Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
W hat’s got your shorts in a bunch?”
Finn startled and looked up from the laptop to see Gage and Hudson standing in the doorway of his home office. He’d been so deep in thought he hadn’t even heard them enter the house.
“You forget to knock?” He glared at his two younger brothers.
“We did. You didn’t answer.”
“I was busy. What are you doing here?”
Hud pushed past Gage and entered to plop himself down in a chair opposite Finn’s desk. Gage stayed where he was, leaning against the door jamb.
“Picking you up for a Saturday night out,” Gage said.
“Pass, but thanks.” He felt like he could sleep for a week after pouring over financials all day. He wanted to go to his brothers with a solid plan of action when it came to purchasing Sam’s land, and that required some homework.
“Fine, then we’ll kidnap you.” Hudson grinned. “Two of us, one of you. Good odds. Come on, man, don’t you get tired of staying here all the time? You never leave except to go for a ride or to the market. Don’t you miss us?”
“I saw all of you last weekend at your birthday party,” Finn reminded them.
“We’re taking Elias out to celebrate his engagement,” Gage said. “Kind of a prebachelor party since Quinley and all the girls are getting together tonight for a girls’ night in. You’re coming. It’s just us.”
“And Jameson, maybe.” Hud shrugged. “He was heading to the firehouse to hang but said he might hit us up later tonight.”
The last thing Finn felt like doing was going out, but if it was for his newly engaged twin, he felt the pressure to join in.
It was Saturday night. The chores were done, and short of a drink in front of the television to process everything that had come at him this week with the news of Sam’s health, being friend zoned by Mak and the past being dragged up again by Brad’s taunting, he didn’t have plans.
Unless Mak texted and wanted to talk like last night. She’d had a question about the kitchen in the party barn, and he’d spent the evening ignoring the television and staring at his phone screen as they chatted about kitchen specifics so she could finish filling out the paperwork to get her license.
Once she’d finished, they’d wound up talking about Sam and other things, and he’d forced himself to keep things friendly and not flirt. Though when they’d said their good nights, he had slipped and typed S weet dreams, baby girl.
She’d simply said good night and hadn’t commented on the pet name.
That was a good sign, right? A sign that maybe, despite her words to the contrary, she wasn’t against him flirting with her? To be honest, he couldn’t seem to help himself.
“Is he— Is that what I think it is?” Gage murmured. “Is the Grinch smiling?”
Finn’s gaze shot to his brothers’ curious expressions, and he bit back a groan. Both wore knowing smirks, and Finn scowled once again.
“Uh-uh,” Hudson said, shaking his head. “Too late to go all broody. You were smiling. Thinking of a cute neighbor perhaps?”
“I don’t know if I’d call Sam all that cute,” Gage said in a droll tone.
Finn shoved himself up from the desk. “We going out or what?”
“So now you want to go?” Hud scratched his head. “I’m getting whiplash, Gage. How ‘bout you?”
“Shut up and come on before I change my mind. I’m going because I need to talk to everyone about a purchase that needs to happen ASAP, and this’ll be faster than scheduling a meeting.” He walked to the printer and removed the papers from the top that had taken hours to pull together.
All nine of them made up Blackwell Enterprises, though Isla had very little to do with the decisions and basically agreed to whatever the brothers decided. She loved her job as a nanny to a billionaire and his wife and left the running of things to her brothers, trusting they’d do nothing to endanger their future or the legacy their parents had left behind.
Isla filled in at the station in an emergency if her schedule allowed, but was pretty hands off. Not that they minded. None of them liked the thought of their kid sister in the store during a holdup or something, and in today’s world, you just never knew what might walk through the door.
Alec, Brooks and Cole had expanded their parents’ small mom-and-pop gas station by adding a convenience store. Brooks had then opened a towing service. Gage and Cole ran a rentals company in the building next door to the store, and most recently, Cole had added a black car service and scored some nice contracts with the newest upscale hotel built in Carolina Cove.
As a former marine, Cole doubled as driver and security whenever there was a need for it with the hotel owner’s megarich friends.
Toss in Elias and his businesses, plus the farm, and as a whole they did quite well for themselves, using the businesses and the farm write-offs to every legal advantage.
Hud had some things to figure out, but Finn didn’t doubt his little brother would get his act together in time. Hud was too driven to be a slacker—when he wasn’t letting himself be distracted by cougars.
The three of them made their way through the house and out the door after Finn changed shirts for something nicer. He drove separately from the others, knowing from experience he’d probably be the first to leave.
They met up at the Lachlan Hotel and headed into the bar off the lobby. Alec and Brooks were already there at one of the large tables, and the rest of the bar was crowded as more people favorited the newest hot spot on the island.
A guy played his guitar in the corner of the room, and wait staff scurried around, delivering drinks and food. The moment Alec spotted Finn, Alec lifted his chin in a nod. “Heard we have business to discuss before the fun starts.”
Hudson and his big mouth had no doubt texted or called to fill the elder brothers in as the nondriver of the group. Finn pulled out a chair and settled in at the large table, sliding the papers he’d brought with him toward Dawson. “Sam’s ready to sell.”
“Wait, what? What about Mak and Emi?” Hudson asked as he took the seat next to Finn. “They just moved in with him.”
Cole and Elias arrived, and Gage sat opposite Finn next to Alec. Before he could say anything else, a waitress came to take their orders. The pretty young woman looked to be Hud’s age and very interested in his brother, but Hud didn’t seem to notice.
Once she was gone, Finn inhaled and briefly shared Sam’s story as the guy singing took a break.
“Aww, man. That sucks,” Hud said. “I could tell he wasn’t feeling great at the market, but I didn’t think about him being sick.”
His brothers had all met Sam at some point over the years and knew him well.
“I only need the land and agreed to him leaving the house and a lot to Mak. I want to give him a generous price for what we buy.”
Dawson, their money man considering he was the one who handled their investments and planning because he had a bit of a Midas touch, dug his elbows into the table and gave Finn an unwavering stare.
“I understand the desire to help them out and be extra generous, but don’t let emotions and sentiment cloud business decisions, Finn. Market price is high enough around here as it is. Especially for that many acres. That’s no small sum you’re talking about.”
That was true. Land prices were at a premium along the coast, and what he was asking them to do as a group would require a large sum considering the acreage Sam owned.
“The contract will also need to have a few specifics like easements and listing us as first buyer if she ever decides to sell. Otherwise you could wind up with a citified neighbor who hates animals and calls the police on you every time they hear one,” Dawson added.
Definitely something to consider, Finn acknowledged with a wary nod. “Fine, just make it fair and a priority. Sam wants things settled, and he doesn’t have much time. I want to do everything we can to help make Sam’s last request come true. He wants to know Mak and Emi are taken care of, and that Mak has the bakery to fund her future. I want us to do what we can to help make that happen.”
“Even though she’s Jensen’s ex?” Elias asked.
Finn wondered how Elias knew that but figured Mak had shared the news with one of the ladies in the family, and Elias had put the names together. “He’s an ex for a reason. I’m not holding that against her.”
If anything, the thought of her being Jensen’s ex made Finn want to help Mak even more.
The crowd in the bar thickened until it was standing room only. Topics shifted to Gage’s latest idea for a new income stream when Finn saw Elias’s gaze move to something above Finn’s left shoulder. His brother’s gaze narrowed, and a fierce scowl formed.
“What have we here?” Quinley drawled in a throaty voice that attracted all of their attention. “A table chock-full of gorgeously handsome men? Which one shall I choose?”
Finn turned in his seat and then nearly swallowed his tongue when he spotted Mak among the group of women that consisted of his sisters-in-law and those about to be family. All of them were dressed to kill in short skirts and high heels. He now understood Elias’s scowl.
“I thought you were staying in,” Elias all but growled. “And didn’t we discuss that dress you’re wearing?”
Quinley’s smile could only be described as trouble.
“I seem to remember you saying some silly thing about how I could only wear it for you, but—here you are. Can’t get mad about that now, can you?”
Finn glanced at his twin and bit back a chuckle at the expression on Elias’s face. Quinley played with fire when it came to Elias’s jealous streak, but she obviously knew it and reveled in riling up her fiancé. And from the looks of it, she led the charge of women dressed to impress, reminding all his brothers of what they had at home. Which was probably the point of their excursion since they’d known exactly where the guys would be.
“We decided since you were going out, we should too,” Sophia said. “Especially since we so rarely get a girls’ night all together.”
Finn shifted his attention back to Mak. He wasn’t sure how she’d wound up included in the group outing, but she looked good enough to snack on.
She wore a flirty shirtlike dress that showed off her toned short legs in heels that made his pulse pick up speed and a furry jacket that had to have come from Quinley or Ana’s closet. He didn’t know any other woman who had clothes like theirs, thanks to Ana’s boutique which was located here in the hotel lobby.
“And you decided to come here?” Dawson asked, eyeing his wife appreciatively.
“To armor up before we go dancing,” Quinley said, indicating her outfit with a wave of her hand and twirl for Elias’s benefit. “We hit Ana’s samples bin for what we didn’t already have at home.”
Finn wanted to tell Mak how good she looked but was afraid of opening his mouth and the stupid stutter making itself known in the worst way. She had his blood pumping faster through his veins, and he’d certainly fumble his words as a result.
Mak’s makeup was darker than he’d ever seen her wear, making her bright blue orbs stand out even more. And her lips… Her mouth looked luscious and full and sparkled with a rose-colored, glittery gloss that made him ache to kiss her again and see if it was flavored.
“Where’s Emi?” Hudson asked Mak.
Mak looked uncomfortable but smiled. “She’s with Allie’s babysitter and the girls. I went to pick her up from a playdate, and Allie insisted she spend the night so I could join the fun.”
“Made it,” Isla said, bursting onto the scene and into the group like a whirlwind. “Parking’s getting tight out there.”
“Oooh, look at you, hot stuff,” Quinley said.
Finn heard more than one of his brothers mutter. Seeing the women they loved looking seductive when the ladies had shown up, knowing they wouldn’t be allowed out of their significant others’ sights was one thing, but to see their unattached baby sister out for fun dressed like that?
“You’re too young for a club,” Alec said in his best dad voice.
“And that skirt is way too short,” Brooks, father of three girls, added with a grumble and a bone-chilling glare.
Cole shook his head at Isla and then shot a frown at Ana, who pretended not to notice.
Dawson rubbed a hand over his eyes and squeezed hard, like he knew he’d be bailing someone out before the night was over and wondered which account to transfer money from.
“There’s dancing here,” Elias said, pointing to the space in front of the singer. “It’s not a club, but I think we all know you’re not going anywhere without the rest of us.”
Gage jerked a thumb toward those seated at the table. “What they said. And I’m pretty sure Isla can still be grounded.”
“No, I can’t,” Isla shot right back, crossing her arms over her chest in a battle-ready stance. “You’re being ridiculous. All of you.”
Quinley made a show of rolling her eyes and eyeing the guys with just the right amount of feminine irritation.
“Well, girls? What do you say? Listen to them grumble all night while they bang their chests to keep the men away at the club, or stay here and make them dance to our hearts’ content to make up for denying us our fun?”
Ana laughed softly and wrapped her arms around Cole’s neck, leaning over him to kiss his cheek before swinging around to sit on his lap.
“That’s one down. What about you?” Quinley asked the rest of the ladies.
The girls exchanged amused looks with each other but one by one joined their husbands and fiancés, until only Mak and Isla were left standing.
“Come on, Mak. You can sit on my lap,” Hudson said.
This time Finn was the one growling. He didn’t stop to think but shifted sideways on his chair, swept an arm out to wrap around Mak’s slim waist and tugged her down on his thighs.
The act drew a few surprised looks from the other girls, but Mak didn’t protest the move, though her face went up in flames. She sat stiff and awkward, head averted for a second while she apparently gathered her wits, and then eventually relaxed against the arm bracketing her low back.
“Well that’s just disappointing,” Hudson said, earning chuckles from the others.
“Scoot over, loser,” Isla said to a still grumbling Hudson. “We can share it.”
The two bickered over chair space like they always had as children until settling down with grins.
The waitress returned and took another round of drink orders along with a few small-plate appetizers. The guitar player started up again, and once the waitress left, Quinley and Ana stood.
“Time to pay up, boys. Let’s get our dance on,” Quinley said to the table as a whole.
Mak glanced at Finn from beneath her lashes, and because he knew Hudson would ask if he didn’t, Finn nudged her off his lap before snagging her fingers and leading the way to the dance floor.
“I’m sorry about this,” she said softly. “The girls were insistent. I didn’t know how to gracefully get out of it without seeming rude.”
He pulled Mak close, his hands resting along her back as they began to sway to the slow song. Even in the heels she wore, she barely came to midchest. “I’d r-rather you b-be here with m… us.” He’d almost said me but caught himself just in time.
“They might get the wrong idea though. Especially after…the table.”
He didn’t care if they did. Agreeing to be her friend but only feeling friendship toward her was proving harder than he thought it would. He cleared his throat to fight off the sudden tension.
What was it about this woman? He knew he had to keep his hands to himself, but he felt drawn to her in so many ways. She was overwhelmed by life at the moment and he understood that. But it didn’t make him any less interested. “L-let th-them. It’ll k-keep Hud away.”
It was the truth. And an excuse they could both accept at face value.
Mak’s soft laugh filled his ears and had him tugging her closer until she was plastered against him from chest to knees as they swayed.
“You know I don’t take his flirting seriously.”
She might not. But Hudson knew exactly what it did to Finn, and his baby brother had a mean streak when he felt Finn sold himself short and didn’t go after certain things. Like women.
And now one in particular.
But while Mak had made her boundaries clear, it didn’t mean Hudson wouldn’t keep trying to charm her—just to get under Finn’s skin to push him to act.
He ran his hands up her back and lightly pressed to ease the tight muscles he felt. Then he reveled in the hitch of her breath and the way her lashes fluttered with pleasure as the knots loosened between her shoulder blades. “I d-do.”
“You take his flirting seriously? Why?”
Mak tilted her head back and gazed up at him, her smoky eyes and full lips drawing him like nothing had in a very long time. Years, if he was honest. But when it came to an answer? “Y-you’re m-my friend,” was the best he could come up with.