Page 28 of Off-Limits Love
“Chicken and cheese panini,” London said as she lowered the plate into Hudson’s now outstretched hands.
“Mak just agreed to bake my birthday cake,” Hudson said. “German chocolate. I’m telling you, London—it’ll be awesome.”
London smiled at the news. “I can’t wait to get those samples. Oh, gotta run. Customers.”
London walked away, and Mak went back to the original conversation while Hudson dug into his food. “Hudson, I’m happy to make your cake, but I don’t know about coming to the party. I don’t want to make Finn uncomfortable.”
“Did he talk to you? When you were paddleboating on the lake?” Hudson asked around a bite of panini.
“Some? Mainly one-word responses. But doesn’t he always do that?”
She watched as Elias cocked an eyebrow high at the news before his gaze sharpened on her once more.
“No. He doesn’t. He ignores the question or nods or just walks off. It’s rude as can be, but he doesn’t care,” Hudson told her.
Both men stared at her. And slowly began to grin. And the combination?
Yeah. Heady, heart-pounding stuff that would spike any girl’s pulse into the stratosphere, but more than anything was the fact they seemed to think Finn’s behavior toward her was special?
“Finn stopped even trying to talk to women a while ago. Just…gave up. The fact he tries with you? That means something.” Elias leaned forward once more, holding her gaze. “It means a lot, actually.”
Oh. “I’m, um, sure he’s just being nice because I’m Sam’s niece.” She wasn’t sure what to say other than that.
She didn’t want to mislead anyone, and it did her heart good to know Finn was comfortable enough with her to at least try. But the last thing she wanted to do was make another bad decision where her love life was concerned.
“It’s more than that,” Elias said softly. “And Finn’s worth the extra effort needed to put up with his idiosyncrasies.”
Hudson’s smile widened. “Just like I’m worth the cake for playing matchmaker.”
She gaped at the younger Blackwell and held up both hands. “A cake and an apology are all I’m bringing to the party,” she stated firmly.
She wasn’t even sure if she was ready for a relationship, especially with a man who was so…emotionally touchy.
Besides, after her talk with Zoey today, she realized no one needed to venture into another relationship before fixing oneself first. She had a few things to work through when it came to her Brad-battered self-esteem. “I don’t know what my future holds or…how long Emi and I’ll be staying with Sam. I have a lot going on right now, and I don’t need to add more to the mix.”
“But you’ll make my cake and bring it over to Finn’s? He’s hosting at the venue.” Hudson flashed her a boyish, hopeful grin. “You can apologize to Finn then.”
She inhaled, aware of both men watching her and waiting for her to give them a response. “When’s the party?”
ChapterNine
Finn avoided people as much as he could, and by midweek, both of his part-time employees had started walking the other way if they looked up and found him in their path. Even the animals were side-eyeing him in the evenings when he put them back in their respective stalls.
He couldn’t blame them. Any of them.
The evening at Sam’s had soured him. Combined with getting cuffed by the police there after that first disaster, he could only imagine what Makayla thought of him now.
What woman wanted to be with a man who couldn’t speak? Couldn’t talk to her? Couldn’t defend her without being mocked?
That wasn’t a man. That was an embarrassment.
He was an embarrassment.
And that stunt with Pepper? Given that Mak’s ex was an ass, Finn looked to be served with legal papers sometime soon, even though neither he nor Pepper had actually touched him or his flashy car. He should’ve controlled himself better. Not allowed Brad Jensen to get under his skin. But he couldn’t stand there a moment longer and hear Jensen talk to Mak that way.
He shouldn’t have done it, though. Finn knew the stunt had probably only antagonized Brad more than before, and he feared the guy would take it out on Mak at another time and date. Because that’s what guys like Brad did.
By the following Sunday, Finn was more grumpy bear than man. So much so, he could barely stand himself. He’d avoided the group who’d rented the party barn for a wedding on Saturday and left clients who’d rented the horses for a beach ride to Jameson to handle.
