain. Why don’t we just call it even?” Finn was angry now too.
Iris was trying not to let Finn’s comment bother her, but it did, and her defenses and her insecurities were ratcheting up.
“Maybe the real problem here is that you and I don’t have anything in common with each other.” Iris wasn’t hungry any longer. She shoved her plate to the side.
“What? What the hell are you talking about?”
“If you think my friends are so shallow and beneath you—”
“No, that’s not what I said. You’re twisting my words.” Finn was pissed. “If you want to know the truth, yes, I think most of the people at that party seemed shallow. There, are you happy?”
“And I suppose your redneck friends back in Georgia are deep and cultured, but they just work at a garage for the fun of it.”
“I guess I’m finally finding out what you really think of me.”
“And what you really think of me.” Iris crossed her arms and sat back in her chair.
“Was I nothing more than a free ride to California?” Finn’s question was laced with fury.
Finn’s stomach churned, her appetite was long gone. She figured she knew the answer to that question already. Did she really need the insult of Iris’s confirmation?
“Was I nothing more than a free place to stay while you attended that driving class?”
“I guess we both got what we were after then, didn’t we?”
“If that’s what you really think then you should leave.” Tears began to gather along Iris’s lashes, and her voice trembled.
“Don’t worry, I’m not about to stay where I’m not wanted.”
Luckily, Finn had slept in the spare room the previous night so her stuff was already in one spot and fairly organized. She stormed from the table. The chair scraped loudly against the tile floor when she stood up. She briskly repacked the few items strewn on the bed. When she strode toward the door, Iris was standing beside the table, hugging herself. She made no move to stop Finn, and when Finn jerked the door open she almost collided with Maggie.
“Oh, are you—”
“Sorry.” Finn brushed past Maggie.
She tossed her bag onto the passenger seat and pulled away from the curb without looking back. A couple of blocks away, she parked, unsure if she wanted to scream or cry. She pounded the steering wheel with the heel of her hand trying to relieve some of her anger. What the fuck had just happened? She’d been played, that’s what. She’d known this whole thing with Iris was too good to be true. Too easy. Women like Iris didn’t end up with women like her. She’d been living in some dreamscape for the past week, but now Iris was back with her friends and Finn didn’t measure up. There was no way she could measure up.
Finn took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down.
Now what?
She sat for a moment and considered her options.
Finally, she decided to drive back toward the track, get a hotel, and figure out her next move.
* * *
Iris watched Finn blow past Maggie in her rush to leave. She felt furious and dazed at the same time. The entire exchange with Finn had spun completely out of control. Maggie looked back and forth between Finn’s angry retreat and Iris before closing the front door.
“Iris, honey, what happened?” Maggie swept her hands up Iris’s arms, still folded across her chest.
“Finn and I had a fight.” She sniffed and swiped at a tear. She wasn’t crying because she was upset, but because she was incensed. She was livid.
“Was it about Kent being at the party? I told Finn you didn’t invite him.” Maggie urged Iris to sit down.
“No, it wasn’t that.” Iris didn’t want to tell Maggie what Finn had said about all her friends being shallow. “It was about so much more than that. I don’t think we’re right for each other.”
“But you…you guys seemed so into each other. I don’t get it. What changed?”
“I think she’s not who I thought she was.” Iris braced her elbows on the table and covered her face with her hands. “And I’m definitely not who she wants to be with.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.” Maggie touched her arm. “It’s a lot to meet someone’s whole friend circle all at once. Maybe Finn is just feeling a little overwhelmed…a little outnumbered.”
Iris wished that was the case, but that wasn’t what Finn had said.
“You should have some food.” Iris shoved a plate in Maggie’s direction. “I’m not really hungry anymore.”
“Just give things a little while to cool off and then call Finn. I’m sure you guys can talk this out.” Before Maggie could serve herself some food, there was a knock at the door.
Iris’s heart sped up. Maybe Maggie was right. Maybe Finn had come back to apologize. They could talk it through and everything would be okay. Maybe Finn hadn’t meant those awful things she’d said. Maybe Iris had misunderstood.
Maggie opened the door.
“Hi, girls, I thought I’d stop by and see how hung over the birthday girl was.” Regina strolled in with a bright wheat-grass-green beverage from the juice bar. She took off her sunglasses and squinted at Iris. “Are you crying? What’s wrong? What’d I miss?”
“Finn and Iris had a fight.” Maggie got an extra plate from the kitchen and set it on the table for Regina. “There’s lots of food. Want to join me? Iris is fasting.”
“It’s my fault isn’t it?” Regina took the chair next to Iris. She crossed her legs and leaned forward like an attentive talk show host. “Listen, I would never have texted Kent about the party if I’d known about Finn. I shouldn’t have invited him…really. I’m sorry. I just thought, oh, I don’t know what I thought. You guys were such a cute couple.”
“It’s not your fault. This had nothing to do with Kent.” Iris shook her head. “You guys eat. And c
an we talk about something else?”
“Oh. My. God.” There was an expression of horror on Regina’s face as she looked down at her leg. “Did I just see cellulite on the back of my calf?”
Chapter Thirty-three
Driving while angry might not have been Finn’s smartest move. Luckily, there wasn’t as much traffic as she retraced her earlier route. She’d white-knuckled the steering wheel to the point that her left hand had begun to tingle. Her right hand was required to shift gears so at least there was blood flow to her fingers.
The Motel Six near the track was the perfect fit for Finn’s mood—sad, cheap, and run-down. She had just parked the roadster when she noticed the Texan from her class outside his room, drinking a beer. After their initial encounter, she’d learned that his name was Tommy and he’d been working as a long-haul trucker but was looking to switch to a more glamorous, fun career. Tommy the Texan, it had a nice ring. He was a beefy guy, a little thick in the middle. He probably played football in high school and now consumed the same number of calories without all the exercise or the teenage metabolism. Tommy and Finn, as the token southerners, had bonded during the day. Southernism trumped any other thing they might not have had in common.
“Why so sad? Did Chevrolet stop making trucks?”
“Somethin’ like that.” Despite her dark mood, Finn almost laughed.
“I picked up some beer if you want one.” He tapped a small cooler on the breezeway near his feet with his boot heel.
“Yeah, thanks.” Budweiser wasn’t her favorite, but she wasn’t feeling picky. She looked at Tommy while still holding the lid open. “You ready for another one?”
“Nah, I’m still good.”
There were faded outdoor chairs along the front wall, covered by the overhang. The cheap plastic chairs matched the rest of the decor. She took the seat next to Tommy and stretched her legs out. This day had not gone the way she’d anticipated. Nope, not at all.
They were quiet for a minute, watching cars come and go and people unloading their stuff. Cars on the freeway provided constant background noise. This hotel wasn’t a destination. This was the place people stopped when they couldn’t drive any farther and needed to sleep. It was after nine and fully dark.
It was strange to sit outside in the summertime and not have to fight off mosquitoes. The only bugs out and about were a small gathering of moths around the outside light at the edge of the overhang.
“So, you gonna stick this thing out?” The first ten minutes of the class, Tommy had hinted that he might not stay for the full course. She wondered if he’d changed his mind now that the first day of entry-level stuff was behind them.
“I don’t think so.” He sipped his beer thoughtfully. “I learned a lot today, but I ain’t got the luxury of freelancing the way Rick described it. I gotta have a steady paycheck.”
“I was sort of thinking the same thing.” Finn had been reconsidering everything on her drive from Iris’s place.
“Yeah, I’ve got a kid and child support. I can’t be foolin’ around hoping work will come my way.”
It’d be so much easier to launch a career as a stunt driver if you were like Kent, who came from old California money. At least that’s what she’d read about his background. If he didn’t get work, it wasn’t as if he was going to miss a meal or lose his house.
“Too bad neither one of us is Kent Kenny.” She knew she sounded bitter, maybe even jealous. She figured as soon as she was out of the picture Iris and Kent would get back together. Regina was right, they made a cute couple, and obviously he fit in with Iris’s friends much better than she did. And as it stood now, Finn had nothing to offer.
“He’s all hat and no cattle.”
“Really, you think so?” Finn couldn’t help smiling. Only someone from Texas would say that, but she appreciated the sentiment.
“Yeah, he’s a pretty boy actor who just happens to do his own stunts. He got every break in the world. He’s an actor first and a stunt driver second.”
“You don’t think he’s a good driver?”
“Maybe.” Tommy paused as if he were doing math in his head. “But how much of that is talent and how much of it is hype because he’s an actor.”
“Who knows.” Finn shook her head. Kent probably got a break in lots of ways based on his looks alone. Must be nice to be that pretty. Even thinking the word pretty reminded her of Iris, and her stomach took a turn south.
“Exactly. Who knows is right.” He crushed the empty can and reached for another beer, kicking the cooler top closed with his foot. Maximum gain with the least effort. “Guys like us have to work five times as hard to get to the same place.”
“Yeah, I’m afraid you’re right about that.” Finn was amused by the fact that he’d lumped her in with the guys. That had happened her entire life, so she was used to it. Her more masculine appearance seemed to inspire men to share more than they would with a woman they had some interest in dating. They tended to treat Finn like one of the guys.
They sat for a few more minutes not talking while a grumbling family of four checked into the room next to Finn’s.
“So, what’s your plan then? Are you going to finish the course or are you out of here?”
“I’m out of here tomorrow.” He slouched in his chair. “I’ve got a line on a flatbed truck, a big rig. I’m going to use what I would have spent on the rest of the class as a down payment. And then I reckon I’m goin’ back to truck driving. I already got one guy who’s paying me to haul a car to Georgia for him after I pick up the truck.”
“How much would you charge to haul a car that far?” Finn was formulating a plan.
“Five hundred.” He looked at Finn. “You thinking of shipping your vintage MG back?”
“Yes, actually, as of about an hour ago.” Finn sipped her beer. She could get herself and her car back to Georgia for what it would cost her for only one more day of Rick Crenshaw’s stunt driving class. Maybe she should just cut her losses and do exactly that, if Tommy could help her out. If she stayed in California much longer she’d be too broke to pay attention. As it was, she was already way over what she’d budgeted for the trip.
“Well, I wouldn’t charge you five hundred. I’d do it for four.”
“Tommy, I’m gonna take you up on that.” She extended her hand and he shook it. “It was an adventure to drive Scarlett out here on the old roadways, but that’s too much mileage for her. I’d rather not drive back to Georgia.” It would certainly cost a lot more than four hundred dollars for gas, food, and hotels. Plus, the thought of retracing the journey without Iris wasn’t appealing. There would be a million things along the way to remind her of what she was never going to have.
“I’m going to get the truck tomorrow at eight. I could come back here and we could load your car after that. I’ll have my vehicle, your MG, and then I’m picking up the other car in Palm Springs.”
“That sounds good to me. If you bring it anywhere close to Atlanta I can pick it up.”
“I’m taking the Palm Springs car as far as Dawsonville. It’s a classic Ford and there’s some collector who’s buying it.” He tossed his empty can into the cooler. “Will that work?”
“That’s perfect. My folks’ place isn’t too far from Dawsonville.” Now all she had to do was find a plane ticket. “I better go figure out a flight home.”
“Have a good night.”
“You too.”
Finn rolled her shoulders and kicked her shoes off. She stretched out on the bed with her laptop looking for the cheapest fare back home. She found a flight out of Burbank that only made one stop in Houston. She hesitated for a moment. She was about to purchase a ticket and be gone. Did she want to sit with that for a minute and think about whether she wanted to see Iris before she left?
There was no doubt she wanted to see Iris. But she was too angry. If she did see Iris she’d likely say even more things she’d regret. Plus, Iris had made it pretty clear what she thought of Finn and all he
r uncultured Watts Mountain kin.
She hit the purchase tab.
The deal was done.
Tomorrow night she’d be back home, where people cared about you for who you really were, not the clothes you wore or how much money you had. The California scene was definitely not for her.
She reached for her phone. No messages from Iris.
Finn sent a text to her brother. She’d need a ride from the airport in Atlanta since she’d be without wheels. It was after midnight on the East Coast so he probably wouldn’t respond until morning. She tossed her phone onto the bed and started channel surfing. She was too wound up and angry to sleep.
* * *
Iris tossed about in bed. It was late, but she couldn’t sleep. Her head would not keep quiet. Everything that had happened in the past week replayed in a loop every time she closed her eyes. And to make matters worse, she couldn’t stop thinking of how it all felt, how good it was to be close to Finn. And how crushed she’d been by what Finn had said. How had everything gone so wrong so fast?
It was probably a miracle they hadn’t had a fight sooner. Small car, long, hot drive. Plus, they hardly knew each other. Actually, reflecting back, they’d gotten along remarkably well considering all those factors. Being together had been so easy. Maybe too easy, because the minute the real world intruded everything fell apart. The first time there was any conflict things had blown completely apart.
This was exactly what had been so frustrating about Kent. He’d go from zero to a hundred and then leave before anything got talked through. Trying to work through any disagreement with him or navigate compromise was infuriatingly impossible. He was always right and would never apologize. Iris always had to be the one to walk things back, to make things okay again. Well, she wasn’t going to do it any longer. She wasn’t going to be that person. Finn could call as easily as she could. Communication worked both ways.
Chasing Sunset Page 22
