Chapter Thirteen - Michaela
Chapter Thirteen
MICHAELA
“THIS IS ALL YOUR fault, you know.” I walk through the door Finn holds open to Birch Coffee. This morning has been anything but normal since the moment I woke up. The first thing I thought of was whether or not I should return the favor and bring breakfast for the two of us. After mulling it over as I got ready for work, I decided yesterday was a one-off and not to expect anything to come of it. I’d probably walk into the office to find your typical grumpy, uptight Sheffield waiting for me. The second I walked in, he was surprisingly pleasant. He suggested we head out of the office to work, and get some fresh air and coffee to get the creative juices flowing. All I could think was that Hell had frozen over or the world was ending or both.
“And, how is that?” Finn laughs. I feel the warmth of his hand on the small of my back guiding me towards the small line at the register.
“You’re the one who said we could pull money together for something on such short notice!”
“Well, we can.”
“That doesn’t mean we should . The company isn’t even up and running yet.”
“And I think Kai is right. Something like this will show investors why it’s important.” He smiles at the barista stepping up to the counter and when I try to hang back to wait and order, he demands I let him pay for me. Either he thinks I’m poor, or he’s being extremely nice, and it’s starting to worry me. Maybe he’s dying. Is he dying? He doesn’t look like he’s dying. He still looks normal…
“Stop staring at me like that,” he hands over my latte.
“I’m not staring.”
“Yes, you were. Now stop it.”
“Finn, I have to say this. You’re going to take it the wrong way, but I have to say it.”
His brow quirks as he holds open the door again, letting me walk out first. Has he always been such a gentleman? “I don’t like the sound of that.”
“What in the hell is wrong with you the last two days?”
“What do you mean?” He sips the black coffee with cream, no sugar… just coffee. That’s disgusting.
“You brought me breakfast yesterday and today—”
“I can’t be nice?”
“No! You’re never nice, not to me. And vice versa. We don’t do breakfast. We don’t do whatever this is.”
“It was just a sandwich, Shortcake.”
“From Brooklyn.”
“Where I happened to be before I came into the office.” That’s exactly what I told Nick and Nina last night, so why do I feel disappointed when he says it? I knew he wouldn’t go all the way to Brooklyn to bring me coffee and a bagel. “And as for today, we have a lot of work to do. I figured treating you to some nice coffee, and not that shit you’ve been making in the office, was the least I could do. Today is going to be hell.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”
“What secret?” I whip my head to look up at him.
“Well, obviously, you think there’s some reason for it other than what it is.”
“I do not!”
“Whatever you say, Shortcake,” Finn smirks behind his cup.
I knew the days of us getting along weren’t meant to last. We spent the rest of the morning walking through the streets of Tribeca, going through the list of possible event ideas. I thought he should keep it simple, do a small cookout-type thing at one of the waterfront parks, but Finn had other ideas. He wanted to go big or go home. He wanted to buy out Luna Park for a day. Do you know how much that would cost? Neither do I, but I can imagine it’s not chump change. You can’t just rent out Coney Island! He didn’t care. He wanted to do and that’s how it was going be.
That’s where our days of amicability ended.
“Sasha can meet us on Thursday,” I say walking back into the office with containers of food Caitlin dropped off on her way home. I told her we could order delivery, but she insisted. I think she wanted to see how things were going after I spent over an hour venting earlier. Sure, I had already given in to him, but I had to finish getting it out.
Cait was right, it’s not my problem. I only have three more days to deal with this, and then I’m free. I won’t have to worry about any of this ever again. So, why should I care how he wants to spend his money? He’s doing what I wanted him to do in the first place — run his own business.
“Did you hear me?”
Silence.
“Helloooooo, Earth to Finn.”
Nothing.
“Fine,” I toss the container in front of him. “You want to act like a child, be my guest.”
Finn laughs, “I learned from the best.”
“Oh fuck off, Finn.”
“Young ladies shouldn’t use such language, Michaela Jane.”
“Good thing I’m not one.”
He gasps, “Something you wanna share with the class?”
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
With a soft chuckle, he leans back in his chair. “You couldn’t handle it, Shortcake.” A warmth spreads across my skin from the heat of his stare. He licks his lips, and it sends a shiver down my spine. When I meet his gaze again, there’s a twinkle in his eye that I’ve never seen before. Is he challenging me?
“Fuck you, Sheffield.”
Finn rises from the chair and my body vibrates with anticipation. He gently pushes the hair from my shoulder, leaning in close, his breath ghosting across my skin before he whispers, “Only in your dreams, Shortcake.”