Page 4 of Rain Delay

“You know, your dad is freaking out since you’ve gone off the grid,” I said and walked back to the living room, grabbed a slice of pizza, and settled into the love seat adjacent to the couch.

She watched me take a bite, then said, “Help yourself.”

I took another bite and chewed. “I’m serious. My mom and your dad are in Tuscany as we speak. They were meeting your mom to see if they can figure out where you are.”

Sitting back, she patted the spot next to her and Finn jumped up, resting his head on her thigh.

“Please don’t tell them I’m here,” she said looking up at me, her brown eyes shining with tears. “I just need a minute to figure some things out before I talk to my father.”

I totally understand needing time to yourself, but instead of answering, I leaned forward and grabbed another slice of pizza.

“This is pretty good for a frozen pie,” I said and took a big bite.

She watched me eat then narrowed her eyes. “Wait. What are you doing here, Christopher? Shouldn’t you be off playing baseball or whatever?”

“Please call me Rusty.” I finished my slice, saving the crust for Finn, and took a long drink of beer. There’s no reason for her to know the whole truth so I decided to go with the shortened version. “It’s All-Star break and since I’m not on the team, I have some time off. I told my mom I was going to take a vacation and your dad offered this place since he didn’t think anyone would be here.”

“I figured it would be empty because my dad never comes here in the summer. He doesn’t like the heat.” She looked down and focused on her fingers as they ran through Finn’s fur. “Are you going to tell them I’m here?”

I finished my beer and placed the empty bottle on the coffee table. Finn lifted his head when I whistled and grabbed the crust I tossed to him out of the air.

I’m not normally the type of guy who invites women to dump their problems on me. Not unless I have something to gain from it, if you know what I mean. But right now, I really want to hear what’s going on with Ivy. Maybe her issues will help me take my mind off of my own.

Shifting to lean against the armrest, I crossed my ankles, and put my hands behind my head.

“Why don’t you tell me your story and then I’ll decide?”

* * *

Ivy

Rusty lookslike such a smug prick sitting there and part of me wants to tell him to kiss my ass. What’s the worst thing that can happen —he’ll tell my father where I am?

But Finn’s reaction to him holds me back. He’s an excellent judge of character and I wasn’t lying when I said he usually doesn’t like men.

And obviously Rusty likes dogs, so that’s one big check mark in the positive column for him as far as I’m concerned. I looked down and watched Finn chew the crust Rusty had thrown in a perfect arc into his mouth. That’s when I realized something.

“Did you notice that you and Finn have the same color hair?”

He glanced at Finn and the corner of his mouth kicked up into a small smile. Instead of answering my question or making some snide comment, he said, “Stop trying to stall. Spill.”

I took in a deep breath and let it out on a sigh.

“I was let go from my job. Which might not seem like a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but it’s just the latest in a long line of failures. I went to college for seven years and ended up quitting without a degree and I’ve either been fired or quit every job I’ve had since.” Rusty’s image blurred as I met his silver-blue gaze. “I turned thirty last month. Not having my life together is getting embarrassing.”

Surprisingly Rusty looked at me without judgment. The last time I’d seen him, it had radiated off him in waves. But now, he seems different. Nicer. I mentally shrugged. Or maybe I’m just letting Finn’s reaction to him sway my opinion.

“Why do you think you’ve had such an issue?”

I shifted and waited for Finn to settle back into place before I answered.

“Well in college, everything interested me. I initially went in undeclared and then ended up changing majors every time something different caught my attention. The problem was that each of those changes added time to my schooling and I just wanted to get out, so I quit after I got a summer job I wanted to continue doing. And I probably would have, but I got fired.” His raised brow prompted me to explain. “I was a submissions coordinator for a publisher and opened a phishing email. The company’s entire system got infected and that was it for me.”

I stroked Finn’s neck, making sure to scratch under his collar the way he likes. He let out a soft snore and I smiled.

“And stupid stuff like that has happened at every job I’ve held since. This most recent one lasted the longest, just short of two years. I was a line chef at a pretty upscale restaurant in Aspen. I mostly did prep work, but I also made sides and sauces. All that mixing, chopping, and stirring was so soothing and I really enjoyed it. I’d hoped I finally found my calling.”

“So what happened?”

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