Chapter 21
TWENTY-ONE
2 Days til Christmas
Finn thumped the back of my head with his middle finger. “C’mon, loser. Lennox is still stuck with some problem at work, so he won’t be coming in until tomorrow. We gotta go pick up some crap Ma forgot for dinner tomorrow.”
“Why do I have to go with you?”
“Because I’m sick of your stupid, sad face. At least we can get alcohol, and I can crush you in Mortal Kombat.”
“We’re not fourteen anymore.”
“Really? Because you’re acting like you are. Back when Lucy Becker broke your wittle heart.”
“Shut up.” I heaved myself out of the hole I’d made for myself in the couch in my parents’ living room. I’d been mindlessly scrolling all afternoon, trying to distract myself from thinking about Ocean.
“Besides, I need another gift for Ma. And I was told my offering for Ellie was too impersonal.”
I rolled my eyes. Finn could do feats of engineering with his ideas for corporate storefronts, but he truly sucked at gifts.
“What did you get her?”
“A cookbook,” my brother said with a wince.
I gave him a bland stare. “Ellie barely makes box Mac and Cheese.”
“I know. I figured she might want to expand her knowledge.”
“Nice one, jackass.” I followed him down the stairs to the door, grabbing my coat from the rack on my way out. The skies were clear and dark, the stars as bright as string lights. My breath bloomed in the crisp cold while I waited for Finn to unlock our dad’s SUV.
I didn’t have the mental capacity for driving, so I climbed in the passenger side.
Finn backed out of the driveway and flicked the radio to a rock channel. “So, what’s the plan to get your girl back?”
I glanced at him. “Who said anything about getting her back?”
“Look, both of us know you’re wild for her. You’re going to give up at the first obstacle? Not like you, Hud.”
“I figured you, of all of us, would tell me to buck up and get over it.”
Finn lifted a shoulder. We might be identical in features, but Finn was bulkier, thanks to his Ironman obsession. I’d never understand the need to do the insane race more than once in a lifetime. But Finn looked for jobs around cities with the obscenest course set ups.
“I got a contract offer for around here. It would be nice to have you around.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Arthur Maitland has ideas for a spa on the lake. Hired me to design one with the option for other storefronts. It’ll be a long-term project if I get it.”
“Wow.” I turned toward him. “I didn’t think you’d be caught dead in a small town like Crescent Cove.”
“Me neither, but I kind of like it here. I’m tired of the shit apartments or condos I usually rent while I’m on a job. One month here, three weeks there. This would be a year-long gig at the minimum.”
“You thinking about settling down?”
“Don’t get that crazy.”
I sighed. “I have a life in Chicago. I think I’m getting another promotion.”
“I’ve never heard someone sounds less excited about a leg up in a company in my life.”
I bounced my head on the headrest. “I barely get to design anything anymore. I’m usually overseeing the designers and approving their work. Their very in-the-box work because the client briefs are more worried about being like every other famous brand than breaking out.”
“Just because they offer the big job doesn’t mean you have to take it.”
“I worked for it. I should want it.”
“ Should is the important word there, bud.”
The dark, river road made way for the lit-up streets of Crescent Cove. There were signs for new construction coming with two main names. Maitland, which would be the one my brother was looking to land, and FHK Property Group.
We passed a massive candy shop with metal sculptures.
“Now that’s cool,” Finn said as he slowed to take in the groupings of metal art. “Such a generic name—Trick or Treat. But goddamn, look at those sculptures.”
“Think Ma told me about that place. They had a bad fire last year. Totally rebuilt it and reopened for Halloween.”
Finn whistled. “Impressive. This town doesn’t have typical small-town vibes. They seem to be… I guess, progressive is the word I’d use. Unexpected.”
“Sounds like you’re going to take the job.”
Finn tapped the steering wheel. “I’m seriously thinking about it.”
I understood what my brother meant about the town. The less built-out areas turned into Main Street, where there were typical small-town spots like a local bar called The Spinning Wheel. Then there was Jersey Angel’s sub shop, which gave me a quick twist just because of the name.
A quick flash of Ocean’s smile and angel-bright hair was like a knife in my chest.
I pushed her out of my head as my gaze landed on the wine tasting bar near the opening for a park with a stunning view of the lake. That didn’t seem like any small-town I knew.
Or the shiplap and glass hair salon with the massive wreath over the name To Dye For. That looked like someplace that would be in a high-end shopping plaza. A flash of blond hair had me craning my neck to take a better look, but it wasn’t her.
The blond was a hairdresser, for God’s sake.
Was every blond going to give me a hard moment?
Finn pulled up next to a gift shop called Every Line A Story. “Maybe this will be more personal. Though I still don’t know what to get her.”
I jumped out into the slush and slammed the door. “Only one way to find out.”
The place was slammed with last-minute shoppers. A stunning woman with dark hair manned the counter while another one with pink and teal hair was wrapping gifts.
I elbowed Finn. “You can even get it wrapped.”
“Sweet.”
We picked around the shop. It was heavy on books and crafts, but there were a lot of unique things as well. I ended up getting a crystal decanter for my father’s favorite whiskey while Finn lucked into a pair of vintage hairdresser sheers in a shadow box that Ellie could put up at her shop, as well as a stunning hand knit shawl in a cloud-gray color for our mother.
Finn wandered into the coffee table books area, stopping to flip through an architecture book. I fought my way in front of a glass display case of locally crafted jewelry. A snowflake made up of icy aquamarine gems caught my eye.
“Can I get you anything?” The brunette looked a little harried, but her voice didn’t show it.
“The snowflake.”
For Ocean.
I shouldn’t. I didn’t even know if I could make us work, but it had to be hers, no matter what.
“Oh, great choice. The designer is very local. Like in the apartments a few doors down. Hadley McTavish is definitely going places. But we found her first.” She winked. “I’ll get you a box and put it behind the register for when you’re done.”
“Thanks.”
Finn and I fought over who found the Grinch hat, which would be perfect for Christmas Day. Finn, Len, and I usually took turns passing out the gifts on Christmas morning.
In the end, I let my brother have it. It would be worth the photos of him in the hat.
As we were waiting in line, we both found a few other trinkets for Cara and Faith for their stockings. All of us pitched in with filling them to bursting since we now had kids to buy for.
It was still kind of crazy that Cal had two kids now. Not to mention the fact that our folks had added Cara to our roster too.
Three hundred dollars later, we both had two bags full of wrapped presents in tow.
“What was that box at the register?”
“Nothing.”
“Are you showing me up with Mom again?”
“It’s not for Mom.”
Finn went around the SUV, pausing before he got to the driver’s side door. “You got that girl something.”
“That girl has a name.”
“Ocean.” He spread out the O until I wanted to slug him.
“Just get in the car.” I stowed my bags and climbed in.
Finn got in and turned to me. “Look. I’m serious. If you want to get her back, I’ll help. No pranks—for real.”
“Why?”
“I told you why.”
“Yeah, but even if I got Angel—shit.”
“Angel? Aww, man. You’re a sap.”
I slumped in my seat. “It’s what she looked like when she found me.”
Finn’s teasing smile slid away. “You’re lucky it wasn’t more than a knock on that hard head of yours, you know. What were you thinking driving that glorified tin can?”
“I wanted to surprise Mom and Dad. I haven’t been able to make it home much with work.” And if I continued up the corporate ladder, I’d have even less time.
Even if I managed to convince Ocean that we could try to make it work.
Hell, I wanted more than to try . But how was I supposed to do that, along with working seventy-plus hours a week?
Oh, hey move to Chicago with me and find something to do while I work myself into an ulcer.
“Instead, you’re gonna surprise them with a new daughter-in-law.”
The kneejerk reaction to tell him it wasn’t that serious just wouldn’t come. Because he was right. I didn’t want just to make her my girlfriend.
I really wanted it all.
I sighed. “You’re not totally wrong. There’s a bit more to it than just my job and hers, though. I’ve only told Dad this so far.”
“Well, he is a vault. You don’t have to worry if you don’t want the rest of us to know something yet. I tried the Vulcan mind-meld when we were kids. You might have the same DNA as me, but I can’t read your mind.”
“Ocean’s brother is pretty famous.”
“Why is that a problem? You’re gonna marry into money? Be a house husband.”
“You’re such an ass.”
He turned on the car. “I mean, yeah, I am, but what’s your point? How famous are we talking here?” he asked as he signaled and started pulling out into traffic.
“Quentin Hawkins.”
Finn slammed on the brakes, and I had to reach out to brace myself on the dash.
“Hey! I just recently had an accident, jackass.”
“Sorry.”
An oncoming car honked. Finn waved and finished pulling out. “Jesus, Hudson.”
“I know. That’s why we kinda fell apart. She didn’t tell me until Quentin walked in on us…” I cleared my throat. “In an indelicate moment.”
“Oh, shit. You were boning?”
“Really? Boning.”
He shrugged. “That’s what you were doing, right?”
“Thankfully, we finished, but we were definitely naked.”
Finn threw back his head. “Awesome.”
I shook my head. “It was not awesome. And she omitted a few salient points about her family while we were…”
“Boning.”
I reached over and punched his arm. “Getting to know one another.”
“Naked.”
“I hate you so much.”
Finn snickered. “I’m jealous, man. Last girl I got with ghosted me the next day.”
“ Ouch .”
He shrugged. “It was a post-race kinda endorphin thing. Happens. But that’s another reason I’m keen to stick around this place.”
“Looking to settle down?”
Finn turned into the grocery store’s parking lot and found a spot. “Maybe. Having Cara and Faith around is nice. Evan is a cranky shit sometimes, but he is cute.”
“Baby fever.”
“It wasn’t like I didn’t want kids.” Finn got out and we both slammed our doors before we headed toward the grocery store. “Just was a nebulous future thing. But our twenties are disappearing at a rapid rate.”
“That’s a fact.”
Finn grabbed a cart and left me to follow.
He wasn’t the only one thinking about a future. What if that one last time with Ocean resulted in a baby?
Pulling out was not protection. And being careless wasn’t like me at all.
There was lust and then there was my last afternoon with Ocean. I’d never had an urge to take a woman like that before. To make her scream like that. Make her mine.
Because she was supposed to be mine.
I couldn’t expect her to trust me with everything after a few short days.
Especially if I ran at the first sign of trouble like a chump.
“Finn!”
He turned a case of Brothers Three hard cider in his hand. “Yeah?”
“Think I’m going to take you up on that help.”
“Aww, yeah.” He grinned. “I excel at making plans.”
I hoped so. I was going to need all the help I could get.