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He tossed his bags onto the weathered, oak floor, the sound echoing through the vast space, and walked to the window. He had a pile of work emails to get through, but had no motivation to dive in. His thoughts were still back in LA with Colleen. He’d finally seen her after ten years, and had hoped things would have improved, but she still hated him. The way her face lit up when she saw him in the church kept replaying in his mind. There was still a flicker of attraction. He was sure of it. But what the fuck could he do about it? She was in LA and he was in New York. She’d moved on and would probably marry that asshole. Brian was a snob, but he didn’t have all the baggage that Finn had. He’d lost his chance with Colleen. He shoved away from the window, tossed off his shoes, and headed for the bathroom.
After a shower, Finn grabbed a beer from his fridge and took a long pull. The windows rattled with rolling thunder and the lights blinked on and off. He switched on his sound system and chose a blues playlist. Hoping the power and internet stayed on, he opened his laptop and typed in his password.
The doorbell buzzed.
Finn raked his fingers through his hair and walked quickly to the door. He took a look through the peephole and saw his neighbor’s wide smile. He let out a harsh breath and opened the door. “Ashley.”
“Hi, Finn. I remembered you were coming home today.”
“Yep.” He kept a firm grip on the door, his arm blocking an easy entrance.
“Aren’t you going to ask me in?” Lifting a brown paper bag, she said, “I went to Bennie’s.”
“Thanks, but not tonight. I’ve got a lot of work to get caught up on.”
“It’s not a big deal. You have to eat and I’m delivering dinner from your favorite Thai restaurant. Please?” Her pink lips pursed into a small pout.
“Okay. Just dinner. Then I have to get to work.”
“Absolutely,” she said, slipping under his arm.
Closing the door behind her, he kept an eye on Ashley as she headed toward the kitchen. Shiny, long auburn hair in a high ponytail and wearing tight, pink yoga shorts and an equally tight cropped tank top.
Ashley Hodges had been his neighbor for a few years. She was a rich girl who didn’t have to work. She spent her time shopping, taking yoga classes, and going through the motions of volunteering on a few boards in New York City. Ashley was sexually adventurous and didn’t have a shy bone in her body.
She handed Finn a chilled bottle of Riesling. “Can you open this while I set the table?”
“Sure.” As Finn opened the wine, Ashley arranged placemats and napkins on the kitchen bar table. She hummed while gathering plates from the cupboard. Her familiarity with his kitchen made him uncomfortable. They’d hung out together and developed an on-and-off again sexual relationship. It was a convenient arrangement for both of them, but she’d been stopping by way too often.
“Come on. You don’t want it to get cold.” She gave him a flirtatious smile as she opened the white cartons of food.
Finn shuffled over, sat down, and picked up a pair of chopsticks and browsed through the boxes. “Where’s the rice?”
“I’m trying to cut out carbs,” Ashley answered, helping herself to sautéed vegetables.
“Not me.” Finn spooned out some Chicken Satay and vegetable curry onto a plate.
“Sorry,” she said, chewing slowly on a snow pea. “I won’t forget next time.”
There wasn’t going to be a next time.
During dinner, Ashley chatted non-stop about her summer social calendar. “Are you going to a lot of weddings this summer?”
Finn gave a shrug and sipped on his beer. “I try to avoid large social events.” Finn continued to eat and nod his head at the appropriate moments, pretending to listen.
“Brianna—my sorority sister from Vassar—is getting married in Palm Beach late this summer. It’s going to be impossibly hot and humid, but she had no choice. Her fiancé…”
His mind wandered again to Colleen. She would never prattle on like Ashley. Smart and beautiful, Colleen always spoke her mind without holding back. She was everything he wanted in a woman, but her coldness made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him.
When he was younger, his father noted Finn’s interest in Colleen and did everything he could do to stop it. Jimmy Murphy might have been his father’s best childhood friend, but his father wanted Finn to marry someone whose wealth and pedigree would elevate the O’Connor name. So, Finn had stayed drunk as much as possible and fucked around aimlessly, trying to appease his father and find a replacement for Colleen, but he never did. He’d given up heavy drinking, but he was still fucking around. Whether it was a woman he picked up at a bar, or someone like Ashley, he never formed a serious relationship with any woman. He would always regret not reaching out to Colleen after his father’s arrest. During those early days, his first priority was to take care of his mother. He’d been too ashamed and unworthy of Colleen. As the years passed, he learned through Sean that Colleen was dating a lot of guys while enjoying college. Whatever they shared that night in the park was gone forever. Colleen had moved on with her life, and away from him.
“Aren’t you listening to me?” Ashley asked, shaking him out of his thoughts.
He refocused his attention on her. “What’s that?”
Ashley rested her chin on her palm. “I’ve been trying to convince you to take me to Brianna’s wedding.”
“I told you going to big social gatherings isn’t my thing.” His tone was polite, but firm. He glanced at the clock on the microwave. “Look, I’m sorry, but I’ve got to get some work done.”
