I shook my head.Broken ribs,myass!
Taking a quick look around the bus caused Finn to lose his shit. He started gushing like a little girl at a Bieberconcert.
Before I could respond, Jake’s driver, Lassen, came out from his hibernation in the front of the bus, and Finn jumped, immediately trying to explainhimself.
“Relax. He’s friendly… sort of. Lassen, thisisFinn.”
“Thesuperhero?”
“Uh, well, yes, I guess that would be me,” Finn said, stepping in to shakehands.
“Are you coming to the concert tonight?” I askedLassen.
“Probably not,” he said in a gruffvoice.
“Why not? You spend all your time in here. You didn’t even want a hotel room. Come on. The whole family’s here. We want your company. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, your presence at the concert was on Dad’sbirthdaylist.”
“Oh, right. Uh-huh. I’ll thinkaboutit.”
“Dothat.”
“So what are you two doing in here anyway?” Lassenasked.
“We have a little prank we want to playonJake.”
Finn whipped his head around. “Wedo?”
“Just go with it,” Iwhispered.
Lassen glanced between us, no doubt deciding if he should allow such shenanigans, before grumpily retreating back to his den. “Do whatever you want, but leave me outofit.”
Feeling astonishingly light and playful, I saluted Lassen before turning my attention to mypetdog.
“All right, Stan,” I said, carrying him to the bathroom. “Let’s give Jake a night toremember.”
* * *
Pleased by our efforts,Finn and I collapsed on the sofa in the tour bus. Sitting comfortably against each other shoulder to shoulder, we both laughed together at the hilarity of ourprank.
“You, Blondie,have an evil streak,” he complimented, comfortably tapping fingers on my thigh. “Ilikeit.”
“Nothing makes me happier than messing with the boys. Hey, can I ask yousomething?”
“Sure.”
“What did you mean earlier about your mom not beinglegitimate?”
He grinned. “How did I know you’d remember that? Nothing escapes you,doesit?”
“No. Unfortunately. It’s acurse.”
“I come from an unconventional family. My mother wasn’t around much for megrowingup.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, covering my fingers over his and entwining them. Why I thought it was a perfectly normal way to comfort a virtual stranger, I can’t say, but I felt a level of comfort with Finn that had never been present withanyoneelse.
“I’m not complaining, Emma. My mom was young when she had me. She did the best shecould.”
“You’re very forgiving. I wish I could be morelikeyou.”
