Roland clutches his chest in mock offense. “Ouch. That has to sting. You’re not used to hearing no, are you?” His grin turns wolfish. “Don’t worry. Lay it on thick and she’ll fold. They always do.”
My stomach turns. It’s not just the hangover. It’s the way he’s talking about her, like she’s disposable, like what she wants doesn’t even matter.
“She’s not my type, okay?” I snap. “You know I prefer sophisticated women.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he waves me off. “It’s not like you’re gonna bring her to a business dinner. You screw her, then dump her when you get back. Simple.”
The words make my skin crawl. Every muscle in my body coils, ready to launch through the screen. Then I feel a presence behind me.
I twist around.
Finley stands in the doorway, my phone in her hand. Her face is pale but carefully arranged.
Oh. God.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she says with a polite smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. Her voice is steady—too steady. “Tyler found a phone outside by the back door.” She steps in and sets it on the bed, the thunk is loud in the quiet room. “I figured it was yours.”
She takes a small step back. “Your mom said to tell you she’s heating up the chili.”
Her gaze flicks to Roland’s face on the screen—just for a second—then she walks out.
“Finley,” I call as I lurch to my feet. “Wait.”
Roland laughs. “Someone’s in trouble.”
“Screw you, Roland.” I slam the lid shut then hurry after her. She’s already at the top of the staircase, one foot poised on the first step. “Finley. Wait. Please. Can we talk?”
She hesitates then turns around to face me. Her face is smooth, giving nothing away.
“I don’t know what you just heard—” I begin, breathless.
She shakes her head. “I shouldn’t have just walked in. I should’ve knocked. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s your room too,” I say quickly, trying to sound calm while my panic claws up my throat. If she’s still mad about last night—God, if she asks my sister for a ride to the airport—I’m screwed. “Look, about that call?—”
“Really, Alex,” she says, her expression flat. “You don’t have to explain.”
“The hell I don’t.” The words come out louder than I meant, raw with frustration.
Her eyes widen. I rake a hand over my head, forcing myself to breathe. Panicking will only make this worse. “Can you come back to the room so we can sit down? Just for a minute? Please?” I’m begging—and I’m not sure I’ve ever begged a woman for anything. But I don’t feel any shame. All I can think about is fixing this.
She looks torn, like she’d prefer to bolt down the stairs, but to my relief, she gives a sharp nod, then walks toward me.
I back up to give her space, then follow and shut the door behind us. She sits in the wingback chair, so I sit on the edge of the bed and take a beat to figure out how to fix this. Seeing her there makes me wonder if she slept in it, but now isn’t the time to ask.
“Roland’s an asshole,” I blurt. “He thinks all men?—”
“You don’t have to explain, Alex,” she says primly. “You made it clear yesterday that you date sophisticated women. Besides, we’re not really dating. This is pretend. You get to sleep in a bed, and I get the Christmas I always dreamed of.”
She makes it sound so reasonable, and that’s what we agreed to, yet it doesn’t feel right, and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the red Christmas sweater she’s wearing, with a snowman with an orange puffball nose. Maybe it’s the smudge of flour on her cheek that makes me want to reach out and brush it away. It kills me to think I might have hurt her more than I already have.
“My plan was not to bring you here and coerce you into bed,” I say, leaning forward, forearms braced on my thighs. “You have to believe me.”
She studies me for a moment, then says simply, “I believe you.”
The certainty in her tone catches me off guard. “You do?”
“It would be unbelievably stupid to sleep with me in your parents’ house, especially this early in the trip,” she says dryly. “And besides, if you were trying to coerce me, you could have put in a lot more effort last night. You didn’t. You were a perfect gentleman.” She gives me a tight smile. “So, yes, I believe that you never intended to try anything.” She rises to her feet. “So now that that’s cleared up?—”
