by Debbie Mason
Yes, thanks to this ridiculously handsome and wonderful man, Olivia realized just what had been missing in her marriage. She’d fallen out of love with Nathan years before, and now she’d fallen in love with a man who shared many of the same passions as her late husband. And lest she forget, he was younger than her. But right now, none of that mattered. That painful almost-goodbye just before Stanley arrived canceled out her doubts.
“You okay?” Finn asked.
Despite a riot of feelings exploding inside her, she nodded as he sat beside her on the couch. Admitting her feelings for Finn, even if it was just to herself, made her feel awkward and uncomfortable around him now. As if he could see through her calm and collected act, her friendship mask, and would hightail it back out the door. Because if ever there was a man who was afraid to open his heart and his arms to love, to let himself be loved, it was the man sitting beside her. She could commiserate. It wasn’t that long ago she’d felt exactly the same.
“Liv doesn’t have anything to worry about, does she?” he asked Stanley.
“I wish I could tell you that was the case, but I can’t. I’m sorry. As soon as I found out what they were up to, I went over and tried to talk them out of it. I almost had Walter convinced, but you know Celeste. She’s determined, Livy. She hired a private investigator.”
Stunned, Olivia stared at Stanley. Less than five minutes ago, he’d said he wasn’t worried about them bringing up the past. The only thing he’d seemed concerned about was whether or not she wanted George. And now it sounded like he thought her in-laws could win. “You think they have a chance to take her from me, don’t you?”
“I’m afraid so. They have connections, and Celeste isn’t averse to pulling strings.”
As Stanley well knew, Olivia didn’t like throwing the weight of her name and money around. But that was the old Olivia. No, she thought at the anxious jitter in her stomach, she was still that Olivia. Except when it came to protecting her family. “In this instance, I’m not averse to pulling a few strings myself. Something you may want to share with Celeste and Walter. Because as you all know, my connections are not merely judges in family court.” She wouldn’t be so crass as to mention that she had the money to wage a battle they couldn’t hope to win.
“I know, and so do they. Or I should say, Walter does. But Celeste has always chosen to believe that you don’t have the money or influence that you do. And that’s on you, Livy. You’ve always downplayed your fortune and connections.”
Beside her, she felt Finn stiffen and was reminded of previous conversations where he didn’t hide his antipathy toward people with money. She glanced at him. “I’m not going to apologize that I have money and that I’m willing to use it to keep George. You weren’t there, Finn. You didn’t see how Celeste treated her. Walter wasn’t much better. It would—”
“Relax. You don’t have to convince me. If you’ve got the connections and the money, I’m all for you using them to keep George.”
“You are? But when we talked—”
“I’ve got a patient in five minutes. So how about you let Stan tell us what we have to do beyond throwing your money and influence around to ensure George stays with you?”
She found herself moving closer, smiling up at him. “Good idea.”
He angled his head like he sometimes did when he thought George was doing something cute and returned her smile.
Her heart skipped a beat when she met his gaze, and then did the same when she turned to Stanley and saw the expression on his face, but for an entirely different reason. “You don’t think that will be enough, do you? My goodness, Stanley, what can the private investigator have on me that’s so terrible?”
“Plenty, I’m afraid.” Stanley leaned over to pull a file from his briefcase. He handed the papers to her. “You live in a small town, Livy. People like to talk. And while I understand your friend, the doc here, was just looking out for you and George, a judge might not see it that way.” He handed Olivia what looked like an incident report. The black marks against her were listed in bold print.
“I didn’t say you were unstable or unfit, Liv,” said Finn, who was reading over her shoulder.
“That may be, but you are Livy’s and George’s primary physician. Your opinion carries weight. By suggesting Celeste and Walter assume custody of George, you indicated you had grave concerns for her well-being.”
“Come on, that’s not—”
Stanley raised his hand to interrupt Finn’s heated denial. “Let me finish.” He looked at Olivia. “By willingly giving George up, even if you didn’t go through with it in the end, they’ll insinuate that you didn’t want or believe you could care for her either.”
“If you read farther down, you’ll see you have more problems. Like a member of the staff at Greystone Manor saying you regularly leave George unattended while you work and that she was attacked by swans and nearly drowned in the pond. That same employee related another incident at the manor one night where you were heard yelling at George, and she refused to go back inside the manor with you. Both incidents were substantiated by multiple witnesses.”
“Now wait a minute,” Finn began to protest while Olivia sat there stunned. It felt like the people she thought of as friends were turning against her, but what bothered her even more was that while the report was manipulating the facts, the incidents in question had happened, and she was beginning to question her own abilities as a mother.
“Look, Finn, I understand it’s hard not to defend Livy, but just let me get everything on the table first, and then we’ll go incident by—”
“There’s more?” Olivia asked at almost the same time as Finn.
“I’m afraid so,” Stanley said. “You have an enemy at the manor, Livy, and I’d suggest you find out who it is before they damage your reputation further. This same employee said you have a drinking problem. Again, when questioned, this was substantiated by two other witnesses who attended the Mother’s Day brunch. Also, questions were raised about your judgment because you’ve taken into your home a dog that was to be put down for biting George and attacking you.”
“It wasn’t like that. Wolfie…” She bowed her head when Stanley sighed. “All right, I’m sorry. It’s just hard to sit here and listen to all the awful things people are saying behind my back.”
“I know. We’re just about finished. And I’m sorry, but this is probably going to be harder for you to hear.”
Finn put his arm around her. “Come on, this is ridiculous. Liv is a good mother. If you think my opinion carries weight, put me on the stand.”
“For everyone’s sake, I hope we can keep this out of court. But if it comes to that, believe me, Livy’s lawyer will put you on the stand. Because, Finn, it’s statements made by you and confirmed by witnesses that provide the best evidence against her. You accused her of being an addict and because of those concerns took her car keys from her. There was also an incident on the docks that was covered up by you, Finn, as well as an incident in front of the clinic where the officer of record withdrew a charge of reckless driving because you pulled in a favor.”
Olivia brought a hand to her mouth as the evidence against her piled up. “I’m going to lose her. I’m really going to lose her,” she said, afraid she was going to be sick.
“No, no, you’re not. They can’t force me to testify against you. I’m your doctor.”
“You weren’t acting in the capacity of her doctor at the time of the incident on the dock or at the time of the traffic violation. The complainant at the manor also attests that you can validate the dog, the drinking, and the pond incidents, and you weren’t there as Livy’s doctor.”
Stanley winced when Finn shot him a furious glare. “I guess you can plead the Fifth or marry her. You can’t be forced to testify against your spouse. Actually, that’s not a bad idea. It would play in Livy’s favor. You’re well respected, both a hero and a doctor. And you would provide a father figure for George as well as a stabilizing influence
on Livy.”
“Stanley, that’s a…” She was going to say a completely ludicrous idea, but as she thought about all the evidence piling up against her, she worried that Celeste and Walter would win. But it wasn’t only about Olivia losing George. She couldn’t stand the thought of George living in a house where she wouldn’t receive an iota of the love and attention she deserved.
She glanced at Finn, who was as still as a statue. It was like he thought if he didn’t move, they’d forget he was there. His face looked like it had been chiseled out of granite, all except the muscle flexing in his jaw.
She swallowed hard. This wasn’t going to be easy. An hour before she’d come to the realization that she loved the man, it would have been easier. Because now her heart was invested in his answer. “Finn…”
He briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath before shifting to face her. “Liv, don’t—”
“Please, Finn. I just need to convince a judge to let me keep her. A year should be enough. It’s not like I’m expecting it to be a real marriage. Just real enough to convince everyone that it is.”
“Liv, I can’t. I—”
“I’ll give you a million dollars.”
Chapter Eighteen
Liv had been serious. If Finn agreed to marry her and stay with her for eighteen months—Stanley had stuck his legal-eagle nose in and added the extra six—she’d pay him one million dollars. One million dollars to do with as he pleased. Finn had walked out of Dr. Bishop’s office to see his patient with the promise that he’d think about it.
For the last five days, that was all he’d done. Think about Liv and George. Had he thought about the million dollars? No, because that just ticked him off. Liv had put him in a difficult position.
Whether she blamed him or not, she could foreseeably lose George because of him. And didn’t that just slay him. Most women would have rightly laid into him for the part he played, but not Liv. She was kind and sweet and understanding, and she couldn’t lose George. She’d already lost too much. And George? She was thriving now, happy and settled. He couldn’t handle the thought of her being taken from Liv. What it would do to the both of them.
So where did that leave him? Stuck in the middle of yes and a definite no. He didn’t want to stay in Harmony Harbor for more than a year. He wanted to go back and work in the Congo where what he did actually made a difference. Some of his patients at the clinic might argue that he was making a difference in their lives, but it wasn’t the same. He needed the adrenaline rush, the adventure, to test his skills, his boundaries. He needed to be a hero like his brothers.
What he didn’t need was to be married to a woman he admired and respected and lusted after…He released an irritated breath at the thought. It wasn’t like he lusted after her all the time. Just every once in a while. Like when she wore her classy, expensive clothes and her hair in the sleek knot and her lips were painted cherry red and…Fine, he pretty much lusted after her all the time. Now that he thought about it, that was way worse. Because as much as like could turn to love, so could lust. He both liked and lusted after Liv.
Then there was George. He couldn’t play the role of adoptive father to a little girl he could easily love. And there was his answer. He was avoiding Liv because he didn’t want to tell her he couldn’t do it. Whatever else she needed from him, he’d do. He’d lie on the stand. He’d give her what money he had. But he would not, could not, put himself in the position where he might fall in love with Olivia Davenport.
“Hey, son, glad you made it,” said his dad, who was leaning against Ladder Engine 1 when Finn walked up beside him on Main Street.
“I didn’t have a choice. Griff and Liam are whipped. They threatened to carry me in the parade if I didn’t come.” The parade was part of an annual festival in Harmony Harbor honoring the patron saint of fishermen, St. Peter. It was put on by the Italian American fishing community and had been going strong for more than eighty years.
His dad grinned. “You were safe. They got tagged to carry St. Peter.”
Finn debated walking back to the house. Everyone in town would be out, which meant his chances of running into Liv and George were high. Then again, the festival was a big deal, drawing crowds from all over, as evidenced by the hordes of people packed onto the sidewalks, while others gathered on porches that were decorated with bunches of green, white, and red balloons.
As the Navy band led the parade down Main Street to St. Peter’s Park at the waterfront, kids with painted faces waved miniature Italian and American flags and laughed at the groups of men dressed in colorful and flamboyant costumes following behind. The costume wearers would be competing in the greasy pole contest later that day. A telephone pole was greased and suspended on a platform over the water with a flag at the end. It was a competition Finn had won in the past.
Sophie’s brother Marco, Liam’s best friend and a fellow firefighter, walked by wearing an Italian cap and shorts. “Good luck, Marco! Do the house proud,” his dad called out.
“You got it, Chief,” Marco yelled as he blew kisses to the women in the crowd. He stopped to pose for selfies with a couple of his female fans and called to Finn, “Shame you couldn’t compete this year, Doc.”
“Careful, I’ll be the one looking after you when you do the splits on the pole,” Finn shouted back, chuckling when his brother’s best friend paled and then gave him the finger.
“Here comes Rosa.” His father grimaced as Marco’s grandmother, wearing a pink checkered dress and apron, advanced on her grandson. “Looks like he’s getting into trouble for giving you the finger.”
“Serves him right. Someone should talk to her about cuffing him on the back of the head like that though.”
“Marco does, for all the good it does him. Now there’s someone I’d like to see Rosa cuff.” His father scowled at Doc Bishop, who’d just rounded the corner of South Shore Road. “He’s started up the feud again between your grandmother and Rosa. Chief Benson called me yesterday. He’s days away from charging both Rosa and your grandmother for public mischief if they don’t stop calling in complaints against each other. Your grandmother even tried it on me. Told me I needed to go to DiRossi’s deli and put out a fire. She said it was electrical so to just go in there with the hoses blasting.”
“Not that I want to get in the middle of this or start something else, but you know that Dorothy and Ava started working at the clinic, right?”
“Yeah, Griff told me about it. I think it’s great. Everything’s working out, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, Ava’s doing great. And Doc Bishop’s over the moon. He has a crush on Dorothy. He follows her around like a lovesick puppy.”
“Dorothy’s dating Ava’s dad, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, but who knows, right? Last I heard you were dating Maggie Stewart.” His dad made a face like he didn’t know who Finn was talking about. “The beautiful artist who owns the gallery on Main Street, Impressions. The one you spent every day with for two months sitting for your naked painting.”
“A lot you know. I wasn’t naked in the painting.” His father looked away. “Here come your brothers.”
Finn hadn’t seen the painting, but he’d heard all about it. Maggie had incorporated his mother and sister in the portrait. Not long afterward, things went south between Maggie and his dad.
Finn should be the last one teasing his old man. He was doing the same thing. He wouldn’t marry Liv, even if it was in name only, because he was afraid he’d fall in love with her. But unlike his dad and Maggie, he hadn’t gone on a real date with Liv. He kind of regretted that now. Which was stupid. It was already hard enough to let her go, and all they’d ever done was kiss a couple of times. As though thinking about her and the last kiss they shared was powerful enough to conjure her out of thin air, his eyes met hers across the street.
She wore a white summer dress, her hair held back from her face by a pair of red-framed sunglasses. Her nose and cheeks were pink, her delicate shoulders red. He fought
the urge to cross the road and give her hell for not putting on sunscreen. Then he remembered he’d have to say something if he did. He’d have to tell her he couldn’t marry her. So instead he pointed to the sun and her shoulders. She smiled and held up a wide-brimmed white hat with a red floral band.
He found himself scowling at her. Why couldn’t the woman be a bitch? He’d been avoiding her for days, and she was smiling at him. She frowned and then gave him a look like, Oh my God, what is your problem? All I did was smile at you. And that was another thing that ticked him off—she called him on his jerky behavior, and he liked it.
She lifted a hand, waving at someone with a warm smile on her pretty face. Finn glanced at his father, who was waving at Liv with a grin on his. “God, I’m good.”
“Careful, old man. You stick your nose in my business, and I might stick mine in yours,” he said, relieved to finally see his brothers approaching carrying the life-sized statue of St. Peter. At least they’d take his father’s mind off Liv.
“Your brothers look happy, don’t they? Did you ever think you’d see Griff with a son? All the heartbreak he and Ava suffered, and now look at them. Does a body good, it does.”
“Are you channeling GG or something?”
“What are you talking about? Can’t a father be happy for his sons?”
“Yeah, sure, Dad.” Finn waved at his brothers and their wives. He hadn’t really registered George wasn’t with Liv until he saw her in the parade with Mia. The two girls were swinging their joined hands and waving to the crowd.
George spotted him and broke free. “I missed you.” She hugged his legs, and he ruffled her hair. He smiled down at the sweet, upturned face, unable to block an image of her grandparents taking her from Liv. “Come on.” She grabbed him by the hand and tried to drag him onto the road and into the parade.
His throat was so tight that he was surprised he managed to speak. “I’ve gotta put Miller out.” He saw the pinch of disappointment on her face. “How about I catch up with you at the carnival tonight? I’ll win you a teddy bear.”
