Chapter 25 Finn
FINN
I knew what Declan and Ronan wanted me to do. They wanted me to wait and let Bethany show her hand. Couldn’t do it.
I parked in front of Elegant, the salon between the hardware store and the post office where Bethany worked.
The front window had been decorated with faded pictures of outdated hairstyles, and a chalkboard sign beside the door advertised spring color specials in loopy pink handwriting.
Not my kind of place, but I wasn’t here for a cut and color.
Wind chimes made from old scissors hung above the entrance and clinked against each other in the March breeze.
Not a health hazard or stabbing waiting to happen. I snorted, shaking my head. Wouldn’t matter. Mayor Albridge sat in the chair by the door, chatting it up with one of the stylists.
My steps thudded so hard on the sidewalk my spine vibrated. I’d told them I knew how to handle Bethany. And I did, but that didn’t mean I’d hold back.
The bell above the door clanged in a racket that raised goosebumps on the back of my neck.
Chemicals and hairspray burned my nose, singeing my nose hairs and making me need to sneeze. I breathed through my mouth and scanned the room.
Pink walls that looked like Pepto Bismol and small white tiles around the mirrors. Country music played in the background, low enough it didn’t compete with the gossip flowing thicker than molasses in Canada in January.
Two more women sat in deep, cushioned salon chairs in the back, foil over their hair and reading paperback novels.
Bethany stood behind an older woman’s chair, brushing in highlights and smiling. She lifted her head and caught sight of me in the mirror. Her expression shifted from amused to downright delighted.
A young woman I vaguely recognized as the daughter of one of the stylists looked up from behind the register. “Can I help you?”
“I need a word with Bethany.” Through the grace of god, my voice stayed even, pleasant. “When she has a minute.”
“Oh. Uh. Sure.” The kid shrugged.
Bethany set her brush on the edge of the counter and patted the older woman’s shoulder. “Give me just a minute, Linda.” She removed her gloves while walking around the salon chair and dropped them in a trash can. Her hips swayed in an exaggerated motion, her smile turning catty.
How had I ever looked at this woman and seen anything desirable?
“Finn. This is a surprise.” She smiled up at me, one hand lifting toward my chest.
I spun away and pushed the door open. “Can we talk outside?”
Her smile widened, and she grabbed a jacket from the hooks near the door before leading the way out and around to the narrow alley between the salon and the hardware store.
A few steps into the meager shadows, she stopped and turned to face me. The wind teased her hair, and she tucked a strand behind her ear, looking pleased with herself.
She’d been expecting this. Maybe not what I was about to say, but she’d known I’d eventually track her down.
My stomach twisted. Too late to back down or turn around.
“I know what you’ve been doing to Bree.” I kept my temper.
Barely. My throat strained to let out the anger surging with every breath.
Anyone walking past might think this was one of our former chats that ended in a kiss, but I’d rather die than touch this woman ever again.
I hadn’t forgotten Ronan’s warning. People would be watching us.
“I know about the snide comments and the Lucky Charms.” I left it there.
Let her try and figure out if I meant the box or the car.
Bethany’s face transformed to a wide-eyed innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She was good at the innocent thing, when she tried.
Always had been. With her doe eyes and soft voice and the slight trembling in her lower lip that made men feel like they’d kicked a puppy.
It had worked on me once, years ago. I’d been a lot younger then, young and inexperienced with her brand of manipulation.
“That’s not going to work on me.” All I had to do was bring up a mental image of Bree’s car and think about her sobbing into Declan’s chest. It hadn’t stopped burning itself into my retinas since I left Ronan’s last night, following him and Declan to the pub to help sneak the car out of the back lot.
Bethany sniffed and pressed her hands over her face.
“Don’t bother with the bullshit. Save the innocent act for someone who hasn’t seen the real you.” I crossed my arms and moved further away from her, making sure the distance told anyone looking that I had no desire to touch her.
The wounded look in her eyes intensified, but behind it, deep enough that few people ever noticed, a coldness burned. “I haven’t done anything. I welcomed her to town with a gift.”
“You brought her a box of Lucky Charms, a box of cereal meant to make her feel like an outsider.” I pulled further away. “You’re going to stop. Right now. No more bullshit. No more catty antics. You are going to back the hell off and leave Bree alone.”
Bethany’s mouth tightened at the corners, and she crossed her arms tight over her chest.
Don’t give her ammunition. Don’t let her try to be the victim.
I reminded myself over and over to stand my ground and protect Bree without letting Bethany gain any higher ground.
“What we had was a long time ago, and it was a mistake.” As unkind as the words were, they were true, and she deserved the truth even if she didn’t deserve kindness.
“I should’ve been clearer about that when it ended.
That’s on me.” I forced myself to take responsibility, even though I’d told her all this before.
“You don’t get to take any of that out on other people. ”
“Other people.” She smirked. “You never seemed to care before. Until Bree showed up.”
“I mean anyone.” I held her gaze but maintained our distance. If I took a step, she’d misconstrue it as attraction. What I really wanted was to throttle her. She deserved it and so much more.
One eyebrow lifted into a perfectly sculpted arc. “You expect me to believe that there’s nothing going on with you and Bree, but you’re defending her…against me?”
“I defend anyone being bullied.” She should remember that from our high school days. “I’m using what you did to Bree as a point in a very long list of people you’ve screwed over. It’s time to stop. You're a grown-ass woman acting like we’re still in high school.”
“I’m not–”
“You think anyone believes your lies?”
Her jaw tightened. The tears came next, right on schedule, welling up in her eyes with impressive speed. She’d always been able to cry on command, I just hadn’t realized it soon enough.
“You’re being cruel.” Her voice wobbled, and she wiped carefully at her face, no doubt making sure not to smudge her makeup. “I welcomed her to town, and this is what you think of me.”
“I think you’re smart enough to know what you’re doing. I’ll give you credit for that, and I know for a fucking fact that you’re smart enough to understand what I’m telling you right now.”
She pressed the back of her hand to her cheeks. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about. But if anything else happens to Bree, if I hear one more comment out of you about her, or to her, then you can be sure that I will do everything in my power to make sure every person in this town knows who you really are. And I will never, ever speak to you again. I will not say hello. I will not even look at you.” I wouldn’t do those things anyway, but she needed to believe the threat because getting attention was the only thing that mattered to Bethany.
“Finn.” She sniffed hard and moved toward me.
I held up a hand and moved backward, toward the sidewalk.
“No. We are done. Forever. Quit your mean girl act and grow up.” Another step back put me in the sunlight.
“You’ve done enough harm, and it’s time for you to stop.
” It took effort to turn around and walk away without yelling and telling her I knew exactly what she’d done.
Ronan’s voice in the back of my mind kept me focused and in control, but every step landed harder than the previous one, until I stomped so loud people across the street looked up and frowned.