Page 81 of Seas the Dating Coach

Finn waits until she’s out of sight before pinching the bridge of his nose. “I should have seen this coming.”

“Seen what coming?”

He strides to the end of the stack, collapsing into a wingback chair and bracing his forehead with his palm. “I have no doubt that my father paid Ralph off to stay on longer.”

I hesitate a beat, processing this, before ripping off my gloves. I need to touch him, proper period attire be darned. One hand slides through Finn’s hair as I use the knuckles of my other to lift his chin. “It doesn’t matter, remember?”

“It does. That world is toxic, Vivian. It’ll destroy us. I was so confident that I’d win this, but I should have known better. I should have kept my distance. I should have been stronger in resisting that insatiable tug whenever I saw you.” Finn’s pained expression steals my next inhale. “I’m sorry. I know what you said earlier, but that was when—”

“You’re forgetting a few key things,” I interrupt. “How incorrigibly stubborn I am. How strong you believe me to be.”

“You are.” His focus darts all over my face. “You’re incredible.”

A soft grin lifts my lips as I lean down until our noses brush. “And how much I love you. That conniving blackguard is powerless against us.”

I don’t give Finn a chance to argue. My lips take his in a bruising kiss. Finn pulls me onto his lap, returning the kiss with a desperation that sends waves of goosebumps down my legs. The world drops away until this whirring sound drowns out everything else. I ignore the noise, knowing that the only thing that matters is the two of us together. The island’s magic might make it seem like there’s an electrical shortage or stormlessthunderclap when, really, it’s the perfect synchronicity of two souls finding each other.

I’ve just decided to spend the rest of the evening right here, on Finn’s lap, when Maxwell runs up to us. “You gotta see this.”

Our eyes catch as we break the kiss, unwavering for a second before reality comes crashing in. The music has ceased, half the guests have already fled the dance floor, and the rest are rushing toward the exit. Overhead, the building shakes. It feels like the stained-glass ceiling is seconds from caving in. What I thought was an auditory hallucination or a trick of the island’s magic is actually the unmistakable roar of a helicopter.

And it sounds as if it’s trying to land right outside the library.

thirty-five

Finn

By the time Vivian and I push through the throng of genteel-dressed attendees outside the library, the helicopter blades have come to a complete stop, and my sister’s executive protection agent, Jax, is helping Cordelia down from the cabin. A helicopter shouldn’t fit in the small cross section between the business road leading to the library parking lot and Sand Bend Road, but there sits a sleek black Sikorsky with my father’s insignia on the tail.

Cordelia smiles brightly at the crowd, familiar with awaiting paparazzi flashbulbs wherever she goes. Only a few teenagers film the ordeal. Every other local seems baffled as to what’s going on.

“Dearest Finnegan!” My sister catches sight of us and strides over, the golden skirts of her elaborate Regency gown swishing behind her.

“What are you doing here?” I squint at the metal behemoth, double-checking I’m not hallucinating.

We’ve always been allowed to schedule flights at will, but every itinerary is shared with our father. There’s no way he’d permit Cordelia to fly to the city where I’ve been living if we’re not even supposed to be talking on the phone. Adrenaline surges through my veins, thinking about how he’ll retaliate against my sister’s blatant defiance and how I might be helpless to stop him.

“I wasn’t going to miss this soirée. Not when it benefits such a good cause.” Though Cordelia has always been comfortable in a crowd, there’s an extra zip of energy surrounding her tonight.

“But…the repercussions.”

“Dad is a heartless jerk. It brings me immense joy to disobey him.” Cordelia’s focus drifts to my left, and her smile doubles. “You must be Vivian! Oh, Finn, she’s just as beautiful as you mentioned. You”—Cor waggles her gloved finger at Vivian— “are very hard to cyberstalk. There are literally no pictures of you on the internet. How is that even possible?”

Vivian opens her mouth, but Carol Cook interrupts, nearly jabbing me in the toe when she slams her cane against the ground. “Does anyone care to explain why a helicopter is blocking the only road in and out of town? Who is she? And who exactly are you?” Carol’s age-spotted finger points an inch from my nose.

Shoot. Optics.

Freakingoptics.

I should have thought about how this would look, maybe pretended to not know Cordelia, but it’s been over five years since I’ve seen my sister in person. My heart clenches just looking at her. Suddenly, I don’t care about the fallout. Andthere willbe fallout. Cordelia is here. My smart, tenacious, hilarious baby sister is right in front of me. I’ve seen her grow up over our video calls, but this is…

I step forward, engulfing my sister in a large hug. “I missed you, Cor.”

“I missed you too.” Her voice scratches like she’s fighting off tears, so I tighten my grip.

For once, Carol doesn’t keep asking questions, only utters an appraising hum and waits.

When I release Cordelia, she blinks at the cloudy night sky, dabbing the edge of her eye with a silk handkerchief from her reticule.

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