laughing. Now that Finn had seen and talked to her, albeit briefly, he’d no doubt have something to say, but he held his tongue until they were both up on the roof of the Orange cabin.
“She’s way too good looking for someone like you.”
“Shut up.”
“Well, come on,” Finn laughed. “You might’ve wanted to think twice before bailing so fast on someone who looked like that. I mean, hell, bro, it’s not like that ugly mug of yours has been bringing them in hard and fast lately.”
“Screw off.”
“Am I wrong?” Still chuckling, Finn slid his pitchfork under the first strip of shingles. “I mean, yeah, obviously marriage is a bad idea at the best of times, and it sounds like yours was flat-out batshit crazy, but still.”
“You don’t know anything about it.” Liam had yet to do anything other than lean on his pitchfork and stare down at his boot.
“Did she look like that when you married her?”
“Pretty much.” Truth was, Kate had been a pretty girl, but now…well, shit…now she was all woman, and “pretty” didn’t even come close to describing her. Her milk-chocolate-colored hair hung over her shoulders, a little longer than it had back then, her hazel eyes were a little more golden, and her shape…
It was all Liam could do not to groan. He remembered her curves well enough, but he didn’t remember her seeming as comfortable in them as she did now. It was almost as if she hadn’t quite fit them ten years ago, but she sure as hell did now.
And even after all this time, she smelled like sunshine. He’d noticed it yesterday when she walked by him on the path and slapped him on the shoulder, and then again, up in that guest room, her scent lingered.
“Hey!” Finn’s bark jerked him back, blowing away the remaining images of Kate as Finn waved his pitchfork in front of Liam’s face. “You gonna stand there holding down the shingles all day or are you gonna help?”
Liam didn’t move for another couple of seconds, just continued staring at the back of Finn’s head before huffing out a sigh and getting down to work. For a long time, the surrounding silence was disrupted only by the scraping of the shingles and the ocean lapping the edge of the cove, which gave Liam plenty of time and room to think.
But why did he have to use up all that good thinking time on Kate? There were other things he should be thinking about, like his career, like how much work they had to do if they had any hope of opening for the first of June, and then there was the constant nagging worry that, even if they did manage to get open, they didn’t have a single reservation yet.
And still, thoughts of Kate pushed everything else into the back corner of his brain, until he finally gave up and let her take over completely. The second he did, it was as if a dam broke in his head, and for some stupid reason, the relief of that pressure made him chuckle quietly.
“She is pretty good lookin’, isn’t she?”
“Cha,” Finn sputtered, almost as if he’d been thinking the same thing and had been waiting for Liam to say it. “But you know I’m screwing with you, right? Good looking or not, marriage to anyone back then would’ve messed you up.”
Liam nodded absently as Finn straightened and leaned against his fork.
“So the divorce was your idea? I bet that was an interesting conversation.”
“Yeah, well, there wasn’t much to say,” Liam mumbled. “I just sort of sent her the paperwork.”
“Seriously?” Finn winced. “Wow—that was pretty dickish.”
“It gets worse.” He lifted another fork of shingles as he filled Finn in on the basic facts, then cleared his throat. “So I wasn’t lying when I said I was a dick to her. Never even spoke to her again until she showed up here yesterday.”
“Holy shiiiit. That’s—”
“I know.” Liam shook his head. “Jessie told me I need to grow a pair and apologize, but I haven’t quite gotten there yet.”
“You haven’t—” Finn
“She’s way too good looking for someone like you.”
“Shut up.”
“Well, come on,” Finn laughed. “You might’ve wanted to think twice before bailing so fast on someone who looked like that. I mean, hell, bro, it’s not like that ugly mug of yours has been bringing them in hard and fast lately.”
“Screw off.”
“Am I wrong?” Still chuckling, Finn slid his pitchfork under the first strip of shingles. “I mean, yeah, obviously marriage is a bad idea at the best of times, and it sounds like yours was flat-out batshit crazy, but still.”
“You don’t know anything about it.” Liam had yet to do anything other than lean on his pitchfork and stare down at his boot.
“Did she look like that when you married her?”
“Pretty much.” Truth was, Kate had been a pretty girl, but now…well, shit…now she was all woman, and “pretty” didn’t even come close to describing her. Her milk-chocolate-colored hair hung over her shoulders, a little longer than it had back then, her hazel eyes were a little more golden, and her shape…
It was all Liam could do not to groan. He remembered her curves well enough, but he didn’t remember her seeming as comfortable in them as she did now. It was almost as if she hadn’t quite fit them ten years ago, but she sure as hell did now.
And even after all this time, she smelled like sunshine. He’d noticed it yesterday when she walked by him on the path and slapped him on the shoulder, and then again, up in that guest room, her scent lingered.
“Hey!” Finn’s bark jerked him back, blowing away the remaining images of Kate as Finn waved his pitchfork in front of Liam’s face. “You gonna stand there holding down the shingles all day or are you gonna help?”
Liam didn’t move for another couple of seconds, just continued staring at the back of Finn’s head before huffing out a sigh and getting down to work. For a long time, the surrounding silence was disrupted only by the scraping of the shingles and the ocean lapping the edge of the cove, which gave Liam plenty of time and room to think.
But why did he have to use up all that good thinking time on Kate? There were other things he should be thinking about, like his career, like how much work they had to do if they had any hope of opening for the first of June, and then there was the constant nagging worry that, even if they did manage to get open, they didn’t have a single reservation yet.
And still, thoughts of Kate pushed everything else into the back corner of his brain, until he finally gave up and let her take over completely. The second he did, it was as if a dam broke in his head, and for some stupid reason, the relief of that pressure made him chuckle quietly.
“She is pretty good lookin’, isn’t she?”
“Cha,” Finn sputtered, almost as if he’d been thinking the same thing and had been waiting for Liam to say it. “But you know I’m screwing with you, right? Good looking or not, marriage to anyone back then would’ve messed you up.”
Liam nodded absently as Finn straightened and leaned against his fork.
“So the divorce was your idea? I bet that was an interesting conversation.”
“Yeah, well, there wasn’t much to say,” Liam mumbled. “I just sort of sent her the paperwork.”
“Seriously?” Finn winced. “Wow—that was pretty dickish.”
“It gets worse.” He lifted another fork of shingles as he filled Finn in on the basic facts, then cleared his throat. “So I wasn’t lying when I said I was a dick to her. Never even spoke to her again until she showed up here yesterday.”
“Holy shiiiit. That’s—”
“I know.” Liam shook his head. “Jessie told me I need to grow a pair and apologize, but I haven’t quite gotten there yet.”
“You haven’t—” Finn
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