16. Red Zone
Red Zone
“R eady for this?” Finn shifted into park, turning to Haley as she stared ahead at the house. Grady and Claire’s house suited them. High ceilings, tall windows, but a cozy cabin vibe. An expansive field overlooked the valley beyond.
Haley sighed, then linked her hand with his over the center console. “A little weird, not having to hide anything. I guess there’s no reason to pretend we’re not having sex, now that they all know we’re having a thing.”
“I suppose I could have waited on top of that cliff for someone else to saunter down to you, maybe throw you a few bandaids and let you climb up on your own,” he teased.
Haley rolled her eyes, landing her gaze on his. “Even if we weren’t having a thing, I suspect you would have been down just as fast.”
“Almost as fast. The others were moving that direction. I may have knocked some of them out of the way to get to you.”
“Either way, with the gossip mill around here, I guess it was inevitable.” She released his hand and climbed out. Grinning over the roof of his car, she asked, “Your family probably knew from day one, didn’t they? From what I hear, it was Zoe’s suggestion?”
“Pretty much. They’re still ragging me about that bulk box of condoms.”
“Aw, that’s nice.” She met him at the front of the car. “I guess I could say I wish my family was that honest, but I don’t want to give Patricia any encouragement.”
“No useful tips? I mean, it sounded like she was about to reveal the big secret to keeping a man happy.”
Plugging her ears, Haley chanted La, la la la la.
Spinning her around, he gripped her hips. “Okay, I give. Actually, please don’t share any of her tips. Bad enough she scarred you for life.”
“I’m sure if you let her know you’re out of a relationship, too, she’ll be happy to impart some wisdom on you.”
“Please no.”
“Actually, I know things ended amicably, but, I just realized, Foothills is a small town. Who is your ex? It might get weird if, well, you know, if I bump into her sometime. We did jump in pretty quick.”
Shit. Now’s as good a time as any. Chest rising and falling with lead caked heavy over his ribs, he opened his mouth to answer.
Saved by the bell. Asher and Sophie pulled down the driveway. From the front door, Grady hollered, “Stop making out with my sister and get in here. Appetizers are ready.”
Finn backed up a step and linked hands with Haley. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about that, actually. Later.” He cringed, hating putting it off again.
She was going to be pissed. Especially when she found out he’d been officially single for a matter of hours before hitting on his ex’s oldest friend. Not that he’d known who she was. And things had been over with Trace, long before she ended it.
Haley dropped his hand and dashed toward the house.
Hanging back, he watched as she headed up the front steps, her cotton slip dress clinging to her hips as she moved, the draped back tied together with a simple knot.
Not once in his life would he have commented on a woman’s style, or even noticed, but Haley wore clothes like a summer breeze brushing through a field of daisies.
A slap on his shoulder woke him from his daydream, well-timed before his imagination ran wild. Asher pushed him forward with his momentum. “Just picture it. A few weeks from now when you’ve moved on, she’s moved on, and you don’t get to gawk like that anymore.”
What was that supposed to mean? He accepted the push toward the door and walked with him. “Hey. Rebound. Living in the moment here. And whatever happens, when I’m old and bald and can’t get it up anymore, I will have plenty of memories to keep me entertained.”
Sophie snuck up behind him and slapped his opposite shoulder. Leaning across to Asher, she said, “Give him a break. He’s not about to risk ruining Claire’s birthday.”
Asher whined, “But I haven’t gotten to mess with him since I kicked his ass in physics class. My hurricane totally crushed his bridge.”
Swinging open the door before Grady could open it, Finn rolled his eyes. “You know, I thought I’d be bummed when you graduated early, and we couldn’t carpool to our running start classes anymore, turns out, it wasn’t so bad.”
Sophie ran ahead to join the others, ignoring their infantile banter.
Nearly matched in height, Asher rubbed his hand over Finn’s hair like the obnoxious big brother he never had.
“Aw, poor Finn. Didn’t get to ride to school with his cool upperclassman friend anymore.
Didn’t know how to charm your way into straight A’s all by yourself.
All adorable with his steady girlfriend instead of playing the field like me. ”
Jamming his elbow into Asher’s middle, Finn leaned back and whispered, “I haven’t told her about Trace yet.”
Unfazed by the elbow but not by the statement, Asher caught Finn by the elbow and pulled him back into the entry. “Why not? She’s going to freak. Just get it over with.”
Voice strained as he whispered back, Finn demanded, “What, was I going to tell her while her head was filled with firecrackers after that concussion? Or should I have waited until her ex-husband walked in on us? I was literally trying to tell her when you assholes drove up just now.”
Wincing, Asher crossed his arms and looked out the front windows.
Sophie and Haley were carrying picnic blankets to the clearing around the bonfire that Claire was adding firewood to.
“Shit, man. You’d better hope she’s about ready to move on, because if she finds out that you knew, and didn’t say anything? ”
“I know.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, Finn clenched his jaw and tried to calm the brewing thunder in the pit of his stomach.
Why should it matter so much? Why should he be so worried about what Haley thought of him, when they weren’t beholden to each other?
Wasn’t that the point of the rebound, to get over something, not find new ways to feel guilty?
Asher nodded toward the kitchen. “Come on. You’re not going to tell her tonight and ruin one of the few relaxed social outings she’s had in years, and she’s going to worry if you act weird and pissy. So forget about it for tonight and tell her in the morning.”
Popping out from the kitchen, Grady carted a massive ice chest. “How’s Haley feeling? Concussion better?”
Nodding, Finn popped open the lid of Grady’s cooler and snagged a beer. Cracking it open, he had it downed by half before coming up for air. “She’s good. Bit of a limp, so she was bummed to have to wear sneakers tonight instead of these fancy leather heels she had out.”
Grady tossed a beer to Asher and closed the lid again. “You know, she’s all about finding the old Haley again, but the Haley I knew wore nothing but Converse and Nikes.”
Watching out the window as Haley and Sophie headed toward the house, Finn found the corner of his mouth turning up like Haley’s fish-hook grin. “Yeah. Think she grew up and discovered she looks damn good.”
Snickering, Asher smacked him on the shoulder and headed out the slider to the patio, Grady following behind.
They were whispering something, probably the same gossipy shit they were on about before.
Couple of fucking romantics, convinced he and Haley were following the same true-love path they were so hung up on.
Finn hadn’t born witness to their dives into the world of commitment…
Hell, Finn had defined the word when they were still necking in the backs of their parents’ cars with whatever women would have them.
Sauntering into the house, a bit less sway in her sneakers and a new hitch in her gait, Haley still managed to drive him absolutely wild with the way her dress moved over her thighs with each step she took. Whoever decided slits in skirts was a thing… fucking genius.
Running a hand through her slick waves, Haley stopped in front of him.
Her hand slid down his forearm, slipping his beer out of his hand while he stood helplessly frozen at the sight.
Guzzling the remaining half, she flicked her tongue over the corner of her mouth as she finished it off, setting the empty bottle back in his hand, then brushed past him.
Zane popped his head in the slider. “Dude, Finn, come on. I’ve been abandoned at the barbeque and don’t have a clue how to tell when a burger’s done.”
Shaking away the vision that was going to occupy his dreams for the rest of eternity, Finn nodded. “Yeah. Coming.”
He followed Zane to the outdoor kitchen and didn’t hesitate to rag on his pathetic barbeque skills. Freya appeared with a mountain of veggie skewers, sneaking them onto the grill when Zane was distracted by her hand wrapping around his middle.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t just Finn’s imagination. He’d made friends with some diehard romantics. Haley walked down the slope to the natural landing where the firepit had been set up, the breeze playing with her hair as she moved.
Zane cussed and snatched the tongs from Finn’s hands. Laughing, Zane flipped the variety of meats that were charred on the bottom. “What did I call you out here for? You’re no better at this than I am.”
Finn backed away, arms up. “Sorry. I pour the drinks, not cook the food.”
“And I don’t barbecue. Shut your ass up and don’t ditch me. I am not taking the blame for a scorched dinner by myself.”
Zane wasn’t the chattiest of his friends, but he always had something interesting to say.
They both enjoyed ragging on Asher as a mutual target.
Freya was a mystery. Finn hadn’t known her very well growing up, as she was a few years older and spent most of her time in the art rooms, but she was vibrant and he’d always noticed her.
They all sat at a tiled outdoor table, the umbrella overhead no longer providing much shade as the sun had dipped so low in the sky. After the easy dinner, he downed his last bite of charred burger and looked around. “Wait, where are Pippa and Lincoln?”