“You’re an idiot.”
Finn rubbed his eyes, trying to will away the headache raging behind them. “Tell me something I don’t know,” he muttered.
“When you two eventually get married, I hope you know I’m using this story in your toast.”
Marriage? Willow wouldn’t speak to him—he’d tried that, calling her a dozen times before giving up. Then he’d resorted to texting her—none of which she’d answered. She also probably couldn’t even look at him, though he hadn’t tested that theory since, instead, he’d chosen to stay home and get drunk off his ass. And his jackass brother was talking about marriage? Not fucking likely. Not after Finn had fucked everything up. “Now who’s the idiot?”
“Still you.” Drew took a seat on the battered coffee table directly in front of Finn. “Here’s what you’re gonna do, dumbass. First, you’re gonna take a damn shower because you smell like a homeless man who just went on a bender. Then you’re gonna do what you’d already planned to—bring that check back to our illustrious mayor.”
“It won’t matter.” Finn shook his head, pressing his palm hard against his forehead. “None of it’ll matter now.”
“Maybe not. But it might.” Drew paused, long enough that Finn finally looked up at him. “Dick doesn’t play by the rules, so maybe you shouldn’t either.” He raised a brow.
Finn snorted. “Yeah, I definitely see the sheriff helpin’ me out with this little situation I’m in.”
“Who said you needed the sheriff? Way I see it, all you need is a convincing argument on why he should come clean to Willow about all he did back then. You said it yourself—there’s no way he’d have told her the whole story…just enough to pit her against you. So make him.”
Finn ran a hand through his hair, his mind whirring with possibilities as he finally saw a tiny pinprick of light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. Drew was right. This might not do anything. But maybe, just maybe, it could. And didn’t he owe it to himself and Willow to at least try? To try absolutely everything in his power before giving up?
He squinted at his brother, the harsh light coming in from the front window killing his eyes. “Where was this brilliant advice three days ago? I’ve wasted a lot of time getting…well, wasted. Maybetoomuch time.”
“First, you kind of deserved it. A little payback for walking away from her in the first place. Second, you’re sucking down all our open stock for the bar, and Nola said I better get your ass under control before she comes over and does it her damn self.” Drew pushed to stand and looked down at him, shaking his head. “She’s scary-feisty, man.”
Finn wasn’t arguing that. And he was ashamed it’d taken her getting fed up with him before he came to his senses. Jesus, some pile he was. Not only had he been an absolute worthless excuse for a human being, not helping with the finishing touches at the bar, but he’d been drinking through their stock too. Drew was right. It was time to get shit done.
After a shower to help him feel half human again, he had some unfinished business with Mayor Haven to attend to.
* * *
It wasdusk by the time Dick showed up where Finn had instructed. Getting him there had been a miracle in and of itself. But Finn’d had to be strategic about it. He certainly couldn’t show up at the mayor’s office—not with Willow right down the hall, liable to pop in at any moment. Same went for Dick’s home.
Quiet and secluded it was, like some kind of back-alley drug deal. Come to think of it, this location wasn’t all that different from where they’d met all those years ago.
“All right, boy,” Dick said as he heaved himself out of his car. “Best be tellin’ me what this nonsense is about before I make some calls.”
Finn slid his hand into his pocket, not moving from where he leaned against the side of his truck, like he didn’t have a care in the world. Like his whole future didn’t ride on the outcome of this meeting. “Ah, yes. Calls to the sheriff, isn’t that right? Must be nice to have such a close, personal friend in law enforcement. Allows you to do all kinds of shady shit.”
Dick stepped closer, his eyes narrowed. “You gonna spit it out already?”
Plucking the check from inside his pocket, Finn pulled it out and pinched it between two fingers, holding it in Dick’s direction. “Gotcha a little somethin’.”
“What’s this?” Dick snatched the check from Finn’s fingers and unfolded it. His brows shot up, eyes going wide. “This some kind of joke?”
“’Fraid not, Dick. This is payback.” Finn smiled. “Quite literally in this sense.”
Dick barked out a laugh. “If you think this’ll make everything better with Will, you’re even dumber than I gave you credit for.”
“This? No. This isn’t gonna do anything with Willow. We both know that. This just settles the score between you and me. I’d been plannin’ on giving this back to you for some time. Just hadn’t gotten around to it. Wanted to wash my hands of your sins.”
“Mysins? I didn’t do nothin’, boy, except—”
“Except blackmail a nineteen-year-old kid with nothin’ but a run-down trailer to his name and a momma who was facing a death sentence.” Finn nodded. “Nothin’ there but good old-fashioned neighborly advice, isn’t that right?”
“Now, you listen here—”
“Nope.” Finn pushed off from the truck and took a step in Dick’s direction. “I’m done listenin’ to you. Time for you to do some of it.” He reached out and plucked the check from Dick’s fingers, folded it up, then stuffed it in the mayor’s shirt pocket. Patted it twice. Possibly slightly harder than necessary. “That might’ve been years ago, but we’ve got a long memory in Havenbrook, don’t we? You proved that on the baseball diamond. Sure would be a shame for all your constituents to learn what you did back then. Especially now that the boy you did it to turned into a man who’s bringin’ value back to your precious town. Bringin’ jobs and revenue to the people who need it most.”
Dick narrowed his eyes so much they were just beady little slits, glaring in Finn’s direction. “What’re you tryin’ to say?”
