AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Nothing we can’t handle ourselves,” Finn gritted out.
“You can thank Cal for outing your dirty little secret,” Mark said. “It seems that anger makes him tell the truth.”
Finn wiped his face with his hand and flicked the red coulis onto the grass.
Cal blanched, then raced to the back of the tent, grabbed a towel, and jogged back with it. “Here you go, Chef.”
Mark made a disgusted face. “You’ve even got Cal calling you Chef. How do you do it? After all these years, I never realized how manipulative you are.”
“It’s a sign of respect,” Cal blurted out, offended. “He’s not manipulating anyone.”
Finn placed his hand on Cal’s shoulder. He appreciated the defense. It proved that Finn had broken through, if only a tiny bit. The trust he had been trying to build was catching, and it was only a matter of time before Cal let him behind that wall and asked for help. But this wasn’t Cal’s fight. Finn had his own demons he needed to work out with Mark.
“And I sure as hell didn’t force Veronica into doing anything she didn’t want to do. She’s an adult, more than capable of making her own decisions. And so is Cal. Your family has grown up, Mark. You just haven’t been here to see it.”
Mark lunged again but Cal held out his arm and stopped him from getting any closer. “Not here. You do not want to be the one responsible for ruining Jack and Sterling’s wedding.”
Mark shot Cal a scowl. No doubt unhappy Cal was playing the role of responsible adult while Mark practically had smoke coming out of his ears.
“Stay the fuck away from my sister.” Mark pointed at him over Cal’s shoulder. “I mean it.” He stalked out of the tent and down the dirt path toward the parking lot.
“I’m sorry, Finn.” Cal’s shoulders slumped as they watched him storm away. “I was mad and…it just slipped out. I didn’t mean to tell him. Honest.”
“It’s all right. It was bound to come out sooner or later. And let this be a lesson to you—lying is never worth it.”
The kid gave him a wry look. “Are you always trying to teach a lesson, even at your own expense?”
“I guess so.” He laughed. “And you can expect many more, the longer you work for me.”
Cal smiled. “I saw an extra jacket near the towels. Go change.” He straightened. “I can squirt straight lines.”
Damn. The kid had come a long way from the snarky smart-ass who’d shown up at his restaurant only a few weeks ago refusing to have anything to do with it.
Despite his first instinct to say no, Finn figured Cal deserved a shot at putting the finishing touches on the dessert. He had just defended him, after all. And he trusted his growing skills.
Finn nodded, and made his way to the towels and the sink. “Go ahead.”
He cleaned his face and neck, and removed the soiled jacket, replacing it with a crisp white one. Although this one didn’t have his name embroidered on it.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Veronica pass the entrance to the barn and walk around toward the back. She was escaping.
Cal was hard at work finishing the dessert plates. The rest of his staff members were working just as diligently. The chef wasn’t supposed to leave the ship. But Mark had most likely flown off the handle with Veronica, too. Finn needed to check on her. He threw down the towel and jogged out to the side of the barn.
He clasped his hand around her bare arm, and she flailed. “Finn. You scared the crap out of me. It’s dark in these woods.”
He didn’t know what to say to her. He’d deserted his job, scared the wits out of her, and he still didn’t know what he wanted to say. But seeing the plunging neckline of her dress, all rational thought deserted him, and he definitely knew what his body was telling him to do.
“Finn?”
“Come with me.”
He put his hand at the small of her back and propelled her around the barn toward the guesthouse—the one building on the property that hadn’t been renovated.
When they reached the front door, he bent and found the key Neil left for emergencies under a flowerpot.
He smiled and held it up. “Our cabin awaits.”
He held open the door and she stepped over the threshold. They had only taken two strides inside before she whirled around to face him. He crushed his lips down on hers.
