Prologue #2
“I’m not,” I snapped a little too eagerly, “interested.”
He shook his head and leaned in. “You single? I suspect you may be after that Poindexter stormed out of here.”
I shrugged, not willing to give him the satisfaction of being right.
“Good. He’s not good enough for you.”
I snorted. “He thinks otherwise.”
He took another sip of his beer. “Guys like him always do. Not a great loss. Someone better will come along.”
I tipped my wineglass back, desperate for a refill. “Not likely,” I said, catching the server’s eye.
“You’re a strong, blond goddess. On what planet are you not good enough for him? You’re basically a superhero.” He scratched his chin. “I get a strong She-Ra vibe from you.”
I laughed, secretly flattered. Most of the time, I felt tall and unwieldy. I was far from one of those tiny, delicate women. Nope, I was more like the large monster lurching through the city as bodies fell in my wake.
“Definitely. Can you keep a secret? I’m a bit of a comic book nerd. And trust me, you are definitely She-Ra.”
Shit, he was good-looking. And he had the good sense to compare me to a beautiful, powerful, feminist superhero. I had to be careful, though. Because beneath the serious Viking facade, Finn Hebert was a charmer.
And in my just-dumped, vulnerable state, I could not afford to be charmed.
“Let me drive you. I’m heading there anyway.”
I shook my head, signing the credit card receipt. He had fought me on paying for dinner, but I’d insisted we split it. The last thing I needed was to be indebted to a Hebert. It was bad enough that I’d eaten dinner with him. I’d pay for my own rainbow trout.
“I’m good,” I said primly, digging my phone out of my bag. “I’ll call a rideshare.”
“You will not. It’ll take forever to find someone willing to take you out to the sticks. Plus, carpooling is better for the environment.”
I gave him a dramatic eye roll.
“Come on. My mother would never forgive me if I left you here. She raised us right.” He cocked a brow. “Or at least she tried to.”
“She wouldn’t know.”
He laughed. “My mother knows everything. As does yours, by the way. They probably know we’re arguing instead of driving to Lovewell right now.”
It was late, and my weekend had gone to shit. I’d probably spend tomorrow working. After I hit the gym, of course. Maybe, just maybe, I should lower my weapons and accept a little help.
“Fine,” I said, standing up and pushing my chair in.
His answering smile made my stomach drop. And when he put his hand on the small of my back and gently led me through the restaurant, something inside my chest fluttered. There weren’t many people who could make me feel small, but his size and his presence were comforting. And that was unnerving.
He opened the door to his truck, and I climbed inside. It was immaculate.
I didn’t know what I had expected. Maybe empty protein shakes and condom wrappers?
Regardless, the person I’d eaten dinner with tonight was shockingly different from what I assumed all Heberts were like.
They owned a rival timber company, and our grandfathers had had a falling out sometime in the 1950s, so I’d spent my life hating them.
They were rich and entitled and thought they were better than the rest of us.
While our family and others struggled to survive, the Heberts were flaunting their wealth, all while actively trying to buy out the other local timber companies.
Riding beside Finn down the lonely rural roads made me itchy and self-conscious. Maybe it was his confidence. Or maybe it was the way he carried himself. The straight military posture mixed with the bad boy tattoos and long hair.
“I’ve had a shit day myself,” he said as I sat perfectly still, keeping my focus locked on the road ahead. “Had to drive all the way to Bangor to sign legal paperwork. My ex, Alicia, is a lawyer.”
I nodded, not sure how to respond. We had grown up in the same tiny town.
I knew Alicia Walker, his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child.
Her grandmother had lived down the street from my parents.
They had hooked up when he enlisted in the Navy but had never married.
There was all kinds of local gossip and speculation as to why.
I’d always assumed it was because she realized he was a Neanderthal.
She was a smart and motivated person. No wonder she’d become a successful lawyer and had left him in the dust. These days, the rumor was that she was engaged to another lawyer.
Apparently, some people could find their happily ever afters. Just not me.
“You could try to make polite conversation,” he said, sounding annoyed. “Your manners leave much to be desired.”
“Newsflash. I don’t give a shit what you think of my manners. And being polite is overrated. Why is that the gold standard for womanly behavior? I have no interest in pretending to care about what you think of me.”
He whistled. “I guess it’s not a shock you got dumped, then.”
“Fuck off. Your commentary about my love life is unwelcome.”
“Only calling it like I see it, She-Ra.”
I rolled my eyes and went back to ignoring him, studying the lane markers on the road instead. His monster of a truck was beginning to get a little too small. Finn wasn’t just physically large. His booming voice and deep chuckle made his presence almost all-consuming.
I hated it. Or, more accurately, I hated how I felt around him. Off my game, on the defense, and out of my depth. No thank you.
Thankfully, he got the message, and once again, we rode in silence. Once we hit Lovewell, I busied myself directing him to my house.
He put the truck in park out front. “You live here?”