week.”
Max returned his grin. “And has he slipped into you yet?”
Finn gave him the finger. “I’m just doing some work for him.”
Ted cackled. “Is that what they’re calling it these days? That reminds me. The hot little piece I met on the weekend… I’d better call that number she gave me and see if she wants any ‘work’ done.” He hooked his fingers in the air and the others hooted.
“That the guy you borrowed my auger for?” Arnie asked. He grinned. “I bet he sure got a drilling.”
Finn simply waved his hand and went back to work. He knew it wouldn’t be long before they found another topic to occupy their grubby little minds. Sure enough, they got talking about Max’s latest conquest, and Finn switched off. He didn’t want to hear about Max’s supposed sexual prowess. When break time arrived, he sat on his tool chest as usual and poured himself a coffee from his thermos.
Lewis came over and hunkered down next to him. “Is that right, you’re working for him? Mr. Dog Lover?”
“Yup. I’m building his new deck. And his name’s Joel.”
Lewis’s eyes lit up. “Joel, huh? Sounds kinda cozy. But hey, working for him must open up a lot of possibilities. Maybe you can lure him to the dark side. You know, convince him that batting for the other team ain’t so bad. You’d be a hell of a lot less maintenance than some woman.”
Finn glanced over his shoulder, making sure the others were nowhere in earshot. “He already bats for my team,” he said in a low voice.
Lewis’s eyes widened. “No shit. Really?” He got to his feet and looked out at the shore. “He’s still there, you know.” He gave Finn an evil grin. “You could always invite him over here. You know, to share your coffee.”
Finn was sure most of Goose Rocks Beach heard his snort. “Yeah right.”
“Aw, why not? I’m sure the others would love to meet him.” He peered at the beach. “Don’t look now, but he’s watching us.” That evil grin was still evident. “Should I give you a smooch? To make him jealous?”
Finn snorted. “You’re not my type. And sorry to disappoint you, but there’s nothing going on.”
Lewis leaned in close. “Yet. Nothing going on yet. But give it time.” He patted Finn’s shoulder, then went to join the others.
Finn took a drink, his gaze locked on the lean form, strolling along the beach, Bramble doing his running-in-circles thing.
God, he wanted Lewis to be right.
Finn had just finished his dinner when the phone buzzed. He smiled when he saw Seb’s name. “Are you calling me from school, or did they let you out?”
“Yeah, I’m laughing my ass off. I don’t live there, y’know.” He chuckled. “It just feels like it sometimes.” A sigh filled Finn’s ears. “Roll on summer.”
“I guess for you, it must feel like when we were kids, when school is out. The prospect of all those weeks of freedom.”
“You know it. But I’m not calling about my plans for a hot summer—because trust me, it’s gonna be. I want to know how it went with Mr. Divorcee. That is, if he is divorced.”
Finn laughed. “And why would you want to know about him?” As if he didn’t know.
“Duh. I wanna know if there’s a chance you and him are gonna end up between the sheets. Because if ever a guy was crying out to get laid, it’s you. And so what if he’s straight? That don’t mean he ain’t curious.” Seb let out an evil chuckle. “Been there, sweetheart. There was this one—”
“Before you launch into some dirty action replay, I need to bring you up to speed.” Finn paused. “He’s not straight.”
“He’s—holy fuck.” Seb let out a whoop of obvious delight. “Sounds like your birthday present came early this year—and I’m betting it’s not gonna be the only thing coming early. After all this time, you’ll go off like a rocket.”
Finn had long passed the point of being shocked by what poured out of Seb’s unfiltered mouth. But before he could say a word, Seb pressed ahead.
“You like him, don’t ya?”
“It doesn’t matter if I like him. He’s not looking for anything more than friendship.”
“Did he say that? And you didn’t answer my question. Don’t think I didn’t notice that.”
Finn scraped his fingers across his scalp. “No, he didn’t say that, and of course I like him. He’s a great guy.”
“Mm-hmm. A great guy that you thought was checking you out.”
Finn rolled his eyes. “Are you