“I appreciate that. More than you know.”
“Hey, buddy,” Finn said. “We’ve got your back. And I’ve got a need for some of that crisp lager you serve.”
“I’ve got it. You just have to show up.”
“Then we’ll make a plan,” Honor said.
Now that Honor was in charge of scheduling it, Brenna knew it would happen.
They finished their drinks and everyone got up to head out.
Owen hugged Brenna and Honor, then said good-bye to Finn and left. Finn walked with them to their vehicle.
“See you at the house,” he said.
“Okay,” Brenna said, feeling a little weird that he was waiting for them to leave like this was some kind of date, which it wasn’t.
Honor just smiled and said thank you, so they climbed into their vehicle and headed back to the house.
“You and Finn make a good couple,” Honor said as she drove.
“We are not a couple.”
“The way he looks at you tells me otherwise. And I saw you watching him every time he took a shot when we were playing pool.”
“I can hardly ignore him. He’s part of our group.”
“Yes, he is. But no one else in our group stares at his ass. Except you.”
“I did not stare at his ass.”
Honor went silent and it irked her.
“Nothing’s going on between Finn and me.”
Honor’s lips curved. “Okay. I believe you.”
“I mean, sure, he’s incredibly hot and all, and that accent is enough to make any woman fall into a dead faint at his feet. He’s around all the time and it was just convenient to ask him to pretend to be my fiancé because we know each other so well and he wouldn’t get the wrong impression. And he gets me and my weird quirks, you know?”
“Of course. Perfectly reasonable.”
She crossed her arms and stared out the window, feeling irritated with her sister but not understanding the reason for it.
“Why would it be a bad idea for you and Finn to get together, Brenna?”
“Because I don’t want to.”
“You don’t like him?”
She’d be lying if she said she didn’t have an instantaneous chemical reaction to Finn whenever she saw him or was around him. But those feelings were new and made her feel raw and just a little bit scared. She hadn’t had feelings like that for a guy in a very long time.
“I like him just fine. It’s just that he’s different from the guys I usually date.”
Honor let out a soft laugh. “You find fault with every guy you’ve gone out with since you and Mitchell got a divorce.”
“Finding a decent man is difficult.”
“Not when he’s right in your own backyard. Like, literally.”
She shook her head. “Finn and I are not a good match.”
Honor drove through the gates of their property. “Why not? He’s fun and attractive and smart and a good guy. And everyone in the family adores him. He obviously likes you. What would be so wrong about giving it a try with him?”
Brenna shifted in her seat to face her sister. “And what happens if I do give it a try and it doesn’t work out? Does Dad fire him?”
“Of course not.”
“Exactly. Then I have to face that weirdness every day. No, I know better than to have a romance in my own backyard. I’ll restrict my dating life to well outside the grounds of the family property lines.”
“I can see your point there. But what if it could work out and you didn’t give it a chance? You could be missing out on something—on someone—amazing, Bren.”
“I just don’t think I can take the chance on failing again. I haven’t been lucky in love.”
Honor pulled in front of the house and parked. Finn was leaning against the porch rail. She smiled and reached out to squeeze Brenna’s hand. “Maybe your luck is about to change.”
They walked toward the stairs and Honor walked up. “Night, Finn.”
“G’night, Honor.”
Brenna stopped. “You didn’t have to wait for us.”
“I wanted to make sure you got home safely.”
“Well, thanks.” She started up the stairs, then stopped, compelled by . . . something she couldn’t name. She turned to him. “You do realize that you and I are not . . .”
He cocked his head to the side, waiting.
She walked down so she was level with him. “We’re not . . . actually dating or anything.”
“Noticed that.”
“Okay, I just wanted to make sure that was clear.”
“Are you asking me out, Brenna?”
She frowned. “Of course not.”
“You want me to ask you out.”
“No. I don’t know. Why? Were you going to ask me out?”
“I’d like to take you out. Would you go if I asked you?”
“No. I don’t know. Maybe.”
He laughed. “That’s a lot of answers to one simple question. Go on a date with me, Brenna.”
Her stomach was doing a wild dance and her pulse fluttered all over the place, which it absolutely did not do whenever a guy asked her out. She was always calm and rational when it came to dating. Why was she never calm or rational around Finn?
She blamed his amazing hair.
She blew out a frustrated breath. “Fine. We’ll go out.”
“It’s not an execution, Brenna. It’s a date. I promise we’ll have fun.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“Yes, I can.”
She’d withhold judgment until said date. Which probably wouldn’t happen anyway.
“Okay, we’ll see.”
“We will. And you’ll have fun.” He continued to smile as if he held the key to successful dating. Which he decidedly did not.
“I’m going inside now.”
“Good night, Brenna.”
She walked up the stairs, refusing to continue to gape at him. Because in his jeans and boots and all that . . . hair, she could look at him all night. And what good would that do her?
“Good night, Finn.”
She went inside and closed the door, headed up to her room and kicked off her shoes, then lay back on her bed.