Finn (Casella Cousins #3) - Kathryn Shay Page 0,18
dinner date.”
“Oh?”
She kissed her grandmother’s cheek. “Too soon to talk about.”
“Hmm.” She drew back. “Your eyes are lit up like Christmas tree lights. That’s promising.”
She unleashed Scout and he scampered in to inspect the house, probably searching for grandpa. Her phone buzzed in her purse. She took it out. “He’s here. I have to go.”
“Are we keeping Scout overnight?”
“I’m planning on being back to get him. Make sure you put him in his crate when you go to bed, if I haven’t picked him up before then.”
“Will do. Have fun.”
Millie hurried outside to find Finn standing by the car, holding the open front door. In the light from the street lamps, she could see he wore a gray and green checked sports coat with an open-collared shirt and dark pants. “Hello, Millie.” Leaning over, he kissed her. Just a soft, gentle brush of his lips but, as Grandma said, it held promise.
“Hello, Finn. Thanks for…I guess getting out of the car for me.”
“You’re welcome.”
She slid onto the buttery-soft leather seats. When he got in the other side, she reached over and squeezed his hand. He held on. “Where are we going?”
“To this new little French bistro near Broadway.”
“Hmm.”
“Do you like French food?”
“I eat everything. Grandpa’s made a few French dishes that I thought were great.”
They drove making small talk about the store, about her grandparents, about Hayley. It felt so special being with him like this, with no tension between them. Rather, with a kind of delicious tension between them.
At the restaurant, Finn handed the car keys to the valet and they walked up a brick pavement and went into a dimly lit reception area. The hostess brought them to the dining room and seated them in a small, private alcove. They sat opposite each other in the booth. He took her hand over the table. “You’re lovely tonight. Just lovely.”
“I’m a bit overdressed.”
He said, “You’re perfectly dressed. That’s what you wore to my birthday party.”
“You look handsome, too.” In this light, his almost mint green shirt accented the color of his eyes.
“Would you like a cocktail before dinner?”
“Sure.”
“What do you usually drink?”
“When I’m having liquor, I order Jack Daniels on the rocks. But tonight, I’d like some dry white wine.”
He checked the wine list and when the waiter came over, he ordered a bottle of Chardonnay. “Don’t worry,” he said to her. “We don’t have to drink it all.”
“I can handle my booze, Finn.”
“I’ll remember that.” His gaze turned serious. “We have some things to discuss, so let’s do it before dinner.”
“Fine. You start.”
“How do we deal with our evolving relationship at the store?”
“We can’t pretend as if nothing between us happened. We did it today, but it would be unfair to the others to pretend all the time.”
“I agree.” Finn sighed. “We’ll have to come right out and tell them.”
“Erin already knows we care about each other. She’s told me innumerable times that I’m in love with you. That our disagreements at the store are suppressed sexual attraction.”
“About that.”
“Let me say something, first. I don’t think we should make love right away.”
His face went blank. “Why not?”
“Because it’ll complicate things.”
“Things are already complicated, honey.”
Her heart leapt at the endearment.
“I know we’re different, very different, but…”
Then she turned cold inside. “You’re rich, you mean.”
“What? No. I don’t even think about that. Our age discrepancy is an issue.”
“It’s only nine years.”
“Significant, I think. Also, you’re a lot more liberal about things than I am, especially in showing your emotions. With me, but also how the store should be run. Taking risks.”
“Yeah, you keep things close to the vest. Don’t you ever want to try anything new?”
“I’m getting better at that.” He smiled over at her. “Because of you, mostly.”
“One last thing, what about our families? I share a lot with my grandparents, who you’ve met a couple of times.”
“I remember. They seemed like ideal grandparents to me.”
“Did you have any growing up?”
“My mother’s mother. But that’s all. And those two were quite a pair.”
“Sometime, I’d like you to talk about your past, how you grew up, how that’s affected you.”
“I wish I could do it now, Millie, but I can’t yet. I’ll introduce you to my cousins, though. And I’ll come in with you tonight or whenever to greet your grandparents.”
“Let me tell them we’re in a relationship first.”
“One more thing?” His face colored. “Are we going to be exclusive or date others?”
“How do you feel about that?”
“I sure as hell don’t want you out with Emerson.”
“I’ll be seeing Emerson,