Saved by the Bride

chapter Four

Finn stepped out of the helicopter, not quite believing he was back at Kylemore again five days after he’d left. This doubled the amount of times he’d visited during the summer in years. Hank was supposed to have been the one on the helicopter, heading back to restart his vacation with Bridey and at the same time, bringing documents for Sean to sign.

But machine number four was still plaguing their life and Hank had to bail on his vacation. Jazz Juice was understandably stressing about their supply of juice boxes and Finn had rescheduled production across all accounts to spread the impact. If that hadn’t been enough to contend with, his P.A. had broken her pelvis and was on indefinite sick leave, his lawyer was tied up with his son’s Bar Mitzvah, and that left no one else vetted by the company to be trusted with documents, so Finn was back at the lake. He could think of better ways to spend a Friday.

He accepted his bag and laptop from the pilot and walked the short distance into the house. The loud whirr of a vacuum cleaner met him and he smiled. Esther was here, meaning lunch would be delicious and plentiful. He set down his bags and followed the noise.

“Esther.”

A large woman with meaty arms looked up in surprise and the next moment he was enveloped in a huge hug, and circled by the scent of cinnamon and spices with a hint of bleach. “Finn, you’re back?”

He breathed in the scent that reminded him of the happier moments of his childhood. “Just for a day.”

Esther tsked. “You look exhausted. Stay longer, sleep late and let me cook you all your favorite foods.”

The idea of comfort food curled warmth through his belly and had him considering the idea for an instant. Then common sense kicked in and he gave her a wide and beguiling Callahan smile. “I’m too busy to stay, Essie, but how about you bake me some brownies and I’ll take them back to Mexico.”

Esther gave him a piercing look. “Too busy to stay now but not in November?”

He wasn’t biting. He’d inherited his family but that didn’t mean he had to vacation with them. “So where is he?”

“Your father’s outside with everyone.”

He nodded his thanks as she returned to the vacuuming and he headed toward the terrace doors. As he approached he could hear a mix of voices and laughter drifting on the summer breeze. Taking a deep breath, he slid on his sunglasses, slid open the screen door and stepped outside.

Through the trees, he could make out a group of people on the huge expanse of lawn. Logan was closest and came running up the moment he saw him.

“Finn, do you want to play T-ball?”

“Sorry, but I’m not on vacation, Logan.”

“Come on,” Logan wheedled. “We’re all playing.”

He didn’t know who “all” was but he imagined it was the immediate neighbors and maybe Bridey. “That’s good, so you’ve got a team and you don’t really need me, do you?”

The kid sighed and the look in his dark eyes was too familiar by far, but he didn’t say anything else before running back through the trees.

Finn stomped on a sliver of guilt and immediately justified his actions. He wasn’t on vacation and that fact was being reinforced by the hot sun beating down on his chinos making him hot. He wished he’d taken the time to change into shorts and a polo shirt and he would, just as soon as he’d talked to Sean. For now, he rolled up the sleeves of his business shirt and kept on walking.

He saw Dana holding a baseball bat and swinging for a ball tossed by someone he didn’t recognize. As she hit it high, people starting running and then he heard a deep and victorious laugh. He stopped dead and felt his jaw drop as he watched his father slide into home base. His father who’d never played a game in his life other than deal-closing golf, was playing vacation T-ball.

A voice called out, “I’ve got it.”

No way. Not again. Abject incredulity poured over him and he swung around sharply at the familiar melodic voice. He lifted his sunglasses and squinted hoping that would change the image. It didn’t. Annika Jacobson, her blond hair streaming out behind her, stood with her head tilted back, her creamy neck extended and her arms outstretched, all ready for the perfect catch.

He watched mesmerized as the white ball reached its zenith before arcing down toward earth and her open hands. She leaped for it, missed and fell over.

A chorus of, “Are you okay?” went up as everyone started running toward her. With her lush, cherry-red mouth laughing, she rolled over and stood up, her legs stained with green. “I’m fine. Sorry, Captain Logan, I told you I wasn’t very good.”

Finn stared, rooted to the spot, and desperately tried to locate his vanished equilibrium. Nothing in this picture matched up with anything close to normal. She did not belong here. His father did not play ball and it was this disparity that had him stunned and staring. It had absolutely nothing to do with the way Annika’s slim and shapely legs seemed to go on forever before seductively disappearing under the cuff of very short, denim cutoffs. She bent down to retrieve the ball and his pants tightened.

“Finn!” Bridey shrieked, her voice making everyone turn toward him. “You came back.”

Annika’s chin rose and those dazzlingly clear eyes met his gaze for a fraction of a second, offering up some sort of challenge, and then Bridey got closer, blocking his view.

His sister greeted him with arms stretched out wide, but her vision reached far over his shoulder and way beyond him. “You changed your mind and you’re staying. Thank you.” She hugged him hard and then pulled back. “Where’s Hank?”

He shook his head. “I’m not staying and Hank’s tied up at the plant.”

Her hand immediately slid into her pocket and she pulled out her phone, checking for messages. With an abrupt action, she shoved the sleek, black device back into her pocket.

His effervescent sister looked as crestfallen as a little girl whose ice cream had just fallen out of the cone and landed in the dirt. The latent big brother in him surfaced. “He’s probably left a message for you with Esther. You know that unless it’s life or death, she doesn’t run after us if we’re not in the house.”

Her mouth quirked up on one side as if she only half believed him. She called out a general announcement of, “I’m going back to the house” before giving a backward wave and striking off through the trees.

Most of the other guests drifted toward the drinks table and Dana called out, “Finn, sit down. Lunch is at one.”

He gave a tight smile and nodded. Had everyone forgotten that he wasn’t on vacation? He didn’t have the time or inclination for a long lunch and he wished he could think of an excuse to get out of it but given he’d just arrived, he had nothing. When he finally turned back to see what Annika was up to, he saw her walking toward the lake with Logan, her head bent low toward his and her white-gold hair shimmering against his black curls. She looked completely at ease with the little boy in a way he’d never known. It shouldn’t have bothered him but it added to the utter confusion that swam inside him at seeing his father playing ball. He felt like he was the outsider here and that was plain wrong. She was the person who didn’t belong.

He immediately closed the gap between him and his father. “Dad, what the hell is she doing here?”

Sean had mostly been an absent father from the time Finn was twelve, although there’d been occasions when he’d come down on him as the heavy-handed father complete with the lash of his Irish temper. As a teenager Finn had taught himself to ride out the lectures, telling himself there was no point in reacting because Sean would vanish again soon enough. By the time Finn joined the company at twenty-five, he only viewed his father as a business associate and Sean had done the same. It worked for both of them.

But right now, Sean’s mouth was thinned in disapproval and he was looking more like a father than he had in years. “This is my home, Finnegan, and Annika’s my guest. Inviting her over for lunch after what happened was the least I could do.” He folded his arms tightly across his faded, blue Chicago Cubs T-shirt. “I had an interesting morning in court on Monday, and as a result I’ve spoken to my secretary about not filtering my mail. Now it’s your turn to explain. It seems you chose to leave out a few pertinent facts about the night she came into the house.”

No way was he feeling any guilt over that. “She outright lied.”

Silver hair glinted in the sunshine and Sean sighed. “She bent the truth. Some of us do it from time to time.”

A sliver of something close to anger tried to pierce his now well-constructed disconnection from Sean as a father—a detachment which had started the day Sean had left his mother for Dana’s predecessor. “You’d know that better than me.”

Sean stiffened and his eyes flashed but when he spoke it was back to business, just as Finn preferred. “You need to sit down with her and discuss the Whitetail warehouses.”

He’d rather swim with sharks than sit down again with Annika of the big blue eyes and the long, long legs. “I could do that but seeing as you bought the warehouses as a business investment, that makes them your baby. I know how much you like to run things your way so it’s best you talk to her.”

His father’s mouth twitched. “I would, except I’m on vacation.”

He dismissed that in a heartbeat. “You do deals from the lake every year.”

“Not this year. I’m spending the entire summer here, and I’ll return to my desk in September.” Sean tilted his head and gave one of his penetrating long looks. “You can finally have what you’ve been wanting for a year now, a shot at running the business. I’m giving you two months.”

For the second time in two days his father left him speechless. The earliest memory Finn had of him was in a suit and walking out the door to the office. Sean Callahan was synonymous with work, and even when the setting was recreational, Sean kept working. The fact he was handing over the reins for sixty days in the middle of a production mess was unheard of and totally unexpected. It was also immensely exciting.

An uncomfortable thought took hold despite the fact he and Sean weren’t close, and his question shot out abrupt and terse. “Are you sick?”

Sean shook his head and thumped his chest. “No, the doctor gave me a clean bill of health at my physical last week.”

Now it was official—Sean’s offer made no sense. “Then what the hell are you going to do all summer?”

His father gave him a bemused look and extended his arm out toward the lake. “What do you think I’m going to do? Sail, canoe, read. The choices are endless.”

“You’ll be bored in two days.” Finn plowed his hand through his hair trying to interpret what was going on. “You realize that if word gets out you’re doing this the share prices are going to plummet?”

The savvy businessman’s eyes took on a calculating glint. “It won’t get out. As you pointed out I usually run the company from here every summer so no business analyst or journalist is even going to question my absence from Chicago.”

Finn started to pace. “They will when they see my signature on the paperwork and me commuting between Mexico and Illinois.”

His father leaned casually against the trunk of a towering beech tree. “Ah, but you won’t be. You told me a month ago that the management team down south was working like a dream so that frees you up.”

“Except I’ll be tied up like an errand boy running documents up here.”

Sean shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. The solution is easy.”

“How? I’m not letting your midlife crisis, or whatever it is, affect the company.”

Sean’s brows rose. “I’m having a vacation, Finnegan, and the solution to all your concerns is right here at the lake.”

“You’ve lost me.”

His father gave him the look he gave junior associates in their first week when they knew nothing. “You do what I do every summer and run the company from here.”

The thought of spending the next two months up here with family and only occasional trips to Chicago had him ready to run. “No way in hell.”

Black brows rose inquiringly. “So you have another idea?”

Of course he did. He had to. He’d...perhaps if...or... While his mind scrabbled for a rock-solid solution, he aimed for another weak spot. “My P.A.’s sick and I’ll need help. Dana won’t want a stranger in the house and no way am I working remotely with someone new.”

His father didn’t skip a beat. “Dana will be fine with it as long as your P.A. confines herself to the office. Fly a temp up, rent her a car so she can drive in from Whitetail, or better yet, stick her in your cabin and you move into the house. Problem solved. Anything else?”

Move into the house?

The suggestion stunned him, blanking his brain completely at a time when he needed it to be firing with ideas on how to avoid this very situation.

He closed his eyes running through his options but nothing materialized. He couldn’t come up with even one alternative solution. The wily old bastard had him. If Finn wanted a shot at running the company without risking the fallout that happened to businesses whenever there was succession planning, he had to play it Sean’s way. He had to do it from the Kylemore.

His father took his silence as acceptance. “Good. That’s settled. You can start your stint as acting CEO by sitting down right now with the acting mayor of Whitetail and discussing the warehouses. Then organize yourself an assistant.”

There weren’t many times Finn hated business, but this was one of them.

* * *

“If you want to talk about warehouses, let’s talk.”

A shadow cast itself over Annika and the sandcastle she’d been making with Logan up until he’d gotten hungry and run back to the house. Now she looked up to see the jet-haired and extraordinarily handsome Finn Callahan standing above her, his stubbled cheeks taut, his Irish eyes dark, and even his curls, which should have softened his terse look, seemed lined with steel.

She guessed he’d just discovered that Sean had asked for the charges against her to be dropped and that the municipal court judge had obliged. Annika totally got how that, combined with her being here as a guest, would stick in his craw. Tough! He was the one who’d been unreasonably stubborn and had misconstrued everything. He’d been the one to kiss her and cop a feel before she’d come to her senses.

You didn’t. He pulled away first.

The realization rocked her as she remembered him so clearly stumbling away and pouring a drink with an unsteady hand. Now his dark eyes were fixed on hers and in an automatic protective reaction she superimposed fair hair on Finn’s perfect bone structure and golden hair on his head. Blond, he was beautiful and unthreatening just like an angel. Albeit a cross and grumpy angel. The gold vanished, and as she gazed at his charismatic darkness she imagined he must look a lot like Lucifer had immediately after his fall from grace.

Right now this devil had her in his sights and she stifled a shiver that wasn’t remotely generated by fear. That alone worried her. Almost a week had passed since she’d met him and given that he’d refused to listen to her and had her dumped in a jail cell, her brain should be overruling her body. Only it wasn’t. Instead she was fighting the desire to rise to her feet and lean into him. She pressed her hands against the sand to stop the tingling in her fingers that burned to feel again the solid muscles she knew lay beneath his blue Oxford shirt.

At least she recognized that touching him would be the fast track to insanity. Knowing that had to help, right? It must, because no one in their right mind would actively put themselves in the path of someone they disliked and who intensely disliked them back. That simple truth had to provide some protection, but she knew she needed a lot more.

She stayed seated and stared out at the lake. “Come to kiss me again and hope you get lucky or are you planning on locking me up?”

A slight crack appeared in his rigid stance and his voice held regret. “I apologize for the kiss. It was utterly out of line. It won’t happen again.”

The surprise apology should have made her feel better—less used—but instead she felt a traitorous sadness sneak through her. Furious with herself she blurted out, “But putting me in a jail cell for a night wasn’t?” She wrenched back some control and dropped her volume. “Your father’s a charming man and a surprisingly good listener. Obviously not a trait you inherited.”

The crack sealed. “And you know me so well to judge.”

“Putting me in a jail cell set precedent.”

A muscle twitched close to his mouth and she imagined how, if he let himself relax, it would wind up as a wide and captivating smile. “Put yourself in my position, Annika. You broke the law and you lied about who you were.”

The calm rebuke told her what she needed to say. “I admit my thinking and actions were flawed and I’m sorry about that, but when Rory explained all and you had the opportunity to recant, you didn’t.”

His jaw jutted. “There are worse character flaws than expecting people to follow the rules.”

Granted, she normally played by the rules too but his words were heavily weighted with an unexpected intransigence. What was that about? “Admit it. You were ticked off and you wanted to take it out on someone.”

She heard a sharp intake of breath and glanced up at him, glimpsing a look that had a hint of Logan, a touch of Sean and a trace of guilt. Tiny beads of sweat formed on his top lip as his chinos and shirt were much more suited to “casual Friday” in the air-conditioned comfort of an office rather than being on a beach. She patted the space next to her, feeling a twinge of sympathy for him. “It’s cooler down here on the sand.”

For a moment she didn’t think he’d sit but then his hands pulled at the knees of his pants and he lowered his tight behind onto the sand, leaving a space between them. “I’m sorry, Annika. I didn’t know Sean had bought the warehouses and you’re right, I took it out on you.” He ran his hand through his hair—the action jarring and jerky. “I know you’d prefer to speak with Sean but he’s having some sort of midlife crisis so, sorry, but you’re stuck with me. Let’s do what you wanted to do on Saturday night. Let’s talk about these warehouses.”

The measured businessman was back and giving her the opportunity she’d been waiting weeks for. She took in a deep breath and aimed for concise. “You have two empty warehouses and Whitetail has forklift drivers, assembly line workers and people with logistics experience. It’s a good match.”

“It would be except for one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“All of our warehouses are strategically positioned on our major transport routes heading south of Chicago. Whitetail is too far north.”

Confused, she turned to face him and regretted it as her thoughts started to addle. No man should be allowed to be so broodingly beautiful. His long straight nose and taut jaw cut an imposing profile and she was reminded of the magnificent works by Michelangelo and Donatello that she’d studied at college. “Then why did AKP buy the business park?”

A band of tightness circled his mouth and ran down his neck and along his shoulders. “Sean bought them on a whim because they were cheap.”

No. His father had been genuinely apologetic and charming at the court, and again today as a host, so she couldn’t believe the warehouses were just a rich man’s whim. “And to use, surely?”

This time he faced her. “What business are you in, Annika?”

The question startled her and she scrambled to answer. Once she would have said “Art” but that dream had been trampled into the dust and she didn’t bother mentioning the Milwaukee Gallery’s request because she hadn’t told anyone about it. That and the fact she hadn’t even started the final painting of the triplet—the lake bathed in summer’s dusk. “I have a home business. I use calligraphy to create invitations, logos, that sort of thing. Mostly just for people in town.”

“You can live on that?”

Almost. The big fat zero on her bank account’s balance told another story but she wasn’t going to admit that to Finn. Not when his incredulous expression matched his tone, and sounded all too similar to her brother’s regular emails. You need a real job, Anni. Come work for me in Milwaukee.

She rolled her shoulders back and sat up straighter. “My main job is keeping Whitetail afloat so it survives the economic slowdown.” So I can stay here. “This involves finding a replacement for Reggies and AKP has to be that replacement. We have a lovely town on a beautiful lake and people choose to live here for the quality of life, the clean air, pristine water and being part of a community where people know your name and notice if you don’t bring in your paper every morning.” Her voice rose. “No one dies alone in this town like they do in Chicago. Whitetail is full of good people and they deserve to have work.”

“Everyone deserves to have work.”

His wide mouth softened and she was reminded of the man who’d pulled her through the window. The man whose mouth had creased into laugher lines before teasing her about her lack of coordination. And kissed you until you were a puddle of need.

She tried to forget that last bit and instead returned his smile, relaxing for the first time since she’d seen him arrive. “Wow, we actually agree on something. This has to be a sign of something good.”

His gaze grazed her mouth and she got that same quiver—the one that sent a coil of heat through her belly. Heat that had nothing to do with the summer sun.

He abruptly returned his gaze to the lake and tugged at a curl that had fallen across his ear. “I’m sorry, Annika, but it would cost AKP money to operate this far north so the warehouses are staying empty until we sell them for a profit.”

Relaxation vanished, taking hope with it. “You can’t do that to the town.”

He shrugged, the action resigned. “I’m not throwing money into a bottomless pit when we’ve had to make substantial cuts elsewhere.”

After the debacle of falling through the window at the feet of Finn Callahan and not knowing who he was, she’d done an internet search on him and researched the business. “But AKP posted a profit last quarter.”

“Just.” His hand pressed down on the sandcastle, flattening it. “The pressure’s on and my responsibility’s to the shareholders.”

A vortex of powerlessness spun in her chest, sucking her down. Ryan had put business ahead of her and Finn was putting it ahead of an entire community. “So you don’t care?” She heard her voice gaining volume. “You’re quite content to sit back and watch a town die? I should have known you were a heartless number cruncher when you dumped me in jail.”

Those bottomless eyes stared down at her, registering her outburst of feeling with emotions tightly leashed, but she glimpsed pity. She hated that.

“This isn’t personal, Annika. You’re confusing sentiment with business and AKP’s not a charity.”

Art’s a business, Annika. You’re naïve if you think it’s not. The smoking ashes of her past flared up and she wanted to scream but this wasn’t about her, this was about the town.

Think!

Somehow, she had to get Finn into town so he could see Whitetail and meet the people. That would take Whitetail from a name on the map to a real place with heart. A place people called home, a place where they watched their children grow and thrive, and when the time came, they buried their loved ones. “Have you seen the business park?”

“No.”

She remembered his expression at the police station when he’d first seen the deeds and she aimed for what she was pretty certain was his Achilles’ heel. “Isn’t a successful businessman one who keeps his finger on the pulse of all aspects of his business?”

His shoulders jerked. “They’re warehouses!” His mild tone vanished on a rising inflection. “X amount of square footage with walls and a roof.”

Touchy. Good. “Sounds an odd way to do business though. Buying something you haven’t even seen.”

His lips barely moved. “I told you that I didn’t buy them.”

She tried to sound beyond casual. “I could give you a tour.”

He abruptly shot to his feet sending sand flying and then he extended his hand to her. “Let’s go.”

Startled, she shielded her eyes and looked up. “What, now?”

“Yes, now.” Impatience zipped around him as his hand hovered between them.

She glanced toward the house and then back to him, not wanting to be rude to Dana and Sean as well as being seriously hungry. Paying for the ruined dress had meant skimping on food. “Dana said lunch was at one and that’s in five minutes. We can go directly after that.”

He shook his head and his curls bounced. “You can stay here for lunch if you wish but this is a one-off, never-to-be-repeated offer. You show me the warehouses now or not at all.”

The detached businessman didn’t look quite so detached anymore.

“So what’s it to be?”

She read the challenge in his eyes. Ditching lunch put her in a tricky position but what choice did she have? None. For Whitetail, she threw her lot in with the devil and accepted his hand.

* * *

“So you didn’t think to leave a message for me?” Bridey sat cross-legged on the window seat of her room, her left thumb spinning her large, square-cut diamond engagement ring with the diamond-encrusted platinum band, while her right hand pressed her phone against her ear. All week she’d been counting the days until the weekend and now she felt like a little girl who’d been left out of a play date. The adult in her hated how whiney it made her sound.

“I knew Finn would tell you.” Hank sounded mystified by her chagrin. “And you know I’d have filled you in on everything when I called you tonight.”

She did, which made the fact he hadn’t called even worse. Hank rang her every night they were apart. At 7:00 p.m. when his automatic reminder went off. She sometimes wondered if he thought of her at any other time during the day. She leaned her forehead against the window, watching the way the light played through the thick foliage of the trees and tried to stomp on her disappointment. “I miss you.”

“I wanted to be on the helicopter, but it’s mayhem here.”

Hank’s calm voice—so unlike her father’s and Finn’s—usually soothed but not today. She didn’t want to be soothed. She wanted Hank here. “Why can’t Damien handle it?”

“Darling, you of all people know why. I’m the chief engineer and in a crisis I have to be here. It’s a damn mess and we’re working around the clock trying to keep things going. You know what it’s like when things go wrong, and you know what it means if Jazz Juice pull out.”

She did. Once one big client pulled out, others often followed and although it was never a good time to lose a client, now was not even close to good. She rested her chin in the palm of her hand. She was so very weary of the business. She’d grown up hearing nothing else talked about in her father’s house and of course, post-divorce, it had never been mentioned in her mother’s. Although Finn sided with his mother over the divorce, business ran deep in his veins and he’d taken to the company like a duck to water. But not her.

Truth be told, part of the reason she’d done her master’s and was now doing her PhD was to avoid telling her father she didn’t want to work at AKP when she got her doctorate. And to avoid telling her mother the same thing. She didn’t want to disappoint her father or please her mother in that particular way, so she was treading water, not having said “yes” and not having said “no”—instead leaving it all up in the air. She’d honored her promise to her father and earned her generous allowance by doing a variety of summer jobs for the company over the years but she didn’t view it as training for the future like Sean did. Not that she had any regrets about the work though because it was through AKP that she’d met Hank.

Solid, quiet and often in-his-own-world Hank. The first time she’d seen him was on the factory floor. He’d looked up from a machine that lay in pieces and had given her a gentle smile, his honey-brown eyes warm behind his dark-rimmed glasses. It had been a split-second smile before he’d quickly turned back to the job in hand. Used to the charismatic charm of her father and brother where Irish drama often punctuated the day, Hank had seemed like a refuge. She’d set about to meet him again. And again and again. When he hadn’t asked her out, she’d asked him. After dating exclusively for one year she knew exactly what she wanted—a long life with Hank. A year later, with no sign from him that he wanted to move forward but with no signs that he wanted to back out, and with her biological clock ticking loudly, she’d proposed. He’d accepted.

She chewed her lip. “I should come visit and stay with you.”

A soft sigh vibrated down the line. “Bridey, you said what you wanted most was a summer at the lake with your family. So take it.”

Yes, but you were supposed to be here too. “Won’t you miss me?” As the words shot out she wanted to pull them back. When had she got so needy?

The moment you proposed to him.

She could hear noise in the background and someone shouting his name.

“Bridey, I’m sorry but this really isn’t a good time. I’ll call you tonight and meanwhile you have fun.”

The line went dead. Fun. She dropped her phone onto the cushion. This time at the lake wasn’t about fun. It was about insurance. All part of the series of steps that started with one happy summer which would lead into one happy Christmas and culminate in one enormous, happy wedding that proved to the world they belonged together. The plan was going to give her and Hank everything her parents had never had, and ensure that she and Hank had a long and wonderful life together.

The roar of a car interrupted her thoughts and she peered through the trees, glimpsing a streak of red disappearing down the drive. Finn’s Ferrari California. The sound of the lunch bell tinkled. Damn it, Finn! How hard was it to get one summer where her family acted like other families and actually spent time together.