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“Your mom has it. Just do what she does,” his dad offered.
“You might have too much of that badassness,” Rory teased.
“Hailey has it in the bag. My only hope is if she gets the flu,” Finn said.
“We’ll see,” Hailey said, surprised at how certain Finn sounded that she was the shoo-in for partnership when he had not one but two connections to a senior partner.
“Are you worried about the ole boys club mentality?” Hannah asked from across the table.
“Yes, but I do think Baxter and Stewart are above that fray,” Hailey said.
“Hailey is an exceptional lawyer. You should come to our trial just to watch her in action.”
Everyone’s eyes ping-ponged from Hailey to Finn and back to Hailey.
“The plaintiff has definitely underestimated us, so far,” she said to deflect the odd vibe his family was giving off. It was clear they thought there was something more than a professional relationship between them.
The rest of the dinner revolved around embarrassing stories of Finn as a boy, or trouble he and his brothers got into. Their sister, Charlotte, called at one point to say hi to everyone, and they could hear kids yelling in the background. Once everyone was done, Hailey tried to help clear the table, but Finn stopped her.
“Nope, house rules. You can’t help clean up. You’re my guest.”
Handing him her plate, she met his eyes, but the fork slid off her empty plate when her hand started to shake.
“My insulin,” she croaked.
Hannah was up on her feet, and Hailey could feel the rush of fog cloud her vision. The room started to go off kilter, and she remembered she had forgotten to take her medicine.
“Hailey, do you have your insulin with you?” Hannah said, crouching at her side.
“She had a blue bag in her purse,” Finn said with a twinge of panic in his voice.
She heard his feet hit the floor fast, then he was back by her side, handing her purse to Hannah. Everything looked muted and dark like the night was closing in on things.
“I forgot. That was so stupid,” Hailey said as Hannah prepped the thickest part of the back of her bicep.
“It’s okay, sweetie. You were having too much fun. You’ll be back to normal in a jiff.”
“Alright, let’s all give her some space,” Cora said and ushered everyone away.
Hailey closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths as she waited for the insulin to hit her system. “Your dad is a cop, your mom is a judge, and your sister-in-law is a doctor?”
“Paramedic, but good enough,” Hannah teased.
“Is anyone a black sheep in this family?”
“That would be me I guess,” Finn said, giving her hand a squeeze. She hadn’t realized, but at some point he’d weaved his strong fingers between hers and gripped her hand. She took a few more breaths before opening her eyes and focusing back on the room, which was empty.
“I guess you know my weakness now,” she said, meeting his eyes.
Finn’s intense green eyes were a dark shade of jade, and his brow was furrowed. She’d realized at dinner his brothers had the same green eyes, which was clearly from their mom.
“I’m afraid of the dark,” he said, in a hushed tone.
“What?”
“My weakness. Now you know mine too.”
“You were a Navy SEAL, and you want me to believe you’re afraid of the dark.”
