He laughed – a deep, genuine laugh that sparked something within me. Flushing, I hefted my shopping bags and carried them inside.
Over the next couple of hours, Noah and I chit-chatted aswe prepped for the dinner, gathering bright plates and dishes to serve our dips in, and chopping vegetables on Rosie’s fancy cutting board. I’d never cooked using so many dishes in my life, but Noah somehow kept on top of it all, making sure we were cleaning up as we went, and that the sink was never piled too high with knives and measuring cups. We made a good team, I thought, working comfortably beside each other to put together a special evening for someone we both loved deeply.
It felt like something I’d happily continue doing, with this person by my side.
That is, until Finn showed up.
Chapter 16
IF SHE KNEW WHAT SHE WANTS
‘Wow, look at this spread,’ cooed Finn as he waltzed through the door, positively glowing from a day on the beach and what looked like at least a couple of ciders down at the Hammer and Thistle. Glimpsing my apron, he raised an eyebrow. ‘You really can do it all, Mol. Except join me on a date.’
‘A date?’ Noah frowned, taking a step back from the Bluetooth speakers, which he’d been trying to connect to his phone. They always had a mind of their own.
‘We had plans tonight,’ said Finn easily. But so easily that I could tell it was covering something. An undercurrent of hurt, most likely. ‘I asked Molly out on a date and she said yes.’
I could see Noah’s jaw tense. ‘Youasked Molly out? But this is Molly we’re talking about.’
‘She did say yes,’ Finn reiterated smoothly, reaching for an olive.
I busied myself with the parsley I was chopping. This was awkward. But, then, having a romantic interest in two brothers currently living under the same roof lent itself to awkwardness.
Noah’s brow was furrowing to new extremes. ‘But she asked me to cook dinner with her.’
‘For Rosie,’ I clarified quickly. ‘I wanted to do something nice for her.’
‘And I was at the beach,’ added Finn, his eyes sparkling with the gotcha.I wasn’t around, so she had to make do with you, they were saying.
‘Makes sense that you wouldn’t be around when she needed you,’ said Noah, with a sharp smile. He finally got his phone connected to the Bluetooth, and a jazzy Glenn Miller playlist started up.
Finn snapped his fingers, and the music rose to full volume.
‘But I’m here now,’ shouted Finn over the music. ‘Just in time for the fun.’
He shimmied along to the bright trumpets. ‘This is way better than a night out on the town. And it’s catered.’
‘Very funny,’ I said, sticking out my tongue.
‘So, is it just going to be the two of us and this guy?’ He gestured at Noah. ‘Or are the others coming as well?’
Noah glowered, fiddling with his phone to turn down the music. Every time he did, Finn used his magic to turn it right back up.
‘Mom and Rosie are getting ready,’ I yelled over the music as I poured myself a glass of wine and topped off Noah’s. Finn wasn’t the only one who’d eased himself into the evening with a libation or two. And from his behaviour, I was realizing that he wasn’t quite as cool with my blowing off our date as I’d hoped.
‘Molly! Turn that down! I’m talking to Damien,’ screeched Tiff from her room.
Finn’s magic flashed, and the music dropped a few decibels.
‘And Tiff’s FaceTiming Damien,’ I added, taking a swig from my wine. ‘Don’t interrupt their very important conversation.’
‘Love is wasted on the youth,’ said Finn, shaking his head solemnly. ‘In the Mood’ came on, its cheerful melody reverberating through the kitchen. ‘Ooh, I love this one!’
Finn grabbed my hand and spun me, dropping me into a dip that made me yelp with surprise. Finn always bumpedup the tone of a night a few notches. It was impossible not to have fun when he was around.
Would this be how our date might have gone, I wondered? With dancing and laughter? Maybe not with Noah standing in the background, arms folded.
‘Sorry, but you can’tnotdip to Glenn Miller,’ Finn said, helping me back up before shooting a quick look at Noah that said,Hey, watch this.
