Page 32 of Finlay

Buddy huffed, nudging my hand in a way I took to mean yes.

Chuckling, I dropped a kiss between his ears. “Good boy. Okay, it’s time for me to get ready.”

Just like every other morning, Buddy trotted up the stairs after me and plonked himself outside my bedroom door. I’d told him he could come inside, but he’d just stared at me and refused to move from his spot in the hallway.

I was halfway through my shower before I realised something.

I was singing.

Not just any old song either, but one of my gran’s favourites—“Calon Lan.” Born and raised in Wales, she used to beg me to sing it for her. My voice wasn’t bad either. Not worthy of a recording contract or anything like that, but I could carry a tune with ease.

I used to sing a lot. Until Matt, that was. He didn’t like my singing.

Not a surprise, really. I wasn’t sure there was anything he’d truly liked about me, other than the fact that he could manipulate me.

The song faded away to a hum, but I forced myself to keep going. To hold on to this recovered piece of me with both hands. It was mine.Mine.

Matt had taken so much from me.

It was time for me to take some of it back.

Iwas doing some bookkeeping when the door chimed in the front of the shop. My heart leapt, just as it had every other time the bell had gone over the past couple of weeks.

And it crashed down again just as fast, as a voice called out. A voice that sadly wasn’t Finn’s. “Hello?”

Cursing quietly, I capped my pen and pasted on my professional smile. “Be right with you!”

Reid’s head snapped up from where he was elbow deep in feeding solution. “Want me to go?”

“No it’s okay,” I said. “You’re doing a cracking job with that, keep going.”

“Okay but if he’s hot I call dibs.”

I rolled my eyes, thankful he’d kept his voice too low for the customer to hear. “Don’t you have enough visitors in your bed to keep you busy?”

“Exactly, they’re visitors.” Reid waggled his rear and smirked. “They’re just passing through while I wait for Mr. Right.”

I chuckled under my breath, unable to argue with that. I wasn’t judging him. Lord knew I’d been as active as him once upon a time.

I stepped out into the shop to find a young man waiting for me. I’d say he was around my age, with light brown hair falling over his smouldering blue eyes. Tattoos covered both his arms and he had chains hanging from his jeans.

Not my type, but definitely Reid’s. If he came out here before I got rid of the guy, I wouldn’t be able to stop the explosion of testosterone that’d follow. “Hi there. Welcome to Thistle Do Nicely. How canI help?”

The man grinned, shoving a hand towards me over the counter. “Are you Chester?”

I narrowed my eyes as I shook his hand. How did he know who I was? “Yes, I am. I’m the owner here.”

“Great.” Theman’s pearly whites were still showing. “I’ve heard amazing things about your work from Finn.”

I accidentally inhaled my saliva, choking slightly. The stranger stared at me in concern as I hammered on my chest to clear it.

“Sorry about that,” I wheezed. “You know Finn?”

His head bobbed rapidly. “Yep, he’s basically family to me. Anyway, I’m after a bouquet and you came highly recommended.My name’s Evan, by the way. Evan McCarthy.”

There was a loud crash from the back. I turned with a frown. “What the?—?”

Before I could go and find out what was wrong, Reid barrelled around the corner. The expression on his face had me freezing on the spot. I’d thought I’d seen all sides of my employee. His quick humour. His sarcasm. Chattiness. Even occasional grumpiness if he was still hungover from the night before.

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