Chapter 7
Saturday morning, Finn opened the truck door for Kismet to jump on up, then climbed in himself. As he drove to his parents’ house, he couldn’t keep his mind off dinner with Nina the night before. Her delicious shrimp and angel hair pasta laid to rest any question as to whether or not she could cook—even though he’d honestly only been teasing.
The food had been great, the company even better. Only problem was, the entire time with her he’d had to fight back the urge to lean over and kiss her because of Peyton’s nagging whisper in the back of his mind.
“Nina doesn’t do flings.”
Neither did he these days, but that shouldn’t mean he couldn’t kiss her.
Except, if he kissed her, he was pretty sure he’d want more. Not necessarily physically—though he certainly wouldn’t object to that. No, he’d want to start a relationship that could last. Problem was, with her job located in L.A., she wouldn’t be staying in Wisconsin, so any relationship they had would be short-lived no matter what. That alone should help him to avoid spending time getting to know her each day.
But no. So far, he’d done the exact opposite.
And you’re getting in way deeper than you should after only a few days.
Well, the only way to avoid that now would be to move out of the house and not see her again. Even then, he wasn’t so sure that would make a difference.
Kismet’s paws shifted on the front seat, her whine of excitement stretching out as Finn made the turn into his parents’ driveway. After he parked, he let her loose to play with their boxer, Lucky, while he gave a rap on the door before twisting the handle.
“Mom?”
“I’m in here,” Lise Regan called from the kitchen.
She smiled up at him over the rim of her glasses when he limped to the table and bent to kiss her cheek. It reminded him of how cute Nina looked in the evenings after she took out her contacts and wore her glasses. Once, she’d had her hair twisted up in a messy ponytail and with those glasses, she looked just like a sexy librarian—a cliché he was totally fine with.
Well, for Nina, not his mom.
“Good morning, hon,” she said as she started to get up. “Did you eat? I can make you something if you—”
“Sit back down, Mom. I ate. But thank you.”
Settling back into her chair, her gaze took him in from head to toe, her blue eyes lingering a few extra seconds on his right leg as if trying to see through his jeans. “How are you doing?”
“I’m good. Staying busy at the Riley house, but thought I’d stop in and say hi before heading to the gym. Do you mind if I leave Kismet here to play with Lucky?”
“Of course not. She tuckers Lucky out, so when you leave, your dad and I get a nice, quiet afternoon.”
“Win-win. Thanks, and you’re welcome.” They shared a grin, until he asked, “Where’s Dad?”
“He and Kenna and Asher went cross country skiing.” Her brow knit together with a flash of apology. “They would’ve asked you—”
“No, don’t. It’s fine.” He wasn’t going to be upset because other members of the family spent time doing something he couldn’t do anymore. It wasn’t their fault, and he’d never ask them to quit an activity they loved. “I might not be able to ski anymore, but I am going to give snow shoeing a try tomorrow. I found a couple pairs in the basement of the house I’m working on.”
“That won’t be too much?”
“Maybe, but I’m still going to give it a try.” He shifted his gaze to the books and papers spread out across the kitchen table. Angling his head sideways for a better look, he asked, “What’s all this? Genealogy?”
“I’m looking up the family history to create a family tree.”
“Cool.” His mom was always coming up with some sort of project or other. “Find any skeletons yet?”
A secret smile tugged at her lips. “Maybe a few.”
“Ooh—like what?”
She shook her head. “You’re going to have to wait for the juicy parts, just like everyone else. I’m going to write it all up, and then we’re going to have a family dinner.”
“Grreeaat. Can’t wait.”
“Don’t sass me.”
He grinned at her teasing reprimand. Truthfully, the dinner probably would be great, like the other night at Kenna’s. Sure, they each had their issues, but anytime the six of them managed to get time together, they always had a lot of fun.
At the sound of the front door, he stepped back and glanced through the house to see his brother, Niall. The youngest of the three boys, the twenty-three year old was almost as tall as Finn and had the same blue eyes, though his hair was more of a deep mahogany than black. He and the baby of the family still lived at home, though technically, Zoe was away at college three quarters of the year and only back for summers and holidays.
His brother came up beside him and did a little bob and jab move. “Well, if it isn’t Prince Finnian, gracing us with his royal presence.”
Finn shoved him away. “Shut up.”
“No, I’m serious. Didn’t Mom tell you? We’re descended from royalty.” The idiot gave a prissy little wrist twirl while bowing at the waist.
He scoffed at the dramatic proclamation and looked at his mom. “That one of the skeletons?”
“No, and he’s exaggerating. I found out the surname Regan originates from O’Riagan, which means little king in Gaelic, that’s all.”
“Pretty much the definition of a prince,” Niall argued as he went to open the refrigerator. “What we got to eat, Ma?”
She didn’t answer that question, because as usual, he was already pulling out leftovers, likely from dinner the night before. At nine-thirty a.m.
“There’s no proof of royalty on either side of the family, Niall, so don’t go gettin’ any ideas.”
“The chicks are gonna dig it, Ma. I’m using it,” he teased.
She folded her forearms on the table and rolled her eyes for Finn’s benefit. “Anyway, that’s on your dad’s side. On my side, I found out I have some cousins down in Chandler County, Kentucky. One of my mom’s aunts moved there years ago, so there’s a whole slew of Boones we’re related to.”
“The Boones from Kentucky.” Finn smiled. “Can we get any more cliché than that?”
“Don’t make fun. I’ve been emailing with one of my third cousins, and I think Dad and I are going to go visit this summer. Her name is Hattie, and she and her husband live on a lake down there.”
“All right then, sounds like fun.” He tapped his fingers on the chair in front of him, then backed toward the front door. “I’ll be done in about an hour and a half, okay?”
“Sure, but be sure you don’t overdo it at the gym,” she cautioned as she turned her attention to the papers in front of her again.
That was Mom for ya, always the worrier—and he loved her for it.
Niall caught up to him at the door. “Hey, does Mom and Dad know you got a chick living with you?”
He shot a glance toward the kitchen and shoved his brother outside before shutting the door. “How do you know?”
“Come on, man, it’s Pulaski. Everybody knows everything. Is it Peyton Riley? Is she hiding out? You can tell me, scout’s honor.”
“You never made it past the cub scouts, so that don’t mean anything. But no, it’s not Peyton Riley, it’s her assistant, Nina. And she’s not living there, she’s just staying for a couple weeks.”
A little longer than that, but couple sounded better than four. Plus, one was almost over already. Realizing he only had three left was kind of a bummer.
Meanwhile, Niall’s eyes brightened like a kid walking into a candy store. “So, do you think it’s true that Peyton is going to be in the auction? Did her assistant say anything?”
Finn frowned. “No. Where’d you hear that?”
“Tommy’s sister works in housekeeping out at Whispering Pines, and she said she heard she was. Man, I’d love to bid on a date with her.”
“Tommy’s sister?”
“No, Peyton Riley.”
He scoffed at his brother. “Don’t count on it. She’s on location in New Zealand right now, so it’s probably just a rumor. She isn’t going to fly halfway around the world for a local Valentine’s Day auction.”
Ding ding ding ding ding.
Finn paused, then grinned. No, she wouldn’t. But she would send her assistant to take her place.
“So, you talk to this Nina chick?”
He refocused on his brother. “Well, it’s a little hard not to run into each other while staying in the same house, so yeah, we talk. And stop calling her a chick, dude.”
Niall grinned. “Can you ask her about Peyton for me?”
“No, I’m not going to ask her. If you want to see if she’s there, then go to the auction.”
“Of course I’m going—to heckle you. But if Peyton Riley’s going to be there, then I’m bringing money, too. Lots of it.”
Finn waved him off and headed for his truck. With his revelation whirling in his mind, he suddenly needed to figure out a way to win the bid for Nina’s date when he himself was up for bid.