Chapter 7
FINN
Thursday, six days before the festival
I hurried into my bedroom to grab a t-shirt. Fuck, I hadn’t planned to be half-naked when Drake got here. Even though, if I were being honest, his reaction was pretty flattering.
Too bad Charles never went to bed at a decent hour. I couldn’t sneak Drake into my bedroom for a quickie without him noticing. I flushed again at the memory of Charles overhearing Drake flirting with me.
We were not dating. It was laughable to think someone as interesting—and young—as Drake would consider going out with a much older small-town vet whose only hobbies were running and playing Dungeons and Dragons. And I wasn’t in the market right now, anyway, what with Charles and all.
I didn’t plan on staying single until he went off to college or anything, but I felt awkward looking for my forever person when Charles had lost his parents so recently. Maybe in six months or so, when he was more settled and secure in his new home.
Drake would be long gone by then.
But nothing was preventing us, while he was here, from having a no-strings repeat of last night.
Fully dressed, I left my bedroom and crossed the hall to my study. I couldn’t see them from this part of the hallway, but I could clearly hear Charles telling Drake about his friend Kirk not wanting to perform in the amateur competition.
I went into the study and shut the door firmly and loudly, so Charles wouldn’t feel self-conscious. Though why he was comfortable playing in front of Drake, a famous musician, and not me, I didn’t understand.
But, I reasoned, as Charles’ guardian it was my responsibility to make sure he was safe with an adult guest in our home.
A weak-as-fuck argument, and if Alex or my twin sister Addy ever found out, they’d kick my ass.
Still, it was enough to assuage my conscience, and I cracked the door so I could hear what was happening in the living room.
I silenced my phone and parked my desk chair next to the door in case Charles or Drake came this way and I had to shut it quickly.
“No,” Drake was saying. “Snacks are for after you sing, not before. Come on and show me what you’ve got.”
“Yeah, before we get to the songs, um, I wanted to say I’m sorry I got weird at the door when you and Finn were, uh, flirting.”
“No worries, bro. I wasn’t thinking.”
“I was surprised is all. I didn’t mean to come across like I thought it was gross or something. If, uh, you and Finn wanted to go out or whatever, that’s cool.”
My jaw dropped open. Charles was okay with me dating? Or at least dating Drake? Not that I was in the market for a long-distance boyfriend. And not that Drake and I would ever make it to the boyfriend stage.
I told my brain to shut up as I held my breath waiting for Drake’s response.
“Oh, uh, thanks for saying that. I—Finn and I haven’t talked about it, and I’m only here for a couple of weeks, so....”
“Yeah, I get it. I just wanted you to know. Finn used to go on dates before—before I moved here. I heard him telling my mom stories a couple of times. But he hasn’t gone out with anyone since I got here.
I feel like I’m cramping his style or something.
Him suddenly having a kid is probably a turnoff for other guys. ”
Oh, fuck. I needed to talk to Charles. My attempt to give him a stable home life was making him think he was in the way? Shit.
Drake had paused, but then he said, “What? I really don’t think Finn sees you as some sort of... obstacle to his dating.”
“Yeah? So why hasn’t he been going out?”
“Uh....” Drake stumbled over his words, probably because he knew damn well I had been ‘going out’. “Maybe he wanted you to feel like you were his priority, not the randos he met at a bar or whatever. You should really talk to Finn about this.”
“Yeah.” Charles’ tone left no doubt he wouldn’t be bringing it up to me. I guessed that meant I had to be the parental stand-in and force the conversation.
“Okay, let’s get back to the songs. You said these were your parents’ favorites? I’m sorry. It sounds like they’re no longer... with us?”
Shit. I probably should’ve briefed Drake on Charlie’s situation.
There was a pause, then Charles said, “They died in February. Car crash.”
“Oh, shit. Charles, I’m so sorry. That must’ve been devastating for you.”
“Yeah.” He plucked at a guitar string. “I didn’t want to move here, but I guess I’m lucky I had Finn.”
Probably the closest I’d get to a declaration of love from Charles this year.
“Definitely.”
“Dad and I were taking guitar lessons together.” He chuckled. “He was terrible at it. But he kept trying.”
“All you need to be a musician is a love of music. Natural talent is nice and everything, but hard work can get you there too.”
There was a pause. “I like that. Um, are your parents still around?”
Drake made an odd sound. Kind of like a laugh and a sigh. “My mom died when Dirk—he’s my twin—and I were little. My dad.... Well, five years ago we discovered my dad had embezzled most of the money our band had made, and he fled the country.”
I barely stifled a gasp.
“Holy shit!” Charles said it for me. “That’s horrible! At least I know my parents loved me.”
“You should hold on to that. But let’s talk about your songs. I like the idea of picking one to honor your parents, but I gotta say, ‘Smooth’ is pretty challenging for someone just starting out.”
“Yeah, I’m not as confident on that one.”
“Okay, well, let me hear you play ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’ first. Then we’ll get to the other one.”
Even though I’d heard him play it before, I was impressed at how well Charles played the Elton John song. He’d obviously been practicing. And who knew where he’d gotten his ability to sing, because neither his mother nor I could carry a tune.
But his playing and singing fell apart when he started “Smooth”. I grimaced. I would’ve shut the door and given him his privacy, but I wanted to hear how Drake handled giving his feedback.
Charles stumbled to a stop about halfway through the song. “It’s crap, isn’t it?”
Drake laughed. He laughed ! I stood up from my chair, ready to throw him out of my house. But then he said, “I wouldn’t have put it like that. But it’s a sign of a good musician when you recognize you’re attempting something you’re not quite ready for.”
I sat back down.
“Not sure I’ll ever be ready for it.”
“That’s not true. You absolutely nailed it for a couple of bars in the middle.
” He hummed part of the chorus. “With practice you can absolutely own this song. Unfortunately, we have, what, ten days until the competition? I think you’re better off sticking with the one you know you can play well right now. ”
“Yeah, makes sense. Thanks, Drake.”
“Anytime. You wanna run through it a couple more times, or are you done for the night?”
I eased the door shut, making sure the latch didn’t make any noise as it engaged. I pushed my chair back behind my desk and opened my laptop. Might as well get some work done.
But only a couple of minutes later, Charles knocked on the door. “Can I come in?”
“Of course.”
He opened the door and glanced over his shoulder before slipping inside. He was holding a scone in one hand, no napkin. I made a mental note to assign him to do the vacuuming this weekend.
I raised my eyebrows. “What’s up? Where’s Drake?”
“Bathroom. So, he said he has to go home and feed Mabel because Zeke’s out of town. It’s really dark, and I don’t like the thought of him walking through the woods by himself.” He looked at me with pleading eyes.
Was he matchmaking? I stared him down as he took a huge bite of the scone. As expected, crumbs flew everywhere.
I sighed, but before I could chastise him, Charles’ eyes went wide, and his face scrunched up. He held up a finger and ran out of the room. I got up to follow him to the kitchen, where he was spitting into the sink. He’d dropped the scone into the disposal.
“What’s the matter?”
He turned on the tap and stuck his mouth under the stream. After he’d swallowed a few mouthfuls, he straightened up and wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his hoodie. He made a face and pointed at the bakery box. “Salt. There’s salt on the outside, like a pretzel or something.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I bet he went to Special Blend. Caspian likes to experiment.” I opened the bakery box and picked up one of the scones.
I broke off a small piece and put it in my mouth.
The salt combined with the almonds made the whole thing seem a little dry, but if you melted some butter on it, hmmm .
“I’ll try them with my coffee in the morning. ”
Charles looked at me like I had a screw loose. “They’re all yours.” He went to the cabinet and got a glass for more water. “About what I was saying. Drake shouldn’t be alone in those spooky woods. There’s no one to hear him if he needs help.” He gazed at me earnestly. Definitely matchmaking.
I... didn’t hate the idea. Oh, there was no way Drake and I would end up actually dating , dating. But hooking up? Hell, yes, count me in.
I decided to mess with Charles. I cocked my head and put on an a-ha expression. “You want to go with him to make sure he’s okay?”
His mouth dropped open in horror. “Fuck no! Not me! I wanted you to go with him.” He craned his head to look into the living room. “Shit.” He called out, “Drake, we’re in the kitchen!”
Drake came down the hall. He wasn’t wearing his hat, and I remembered being naked in the shower, running my fingers through that silky blond hair.
I side-eyed Charles before saying, “Hey, Charles says you need to go feed Mabel. It’s almost ten o’clock. Why don’t I come with you?”
He stopped dead at the threshold to the kitchen, blinking hard as he jerked his head back. “What? Why? There’s no reason you should leave your house this late just to—” He blinked one more time, then shut his mouth. “Um, but now that you mention it, those woods are really fu—uh, creepy.”