by Reina Torres
In India, one of the women in the village told her to believe in fate. The words were summoned up in her mind as if Sameena were standing beside her, their hands joined and hearts beating as one. “Believe what is put before you,” she'd told her as they'd stood beneath an Ashoka tree during the Holi festival, “for your heart will not lead you astray. Live,” she'd whispered as the colored powder dried on their skin in a kaleidoscope, “and love, my friend. Fate is not something to fear.”
But fear was very real to Finley. It made her second guess everything she did, especially now. For years, she'd done the expected. She'd been solid and dependable, and she'd been a doormat.
What had fate put before her but a cheating husband and a whole bunch of uncertainty?
The door moved, opening into the diner.
Startled, Finley stepped back and looked up through the glass. Abby DeLuca, no, Finley shook herself and smiled, Abby Tanner was gesturing at her.
Avoiding Stan’s curious look, Finley ducked inside and gave Abby a cautious hug. The younger woman pulled her closer and hugged her tight before letting her go. “Stan was sure you'd gotten stuck.” She gave the older man a cheeky grin. “But I knew you were just deciding between his soup special or something more decadent from the Sweet and Savory.”
Finley nodded, too exhausted to do much more. “Exactly.”
“Well you can share my table.” Abby gestured at the small round table in the corner. “Or you can sit at the counter and let Stan interrogate you.”
The older man leaned on the counter top with a pointed look in his eye. “What makes you think I won't be able to ‘make small talk’ with you ladies at that table?”
“Because you'll be busy with all of your customers,” Abby informed him, “and girl talk is just that… Girl Talk.” She sat down in the corner chair and waited for Finley to take the one opposite. “And I've got a menu here, so she can use that.”
Stan grumbled as he set down the menu he had in his hand. “You won't let me have any fun around here anymore.”
Abby leaned to the side. “You're just grumbling that you can't introduce Finley to Kyle now that she's back in town.”
Stan shook his head. “Nope. I don't think Kyle would stand a chance.”
That got Finley’s attention, turning her halfway around in her seat. “Why not?”
His stare spoke volumes, telling her he thought she was out of her mind.
When she turned back to face Abby, she saw nearly the same look on her face. “What?”
“Well, Stan seems to think you're already spoken for.”
The words hit Finley like a minor chord in the middle of an old ballad. Sudden and unexpected, it always signified a key change that changed the whole feeling of the song.
“The last thing I want is to get into another relationship.”
Abby laughed and waved off her concern. “Things in St. Helena happen when they happen,” she assured her. Finley knew there was a story there, but she had a feeling that story wasn't on the menu at the moment. She was. “It's just one of the things you have to get used to around here.”
“Like everyone sticking their nose into everyone else's business?” Finley stopped short, her lips parting in a surprised gasp. “I, uh,” she struggled to find the right words, “I mean, no, I didn't mean-”
Abby’s shoulders were shaking with not so silent laughter. “It's true!”
“I guess I deserve it after the little show I put on the other night.”
Abby put the menu in her hands. “You better order something,” she sighed, “these conversations go much better when your belly is filled with some of the warm soupy goodness that Stan cooks up in the back.” Reaching over she tapped at one of the items. “This calls for a clear thinking kind of soup. His vegetable soup has all kinds of yummy stuff in it.”
“All of my soup has yummy stuff in it,” Stan’s voice had more than a hint of laughter in it as he called over to the table. “Two bowls?”
Abby didn't even wait for Finley to order. “Perfect.” While Stan retreated to the kitchen, Abby leaned over the table. “No seriously. I think I can help.”
Finley felt her mouth go dry at the eager tone in Abby’s voice.
“Look, I know we barely knew each other in school,” she began, “but there are things that bond people together that are more powerful than age or what high school class they were in.”
Abby lowered her voice and the bright sparkle in her eyes dimmed a little. “If you haven't heard about it yet,” she explained, “you will, so you might as well get the story from me.” A short indrawn breath seemed to steel Abby’s resolve. “My husband Richard was a cheating bastard.”
As she continued on with the tale, Finley found herself drawn in to Abby’s story. It wasn't morbid curiosity. It was like she'd discovered someone whose life was so much like her own that she wasn't sure she could believe it.
And when Abby spoke of the bone-numbing hurt and embarrassment she felt at her husband's betrayal, Finley reached out across the table and gave Abby’s hand a squeeze.
The simple gesture reminded her of the friends she’d made and left behind as she followed Russ from one civil engineering job to another. As a child, making connections was hard and every time she reached out to someone it felt odd, like a scratchy new shirt. As an adult, a married woman traveling the world, it was a skill that she had acquired, but it still felt odd. It did the job, but it wasn't something that came naturally.
“Look,” Abby squeezed her hand right back and gave her a sweet smile, “I know it’s a lot. Coming back, trying to remember what it's like to be around friends.”
Finley started to pull back a little, but Abby held on tight.
“You have friends here, Finley. I may have been a little younger than you, but that just means I was a little in awe of you.”
“Me?” She didn't know it was possible, but somehow Finley found a way to stumble over a single word answer.
“You were always so… mature, above all the stupid teen stuff.” Abby sighed. “I always wondered how you managed to stay so above it all.”
Finley looked back at Abby in stunned silence, her eyes blinking owlishly once, twice. “That's the thing, Abby. I wasn't mature at all. I was terrified. I didn't know how to talk to people, so I didn't. Not unless it was something about school.”
“But,” Abby looked like she was reeling from her admission, “you and Roman-”
“It was easy with him." Removing her hand from Abby’s, Finley set it in her lap under the table. She explained, “Roman treated me like his little sister. I didn't have to worry about him.”
Stan stepped up to the table and set down their bowls of soup. “You let me know if you ladies need anything.” With a nod, he was off again behind the counter.
Finley picked up her spoon and scooped up a taste, before she noticed that Abby hadn't moved.
Setting the spoon back into the bowl, Finley met her gaze. “What is it?”
It was Abby's turn to blink at her. “Sister?” Abby picked up a spoonful of soup. “Wow, okay…” She consumed the spoonful with a smile on her lips. “Sister, huh?”
Finley didn't touch her spoon again. “Why do I feel like I'm missing something?”
Abby waved her off. “Just eat,” she insisted, and “let me tell you what we're going to do.”
Chapter Six
When Jonah had called him an hour ago, the last thing Roman wanted to do was go out. Matt had just come home that morning. After spending the whole day listening to Matt report on every exciting moment of his trip, and between hugs and playful tickles, Roman still hadn't gotten his fill of all the love he'd missed when Matt had been gone.
Even with Matt's seemingly endless energy, the boy hadn’t even made it past dinner. Half asleep in his chair at the table, Roman had forgone the bath and brushing his teeth and put him in bed, spending a long time just sitting there beside Matt, smoothing his hair back from his forehead.
So when J
onah had called and told him to get dressed up for a night out, Roman had turned him down flat. But Jonah had insisted and said that Shay was coming over to sit with Matt while he slept.
And Roman knew he needed to get out. He needed to get this thing with Finley out of his head so he could focus on Matt. The little boy was exhausted and sleeping like the proverbial log in his bed and hadn’t so much as moved or even started to kick off his blankets, so he’d agreed.
In the shower, Roman struggled to keep his thoughts on the night ahead. It had been pretty embarrassing the last time he’d talked to Finley. After she’d left him… alone with his roast and burned veggies, Roman had stopped tempting fate and made a salad as he leaned against the counter in his kitchen, not even bothering to set the table.
Yesterday had been torture. He’d heard through the grapevine, okay, he’d heard from Jonah that Finley had spent the day photographing one of the new hires. And thanks to his friend, he’d had plenty of cell phone pictures to illustrate everything that Jonah had been forced to watch, passing on the 'love' to Roman through texts.
At one point the brawny young deputy was up against the wall, the muscles in his shoulders on display thanks to well-placed lighting. But what got him right in the gut was seeing Finley, camera cradled in one hand, her other hand on the other man's legs.
He slammed the medicine cabinet closed and glared at the man staring back at him. “Hold it together.”
But the other man didn’t answer back. The nick on his chin from a careless swipe of the razor only served to flare his anger even more.
Either she wasn’t taking him seriously, or maybe she was taking him too much at his word. He didn’t know. And right now, air strangled deep in his chest, he didn’t want to know. He was going out. Matt didn’t need him grumbling around the house.
The doorbell interrupted his thoughts and he left the bathroom. Flicking the lights off and grabbing his jacket from the bed, Roman got there before the third round. Yanking the door open, he saw Jonah lounging against the railing with an arm slung over his wife’s shoulders.
“You clean up well.”
“Better than you,” Roman’s mouth curled in a lazy smile.
“You wish,” came the rapid fire reply and Shay rolled her eyes.
“Boys? Are we done digging at each other? I thought,” she looked at Roman and the bright snap of laughter in her eyes eased into an affectionate grin, “you had somewhere to go?”
“What is that for?” Roman’s eyes were drawn to the fluff ball in Shay’s arms with a little bit of apprehension.
“This little baby is having a hard time at night,” she confided, “I thought I’d bring him with me just in case.” Shay cuddled the creature against her cheek like a precious baby. “He’s called Hop-a-long. I thought he could help us keep Matt company while you’re out.”
“You’re not coming?”
Jonah shook his head. “Nope. I don’t want to be a third wheel on this.” He quickly explained the information that Jack had passed along earlier that evening. Roman could feel the blood draining from his face.
“What the hell was Jack thinking?”
Shay gave both men a look. “It’s Abby’s idea and I think it’s a good one.” She ignored the look Roman threw her way. “Finley should get to have some fun after everything she’s been through. And you can stand around here and gripe about it, but don’t you think you should be getting on the road?”
Ignoring the smirk on Jonah’s face, Roman decided to lay down the law before he left his son in the vicinity of something ridiculously cute and fuzzy. “We are not adopting that rabbit.”
“Of course not,” Shay had an affronted look on her face, “I wouldn’t dream of it after just one meeting!” She snuggled up against her husband and sighed when his arms wrapped around her and the sleepy bunny. “But maybe after a few visits-”
“Anyway,” Roman interrupted her with a beleaguered sigh, “make yourselves at home.” He picked up his keys from the table beside the door and gave Jonah a look. “Thanks again for the heads up. If he wakes up-.”
“Don’t worry about us. We have your number.” Shay’s tone was gilded with laughter. “Stay out as long as you want. We can always crash in your guestroom if things work out.”
If things work out. He shook his head. If Finley didn’t kill him for showing up, it would be a miracle, but it was a chance he had to take. His lips drawn into a tight smile, Roman headed out.
#
At a glance it would have seemed as if they were having a special kind of Ladies Choice Night. The room was filled with a heaping helping of the bachelors that called St. Helena home.
Abby gave a satisfied sigh as she surveyed the room. “Look at the pretty.”
Finley looked over at her friend, gifting her with a dubious glance.
“And there’s not a single man here who is taken. I’m guessing at least half of them have no intention, whatsoever,” she winked, “of making a long term commitment any time soon.”
“So this is like some kind of... speed dating for casual sex?” Finley groaned as she heard the words come out of her mouth.
Abby just shrugged. “Use them as you will.”
"Did you invite them all here just to get me laid?"
"You make it sound so sordid." Trying hard not to look like a cat with a ruff of feathers poking out from her lips, Abby looked up at her husband who was trying to hide his amusement at the situation. And failing. “Jack,” she elbowed the larger man and nodded with grim satisfaction when he huffed out a breath, “has been meaning to have a night out for his crew. It just so happened to be on a night when you were free to… meet them.”
Finley paused with the mouth of the bottle at her lips and then set it down after taking a sip. “And you’re sure they’re all single?” Finley leaned back against the bar and looked at the assembled group of men. There were a number of good looking men in the bunch.
“Absolutely,” Abby took a small sip of her wine, “Jack set this up on a school night so all the guys with kids and the married men are home. And if one had come tonight, I’d tell you.”
Jack took a healthy swallow of his beer. “There is no way we’d set you up like that.”
Finley waved off his concern. “I know… I was just… worried. So far I haven’t had much luck in finding someone to help me… you know.” As she surveyed the room she folded her arms over her chest and wondered aloud. “I’m sad the family guys don’t get a night out.”
Wrapping his arms around his lovely wife, Jack smiled at Finley’s concern. “Don’t worry so much. I’m having a picnic next weekend for my guys and their families. The single guys steer clear of family events. They feel like if one of the kids drools or spits up on them, they’re headed to the altar.”
Abby sighed. “Oh the humanity!”
Jack brushed a kiss on Abby’s cheek and pulled her tight against his larger form. “Ah, sarcasm.”
“Sarcasm,” Finley shook her head at the happy couple, “is the sign of a sharp wit and a well-developed mind.”
“Oh great,” Jack looked from one woman to the other, “stereo.”
Stroking his arm, Abby soothed him with a soft murmur. “You’re so lucky to have us around.” Movement at the edge of her vision turned Abby’s head. “And speaking of lucky. Finley, I’d like to introduce you to Martin Valens and Alan Morris.” She gestured to Martin first, “Martin is one of our Operations Managers,” and then turned to the other, “and Alan is one of our best carpenters. What he can do with his hands-”
“Hey,” Jack pulled Abby close to his side, his hands on her hips, “careful.”
“His woodwork, Jack!” She rolled her eyes and huffed out a breath. “You remember the custom work he did on the Winston’s back porch.”
The larger man shrugged. “I remember, but that wasn’t the point, honey. I just don’t want to hear you going on and on about another man’s hands.”
Alan took a step closer to Finley. “I think i
t’s time I give my boss a break.” He gestured toward a table a few feet away from the bar. “Would you like to have a seat?”
Finley smiled at the handsome man standing beside her. He wasn’t that much taller than she was, but she could tell by the way his shirt stretched and moved along his shoulders and his arms that he had a good amount of muscle under the dark blue button-down shirt. “Sure. I’d like that.”
#
Roman punched the skip button on his radio and the song went from "Stay," sung by Miley Cyrus, to another channel playing Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn." Grumbling under his breath, he hit the button again. "Unbreak My Heart" hit him right in the gut, with Toni Braxton's soulful voice dragging him back through the years. Another desperate punch of the button brought him Billy Idol's "Dancin' With Myself," but when it got to "Uh oh uh oh," he punched the button a little too hard when he shut it off. The unending litany of un-love songs were going to drive him crazy. Where was the 50s Doo Wop he always managed to stumble on when he was surfing the channels anyway?
#
Everything was going well… enough. Kind of.
Well, as well as could be expected. Since she was basically hoping to jump this guy and she barely knew him. It was a good thing, she reminded herself. She wanted to explore. To discover. Inside she groaned. She sounded like a promo for some kind of nature show on cable. And wasn’t that just what she was? Some kind of human anomaly that needed to be studied so that humanity didn’t create another aberration anytime soon.
But so far Alan didn’t seem to mind and that, sadly, made him very attractive. She leaned closer and tried to imagine kissing him. Her fingers tunneling through his dirty blond hair.
And nothing.
Nothing, about him. All she could picture was thick dark hair and deep meltingly gorgeous eyes. And the words ‘Oh, Roman’ falling from her lips.
And fate decided to flip her the cosmic bird, because Roman stepped up to the table. “Hey.”
Finley gave him a quick look before she turned back to Alan, widening her smile, determined to picture him in her fantasies. “I'm sorry,” she breathed, struggling to return to the easy conversation they were having, “you were saying?”
