Chapter 5
Finn
“ S o, how’d it go, brother?” Hollis asks as he places a bowl of sliced cantaloupe on the table.
“It was a shitshow,” I grumble. “First, the guy got here, spilled hot tea all over himself, then he stripped in the driveway.”
“Sounds hot,” my brother quips.
“What?” Strolling into the dining room, my father looks at me with furrowed brows. “Who the hell stripped in the driveway?”
“Finn’s new manny,” Hollis offers, chuckling as I glower at him.
“He’s not my new nanny,” I correct as I fix Tucker’s plate.
Every Wednesday, me, Tucker, Hollis, and my cousin, August, come to my dad’s house for dinner. It’s something we’ve done for as long as I can remember. A way to come together and catch each other up on our lives. At least, that’s what my father says. Despite all working on the same ranch, it can be surprisingly easy to go days without having a meaningful conversation with them because of how busy we are.
“That boy is going to be my new nanny?” Tucker asks, eyes wide and grin wider. Ash was all he could talk about in the bath. Question after question, then he told me how his “floppy hair”—his words, not mine—and his nose ring were so cool .
“No,” I say at the same time my dad asks, “What boy?”
“Where did ya find him anyway?” Hollis asks, pushing the subject and grating my nerves.
“What boy?” my father grits out, harsher this time.
“A guy I interviewed for the nanny position,” I breathe out, fixing my gaze on my nosy fucking brother. “He was recommended to me by somebody.”
Hollis’s lips kick up on one side, and I heave a sigh, knowing what’s coming. “Pray tell, Finny. Recommended by who, exactly?”
“Just this woman I’ve been seein’.”
I grit my teeth, knowing the line of questions is coming. I’ve purposely kept my relationship with Violet a secret. I’ve always been a private person in general, so I didn’t see the need to make a big deal out of something that didn’t need to be. Besides, Hollis and August are two of the nosiest fuckers I’ve ever met. The more I can keep them out of my business, the better.
“Wait…what?” Hollis asks cheekily. “Who is this woman, and why is this the first we’re hearin’ about it?”
I look from my brother to my son sitting beside me, silently telling him to shut the hell up. It’s a no-brainer to keep my dating life away from Tucker. His life is hard enough as it is not having a mother figure around; I don’t need him getting confused by a revolving door of women who come and go.
Not that I have women coming and going all the time.
Riley, Tucker’s mom, was the last serious relationship I had been in. She was my wife up until she packed her things and left when Tuck was a baby. I made a promise to myself—and to my son—that I would never be careless when it came to introducing him to partners. It’s been an easy promise to keep, not only because he’s my son and his wellbeing is the most important thing to me, but also because staying single is pretty easy when you’re a cattle rancher workaholic.
“Her name is Violet, and it’s really not that serious.” Meeting my brother’s gaze, I tip my head toward Tucker and add, “Now, drop it.”
I never anticipated this…thing with Violet to bloom into anything more than casual nights here and there. Although, if I’m being honest, I’ve considered ending it more than once. Not because I don’t like her and enjoy our time together, but because I worry that this means more to her than it does to me. I don’t have any concrete evidence of that suspicion, but it’s in the little things.
Interviewing her brother was more to appease her because I felt bad telling her no, which is clearly a me issue that I need to get over. I can’t keep appeasing her at the expense of my own sanity.
Digging into our food, we eat mostly in silence, save for the occasional back-and-forth between my brother and cousin. The two of them are very much alike, and the closest out of the three of us. I’ve been told on more than one occasion that I take after my father in the personality department, which is just a nice way of saying I’m grumpy and closed off. Although, Gentry Moore is one of the hardest working men I’ve ever met, so saying I’m like him is about the furthest thing away from an insult, even though those who often say it are meaning it as such.
Like me, my father has chosen to remain single for a long, long time. He and my mother’s relationship was an interesting one, especially back then. They were best friends growing up, and they both came from very old-fashioned southern families. The type that expects a man and a woman to get married and start a family. My mom and dad made a pact that if they were still single by the time they graduated high school, they’d get together and do just that.
Neither of them has ever divulged too much about the situation, but from what I’ve gathered, it was all very clinical in how my brother and I were conceived. They both love my brother and I, and they love each other, but they were never i n love . I have my theories about what they bonded over when they were younger, and why the pact was needed, but neither of them has ever admitted as such, and it’s not my place to pry.
But my dad has been single for my entire life, and my mom moved away from Wolf Creek when Hollis and I became adults, and she lives in Austin now with her roommate, who I’m pretty sure we all know isn’t just a roommate. Why she feels the need to hide what it actually is from her kids, especially in this day and age, is beyond me, but again…not my place to pry.
After we finish eating, Hollis takes Tucker outside to play and help with evening chores while my dad and I clean up the dinner mess. I can feel the questions coming, so I’m not surprised when he asks, “So, why aren’t you hiring this guy?”
I heave a sigh, placing the condiments in the door of the fridge. “Partially because he seemed like a total mess from the minute he showed up here, but also ’cause he’s Violet’s brother, and that seems like its own set of issues.”
“Why?”
The water turns on behind me, and without looking, I know he’s starting to handwash the dishes. Over the years, we’ve fallen into a routine during Wednesday dinners. Hollis always takes Tucker outside for chores, while I put everything away and wipe everything down, and my dad washes the dishes. Always by hand, despite having a dishwasher because, according to him, that’s the only way they really get clean.
“Because I don’t need Violet thinkin’ what we have is more than it is, and hirin’ her brother seems like a way to muddle the lines.”
“Is he qualified?”
“Yes. In fact, he’s more qualified than my last nanny was, but that’s not the point.”
“And how many other candidates do you have lined up?”
I grind my molars, already anticipating where this is going. “None,” I grit out.
My dad is quiet for a moment. I know what he’s going to say, and I think the reason it annoys me as much as it does is because, deep down, I know he’s right and I don’t like that.
“Pull your head out of your ass, and quit being stubborn,” he finally spits out. “You said it yourself; options are slim, and if this guy is qualified and would be good for the job, and Tucker seems to like him already, then hire him. If it doesn’t work after you do, then fine. But you need a nanny, Finn. Bringin’ Tucker out to work every day isn’t sustainable for either of you.”
I don’t respond. He’s right, but I’m not ready to admit that.
“And who cares if he’s your girlfriend’s brother,” he adds. “If you’re not feelin’ it with this woman, then tell her. Set boundaries. Her being related to him doesn’t have to change your working relationship with him if you set clear boundaries.”
After we finish cleaning the kitchen, Tucker and I head back to our place. Once I give him a bath and read him a couple of bedtime stories, I head out to the living room to relax for the night. Putting on my favorite Johnny Cash record, I pour myself three fingers of Foxx Bourbon—only the best—and sit in my recliner, thinking over everything my father said.
He made a good point… If I hire Ash, and it doesn’t work out, I can always let him go. And I do need somebody.
By the time I pour myself a refill, I’ve already made up my mind. Pulling out my phone, I glance at the time. Maybe I should wait until morning to make this call; it is almost nine. But fuck it. If I wait, I’ll find some reason to talk myself out of it, and that’s not what I need.
The phone rings twice before it connects.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s Finn Moore.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, cell phones have caller ID.”
Gritting my teeth, I exhale harshly through my nose. “After consideration, I’d like to offer you the job if you’re still interested.”
“Are you serious?”
Do I honestly strike him as somebody who would call and joke with him? “Yes, I’m serious.”
“Of course, I’m still interested!” he replies excitedly. “After the way our meeting went, I just assumed I blew my chance.”
“When can you move in and get started? I know you’re still living in Portland, so?—”
“As soon as possible,” he blurts out, cutting me off. “Sorry.” Breathing out a small laugh, he continues. “I’m going back to Portland tomorrow to bring all my stuff here, so I can move in this weekend. If that’s not too early for you.”
“No, that would be just fine. You can get settled in, and I can show ya the ropes this weekend. You’ll officially start on Monday.”
“Thank you so much!”
After we hang up, I consider calling Violet and telling her the news, but decide against it in the end. One, because I’m sure Ash has already called her, and two, another thing my dad said that was great advice…boundaries. If this is going to work, I need to keep Ash and Violet separate. Just because he’s going to be my son’s nanny now doesn’t mean she gets to meet my son or come around unannounced. I’m sure she knows this, but I think a conversation laying out as much would be smart.
Just not tonight.
I’ve done enough decision making for one night.