Chapter 10
“Stop pacing.” Nicole’s voice filled the kitchen and slipped down the hall to where Lucy balanced on one foot as she adjusted her left heel. “Your sister will be down in a minute. Have a drink while you wait.”
“Is that an order?” Finn’s deep baritone demanded.
“A what?” Nicole asked.
Lucy paused in the hallway. Her friend sounded flustered. Or maybe the late night, followed by a long morning princess party, was wearing on her.
“I’m ready.” Lucy carefully walked into the kitchen on the black, open-toed stilettos that had looked better on the shelf than they felt on her feet.
Finn turned to her. His thumbs were hooked into his pockets. He leaned back against the counter—the picture-perfect, calm businessman. But she recognized the tension in her brother’s jaw. Still, the classic tuxedo was undeniably elegant on his tall, broad frame.
“Nice dress.” Finn inclined his head in her direction.
“Same L.B.D. I wear to every charity event that you drag me to,” Lucy said. “You should think about finding a real date. Emma could write up a profile for you.”
He snorted. “So I can hide from strange women in the kitchen of my own damn restaurant? Nah, sounds like a waste of time.”
“I’m not taking my next date to The Taco Bar.” Lucy moved around the kitchen filling her clutch with a spare lipstick, a few dollars from their cash jar, and a pack of tissues.
“What makes this one so special?” Finn demanded.
“Arm porn.” Nicole raised her hand to her mouth and issued a fake cough to cover the words.
“You’re watching porn now, Luc?” He cast a sidelong glance at Nicole. “I’ll take you up on that drink offer now.”
Nicole marched to the pantry and pulled out a mixed berry pouch. She tossed it across the kitchen to Finn.
He caught it and peeled off the straw. “Thanks.” He stabbed it into the top of the box. “I didn’t realize arm porn was a thing.”
“Shut up, Finn.” Lucy snapped her purse closed. “I’ll drive. You can drink that in the car.”
Her brother shook his head. “Open container laws.”
“Finn, it’s a freaking—”
“Where are you taking the guy with the great arms?” he asked. “I thought we had a deal. You could date the nut jobs that you met online as long as you went to The Taco Bar and Minny kept an eye out for you.”
“We’re meeting for a walk on the beach,” Lucy said.
“You responded to the potential axe murderer?” Nicole asked.
“This just gets better and better.” Finn looked pointedly at Nicole over the top of his juice. “How did this guy give off the murderer vibes?”
She ignored him. “Did you send another picture, Lucy?”
“Not this time,” she said.
Finn raised his eyebrows. “You sent Arm Porn pictures?”
“Just one.”
Without my shirt, she thought.
“Have you asked him what he does for a living?” Finn demanded. “Do you know if he lives in Florida full time?”
“Those are great first date questions.” Lucy headed for the door.
He drained his juice. “I don’t want you to get hurt again.”
“That’s not up to you,” Lucy pointed out. “I know you paid a lot for these tickets. We don’t want to miss the cocktail hour.”
“It’s for a good cause. I don’t feel the need to get my money’s worth.” But Finn stood and headed in her direction. “What if this guy doesn’t want kids?”
“I’ll ask him on our date.” Lucy pulled open the back door. “After I get a good look at his face.”
“You’ve only seen his arms?” Finn challenged. “How the hell do you decide from a guy’s arms if he’s relationship material?”
“I’ve seen more than his arms, Finn. Now can we go?”
“Yeah.” Her brother placed his hand on the door and pushed it shut. “But I’m parked on the street out front.” He turned away. “When we get there, I need to talk to Jared.”
“You’re both going to this thing?” Her fingers dug into her clutch.
“One of our biggest clients throws this summer party to support the local food bank.” Finn continued down the hallway. “Jared is in town, so he needs to show up.”
Anticipation ricocheted through her. “Is he bringing a date?”
“No.” Finn glanced over his shoulder. “Why?”
Lucy shook her head, trying to dislodge the unwelcome memory of Jared’s lips. “I like to be prepared if I’m going to spend the evening making small talk with Jared’s latest fling while you guys discuss business.”
“He’s stag tonight,” he said. “I only have one question for him. It won’t take long.”
“You made one hell of a first impression,” Finn announced. “The princesses call you Mr. Arm Porn. And Nicole’s on the fence about whether you’re an axe murderer.”
Jared rested his forearms on the cement seawall and stared out at the breaking waves. “I have a date with your sister tomorrow night.” He glanced over at Finn. His partner—in business and dating profiles—held a wine glass in one hand. “Having second thoughts?”
“Fuck no.” Finn rested his wine on the wall. “I know you’re not an axe murderer. And if she’s willing to meet a man who refuses to send a picture of his face, but sends other shots—”
“She told you?” Jared pushed off the cement and stood up straight. “I guessed she would share the pics with her girlfriends, but not you.”
Finn raised his hands in the universal palms out gesture of surrender. “I don’t want to know anymore. Do me a favor and delete the images off your phone. I’d hate to borrow your cell, or hell your computer, and stumble on your naked ass. Or Lucy’s for that matter.”
“Done,” Jared said. His buddy cared deeply for Lucy. Enough to set this wild-ass plan into motion. But Finn knew where to draw the line. The pictures weren’t any of his friend’s business. Period. End of story. He wanted Lucy happy, not locked away in some freaking tower like the woman with the long hair.
“I have one question.” Finn reclaimed his wine. “What the hell do you plan to do when Lucy realizes you’re Mr. Arm Porn Ryder?”
“She’ll want an explanation. Once I confess, then I’m hoping she will forgive me.” Jared met Finn’s quizzical gaze. “There’s something there. But I needed to get her to the beach for that first date. I want her to know I’m serious.”
“Hope? That’s your plan?” Finn laughed. “How often do you walk into a meeting with a potential investor and hope they’ll hand over their cash? You don’t. You make damn sure they walk into that first meeting ready and willing to give you what you want.”
Jared nodded slowly. “I can’t keep teasing her with pictures that hide my face. She’ll get suspicious.”
“Nicole will probably run a background check and realize Philip Ryder doesn’t exist. Or if he does, he lives in Ohio. The way I see it, you have less than twenty-four hours to make damn sure she’s happy to see you tomorrow.” Finn stepped closer and slapped him on the back. “She’s at the bar right now.”
Jared turned away from the ocean. Through the private club’s glass windows, he spotted Lucy. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back. A strip of bare skin played peek-a-boo with her long locks. “Can you cover for me when the Tennyson heirs show up? I told Lou I would be here tonight. He’s planning to talk my ear off about potential investments.”
“You’re leaving?” Finn asked mildly.
“I’m borrowing your sister.” He was going to fix the problem before it rose up to bite him in the ass. “I’m going to ask for her help. But first . . . ” He pulled out his phone and started typing. “Mr. Arm Porn is sending another message.”
“You’re competing with yourself?”
“I prefer to think of it as setting myself up for success.” He hit send and then headed for the door.
He stepped inside the private club’s expansive dining room. The space was a riot of color. Peach walls, teal accents, starfish mounted to the ceiling—the event looked like an underwater banquet with enough food to feed an army. Too bad half of the well-dressed attendees were on life-long diets.
Skirting the crowd, he made his way to the bar. He plucked a bite-sized crab cake off the buffet as he breezed by and popped it into his mouth. When he reached his destination, he claimed the stool beside Lucy. He signaled the bartender and ordered a beer.
Then he turned to her. “You were right, Princess.”
Lucy arched an eyebrow. Her big blue eyes stared at him over the rim of her martini glass. “Say that again.”
“Not curious what you’re right about?” he asked.
“We’ll get to that.”
He reached out and brushed a strand of hair off her shoulder. Then he leaned closer. She smelled like vanilla and fresh spring air—nothing like a woman who owned a pair of handcuffs. But then, things weren’t always what they seemed. With his lips mere inches from her ear, he murmured, “You were right, Lucy. Everyone needs saving eventually. And tonight, I need you to rescue me.”