Page 77 of Terms + Conditions
“No, I don’t—Shit! They didn’t give me the potatoes.” Elizabeth groans and searches for the receipt. “I don’t have time to go and get them, can you—”
“I got it,” I say, and for the first time all day, Elizabeth looks at me.
Reaching for the receipt in her hand, I let my fingers graze hers. I’m surprised when she doesn’t pull away from my touch, but her fingers remain in the same place under my hold. “You guys can finish up around here. I’ll just be in the way.”
Elizabeth sighs before relenting and dropping her hold on the receipt.
I lean in to kiss her cheek gently, and I’m even more surprised when she doesn’t pull away, but she can’t. Nina would know something was up if she did that…unless Ninaalreadyknows.
It’s not like her to not at least say “Hi, Bub!” when she walks in, but today, I barely got any kind of acknowledgment.
Shit…she knows. She has to know.
“I’ll be back,” I whisper, but Elizabeth has already turned back to working on the food presentation. Nina doesn’t say anything as I stuff the receipt into my pocket and leave. They’re waiting for me to leave so they can talk about it, and before I can even shut the garage door, I hear Elizabeth start venting to her sister.
“Thank God,” I say, pulling into the driveway behind a black Escalade.
I wasn’t sure Finn would show up; he was in a weird mood yesterday when I ran into him, but I’m glad he did. His weird demeanor probably had more to do with Oliver and that project he is making Finn work on—or it was just Oliver in general. That seems more likely. Finn’s adoptive father always had a way of getting under Finn’s skin like no one else could.
I grab the brown paper bag with two extra-large tubs of potatoes from the front seat and another brown bag with a bottle of wine—Elizabeth’s favorite. The restaurant had added it to the pile as an apology. Instead of going straight inside, I walk to the front door where Finn’s black Escalade now occupies the circle in front of the steps. Michaela stands with her arms crossed tight across her chest and her lips pulled back in a scowl.
“Why the long face, Shortcake? Not happy to see me?” Finn asks, and while I may not be able to see it, I can imagine the biggest smirk on his face. He loves taunting my sister, and she makes it too easy. When she could just walk away, she stands there and feeds into his shit, only making it worse. At this point,I don’t know if they will ever grow out of it, this back and forth has been going on for almost thirteen years, maybe longer.
“I thought that was you!” I clamp down on his shoulder, disrupting their stare-off, and my sister’s glare turns on me. “Glad you could make it.”
“What is he doing here?” Michaela hisses.
God, she is such a drama queen.
“Oh, c’mon,Shortcake,” Finn coos, and Michaela’s lip twitches. Shehatesit when he calls her that. “Don’t be like that. I know you missed me.”
“Don’t call methat!” Michaela swats away his hand when he outstretches it to ruffle her hair. She has always hated his nickname for her, but it stemmed from her difference in height compared to the rest of us. I don’t think she’s grown an inch since her freshman year of high school, stuck at five-foot-two for as long as I can remember. Even Nina stands a few inches taller than her without heels. Unfortunately for her, my sister did not inherit the Davis height genes, so the nickname stuck.
Michaela turns back to me, repeating herself. “What is he doing here?”
“We ran into each other in town yesterday,” I say with a simple shrug.
I don’t know why she is having such a cow about this—it’s not like this is the first time Finn has been to a family function. And whether she likes it or not, it won’t be the last.
“I invited him because Mom and Dad will want to see him before he jets off again.”
Finn has been out galivanting a little more than usual lately. It’s been hard to keep up with where exactly he’s been, so when I saw him it felt like fate. My sister could deal with her emotions for a day because while she may not be excited to see him, everyone else would be.
“I’m going to be sticking around for a while,” Finn says, opening the back of his Cadillac and reaching inside. He pulls out a decent-sized box covered in wrapping paper with the poop emoji on it. He nods with a smirk when I laugh at his choice of paper, and I notice Michaela roll her eyes. She thinks we’re children, both of us. But hey, Dad will get a kick out of it, and that’s all that matters.
“You’re sticking around? What did Mommy and Daddy cut off your allowance?” Michaela quips.
Oh boy, here we go.
“From those split ends and your outfit, I’d say Nina did, too,” Finn quips.
Damn, that was good. But I can’t let them start now. Dad and Uncle Jim will be here any minute and I already have to juggle myself and Elizabeth today. I don’t feel like playing referee in a Finn-Michaela verbal match.
“Alright, you two, enough,” I say, stepping between them. “Can’t we agree to get along for one day?”
“Easier said than done, Joshy-boy,” Finn says, lugging the poop emoji gift box up the steps.
Michaela glares at him, and I won’t lie, I’m a little scared she’s going to trip him on the way by, but she doesn’t. That’s a win, right? Right.
