Chapter Seven #6
He glanced behind Finn to Flora, Allison, and Holly. Finn noted that Holly’s entire demeanor had changed. She was smiling warmly now, completely at ease.
“Sorry, ladies—I’m being rude. I’m Wilder.”
Flora and Allison’s eyes sparkled. Holly played it off.
“Oh my gosh,” Allison said, biting her lips together. “I’m trying to be cool and I’m not doing a good job. I’m Allison. Big fan. Huge fan.”
“Nice to meet you, Allison,” Wilder said, grinning at her.
And then the grin caused a string of childlike giggles to erupt out of Allison as she shook his hand.
Finn was laughing to himself. Some guys just had to smile and girls were panicking.
Although, to be fair, Wilder had that trademark smirk that would have launched one thousand Wattpad fictions and likely already had.
“I’m Holly Carlisle,” Holly said now, as if he should have known the name.
“Holly, nice to meet you,” Wilder replied, shaking her hand as well. “Thanks for coming.”
Finn caught the faintest flush in Holly’s face.
Holly was halfway to saying something when Wilder turned to Flora, who was patiently waiting her turn.
“And you are…?” Wilder asked.
“Flora,” she said, extending her hand now. “You are truly fantastic. You play like Joe Bonamassa with a Hendrix flair. I’ve always thought that.”
“Woah,” Wilder said, head moving back a little as if truly surprised. “Wasn’t expecting that.”
Flora laughed quietly. “I like music.”
“And you must know it well,” Wilder added, looking at her with interest. “Not many people know Bonamassa and can drop it in a conversation. Can you also name Hendrix’s band members?”
“Band of Gypsies?” Flora asked without a missed beat.
“What?! You know—?” Wilder’s voice trailed off in shock, eyes wide. “Y—Yes!”
“Buddy Miles and Billy Cox.”
Finn felt his jaw come unhinged, but he tried to keep it closed. Wilder was clearly in some state of disbelief as well, looking at Flora like she was some cosmic anomaly or mythical creature.
Allison laughed and smiled at Flora. Holly’s eyes narrowed.
“Right? I was right, right?” Flora asked, looking around for confirmation.
“Yes, that’s right,” Wilder replied. “You wanna come on tour? We’ve got room. I could slate you as, I don’t know, back up bassist. Antonio is disposable.”
“I heard that!” Antonio shouted.
Flora laughed. “I only play piano.”
“Okay, Fred’s out.”
“I heard that!” Fred said grumpily.
“What we really need is a new drummer,” Wilder whispered. “Any chance you can drum?”
“I could learn,” Flora offered, grinning.
“You’d fit right in.”
Flora giggled and then bit her lower lip as Wilder smiled at her.
Finn didn’t like where this was going but made sure not to show that he was getting a little concerned.
With Holly around and now dead silent and looking murderous, it wasn’t like Finn could say much or that he had any room to.
Plus, Flora running off to join Saint Ghost would have taken care of his problem.
Though, he still didn’t want that to happen. He didn’t want to have to answer to Fairchild.
Eventually, they got their photos with Wilder. Finn really did think Wilder liked Flora a little too much, taking extra time with her and saying she could have free tickets for the rest of her life. Flora giggled sheepishly, still unfamiliar with compliments.
Allison leaned over to him and whispered, “And to think men ignored her for most of her life. I swear men are so stupid.”
“She was always pretty,” Finn replied without thinking.
Allison eyed him, surprised. “She was.”
They said their goodbyes to Wilder, who said he wanted them at the next San Francisco concert. Allison and Finn promised to come back, but he made Flora pinky promise him.
So, yes, the job was done. And despite Wilder’s clear attention to Flora, it had all worked out because she didn’t just run away after the concert and hop in a taxi without a glance back.
“Did you guys need a lift?” Finn asked.
“Finn…” Holly whispered.
“No, we’re good!” Flora remarked, glancing at Holly. “We’ll just call a ride.”
“Are you sure?” Finn asked, concerned. “I’ve got one right here and plenty of room.”
“We’re good,” Allison repeated, eyeing Holly and forcing a smile. “We’ll walk.”
“Wonderful!” Holly said brightly, reaching in her bag for her lipstick. “We’ll see you… lovely ladies later.”
“Yes, see you!” Allison called, waggling her fingers at Holly.
Flora whispered another quiet thank you to him before they left though, somehow knowing he’d made this all happen. He hoped it might win him some points, but Flora didn’t seem to be the point system kind of person. Plus, if a rockstar was paying attention to her, how could he compete with that?
“Oh, let’s go for drinks, Finn,” Holly said once they were back in the car. “I could really do with a gin and tonic. And you definitely deserve a whiskey after orchestrating that whole thing.”
Finn was sweaty and tired from the night and, frankly, wanted to go to bed. He was thinking of his pillows and was trying to divine a reason why he couldn’t stay out, when his mother called and told him that Roman was finally awake.
And was asking for Flora, not Jane.
“He’s what!”
“He’s asking for Flora, Finn!” she exclaimed, obviously fanning herself. “Oh dear God, this couldn’t get any worse. He wakes from a week-long drug coma and asks for Flora Fairchild. How in the world did we end up here? Come here now, Finn. I’m at my wit’s end.”
Jane was due back from Miami tomorrow morning, and this was not a good prospect. The only good thing about this was now he didn’t have to get drinks.
Even later that night, Flora and Allison were back in her room, trying not to wake up her father while settling into bed. They were giggling about Wilder.
“He totally had a thing for you!” Allison was whispering.
“Even before you did your little music history drop, which, by the way—genius! I think it’s making up for all the times you were totally overlooked by guys and how rude they were to you.
First that Alexandre guy, then Roman, now Wilder?
I mean, what more evidence could you need? ”
“I dunno. I think the biggest thing would be if Finn ever noticed me,” Flora joked.
“Don’t expect miracles,” Allison said dryly.
They both stifled more giggles…
Then a rock hit the window.
Flora sat up in bed.
“What was that?” she hissed.
Another rock hit the window.
“Flora, oh Flora. Wherefor art thou, Flora?”
Allison sat up now too. “Who’s that?!”
Flora hopped out of bed and moved the curtains back, not sure what to expect.
“Roman?” she said to herself, surprise edging up her throat.
“Who?” Allison asked.
“It’s Roman!” she whispered. “He’s at the window throwing rocks!”
“What?!” Allison squealed. “No way!”
“SHHHH!”
In the many daydreams she’d had about Roman, him being dressed in a robe and Spider-Man footie pajamas throwing rocks at her window had never been imagined.
However, it was cute all the same.
He waved to her, and she slid the window open.
“Throwing rocks at my window? How romantic.”
“Well, romance is in my name.”
“Oh please,” Flora said, waving her hand. “How are you? You’re finally awake!”
“Well… my butt hurts pretty bad,” he remarked dryly. “But I’m feeling better. Where have you been?”
“We went to a concert with your brother,” Flora said, just as shocked as Roman was. “Crazy, right?”
“Finn at a concert. I’d pay to see that.”
“He actually did quite well.”
“Are you around tomorrow?” he asked.
“Yes, I’ll come by and visit you.”
“You better,” he said, smiling at her. “Alright, well, I don’t want to keep you up. Go to sleep, it’s late, Birdy.”
Flora nearly fell out her window at the revival of her old nickname. Finn started calling her Birdy because she was so thin when she was younger and knew all the names of birds. The name had been adopted by both the boys for a while but died when she was about eight.
“Didn’t know you remembered that. Night, Roman.”
She shut the window and fell onto her bed in shock.
Allison was giggling. “You better not keep this up, Flora,” she said. “You’ve just ended that silly, childish crush, and he’s engaged. Remember, he’s just a flirt.”
“I know, but we could both marry them, you with Finn and I with Roman and what a fun life we’d lead. It’d be so fun to be sisters-in-law!”
“You have a better chance with Roman than I do with Finn,” Allison remarked, rolling her eyes. “That Holly has her claws out for him.”
Flora groaned, rolling over onto her stomach. “So disgusting. She’s been made for him. Them dating was literally planned. It’s all very eighteenth century.”
Allison was quiet for a second, and then said, “I know I was just joking about this, and don’t get mad, but you don’t think that Finn might possibly be interested in you, right?”
“What?” Flora sat up again now, horrified.
“NO. Definitely not. He’s been nice to me lately, but just because he wants something.
First the photos. Now? Who knows what. I don’t think he could ever like me.
He’s so… I don’t know… mature. I can’t picture him hiking hills or cutting work to go get tacos.
And I don’t think I could ever in a million years like him. ”
Allison didn’t look convinced. “He seems to pay special attention to you. Goodness, if he looked at me like he does you, I’d faint.”
“He’s just as bad as his brother,” Flora decided. “He just hides it better.”
***
Allison went back to work on Monday—the last week of school before summer—and Flora found herself contemplating what she was going to do with her life. Not fun to contemplate.
It was always the calm after a fun outing, when everyone slipped back to real life, that Flora’s unemployment slapped her in the face.
She needed a job. Or some sense of direction. She had neither. Her father never asked, he minded his own business, but she knew he was curious what her next move was. She was curious too.
The dull dread of the future was replaced with something sharper the next day at noon when a black Mercedes EQS pulled up and a thin, athletic, perfectly put-together woman stepped out.