Page 57 of Seas the Dating Coach

“What about the blokes?” Maxwell strokes his trim bread.

Vivian’s laugh—her full laugh, not the whisper of one she usually uses in public—bursts from her, sending liquid sunshine weaving through my ribs.

“Same for you. I’ll happily alter anything you bring me.” She bites the corner of her lip, her joyful expression falling. “Sorry I can’t create new garments for everyone.”

“Don’t apologize.” I pause, clearing my throat of its gruff tone and upping the wattage on my grin. “We appreciate any help to make this fundraiser a success. Thank you, Vivian.”

Her eyes do a sweep of my face, pausing on my smiling lips before fixating on my hair. Subconsciously, I run my fingers through it, and Vivian’s lashes flutter.

“That sounds like an interesting fundraiser.” Atticus’s voice breaks the tension between us like a boulder crashing through a frozen lake.

“Glad you like the idea.” Patricia rises to walk to the doorway where Vivian and Atticus are hovering. “If you’ll excuse us, we have a lot of planning to do.” She closes the door, staring at it for a second before wheeling on me. “Sit down, Finn. We need to have a chat.”

twenty-four

Finn

“Excuse me?”

That’s all I get out before Patricia barks “sit” with her mother-of-five authority. I dutifully do as I’m told, waiting as my staff members exchange loaded glances.

“Do you want to tell me what this is—”

“Uh-huh. Not yet,” Patricia interrupts me, holding a finger up in my direction as she and Trudy have a silent conversation.

“I told you. Did you see the way his hands fisted when you hollered at her?” Letitia whispers like I can’t hear her.

A wicked grin overtakes Patricia’s face. “Why do you think I yelled like that? Everyone knows you don’t approach Vivian that way.”

My mouth drops open, but I close it the second all four sets of eyes swing to me. Trudy hums, folding her arms and leaning back in her chair. Maxwell leans his elbows on the table withaSorry, dudeshrug before placing his chin on his thumbs. The youngest of our staff, he’s about five years my junior. We probably could have been friends, except he’s an avid surfer, and I despise water.

The air in the room is suddenly more frigid than when they all ignored me for a month.

“I don’t mean—”

“Shush,” Patricia says, taking a noisy breath before leaning to press her palms on the table.

The hairs on the back of my neck raise. I started out running this room, but it’s all hers now.

“First, we want you to know that you’ve made a good choice. There’s no one in this town as good as Vivian.”

I’m the recipient of a cutting glare when my lips part, so I quickly seal them. Patricia releases the table to leisurely pace back and forth.

“Secondly, after a private meeting of our own yesterday morning—”

She pauses as a surprised sound escapes my throat.

“You really thought we were going to allow you to have a relationship withour Vivianwithout discussing it?” Patricia raises her eyebrows. “Without it meeting town approval?”

A muscle in my jaw ticks. I’ve had just about enough of this.

“Vivian is an intelligent and capable woman. She can make her own choices. She doesn’t need you to police her life or ‘let her’ do anything. It’s honestly ridiculous the way you all treat her. She’s not some fragile creature that needs to be handled with kid gloves. She’s so much stronger than any of you give her credit for.”

A hushed quiet reverberates around the room after my barking tirade, but I don’t care. Forget always being polite, constantly worrying about optics, and being likeable. These people should besupportingVivian, not making decisions on her behalf.

Her plans are incredibly brave. Most people accept what’s given to them because it’s too hard to do the work of changing your life.

I shoot up, my skin uncomfortably hot, my muscles twitchy. “This is absurd, and I’m not—”

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