Finn's Fantasy (Maine Men #1) - K.C. Wells Page 0,53
concrete set, and it hadn’t taken Joel long to realize he missed having Finn around.
“You like Finn, don’t you, boy?” he said to Bramble as they strolled. He wondered why Finn didn’t have a boyfriend—he hadn’t said as much, so Joel was making an assumption. And you know what they say about assuming stuff… Any guy in their right mind would want to date Finn. He was good-looking, sexy, funny, talented…
Joel would date him in a heartbeat, if Finn showed any inclination. Megan could say what she liked about Finn checking him out—that didn’t make it true, more like Megan’s wishful thinking.
My wishful thinking too, if it comes to that.
Joel sighed. “Look at me, boy. Too scared to ask a guy out, for fear he’ll say no. I’ve been out of the game way too long.”
They turned onto Wildwood Avenue, and Joel recalled something Finn had said the day they’d met. “Hey, boy. Finn lives somewhere around here.” And he’d be home by then. All Joel had to go on was Finn’s comment that Joel had walked the dog by his house, because Finn had seen him. There were five roads that led off of Wildwood in the direction of the beach, but Joel wasn’t about to take one of them until he’d worked out where Finn lived.
So what are you going to do when you find his house? Knock on his door, unannounced? Not cool. That wasn’t going to stop him from looking, however.
Joel scanned the driveways as he walked along, searching for Finn’s truck: it was the only thing he had to go on. And what if he’s not home? What if he’s gone shopping? Joel was beginning to feel like a stalker.
As he approached the intersection with Belvidere Avenue, he came to a halt. Finn’s truck was parked over on the right, in front of a single-story house covered in pink cedar shakes. To the left of the property was a wide grassy area shaded by trees.
Joel’s heartbeat quickened. He’s home. That was no excuse for dropping by, and he knew it. Walk away. Take Bramble to the beach. Finn will never know I’ve been here.
And then such thoughts became moot as the front door opened and Finn came out, walking over to his truck. Joel froze to the spot, not daring to move, until he reasoned that would appear pretty ridiculous. Bramble settled the matter by tugging on his leash, barking and straining to get to Finn.
“Bramble, calm down,” Joel called out, forced to jog after him.
Finn jerked his head in their direction, and his smile lit up his face. “Hey. You taking a walk?”
Joel nodded. “Until you came out and Bramble spotted you. So I guess now I know where you live,” he said with as much nonchalance as he could muster. And I haven’t been looking for your house, honest.
Finn inclined his head toward the house. “You wanna come in? There’s coffee. You’ll have to excuse the state of my table though. I’m in the middle of something.”
“Hey, if you’re busy, we’ll leave you to it.”
Finn grinned. “Not too busy to take a break. Come on in.”
There was no way Joel was going to refuse him again. “Is it okay if Bramble goes inside?”
“Sure. He’s house-trained. It’s not like he’s gonna pee on the rug, right?” Finn squatted and rubbed Bramble’s head. “You wouldn’t do that, would ya, boy?” He straightened. “I just came out here to get something from the truck.” He opened the passenger door and pulled out a large brown packet. “Sandpaper,” he said, waving it. Then he locked the truck and headed back to the house, where he paused at the door and peered at Joel, still wearing that cute grin. “Well? Do I have to drag you inside? Bramble, bring Daddy.”
That was all the invitation Bramble needed. He followed Finn, his tail wagging. Finn opened the door and stood aside for them. “Welcome to my rental.”
The first thing Joel noticed was the cramped living room. “Now this is what I call cozy.” He smiled when he saw the coffee table, with its chess and backgammon boards carved into the surface, along with lines of holes between them for scoring. “Wow. This really is a holiday rental.” Then he spied the fireplace. “Hey, at least you can keep warm while you play chess with yourself.”
“Do you play?”
Joel nodded. “My granddad taught me.”
Finn chuckled. “Levi tried to teach me. He gave up.” He glanced at the interior. “What do you think?”