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“Grandmother.” He kisses her cheek. “You look stunning this evening. Can I get you a refill? We were just headed to grab something.”
“No, thank you. I’m fine sipping this one until it’s dry.” She puts her hand to the side of her mouth like she’s about to tell us something top secret. “Incoming at twelve o’clock.”
Finn and I turn. I’ve seen pictures of Liza Auprince, but in person she is larger than life. A force of nature in a tall, slim, elegant package. Her face lights up when she sees her son. “Finn, darling, you made it. I wasn’t so sure I’d see you.” She wraps him in a hug, squeezing him without thought to her pale yellow Grecian-style gown. This is a woman who would gladly wrinkle for a loved one, and I instantly like her. “And you must be Chloe. It’s lovely to meet you in person.”
“Likewise.”
“I hope my son is behaving himself for you.”
“Oh, he is. He’s been a great client so far.”
Liza beams at him. “How are you feeling? I see you’ve taken the sling off. Was that with doctor’s permission?”
“Yes, Mom,” he says a bit disgruntled. It’s very cute. “I’m feeling stronger every day. How’s everything here? It looks fantastic.”
“Thank you. Your father and brothers are in a huddle with the mayor over at the silent auction table in a bidding war to win a Pedego. Once that’s decided, I’ll be much more relaxed.” Something catches her eye over my shoulder. “Excuse me a minute, would you?”
“What’s a Pedego?” I ask.
“An electric bike,” Finn tells me.
“Excuse me, too,” Rosemary says. “Betty White is waving me over. I’ll see you two a little later.” Yes,thatBetty White.
“Maybe,” Finn mumbles under his breath before putting his hand on my lower back and escorting me to the bar.
“Are you planning an early escape?” I ask, ignoring the heat that erupts on my lower spine from his palm.
“What would you like to drink?” he says rather than answer my question. “More champagne?”
“Yes, please.”
The bartender nods and fills a flute with golden bubbly. Finn orders a light beer. We step away and end up at a high-top cocktail table to stand around. It’s a great spot for people watching. I take a stuffed mushroom off the tray of a passing waiter. Finn accepts a crab cake from a passing waitress.
“Would you like one?” he asks me.
“No thanks. I’m allergic.”
“To crab?”
“Shellfish.”
“Thank you,” he says to the waitress to move her along before he puts the crab cake down on the table.
“It’s okay if you want to eat it. I don’t mind.”
“Hypothetically, if I was to eat it, could I, say, kiss your cheek in thanks for coming tonight?”
“Umm…” I down my champagne, suddenly very thirsty. Standing next to Finn when he looks so gorgeous and smells like heaven and says the word “kiss” is more than a mere mortal like myself can handle. “Probably.” I glance at his mouth for a quick second. “But I don’t think we should test that theory.” Because Finn’s lips anywhere on my body is a bad idea.
His gaze dips to my mouth and back up. “Agreed,” he says.
I relax. For a second there, I thought he was flirting and that is also a bad idea. I wait for him to eat the crab cake. I look at the appetizer, back at him, at the appetizer, back at him, silently giving him the go-ahead to chow down on it already. Instead he takes two filet kabobs from yet another server.
Oh, boy. Talk about a silent message. My head spins. From the idea that Finn wants to kiss me—I mean, why else wouldn’t he eat the crab cake? He obviously likes them. And from the champagne deciding to party with my brain cells.
He hands me one of the kabobs. “You’re not allergic to beef, are you?”
“Not your beef.” Oh my God. I can’t believe I said that out loud. I almost poke myself in the eye with the kabob trying to recover. “I mean, not yo beef.” Shoot me now! “Yo.” I make a gesture with my arm across my body like I’m some hip-hop artist.
