Page 37 of Strictly Business

Serena van der Woodsen, “Gossip Girl”

Chapter Seventeen

FINN

PLEASE TELL ME WHY I agreed to this. Spending time with my family is not the highlight of my life, and I woke up angry this morning with the knowledge that I was about to spend the entire weekend with Oliver and Hayley Sheffield. I feel bad taking it out on Michaela but seeing her was also a reminder of what happened between us, and I cannot think about that. She is Josh’s little sister and he’d kill me if he knew what happened. But fuck, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been able to get her out of my mind since. I thought I had myself under control after taking Wednesday off but seeing her walk in this morning in that outfit… Tight jeans. A white satin camisole. Tan blazer. Fuck. I was ready to bend her over that conference table and—

“Finn, it’s good to see you!” Uncle Jack knocks on the car window interrupting my thoughts. Thank God. I can’t be late to this party because of a hard-on thinking about Michaela.

Uncle Jack has always been the fun one between him and my dad. Looking for a good time? Call Uncle Jack. Looking to score some goods? Uncle Jack is your man. Need to get away? Uncle Jack can help you do that, no questions asked. He’s the only one who knows how bad it has gotten between me and Dad in the past. We always tried to keep it hidden behind the red door of the Bridgeport mansion, but some things were just too dark to hide.

“You didn’t need help getting settled?” He asks when I step out of the car.

“Not this time.” I shake his hand before he pulls me into a tight embrace with a quick pat on the back. “Nina’s been helping me out.”

“Villa?”

“Villa-Davis,” I corrected.

“Ah, yes. The one Davis boy scored big.”

“I don’t think he sees it that way. If anything, he keeps her in line.”

“Good, she needs it.” We laugh before he drapes an arm around my shoulders pulling me towards the house. “So, what’s got you hanging out in the city with Davina for this long?”

“Working on something. I’m thinking about moving permanently, kinda like it more than I thought.”

“You mean you like that it keeps you away from Oliver.”

“Something like that.”

“Kind of ironic since this weekend is all about him.”

I couldn’t agree more. This weekend is supposed to be all about Dad as he celebrates the big 6-0. If it had been up to me, I would’ve skipped the festivities and stayed in New York to finish planning the event happening on Sunday. But, I knew if I didn’t show my face for at least some of the weekend, I’d be in deep shit. Besides, Michaela would be better suited for the party planning anyway…

"How are things going?" Mom asked last week — the simple question was the real reason for her phone call. She had spent the ten minutes prior pretending to care about what I had to say, and she'd grown tired of the niceties. She wanted to know what was going on in New York and when I was coming home. The answer to that last part... I'm not. She didn’t have to know that, not yet. Bridgeport isn't home to me, and I'd be happy to never go back again.

"Things are fine." Except for the fact that I’m putting together a nonprofit. I don't think that's what my father had in mind for my life.

"Will you be ready for the board?”

"If Michaela gets her shit together, yes."

“Michaela Davis? Josh's little sister? I thought Davina was helping you."

"She put Michaela on the project."

"She pushed you off on some assistant? How could she do that? You should be her main–"

"Nina has a lot going on, and Michaela isn't an assistant, anymore. She's been running the New York office."

"You just said–"

"She's fine," the statement came out a little harsher than I meant it to. "She and I have different work methods, but we're...figuring it out. That's all I meant."

"As long as she knows what's at risk."

"That's none of her concern."

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