by Lowe, Fiona
He nodded and turned to go.
“Finn.”
He swung back. “Yes?”
“Thanks for thinking of Logan. It really means a lot.”
“You’re welcome.” And he realized that he genuinely meant it.
* * *
Annika hadn’t slept properly in days. Each night she’d make love to Finn and then lie cuddled up in his arms, feeling the soothing rise and fall of his chest as his body slumbered deep in sleep, only to have sleep elude her. She’d spend hours staring out the window and into the night, thinking about everything that had happened with Whitetail before finally falling asleep just as the first fingers of dawn were reaching over the horizon.
“Hey, sleepy.”
She breathed in Finn’s fresh cologne and opened her eyes, squinting against the light. It took her a moment to realize he was wearing suit pants and a crisp, white shirt.
His fingers deftly knotted his red tie into the broad and somehow sexy Windsor knot. “The chopper’s leaving in fifteen minutes and I’ll be back in time for supper. What have you got planned today?”
Something I can’t tell you about. The first two days after Whitetail had dumped her, she’d kept herself busy with Bridey’s invitations, but the moment she’d delivered them to the post office, she’d returned to Kylemore and hadn’t left since. Her morning routine remained unchanged but her afternoons were very different. With Ashley’s invitations also completed and her next invitation postal date still another two months away, she didn’t need to go to the studio, and for that she was thankful. She didn’t want to walk down Main Street either. The one time she’d gone for ink supplies, everybody she’d met was overly polite to her. For the first time in her life she’d felt like a stranger in her own town.
The dull pain that was now her constant companion ached. She bit her lip against it and refused to think about Whitetail. Now she was centering all her energies to reunite Finn and Sean. She knew if she brought up the subject, Finn would shut it down like he’d done every other time she’d tried, so subtlety was the key. Each day when she organized the documents that required Sean’s signature, she asked in passing what he had planned for the day, especially for the afternoons. Then she set about trying to orchestrate a meeting between father and son.
On her first free afternoon she’d suggested to Finn that they go fishing at Picnic Point. He’d looked startled and had said, “Why would I want to do that? I’ve never really enjoyed fishing.” Nothing she’d said had convinced him and instead he’d taken her out for a ride on the Jet Ski.
The next day she suggested a walk along the bluff and he’d agreed. With excited anticipation she’d packed a backpack of snacks and laced up her hiking boots, only to have Finn cancel due to a client demanding a video conference call.
Today she had a new plan but she wasn’t about to share it with him just yet. “Logan asked if he and Max could come to the island and build a fort.”
Finn managed to both smile and frown at the same time. “That’s great for the boys but I thought you were going to have a phone meeting with that small cleaning-products company you mentioned last week? It might be a perfect fit now there’s only one warehouse available for lease.”
Ever since the Long River fiasco, Finn had been asking her a lot of “where to now?” questions—questions she’d been managing to avoid or duck. No way was she telling him about Whitetail’s decision especially as he’d always thought the wedding idea had merit. She wasn’t ready for an “I told you so.”
“Chem-Free Cleaning delayed it so I’m free for fort duty.”
His eyes strayed to her paint box and then returned to her. “The boys don’t have to stay all day.”
She rose up and kissed him. “Go catch your helicopter and can you please bring me back a sheet of linen paper? I need it to put into bride number four’s sample kit.”
“Text me at three to remind me.” He squeezed her hand, stood up and left the room.
Her heart quivered before oozing into love-filled mush. Little gestures like squeezing her hand, along with the big ones like the hours he’d spent helping her with Bridey’s invitations, made her want to imagine a future with him by her side, and his family a wonderful part of their life. The moment she heard the screen door slam shut behind him, she threw back the covers. She had a million things to organize before he got back tonight.
* * *
“And you’re sure Finn’s okay with this?” Sean’s expression was one of surprise mixed with genuine pleasure.
Annika nodded rather than actually replying to Sean’s question because she wanted to avoid uttering a barefaced lie. “We’ve eaten at Kylemore a lot and now it’s my turn to cook. It would be fabulous if you and Dana could come for supper. The little boys will already be on the island and while they’re eating hamburgers in their fort, we’ll be a bit more civilized and dine on the veranda.”
“Does he have enough chairs?”
The question implied that Sean hadn’t been to the cabin and a tiny nagging feeling dragged at her. She immediately squashed it. This was no time for second thoughts on a thorough and necessary plan. By the end of the evening she’d have both men thanking her. “All you have to do is arrive at six.”
Sean signed the documents with a flourish and a smile, and returned them to her. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“So am I.”
As he walked out of the room, she slid the paperwork into the black folder labeled “Finn Only” and left it on his desk. That was her last AKP job for the morning and she headed to the kitchen. “Hi, Esther, did that box of food arrive for me yet?”
Esther’s finger paused on a line in a recipe book and she looked up. “There’s a box of fresh produce in the butler’s pantry with your name on it, and the meat’s in the fridge.”
“Thank you. How’s the menu planning coming along?”
The cook-cum-housekeeper smiled. “My gift to Bridey is a wedding menu people will be talking about for years to come.”
As Annika had been fortunate enough to eat Esther’s food, she was certain this pronouncement would come true. “I won’t keep you from great work.” She slipped into the butler’s pantry and collected her ingredients before heading to the playroom to collect the boys.
She watched them for a few moments from the doorway as they pranced around the room playing pirates. Each of them had a red bandana tied on his head and a plastic sword stuck through his belt loops. They looked really cute and for the briefest moment she hugged to herself the wonder of how it would feel to be taking a curly, black-haired child of her own to the island.
“Hey, me hearties.” She laughed to cover up the ache in her heart. “The good ship Anni leaves in five minutes. Grab your pieces of eight.”
“Yippee,” Logan yelled.
Max ran over to her and gave her a hug. He’d been doing that ever since his father had died. As she hugged him back she couldn’t work out if he did it because he was happy to see her or relieved that she was still alive.
“Wait ’til you see my brother’s island,” Logan said to Max. “It’s awesome.”
Max’s eyes grew large. “Is there treasure?”
“That depends on your definition of treasure,” Annika replied. “Go grab your bag so the adventure can begin.”
* * *
A few hours later Annika felt like she’d been pulled in different directions all afternoon but she’d managed to supervise the b
uilding of the fort, feed endlessly hungry boys numerous times and prepare the food for dinner. She’d created a pretty table with an old jacquard cloth she’d found buried under the towels and she was certain it had come with the cabin when Finn had bought it. The centerpiece was a gnarly bit of maplewood that the boys had discovered when they were choosing the position of their fort, and she’d teamed it with some pretty black-eyed Susans with their happy yellow petals. After all of that, she’d even managed to brush her hair and change into her “thousand shades of blue” sundress. Her wardrobe was severely limited and she only owned two dresses, but she knew Finn particularly enjoyed seeing her in this one.
She physically ticked off the items on her list and smiled. She was ready. Her ears strained for the distinctive whoop-whoop sound of the helicopter. As soon as Finn got home, she’d send him down to the fort to relax with the boys, and when Dana and Sean arrived, the three of them would stroll down to join them. It would all be very relaxed and casual. No crowds of family, just a small intimate group and a chance to really talk.
She thought she could just make out the faint buzz of the chopper when her phone blared. “Hi, Finn. I can hear you in the distance.”
“We’re just about to land in Whitetail.”
“Oh.” Her stomach churned. She really didn’t want Finn in Whitetail talking to anyone or hearing about her dismissal. “Why do you need to do that?”
“Bridey’s got me playing delivery boy with material swatches. I’ve got Melissa meeting me at the helipad so I won’t be long. See you in ten.”
The line went dead. Melissa meeting me. Acid seared the back of her throat. Melissa always spoke her mind. Would she say anything to Finn? She immediately scotched the thought, reassuring herself that the pilot wouldn’t be turning off the engine for a short stop and nothing much could ever be said or heard over the roar of the rotors. If she needed to worry about something she should worry about her schedule.
Her gaze flew to her watch. Finn’s delay was going to make things tight. Still, tight was doable. She’d have a cool drink waiting for him and his casual clothes all laid out. She walked onto the veranda and even though the boys were close by she pressed the call button on the walkie-talkie because it made them feel more grown-up.
A familiar voice sounded a moment later. “Blackbeard, arrrh.”
“Anni to Wolves of the Sea, over. Captain Finn will be here soon.”
“Yay.” Logan forgot to be Blackbeard in his excitement.
She waved to them through the trees and absently adjusted the centerpiece on the table.
She chewed her lip. God, she hoped he was going to get here in ten minutes. She really didn’t want him arriving just as Dana and Sean were leaving for the island because they’d suggest he come with them in the boat and that would give the game away completely.
She busied herself by opening the cream for whipping but struggled with the lid and when it finally came off with a jerk, a lot of cream followed. After she’d mopped up the mess with a cloth, she poured the rest of the cream into a bowl and turned on the beaters without checking the setting. The high speed sent cream flicking out everywhere including the counter, the walls, the floor and her dress.
With a wail, she turned it off and started to clean up.
Ten minutes later after restoring order and checking on the boys again, Finn still hadn’t arrived. Another ten ticked past and still no Finn. The boys had trekked back to the cabin twice to see where he was and she’d sent them back to the fort with pretzels and drinks. A washing machine on spin cycle would be calmer than her stomach. She was now between a rock and a hard place. She couldn’t delay or cancel Sean and Dana because they’d see Finn when the helicopter arrived at Kylemore, but now they were going to arrive on the island before him. She had no choice but to let the evening roll on.
“Hello!”
Sean’s melodic voice called out as she heard a heavy step on the veranda followed by a lighter one.
She met them at the door with a welcoming smile plastered on her face that she hoped hid every other feeling that swirled inside her. She accepted the bunch of Dana’s zinnias and a bottle of wine. “Thank you, that’s very kind.” She put them on the small side table by the door. “Finn’s not back yet but he should be here soon. The boys are really keen to show you their fort so if you walk down there now, Finn and I will join you as soon as he arrives.”
“Have they been good?” Dana asked as she looked toward the trees.
“They’ve been great but they’re aching to show someone other than me all their hard work.” She hoped she wasn’t sounding as pushy as she felt.
Sean extended his arm to Dana with a twinkle in his eye. “Let’s go check out the pirate camp.”
Annika watched them walk away, wondering for the thousandth time where Finn was, and then she heard the helicopter coming in over the lake. Thank you.
She ran down and met him on the dock. He’d lost the tie but with his jacket slung over his shoulder, he still looked as sexy as a model in a glossy magazine.
“Sorry I’m late.” He kissed her in a long, slow kiss that sizzled through her, making her rise up on her toes. “What’s with the boat?” He tilted his head toward Sean’s boat.
Crap. She hadn’t factored that in because if he’d been on time he wouldn’t have seen it. She had no choice but to white lie. “Dana and Sean have come to collect the boys and on the spur of the moment, I invited them for dinner.”
His previously relaxed expression became guarded. “Why would you do that?”
She linked her arm through his but his eyes didn’t twinkle down at her like Sean’s had with Dana. “Because we’ve eaten at Kylemore and it seemed the hospitable thing to do.”
“I forgot you were Miss Manners.”
She smiled encouragingly and tugged his arm, and they started walking toward the cabin. He would come around and see that tonight was a good idea. “I’ve got cold beer waiting, supper’s organized and all you have to do is kick back and relax. You can give me some credit, you know.”
His brows rose as if he gave her no credit at all. “Why’s that?”
She smiled. “I didn’t invite your mother.”
He didn’t laugh like she’d hoped.
* * *
Annika served the little boys ice creams in cones and then they settled down on the couch to watch Peter Pan. Every now and then Logan would jump up and yell out, “Arrgh, me hearties” and Max would say, “Tick-tock.” At least they were happy.
As she sliced the chocolate mud cake and arranged it on individual plates with strawberries and cream, she listened intently to the conversation drifting through the open door from the veranda. Her ears were tuned to Finn’s rich bass but the only voices she could hear were Dana’s and Sean’s. Finn had been quiet all evening.
He’d gone down to play with the boys in the fort the moment he’d got changed, but unlike her plan where she and his parents would have joined him, he’d gone to the fort the moment his father and stepmother had returned from it. At dinner he’d responded to his father’s questions about AKP and had requested his opinion on the terms a new client was demanding but the moment that subject was exhausted he’d chatted with Dana before lapsing into virtual silence. He’d hardly spoken to her all night.
She bit her lip. This wasn’t going anyway near the way she’d pictured it in her head. She concentrated on drizzling strawberry sauce around the edges of each wh
ite plate and then surveyed her handiwork. Given the tension in the air she wasn’t even going to try and balance four plates on her arms. She carried them out two at a time.
Finn and Sean rose instantly as she crossed the veranda. Finn took the plates from her without a smile and she trudged back for the final two. When she’d returned and had taken her seat, Sean said with a smile, “This meal is worthy of five stars. I’m impressed you managed to cook all this and look after two busy boys.”
Finn leaned back in his chair but there was nothing casual or relaxed about the action. “Annika likes to keep busy but even she’s outdone herself with a spur-of-the-moment invitation.”
That particular combination of words should have been a compliment but they slammed into her with the full force of his condemnation about the invitation.
Dana and Sean exchanged glances.
“This cake’s divine, Annika,” Dana said. “I’d love the recipe.”
“I’m sure Annika would be more than happy to give it to you,” Finn responded. “In fact she’ll shop for the ingredients, come over and give a step-by-step demonstration and then clean up the kitchen for you.”
Dana blinked and looked between them. “Am I missing something here?”
Annika rushed to smooth things over. “Finn’s just teasing me because he thinks I overcommit.”
“That’s right.” Finn’s mouth had an intractable line to it and there was no smile in his eyes. “Like throwing dinner parties and building forts with little boys when you really should be doing other things like, oh, I don’t know, painting for instance.”
“Do you paint, Annika?” Dana’s face lit up with interest.
Annika hedged. “At the moment I’m concentrating on my calligraphy.”
Finn grunted.
Sean rested one arm on the herringbone veranda rail and looked toward the setting sun which was sending out vivid cerise-and-orange light across the lake. “I can see why you love this place, Finnegan. It reminds me of the original Kylemore.”
