“Hi, Luke.” Mallory shot him a smile. Luke’s smile was warmer now it was directed at the girl.
“You see my brother doing the judging, Mallory? He’s the town’s biggest suck-up, and that’s the only reason he’s sitting up there.”
“I’ve heard that about him,” Jonathan said.
He had Fin’s dry humor, Maggs thought. In fact, the more time she spent with the man, the more she saw his son in him.
“Uncle Luke!”
They turned and saw Gracie holding Fin’s hand. His eyes were on her, then went to his father.
“Hey, baby girl.” Luke took his niece as she lunged at him.
Fin’s eyes were cool and guarded.
“Son,” Jonathan said.
Fin nodded, but moved by his father to talk to Mallory. He bent, listening to something she was saying. Maggs saw Mallory’s smile as she looked up at her big brother.
“She’s loved him her whole life,” Jonathan said so only Maggs could hear. “We talked about him, had pictures around the house. She always wanted to know more about him, and because my wife and I are not getting younger, we wanted her to know Fin in case she ever needed him.”
“You have a daughter too.”
“Yes, and she would care for her, but I want Mallory to have both her siblings in her life.”
Maggie understood that completely, because she’d feel the same way.
“Excuse me for a minute, Maggie. I see my wife looking for us,” Jonathan said.
Fin left Mallory to come to her side as soon as his father had gone.
“Where’d you go this morning?”
“I had things to do, Fin, and you were still sleeping. No big deal.” She kept her eyes on the judging table. Mayor Gripper was about to speak.
“We made love, and you told me about England, Maggs. What we shared was in no way just sex and definitely a big deal.”
She shot him a look and knew she’d been wrong to downplay what they’d shared. “I know,” she sighed. It was cowardly not to admit that much at least. “But I’m such a mess right now, Fin, and you, like me, aren’t into anything more, so I left to save it being awkward.”
“Or you were scared and ran.”
“Or that.” She looked into his blue eyes, tried to work out what he was thinking, but the shutters were down.
“And you have no idea what I want, Maggie,” he said softly.
“If I could have your attention, please!”
“Don’t tell anyone about what happened in London, please, Fin. I will in my own time.”
His eyes held hers. “You’re doing it over the next few days, and I’m not negotiating on this, Maggie.”
She bristled.
“It’s not fair to them. They love you.”
“I know they do, and I’ll tell them, I promise.”
“Good girl. Now, where is he?”
