Page 32 of Better Luck Next Time

“You are the furthest thing from a lap dog,” she teased, letting herself take a good look at him.

Funny, she’d never given him much consideration as a potential love interest, maybe because the very first time they’d met, she’d thought him a prowler, and as soon as that impression had faded, he’d gone and broken up Georgie and River. But looking at him now…how had she not noticed how he filled out that button-down shirt? Or how observant his gorgeous eyes were? Or how beautiful those curls were now that they’d grown a bit? Her fingers were itching to touch them. And his lips… Finn had lips that looked soft yet firm, and she suddenly wondered what it would be like if he kissed her.

Where hadthatcome from?

Lola. She’d done this. She’d insinuated the idea of Finn in her head, and now she was thinking crazy thoughts.

She needed to change the subject, yet she couldn’t help asking, “Why don’t you have a girlfriend?”

He looked her straight in the eyes. “Maybe I’m just waiting for the right woman.”

Now it was her turn to blush, and she took another sip before changing the topic. They talked a little about his time at Duke and hers at the Lanier School of Fine Art. The waitress brought their food and Finn made a face when he realized the special was chili rellenos, so Adalia gave him one of her tacos and ordered nachos and another pitcher of margaritas.

Finn looked like he was about to stop her, but he must have thought better of it.

She’d always taken him for a smart man.

The nachos came out around the same time the new pitcher arrived, and Adalia giggled as she poured some into her glass, spilling a little on the table.

“Why’d you move to Asheville?” Finn asked quietly.

She held up a finger, waggling it back and forth. “I’m not drunk enough yet to tell you that.”

“Then why did you go see Lola?”

“I told you already.”

“But did you?”

She grabbed a chip from the nacho pile. “Lola told me that something from my past would come back to haunt me. Since we had the same cards, it must be true for you too. Do you know what that could be?”

He pursed his lips. “I guess it could be a number of things. The Duke mess. My parents’ money. My decision to sell Big Catch. What about you?”

She narrowed her eyes, wondering if she should tell him. Part of her couldn’t believe she was considering it, but the whole psychic experience had created an unexpected bond. Grabbing her phone out of her purse, she unlocked it and pushed it across the table.

Hesitating, he picked it up, his eyes darkening when he saw the unread text on the screen.

“Who’s Alan?” he said, handing back the phone.

Was that jealousy she heard in his voice? No, that had to be the margaritas talking. Finn hardly knew her and knew nothing about Alan. “My former mentor.”

His jaw set, hinting at a side of Finn she hadn’t seen before. “A mentor who calls his protégébaby?”

She nibbled on a chip.

“What’s he so eager to talk about?”

“Beats me,” she said. “Surely he knows I’m smart enough not to let him use me again, but he won’t leave me alone.”

“What do you mean, use you again?”

When she didn’t answer him, he set down his fork slowly, as if working to control a burgeoning anger.

“Adalia. What did he do?”

He wasn’t angry at her, she knew. It was a protective anger.

So she relented, and told him everything, even more than she’d told Georgie. “He was one of my art school professors. I wasn’t even sure he knew who I was, but then he dropped by this small show I had last year. He seemed impressed and introduced himself. I reminded him that I’d been in a couple of his classes. He played it off like he really did remember me, but I wasn’t so sure. It didn’t matter. He was this amazing artist, one of the most sought-after professors, and hewas interested inmywork. I was awestruck. He asked if I had any more pieces he could see.”

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