Chapter Twenty

The ivory length of her legs made his palms itch to caress them. Her white shorts and navy-blue tank top hugged her luscious curves. Finn divided his attention between the road and Cory sitting silently in the seat next to him staring out the window. Something was up. The tension radiating from her was like a neon sign since she opened the back door to the house. At first, he thought she intended to brush him off, and pretend the other night had never happened or that it was a mistake and not to be repeated. Which is why he rushed her out of the house before she could think about it too much and change her mind.

He took the entrance ramp to the interstate and glanced at her again. She was lost in her own little world. Hadn’t asked any details about their destination. If he went the direct route and asked her straight out what was going on, she’d likely clam up and withdraw further. Cory Bishop was like a finely tuned Ferrari, beautiful on the outside with intricate mechanics underneath the hood. That was okay, temperamental, complicated, sports cars were his specialty.

“I signed up for dog obedience training classes. Bat and I start next week.”

“Oh, they’re going to train you too? What an excellent idea.”

“Very funny, Princess, but I suppose it’s true in a way. They only work with both the owner and the dog. I thought I would just send Bat and they would train him, but apparently it doesn’t work that way.”

“What mischief has Bat been getting into now?”

Finn snorted. “Let’s see, he’s single handedly destroyed two dog beds, and has a personal vendetta against pillows.”

Cory’s smile stretched wide as she chuckled. “He’s quite the handful, isn’t he? He’s so adorable though, you can’t help but forgive him.”

“Yeah, he’s got that going for him at least.”

“Tell me more about your friends we’re going to see.”

“I met Sam in the Air Force. He was a career officer, while I only served a brief stint, but we hit it off and kept in touch. He’s retired now. His wife Sally is a retired school teacher.”

“Was he your commanding officer?”

“Yeah, he’s the reason I stayed as long as I did. Helped me to see it wasn’t for me though. Convinced me to follow my passion for cars.”

Cory rested her head against the seat as she studied Finn’s handsome profile. He never talked about his family. He’d mentioned learning about cars from his uncle, but that was the extent.

“What about your family? Do they live nearby?”

He glanced at her briefly. “No, it’s just me. My Dad died when I was a kid. My mom passed while I was in the service.”

“What about your uncle? The one you worked in the garage for?”

“Uncle Benny, my mom’s brother, we went to live with him after my Dad died. He passed away before I joined the service.”

“I’m sorry, Finn. That must have been a hard time for you. Losing your family like that. My mother can drive me crazy, but I can’t imagine losing her or my Dad.”

“After my Dad died, my Mom never got over it. She sort of faded a little bit at a time. She never smiled anymore, nothing brought her any joy. Certainly not her scrawny kid who was always getting into one scrape after another. After another school suspension, she packed up all our stuff and moved us in with Uncle Benny. He was a widower too, no kids. He was strict, but fair. Told me I was going to earn my keep, and I did.”

Finn shrugged. “Kept me too busy to get into trouble. Besides I discovered cars then, and they held more interest than anything else.” He glanced at her and smiled. “Well, except for girls. I got real interested in them too.”

Cory chuckled and turned to look out the windshield. “I bet.”

Finn exited the highway and drove through a large town with shopping plazas and busy streets. The area reminded her a bit of New Jersey. Strange, she no longer thought of it as home. Connecticut was home. She didn’t miss the hustle and bustle, or the convenience of the multitude of stores within a five-minute drive. Who would have imagined quiet country living was what she craved?

“This is their place up ahead.”

A gray Cape Cod style house with a covered front porch stood at the end of the cul-de-sac. Cory leaned forward and gasped. Gardens stretched from the front of the house and down the sides. Stonewalls edged the property with flowers blooming along the base of them.

“I knew you’d like it.”

He drove into the driveway and followed it to the back of the house, where a large barn like garage stood. Raised beds of vegetables grew in rows behind the house.

A wide grin spread across her face. “I love it.”

An older man with salt and pepper close-cropped hair stepped out of the garage, wiping his hands on a rag. Finn parked and got out of the car. “What have you done to my baby, Sam?”

Sam laughed and stepped forward to slap Finn on the shoulder. “Good to see you, son. Bout time you decided to visit.”

Cory approached slowly, giving the two men a minute to greet one another in privacy. Finn held out his hand to her and smiled. “This is Cory. Cory, this is Sam Barnes. He fancies himself a mechanic.”

Sam grinned and grasped Cory’s hand. “It’s an absolute pleasure to meet you, Cory.”

“You too.”

Finn suddenly disappeared, and Cory swung around to see him pick up a petite woman with dark hair streaked with silver and spin her around. A startled shriek escaped the woman. “Finnegan D’Orsey, you put me down this instant. You’re going to give me a heart attack.”

Sam laughed. The woman smacked Finn on the arm, and he put her down with a laugh. She then hugged him close and lightly smacked him again. “Where are your manners. Introduce me to your lovely woman.”

Finn took her arm and escorted her over to Cory. “Cory, this is Sally.”

Sally grasped Cory’s hand with both of hers. “When Finn said he was bringing you to meet us, I was so happy I danced a jig around the kitchen. He’s never introduced us to a woman he was dating before.”

Cory peeked at Finn waiting for him to correct Sally’s interpretation, but he ignored the description and addressed Sam.

“Show me what you’ve done to her.”

Finn looked at Cory. “Sam owns a ‘69 ZL1 Camaro.”

“Oh, that’s nice.”

Sally laughed and looped her arm around Cory’s. “Come dear. While the boys go make goo goo eyes at an overpriced piece of machinery, you and I can have some ice tea and get to know one another.”

“All right, Sally, I’d really love to look at your gardens. I was admiring them as we arrived. They’re wonderful.”

“Oh, thank you. We can go make goo goo eyes at my gardens then.”

A few hours later they were all sitting in the sunroom after having a delicious and filling lunch. Finn twined their fingers together as he listened to Sam and Sally reminiscing about the time Sam and Finn had found the Camaro at an auction. Sam had purchased it and Finn had helped him refurbish it.

Cory relaxed back against the couch cushion. Her mind drifted, and their voices faded as the sleepless night of the night before caught up with her.

Her eyes drifted shut, and her head slipped down to rest on Finn’s shoulder. The tension radiating from her this morning was gone. As the day had progressed, she had relaxed and smiled often, as he had hoped. He glanced over to Sam and Sally. They watched him with smiles on their faces.

The conclusions they were drawing were clearly etched in their expressions. It didn’t surprise him. What did surprise him was, he didn’t seem to mind at all.