Charmer (Havenbrook #1)

Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

WILLOW

I’d slept like shit the night before, my body overheated and my dreams a constant reel of what’d happened yesterday in the hardware store. At three a.m., I’d been desperate, having jolted myself from yet another dream before I could climax, and slipped my fingers into my panties to get myself off. And though I had finally gotten relief, that relief had come to thoughts of Finn—something I hadn’t done in years .

Worse, though, was that I’d woken for the day with him still on my mind, the images I’d used of the two of us together as I’d made myself come popping up at the most inopportune times.

Like while I was at work.

I sorted the papers on my desk, trying to get my mind on my schedule for the day instead of what Finn’s body would look like now that he’d fully developed into a man. I’d gotten a glimpse of it at Ty’s house, but I wanted to see more. Wanted to feel more. I had about a hundred fifty-seven things to tend to before my daddy got back tomorrow, and not one of them was Finn’s dick, which kept flitting through my mind despite my attempts to block it.

“Hey, girl,” Avery said as she strolled into the outer office. She powered on her computer and tucked her purse away. “I’ll be right in.”

Good. Maybe having my best friend in my office would stop me from picturing myself tracing the willow tree tattoo on Finn’s side…with my tongue.

“Since you’re here, I’ll assume you didn’t commit a felony against Rory last night.” She sat in the chair across from me, prepared for our daily morning meeting with a pen and pad of paper in hand. “What did—” She cut off when she finally glanced up at me. “What’s happening? What’s going on here?”

Shit. She was too observant for her good. Or for my good anyway.

I shifted in my seat, figuring playing dumb was my safest bet. “What do you mean?”

“I mean , what’s with your face?” She gestured in my general vicinity.

“Um…I tried a new blush this morning?”

She snorted then pointed her pen at me. “Bullshit. Something happened.” She gasped and leaned forward, resting her elbows on my desk. “With Finn ?”

“ No , not with Finn.” I avoided her narrowed gaze until I’d bounced my eyes onto every flat surface in my office. When I glanced back at her, her eyebrow was raised in silent judgment. “Okay, fine. Yes, with Finn.”

“Holy sh?—”

I held up my hand. “But it’s not a big deal.”

“‘Not a big deal’, just like when he dry-humped you on the dance floor at Ropers? Or ‘not a big deal’ like when he kissed you within an inch of your life at Ty’s?”

Dammit, why did I keep getting into these situations with him?

“Neither, okay?” I said. “It was neither. It was just…” I blew out a deep breath and closed my eyes. “I don’t know what the hell is goin’ on. I’d like to say it’s all physical?—”

She shot forward. “ How physical?”

“Would you gimme a damn minute?”

“Right, sorry.” She made a continue gesture. “Go on.”

“I’d write it off as just this crazy physical pull between us, but then this mornin’, this got delivered.” I pulled the package from my drawer, showing it to her.

“Paints?” She furrowed her brow. “I’m not following.”

“They’re the same brand I used to use…back in high school.”

“Okay…?”

“I didn’t order them. They’re from Finn.”

Her eyes widened. “ Ohhhh .”

There hadn’t been a note in the box, but there hadn’t needed to be. I’d known from the second I’d opened it they’d been from him, and it’d thrown me right back to ten years prior when he’d done the same thing.

He’d worked hard to help his momma pay the bills and didn’t have extra to buy a soda, let alone the expensive paints I had preferred. But when my daddy’d told me he was done footing the bill for my “frivolous junk,” Finn had used his hard-earned money just to make me happy, sending them to me when mine had almost been out.

I shook my head. “I just…I don’t know what it means. It’s not even about the paints, exactly. I’m just not sure?—”

“Will!” a voice boomed from the hallway.

The two of us froze, eyes wide as we stared at each other for half a second before my eyelids slid shut, a long exhale leaving me. Because of course my daddy would come home early and unannounced. That meant one of two things. Either my momma was sick—and considering I had just talked to her yesterday afternoon, that wasn’t likely—or he’d heard about the Thomas boys’ plans within Havenbrook.

Richard Haven stomped into the outer office, red-faced and out of breath. My momma hadn’t mentioned him coming home, and she definitely would have. Which meant this trip back home had been an impromptu flight. If the wrinkles in his clothes were any indication, he’d caught the red-eye in and hadn’t even bothered going home before showing up at town hall.

“Daddy!” I said, forcing myself to smile. “What’re you doing back early?”

“I think you know damn well why I’m back. My office. Now , young lady.”

Without waiting for a response—because he knew I would follow without hesitation—he turned around and stormed out of my office suite, disappearing down the hall toward his.

“This should go well.” I pushed away from my desk and stood, smoothing a hand over my hair, then my skirt. As if having a perfect appearance would help talk my daddy off the ledge.

“I’ll be on standby to run over to The Sweet Spot,” Avery said. “She’s got triple lemon today.”

“Maybe it won’t be that bad.” I slipped around my desk.

“And maybe I should just go ahead and place an order now…”

With those encouraging words from my best friend, I made the short trek out of my office and across the hall to where my daddy spent most of his days. Normally, he’d be in his inner office, his assistant seated in the outer office. But today, he occupied the main space, pacing from one end to the other.

This wasn’t going to be pleasant. Still, I plastered on a smile. I could pretend with the best of them, and as far as I was concerned, everything was just peachy around these parts.

“How was your trip, Daddy?”

He stopped as soon as I spoke, spinning around to glare in my direction. “How was my trip ? My trip was fine. Finding out about those Thomas boys sullying up my town, on the other hand, was like getting eaten by a wolf and shit out over a cliff.”

Internally, I rolled my eyes at his dramatics. Sullying was a bit strong of a word choice. Finn and Drew had been back for more than a week, and the town hadn’t imploded yet. In fact, other than the mess going on in my head—and, okay, my panties—not much had changed. Except that more Havenbrook residents now had work.

King Construction—the company Nash ran with his daddy—employed all kinds of tradespeople. Many of whom had either been traveling to nearby towns for work, or worse, had been out of it entirely. And right now, those people were earning a wage right here in Havenbrook. In a prime location on the Square—the last missing piece in an almost revived downtown.

But there’d be no trying to convince my daddy of that. According to him, Finn Thomas and his brother had trouble written all over them, had from the day they’d been born. No amount of words on my part would make him change his mind, so I wasn’t going to try.

Instead, I said, “I’d hoped you’d be able to enjoy your conference before comin’ home to that news.”

“You didn’t think it was pertinent information for the mayor to have? Sometimes I wonder what goes through that mind of yours…” He shook his head while I bit my tongue.

Deep breaths, in and out. Right then was not the time to get into it. What I needed to do was smooth his ruffled feathers, and then attack my mile-long to-do list.

I’d planned to have the Fourth of July signage done up and posted before he’d gotten back, and that plan was now shot to hell. Plus, I needed to tend to the empty planters since Miss Clementine broke her hip and hadn’t been able to fulfill her landscaping committee duties. I only hoped he was too preoccupied to notice. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep biting my tongue if I got ripped into for that too.

He stepped closer to me, his mouth set in a tight line. My daddy wasn’t a tall man—well under six feet—but his presence filled up a room. Whether it was with jovial banter or scathing looks, the effect was the same: it was damn near impossible to ignore Richard Haven when in his company.

“What’s this I hear about you helpin’ get the paperwork all done up for those boys ?” He sneered the word, as if he were talking about some rebellious teenagers and not nearly thirty-year-old men who were now business owners.

And I had no idea how to answer that question. Of course I’d been helping them. It was my job to help with paperwork, answer any questions new business owners had, and guide them through regulations, Thomas boys or not. And if I hadn’t done my job, my daddy wouldn’t have had any problem at all holding it over my head. Damned if I did, damned if I didn’t, just like always.

I kept the smile on my face, though it felt brittle. “That’s my job, Daddy.”

“Your job is to make sure the mayor looks good. That’s why I went against my instincts and hired you instead of Jeff, figuring you’d at least make sure the Haven name wasn’t dragged through the mud.” He huffed, smoothing a hand down his loosened tie, doing nothing to help the wrinkled shirt underneath. “You think having a bar in a prime location in the Square shines a positive light on me and this town?”

Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. I’d had Avery pull some numbers over the past week in preparation for having this exact conversation with my daddy, comparing Havenbrook’s information to the demographics of Parkersville, the next biggest town over. I’d hoped showing him the information in black and white would help calm him. But even if I’d had it ready and with me now, it wouldn’t have mattered. I’d underestimated just how pissed off he’d be.

There was no denying the truth, though: the bar was the breath of fresh air our dying town needed. Havenbrook was hemorrhaging residents, mostly of the younger generation, fewer and fewer of my classmates or surrounding years’ sticking around in a dead-end town with nothing keeping them there. And it was because they could get the same small-town feel with added benefits not far away. Why wouldn’t they go? I wanted to stop that if I could, and I had a feeling this was a good step in the right direction.

This town was in my family’s blood, and I loved it with all of my being. I loved the people who cared without question—even if they did get into my business more than I’d like—and I loved that I knew the story of every historical landmark in the Square, and I loved that I couldn’t go to the grocery store without running into at least one person who wanted to ask about my day. I didn’t want Havenbrook to be perfect like my daddy did; I wanted it to thrive .

I wasn’t na?ve enough to think a single bar could do that, but it could go a long way in making sure the residents stuck around instead of spending their time and money in another county. Now, when they wanted a drink after work, they’d head into the Square to get it. The bar would make money, and the trio of owners would pay their taxes, thus bringing in more revenue for Havenbrook. It was a win-win for us, even if my daddy couldn’t see it just yet.

But he was blind to things like that, too stuck in his ways to believe things were changing. If we didn’t change along with them, the town that was our namesake would continue to shrivel until it was just a forgotten dot on the map. I wasn’t going to let that happen, even if that meant standing up for the bar coming into town, standing up for Finn. Even if that meant pushing back with my daddy.

I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. “First of all, you hired me because I was better qualified for the job. Jeff is a janitor at the elementary school, and I’m sure he does a fantastic job there. But to have you say he would’ve handled this position better than me is insulting.”

I wanted to say more, wanted to tell him I’d worked my ass off for him and this town for the past five years. And I’d done a damn good job of it. Would it hurt him to recognize that? But I had more pressing issues right then.

“And I think having a thriving business bringing in both revenue and jobs—not to mention giving us an increase in taxes for things like new parks and better roads—is a good thing for the mayor, but more importantly for the town. No matter what the business is.”

Daddy jerked his head back, eyes wide. Probably because I could count on one hand the number of times I’d stood up to him, and most of them had been during my teenage years. He narrowed his eyes, his jaw going tight. “You know damn well I don’t like that kind of business. Or that boy.”

Understatement of the century. He’d tried to keep us apart when we’d been teenagers, though he hadn’t quite managed. Even if he’d done everything in his power to keep us from seeing each other, Finn and I had worked at the same place, and my daddy hadn’t been able to stop that, no matter how powerful he was.

“That may be the case,” I said, “but they’ve done everything above board. Went through the right paths, secured all the proper permits, even verified with the historical society about the items they’ll need to be careful on to follow regulation. They’re doing everything properly, Daddy.”

I waited for him to argue more, but he only stared at me for a moment, his face getting redder, before he grunted.

“Now that I’m here, I might as well get to work.”

“Don’t you wanna go home and change?”

“Apparently, I don’t have time since it looks like you didn’t do much of anything while I was gone. Spend all your time paintin’ your nails or what? Those damn toys from Tina’s day care were all over the side parking lot, not put away like they’re supposed to be. The tables at the cafe are blocking the sidewalks again. And for God’s sake, when the hell are those planters gonna get filled? I thought that was supposed to be completed this week? If you don’t get it done, I’ll get someone in here who will.” With that, he turned around and shuffled into his office, slamming the door behind him and dismissing me without so much as a word.

I stood there for a solid three minutes, staring at the dark wood of the door my daddy had shut between us, my hands clenched at my sides. It was getting more and more painful to bite my tongue around him. But I’d been raised with the knowledge that our family was as close to royalty as Havenbrook was ever going to get, my great-great-great-granddad founding it in 1867.

Because of that, my sisters and I had been raised knowing there was an invisible line we needed to toe. And we were, under no circumstances, allowed to back talk our daddy—in public or private.

After twenty-eight years, it was ingrained deeply in my psyche. But every time he said something like that, belittling me and cutting me down to size, I got a little more pissed.

And a little more determined to prove him wrong.

With a fire burning under my skin, I turned and stalked toward my office, stopping short when I got into the hallway to find I wasn’t alone.

“Finn,” I said, breathless. I glanced back toward my daddy’s office, then at Finn’s face—the tightness of his jaw, the rigid set of his shoulders. There was no doubt in my mind he’d heard what my daddy had said—I just didn’t know how much. “What can I help you with?” I asked, polite smile in place.

What I desperately wanted to do was sweep my eyes down his body, take in the clothes he wore, decide if I liked them better or worse than what he’d been wearing last night. But I couldn’t focus on holding it together in the face of my father’s cutting-down if I got distracted by all of Finn’s… Finn -ness.

“I see nothin’ much has changed with your daddy. Still as much of a dick as his name implies.” His response should’ve surprised me, but it didn’t. The hate between the two certainly wasn’t one-sided and had never been, and it apparently hadn’t waned with time.

“Did you have a question about somethin’?” I asked, walking toward my office.

The last thing I needed today was to have my daddy come flying out and get a look at Finn. That was an interaction I wanted to postpone as long as humanly possible.

“Yeah.” He stepped close to me, closer than was appropriate for two business associates. Reaching out, he tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, let his finger drop to the side of my neck, resting it against my pulse point. “I wanted to see if you got the delivery.”

My shoulders relaxed a fraction of an inch, the dormant butterflies in my stomach once again swirling to life when I thought about what the gift meant. Was he trying to tell me he hadn’t forgotten about me, about back then? Or that he was disappointed I hadn’t fulfilled my promise to go to art school? But that was a can of worms I couldn’t afford to open right now.

Instead, I said, “I did. Thank you.”

“You still use that brand?”

Given he went out of his way to get them for me, I didn’t have the heart to tell him no, so I just bit my lip and kept quiet.

He smiled, though there was still tension in his body. “Always so polite, aren’t you? That hasn’t changed.” His jaw ticked as he glanced toward my daddy’s office. “Is that why you let him talk to you that way? You deserve better than that.”

I shrugged. “You know that’s just how Daddy is.”

“That doesn’t mean?—”

“Did you need anything else, Finn? If you heard him, I’m sure you know I’ve got a busy day, so I should get to it.” I pasted on a fake smile, hoping like hell he bought it—or at least pretended to for my sake.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but instead, he clenched his jaw and inhaled deeply through his nose. He gave a quick shake of his head and dropped his hand from my neck. “Nothin’ that can’t wait.”

“If you’re sure.” But I didn’t wait for him to respond. Instead, I ducked my head and stepped around him, straight into my office where I had twelve hours of work I somehow had to stuff into seven.