Page 14 of Time to Stirrup Love
“You can be all tough guy cool broody alpha you want, I don’t buy it,” Pearl responded.
“I don’t like social events.”
“I know, and you never attend them, so why are you here? You don’t usually listen to me, so you can’t blame me. Are you waiting for someone?”
Finn rolled his eyes, because he knew what his sister was hinting at. Ever since she met Margaid, she’d been hinting at it. It was annoying as heck.
“I’m here because you and mother are both here and it’s my duty as a business owner, and?—”
“You can come up with all the excuses you want. You’re waiting for Dr. Davis. Just admit it and I’ll leave you to stew in this shadowy corner by yourself.” Pearl sat back, a smug smile on her face.
Finn opened his mouth to say something further, when Phineas approached them. Phineas was a gill-man, if he had toput it in layman’s terms. He was orphaned at a young age and was about two years older than Pearl. Finn and his late father sort of took Phineas under their wing and helped him survive at his late parents’ place, which was a swamp area just outside the great Harmony Glen borders. So, Phineas wasn’t really a townie, but he still belonged.
Phineas always lent a hand to Finn when he had tourists out and about. In a way, Phineas was sort of like a son to him.
“Hi Finn.” If Phineas could blush under his green gills, Finn would swear that he was as he looked at Pearl with his big yellow amphibian eyes. “Oh, hey Pearl. How are you?”
There was a faint tinge of pink on Pearl’s cheeks. “I’m good, Phineas. How are you?”
“Good.”
Finn rolled his eyes and tried not to smile. It was clear that Phineas was completely smitten with his younger sister and vice versa. But they were both young, even at twenty and twenty-two respectively, and both denied that the other had those puppy love feelings. He found it endearing, but the protective part of him wanted to throttle Phineas right where he was standing for even glancing at his sister.
“Now that we’ve established we’re all good, do you want to sit down, Phineas?” Finn asked.
Phineas tore his gaze from Pearl. “Uh, sure.”
Pearl became a bit more subdued, her white hair hanging over her face, and she began to play with the ends of it, like she always did when she was nervous.
“So,” Finn said, breaking the conversation. “What have you been up to lately, Phineas?”
“Not much. Managing some of my wild rice out at my place. I thought about trying to grow cranberries in my bog and the peat moss is always a big seller.”
Finn smiled. “That’s good. You’ve got plans.”
Phineas shrugged. “I suppose. I mean, what else is an orphaned swamp monster supposed to do?”
Pearl smiled up at him. “Anything you want, Phineas. The world is opened up.”
Phineas smiled at Pearl tenderly. “I suppose it is.”
“Pearl, can you come over here for a moment?” their mother called from across the room, motioning from the kitchen in this rental space in the basement of the town hall.
“I better go,” Pearl said, quickly. “I’m glad you came out tonight, Phineas. It’s good to see you.”
“You too, Pearl,” Phineas answered, wistfully watching her walk away.
Finn cleared his throat gruffly. “You know I’m your friend, but I am her brother.”
“I know,” Phineas murmured. “Sorry, Finn. I don’t know what to say around her. I have a hard time talking to people since my parents died. You know that.”
Finn understood that. He still had his mom and Pearl, he wasn’t completely alone like Phineas, but he understood how the young one was feeling.
“You just have to seize the day, but when it comes to my sister, you have to be careful what you seize. If you understand me?” Finn warned playfully.
Phineas chuckled. “Right. Gotcha. I saw you were out all day on the lake.”
“Are you tracking me?” Finn teased.
