I think half the parents in this room feel the way I do about Lana and Tammy.They just want to stay away, too far away to become a target.
I’m near tears again.My heart is breaking.I don't want to leave Yosemite Ranch, but I have no choice.
“All right, then,” Tammy says.“If no one has any ideas, then I suppose Lana and I will carry that responsibility, the way we always do.We’ll ensure that the children have a quality experience.”
“I have an idea.”
The voice comes from the back of the room, from the doorway.I recognize that voice.That voice belongs to Finn.And as soon as I hear it, every nerve ending in my body comes alive just as my heart sinks.
I turn around in my seat.He takes up the whole doorway.I have to catch my breath.This man is so beautiful.He's outrageously beautiful.And every woman in here knows it.Every eye in the room is on him.Some women's mouths are hanging open.
I check to make sure mine isn’t among them.
Finn’s not dressed to impress.He’s dressed to intimidate.He’s wearing a pair of worn and torn work jeans.An old leather belt.His favorite pair of dusty cowboy boots.And a plain white T-shirt.On his head is the same cowboy hat I've seen on him a hundred times.It’s the one he wore to the Summer Fair, the night he held my hand for the first time.
Through his jeans I see the bulk of his thighs and the tight muscle of his ass.The old shirt can’t hide the chiseled contours of his abdomen and shoulders.The muscles of his upper arms, forearms, and neck are right there for everyone to see.
His face is unshaven.His eyes burn hot as he scans the room, looking for me.I don’t look away fast enough, and there’s an instant of eye contact.Just a split second.But it’s too much.
I stare at my sneakers and sink even further into my chair.
I hear the heels of Finn’s boots hit the tile floor as he walks to the front of the room.
I dare to look up.His gaze is locked on my face, and his mouth is pulled tight.Then he glances at the door and smiles tightly.“Oh, there you are.Please come in, Mrs.Greeley.”
Oh, shit.
“I'm here today to contribute my ideas about what is going on in this school.Specifically, I’d like to comment about how Tammy and Lana are running this operation.”
The twinset twins stagger backward a few steps to give Finn space.I don’t blame them.He looks ferocious.And angry.
“Here's the deal,” Finn says.“If you have something to say aboutanythinginvolving the MacLaines, you say it to me.Not Emma Clark.”
What is he doing?Oh, no.
I feel everyone’s eyes on me.I go back to staring at my shoes.I should never have looked up.
“If you have opinions about anything having to do with my child or her education, or who might be picking her up and dropping her off or what she’s eating for lunch—these are all things you bring tome.Not Emma.”
I pat my front pocket to make sure the car keys are within reach.I’m getting out of here.Forget the crispy rice treats and cornhole.
Finn just keeps going.Why is he doing this?
I think I might puke.This is not what I wanted.The fact that he’s here means he sees me as nothing but a victim.Nothing but a weakling.Someone who cannot stand up for herself.
I want to cry.I'm on the verge of crying, but I've cried so much today that I don't know if I have any tears left in me.
In Finn’s eyes, I’m pathetic.He sees me as a pathetic victim.And I know the smartest thing I’ve ever done in my life is not tell him that I love him.
Not past tense.I still do.What a mess I’ve made for myself.
Apparently, Finn isn’t done embarrassing me.
“If anyone feels the need to question my judgment about the people I choose to have around my family, it’s me who needs to hear it.You got problems?You come to me.I am my family’s protector.And Emma Clark…” His voice trails off.I think he may be pointing to me.My face has got to be tomato red.
“Emma is a wonderful and open-hearted person who is very important to me and my family.And she may be new to town and you might not know her well, but I do.I trust her to do whatever she believes is right.She has my seal of approval.And Mrs.Greeley, if I have to sign a piece of paper to that effect, I will.”
He’s making me sound like a kitchen appliance.Maybe that’s exactly what I am.
