Page 2 of Cabin Fever

I turn. He's twenty feet away, and he’s already collected an audience. A Dreamboat staffer in a crisp white polo is laughing at something he said while two women gaze up at him from the froth of the hot tub. Finn Gallagher, wearing khaki shorts and a pale pink linen button-up with the sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms, is leaning one forearm on the rail like he's been sailing this ship his whole life.

Of course he’d show up wearing blush.

Dahlia dives into his arms, and he laughs at the greeting. His dark hair’s longer than the last time I saw him, and his jaw has somehow gotten better. Less boyish. More Clooney.

Before I can clock it and react, Finn looks over and meets my eyes. I spin, ramming the front of my thighs into the raindrop table and knocking over my mimosa. As I scramble to pick it up and reach for a napkin, the staff member who was laughing at Finn shows up with a towel.

“Oh, I can⁠—”

“No, Miss. Allow me.”

My cheeks burn as I step back and let him mop up my mess. I’m planning my escape route down to my cabin when I hear, “Two Quinns walk onto a pool deck . . .” behind me.

I squeeze my eyes shut, willing my skin to stop prickling at the sound of his voice, then draw a breath through my nose and turn.

Finn stands in front of me, one hand slipped in his pocket. “It’s been a while.”

I smile and nod. How the hell has he not gotten the hint already? I skipped the last two family-esque events where I knew he’d be present, and when I accidentally ran into him at the grocery store last winter, I rushed to the checkout so fast I forgot to get the potatoes for Christmas dinner.

“Finn.” I grip my tablet to my chest like it’s the Shield of Achilles. “Best man. Congrats on the promotion.”

“Groomsman emeritus.” A corner of his mouth twitches. “Theo made me practice the toast in front of a mirror.”

“Hm. Torture, I’m sure.”

His smile widens. “You look good, Perry.”

I roll my eyes and start toward Dahlia. He knows I hate that nickname. Men like Finn think they can do whatever they want and people will bow at their feet. Since women have solidified his egotistical belief from the time he was fourteen, I guess I can’t fully blame him. But I did hope he’d be forced to grow up at some point like the rest of us.

Men who are that charming on the surface are always running a tab behind the scenes. I have specific, court-documented reasons to believe that. And this particular man spent all of his teenage years being the golden boy, my former best friend, with a house that backed up to ours, who couldn't quite be bothered to stop by after my entire life came crumbling down. There isn’t more false charm than his in the entire state of Ohio.

“Hey, Harper, stop.” His hand lands on my arm, and I don’t mean to do what he says, but my body halts like I’ve been classically conditioned. Finn spins me to face him. “I was kidding.”

I pull my arm away and flash a smile. “Oh, I know. Just need to get this down to my cabin.” I wave the tablet at him, then yelp as Dahlia snatches it from my hand.

“What are you⁠—?”

She hides the tablet behind her back and shuffles away from me when I try to wrap my arm around her waist. “You can take it back later.”

“Dahlia.”

She laughs and sidles up to Finn. “Seriously. Just get some food and watch the sunset. Then I was thinking we could go up to the observation deck. I think there’s supposed to be a poker game and⁠—”

“I really need to change.” I motion to the two drops of mimosa that got onto the hem of my white tank top, but when I put out a hand for the tablet, Dahlia still doesn’t give it to me. She looks up at Finn, her brows pinching.

I frown. “What’s wrong?”

Dahlia’s face smooths over, but now Finn’s fiddling with the button on his sleeve. Finn never fiddles.

My heart picks up speed, worst-case scenarios running through my head. Did Theo get food poisoning in Miami? Did another groomsman ditch out? “Dahlia, what⁠—?”

“So you know how Dave had to cancel?”

I give a slow nod and say, “Yes,” with trepidation. Dave’s the groomsman I’ve been accommodating for all week.

Dahlia’s shoulders slump, the tablet dropping to her side. “Harp, Mom was fully planning on putting Chris with Finn because he’s pretty much our coolest cousin, but then that messed up everything with Meredith and Max’s kids because they were supposed to have adjoining rooms, and you know how expensive these rooms are.”

I did not know how expensive the rooms were. Everything I’d heard from Mom and Dahlia up until this point was that this was cheaper than renting a wedding venue.