Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 140742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
She keeps that smile on her face as she looks at me. “Let’s go, Finneas.”
I bite my tongue.
She’s so going to pay for that.
19
JOSSLYN
Apparently, my stepfather has a lot to say about my ex-boyfriend, which is funny, considering he’d been Team Tate for a while. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve locked eyes with Finn during Titus’ rant. Each time I do, the fire in his gaze licks through me and I feel like I might combust. He really shouldn’t be here. We’ve always had mutual friends, but this is a bit much. And flashing my mom that charming, sexy-as-hell smile? Complimenting her cooking? Bringing a bottle of wine that costs as much as a month on a luxury car payment? I know this because after my mother reacted the way she did, I Googled it.
He glances away and points at the grill, where Damian is cooking burgers and hot dogs. Whatever he says makes my stepbrother laugh. My chest tightens. Dame’s been through a lot. I’ve been through a lot. This family has been through a lot. Obviously, Finn doesn’t know that, and they don’t know about his little theory, but knowing them, they’d still invite him over to break bread. I hope being here makes him feel like an asshole.
“Joss.” Titus’ voice snaps my attention back to him.
“Yeah, no. I don’t want you to fire Tate,” I say quickly. “He’s a good associate and he works hard…” I pause, finding that I can’t think of any more redeeming qualities about the asshole. “Look, we’re adults. I genuinely don’t care.”
And I find that I’m telling the truth. Maybe it’s because I hadn’t fully opened up to Tate this time around, or that I’ve been so busy thinking about Finn and that whole situation, but when I think about running into Tate, I don’t feel anything. Even when I envision running into him with Gracie, I don’t care.
He exhales. “You’ll tell me if that changes?”
“Of course.”
“What’s up with this Barlow kid?” he asks suddenly, glancing over there.
My heart stops. “What do you mean?”
“Why’s he here?”
“The Owls signed him. He’s supposed to be...”
“The face of the franchise, I know. I mean, why is he here in our house?”
That makes my scalp prickle. Titus always has questions for our guests and I swear he enjoys making the guys I invite over uncomfortable, but this is new. Both the disapproving tone and the question. I glance back at Finn, hoping to hide my confused expression. Not much gets past Titus, and even though over the years I’ve tried to pick up on his tricks for reading people, I’ve never been good at being on the opposite side of the coin.
“Dame is friends with him,” I say after a moment.
Titus frowns. I can see the wheels in his head turning. Mallory rarely spoke about her brother, but if she did it was usually quickly, to brag about how great his hockey seasons were going. When we were at the dinner table, she’d keep conversations about her family to a minimum, and when Tate was around, she never mentioned them at all. Not that she came around much when he was here. Livie told me it was out of respect and loyalty to her family, which I understood.
“Huh,” Titus says after a moment. “I thought Mallory was the only Barlow you guys were connected to.”
When he says her name, his expression cracks slightly to reveal sadness. It doesn’t mean anything, though. Like every other parent in Fairview, Titus was heartbroken when he heard the news of what happened. He’d even offered the Barlows his services pro bono in case the Barlows wanted to sue the club—not that they couldn’t afford his rates. That’s who he is, though. When things go wrong, he steps in.
“Hockey. You know Will Hamilton took Damian under his wing when he was playing at Fairview, and Will is best friends with Finn, so...” I shrug.
He gives a nod. “And now they’ll be teammates on the Owls.”
“Yep.”
“He hasn’t taken his eyes off you.”
My stomach dips. “Yeah, because we keep looking over at him.”
“It’s not that. He’s been watching you,” he says, with that serious expression that terrifies people. I follow his line of vision and see Finn staring right back like he’s unfazed. I wish I could slap him silly. Titus looks at me again. “I’d be cautious with that one.”
“I…” I feel myself frown. “There’s nothing to be cautious about.”
“That family has a difficult time accepting the word ‘no,’” he says. “And from the looks of it, you’re what he wants.”
I bristle. “Finn’s not like that.”
The words leave my mouth before I can stop them, and Titus glances at me again. This time, he looks at me like he’s staring into my soul. If anyone can, it would probably be him. I don’t back down or look away, though. Finn might be an asshole who is demanding and dead-set on getting what he wants, but I know if I ever said the word ‘no’ to him, he’d immediately stop what he was doing. I know it.