Page 45 of Curious

Ellen reached out and patted his arm. “I’ve always liked you, Jeremy. Maybe it’s because you’re an artist and a people watcher like me. And you saw something I didn’t…in more than one of my children. A mother’s love can sometimes blind her to what’s right in front of her. I’m very proud of my family’s success, but I don’t think I tell them enough that I’ll be proud of anything they choose, anyone they choose, as long as it makes them happy.”

She couldn’t be saying what he thought she was. Then again, this was Ellen Finn. His throat tightened and he leaned forward earnestly. “Mrs. Finn, you are the best mother I know who wasn’t written for television. Your kids, all your kids, know they’re loved.”

“We do, Mama.” Jen wiped a tear from her eye quickly, but not before her mother noticed and seemed to get a little weepy herself.

“Your father and I have never been more proud of you, darling. It takes a brave woman to acknowledge her mistakes and pick herself back up again.” Ellen looked at Jeremy then. “And I hope you know Shawn and I think of you as another son, Jeremy. We’ve always been proud of you too.”

Jeremy started to thank her, but almost spilled his coffee down his t-shirt when a familiar male voice came from the side of the house, beneath the balcony. “Are you talking about me, woman?”

“Yes, dear,” Ellen called down, standing as he came up the stairs. “We didn’t hear you knock but, oh good, you brought breakfast fixings. These three look like they could use something more than coffee.” She turned to a beet-red Jeremy. “Do you mind if I take over your kitchen for a bit?”

Dear God, this had to be a dream. A weird, slightly terrifying but beautiful dream brought on by the evil tequila. “Please. Can I help you with anything?”

Shawn Finn stopped by his chair and held out his hand. “Good man to offer, but that’s my job. Think of it as my way of apologizing for the female invasion you’ve had to endure all morning.”

Standing automatically, Jeremy looked down in surprise at the outstretched hand, then took it and smiled at the broad-shouldered older man, whose blond hair was still thick but liberally streaked with gray. “Thank you, sir, but it’s been a pleasure.”

“Smart boy.”

The couple disappeared into his house and he walked over to stand in front of Tasha and Jen, lowering his voice. “Am I awake? Did I eat the worm? What’s happening?”

“I don’t know,” Tasha groaned. “But it’s freaking me out.”

Jen snorted. “How many years have you known us? You know what we Finns do whenever trouble crops up.”

They closed ranks and banded together. “Yes, but you don’t usually do it in my house.”

She reached up and patted his hip, smiling at the frowning Tasha. “You’re both a part of this family. My parents know it even if you don’t. So suck it up, guys, and feel the love. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

When she left, Jeremy held out his hand to Tasha. “Join me at the dock for coffee and crying?”

“Please.” She pulled him down the stairs, her coffee still clutched in one hand. “You need a boat.”

“It’s a lake, Tasha. You can circle a lake, but you can’t make a clean getaway if that’s what you’re thinking. We’re stuck.”

“He’s right,” said Stephen, who was leaning against a wooden post at the bottom of the stairs. “For a clean getaway you’d need a plane.”

No longer surprised by magically appearing Finns this morning, Jeremy nodded in his direction. “I’ll get on that right after the homeowner’s association installs my runway.”

Stephen Finn looked the way Jeremy felt. His light brown hair was mussed, there were shadows under his blue eyes and his tie was loose and limp around his neck. It was obvious he hadn’t gone to bed. “Hey, Jeremy. Natasha.”

Tasha turned toward him, clinging to Jeremy’s hand. “Good morning, Senator. There’s coffee upstairs. You look like you could use it.”

“Thanks, but I need to talk to you first.” He glanced apologetically at Jeremy. “Alone, if that’s okay with you.”

Jeremy nodded, releasing Tasha and taking a step back. “Should I be expecting the entire family?” he asked carefully.

Stephen put his hand on Tasha’s shoulder as soon as she reached his side, as if he needed to assure himself she wasn’t going anywhere. “Seamus is getting his neighbor to watch the kids then he’ll be by.”

He hesitated, studying Jeremy with an inscrutable expression. “Owen had something he insisted he had to do. He wasn’t sure he would make it for breakfast.”

“Oh.” The message couldn’t be any clearer—the trouble might be over, but Owen was done with him.

A sharp knife couldn’t have cut more deeply.

Taking a shaky breath, Jeremy nodded. “I’ll leave you two alone then.”

“Jeremy wait.” Stephen sighed, rubbing the stubble on his jaw. “You should know… It’s been dealt with. Our problem. Lucky for us, Scott is a moron. Man didn’t even make copies. And what we had on him sealed the deal.”

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