Page 16 of Falling for Finn

I huff but am unable to stay mad at her, especially when I know they’re swamped. “Nothing can be done about it now. I came to tell you both that Aspen thinks the painter and I are dating, so go along with it. Aspen also assumed she was staying at the cottage, so I had to move every single box of Oakley’s out of there because Aspen had nowhere else to go.”

My aunt slaps her palm against her forehead. “I totally forgot to tell her she needed to find a place to stay. That’s my fault. I can text her and explain what happened, then offer our guest room.”

“No, what’s done is done, but let me make itveryclear that Aspen and I are over. I don’t care how much you two like her. She’s engaged. I hope this wasn’t some sort of sick matchmaking setup to try to get us back together.”

“It wasn’t, I swear. And we knew she was engaged. Her fiancé is driving here next weekend,” Paisley explains. “But why does she think you and Oakley are dating?”

“It’s a long story, but don’t out us, please. I don’t want her in my business. I don’t want her knowinganythingabout my life. If she mentions me, shift the conversation to something else. She was the last person on the planet I wanted to see this week. I’m already stressed without having to deal with her.”

“That’s quite the predicament you’ve got yourself in, Finn,” my mother scolds. “We won’t lie for you, but we won’t offer any info. If she brings it up, we’ll tell her it’s none of her business.” Mom glares at her sister, who nods, and I imagine she’ll have a few choice things to say when I leave.

“Secret’s safe with us,” Paisley promises.

“Thank you. Now I have to get Oakley from the inn and bring her to my house. Because of Aspen staying at the cottage, I will have no alone time in my own home.”

Mom grins. “At least Oakley’s a nice girl. She seems very sweet and easy to talk to.”

I nearly choke on my tongue.

“You both owe me big.” I check my watch, then head toward the door.

I already know I’m in over my head and am now stuck living with Oakley until she leaves. This has turned into a damn mess, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to clean it up.

CHAPTER FIVE

OAKLEY

The momentI take a huge bite of an apple scone, the door swings open, and Finn walks in wearing his signature scowl. Crumbs fall on my lap, and I quickly dust them off. As he heads toward me with his sleeves rolled to his forearms, I study him. Too bad he has a shitty attitude because he checks all the other boxes—tall, muscular, and tan, with a perfect smile he hardly shows.

The way his ex looked at him piqued my curiosity, but it’s not like he’ll share with me what happened. A part of me feels bad that he had to load my things again, but he chose this when he picked me as his fake girlfriend.

“Did you eat dinner?” he asks.

“Not yet. Started with the pastries.” I smirk without admitting that I waited for him.

“Let’s grab some food, then we can head to my place and get you settled.”

“Okay.” I follow him to the kitchen, where his grandma serves each guest. She quickly makes us bowls of beef stew with a side of cornbread. We eat in silence as I scroll through all the photos I’ve taken over the past couple of days.

The stew is delicious, and I’m appreciative of the hearty meal. I worked up an appetite arguing with Finn all day. He’s more tense than usual, and it’s no secret why.

When we’re finished, he takes our dishes to the kitchen. I stand, taking another scone with me to eat in the truck.

On our way there, he maintains a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel. Frustration rolls off him in waves as we pull up to his house. He kills the engine, then turns to me.

“Why did you have to let Aspen have her way? You should’ve stood your ground, and she would’ve had to go somewhere else.”

My jaw drops. “Are you kidding me? Don’t forget that you randomly volunteered me to be your girlfriend for some reason. What you should be doing right now isthanking mefor saving your grumpy, lying ass. I could’ve called you out and humiliated you, but I didn’t. Maybe I should’ve because you’ve been nothing but rude to me since the moment we met. You’re the last person to deserve my kindness.”

He sucks in a deep breath and gets out of the truck, but I don’t let him get away that easy.

“I was trying to help you because it was clear she was getting under your skin. Your reaction made it obvious that the breakup didn’t go too well.”

He doesn’t acknowledge anything I’ve said as he unlocks the front door.

“Seriously? No response to that?” I ask, following him inside and looking around.

“What do you want me to say, Oakley?” He turns with a scowl.

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