Page 5 of Capture The Moment

“Oh. Hey, guys,” Julia said, suddenly sitting up straighter. “Finn, Connor, this is my cousin Will.”

Will had already stood and was shaking the men’s hands. “Will Peterson. Nice to meet you.”

Harper noticed the way Finn studied Will, while Connor seemed distracted by Julia.

“Would you like to join us?” Will asked politely.

“No thanks,” Finn said.

“Sure,” Connor said at the same time.

Finn shot his brother a scowl that only Harper seemed to notice, and she wondered why. But Connor was already pulling up two stools, which he placed between Harper and Julia.

Once the men were seated and had ordered beers, there was an awkward moment of silence. And then Finn spoke up.

“So, what do you do, Will?”

Harper listened as Will gave him a slightly more detailed job description and wondered if he was trying to impress Finn. It almost felt like Finn had taken on the role of big brother and was quizzing Will to make sure he was good enough.

After a few more probing questions, she pinched Finn’s leg under the table.

“Ouch!” he said.

Everyone stared at him.

“Sorry. I bumped my knee under the table,” he said, avoiding Harper’s eyes.

“So, how do you all know each other?” Will asked, turning the tables on Finn.

Placing his arm around the back of Harper’s chair, he replied, “I’ve known Harper for quite a long time. Ever since she married my buddy Blake.”

She stiffened at the sound of his name. For some reason, it didn’t seem right to talk about Blake in this company. And it had obviously made Will uncomfortable too.

“Julia told me about your husband. I’m so sorry,” he said, looking directly at Harper.

Damn it! Things had been going so well until Finn had shown up. “Thank you,” she said, wringing her hands beneath the table.

“Connor, you about ready to go?” Finn asked abruptly.

“Not yet. I just ordered another beer,” Connor replied.

Of the three O’Brien brothers, Connor was the most outgoing, and according to Finn, he was a bit of a player. Connor had met Julia briefly when he and Finn had stopped by to take care of something at Harper’s house and Julia had been there. But tonight, he appeared to be laying on the charm for her benefit. And apparently, it was working. Julia hadn’t been able to take her eyes off him since he’d sat down.

The conversation moved along, but nothing felt the same as it had before Finn arrived, and Harper felt irritated with him for showing up and ruining her time. She’d also noticed that he hadn’t removed his arm from around her chair, and it was almost like he was staking a claim to her. What was with him?

After the O’Brien brothers had finished their second beers, Finn stood up to leave, brooking no argument from his younger brother that time.

“It was nice to meet you,” he said, leaning across Harper to shake Will’s hand.

“You too,” Will said politely.

And then, to Harper’s astonishment, Finn leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “See you soon,” he said.

What the hell was that? Harper wondered as he walked away.

Shortly after the O’Brien brothers left, Julia excused herself to use the bathroom, leaving Harper and Will alone.

Will studied her for a moment and then said, “Just curious. Are you and Finn…?”