Page 16 of Finn Rhodes Forever

Hannah gave me a wave and a smile. “Hey, Olivia.”

“Hey, Hannah. How’s Cora?”

Hannah owned Pemberley Books, a romance bookstore in town. Growing up, I had known Hannah as shy and quiet, but a couple years ago, she blackmailed laid-back Wyatt into helping her find a boyfriend. They were married now with an adorable baby girl, Cora.

She smiled wider and tucked a lock of pale blonde hair behind her ear. “She’s great. She’s with Elizabeth and Sam tonight so I’m sure they’re spoiling her rotten. She loves your parents’ dog.”

I smiled. My parents still lived next door to Elizabeth and Sam Rhodes in the same house I’d grown up in. They’d gotten Evelyn, a chocolate Lab, when they returned from traveling last year. She was big, goofy, and incredibly sweet. “Evelyn loves kids.”

Hannah’s expression melted. “It’s so cute. Cora can’t say her name so she calls her Ellen.”

“It’s the cutest,” Sadie said before turning a chiding but amused look to Emmett and Avery. “Nice to see you two with clothes on this time.”

Avery buried her face in her hands. “I’m going to pass away now.”

Hannah winced. “We love you two but…”

“You don’t want to see us hooking up again?” Emmett provided, smirking.

“Oh my god.” Avery's face was going red. “I already apologized for that. We don’t usually—” She cut herself off. “—on the back patio.”

Emmett glanced outside while he filled a pot with water. “I don’t know. Weather’s warming up.”

She shot him a hard look. “Emmett.”

His eyes danced with amusement as he set the pot on the stove. He picked up the bag of fresh pasta. “Three minutes in boiling water. Sauce is ready to go.” He made his way around the island and wrapped his arms around Avery. She leaned back into his chest with a blissed-out smile on her face. “If you all want to have a few drinks,” he told us, “I can drive you home. Just send me a text.”

“Thanks, baby,” Avery said, tilting her face up.

“I love you,” he told her, dropping his mouth to hers for a quick kiss.

“Love you, too,” she murmured.

My heart squeezed. That looked nice, what they had.

He winked at her, pressed another kiss to her cheek.

“Oh.” He straightened up. “The Thompsons cornered me again.”

Avery groaned. “They’re relentless. What did you say this time?”

“That I’m training for a marathon and have to go to bed at seven thirty every night.” To the rest of us, he explained, “They’ve been hounding us to go on a double date.”

Shannon and Jackson Thompson were a couple in their late thirties. They didn’t come into the bar much because they frequented the more upscale places in the Queen’s Cove hotels, and when I saw them, I usually avoided them. In public, they were either dry humping each other or at each other’s throats, threatening divorce.

Avery leaned toward us with a hard look. “The Thompsons are the reason I have a firm no-double-dating rule. They’re theworst.”

“I’m well aware,” Sadie said in a dry tone before shuddering. “Never again.” She laughed and cringed. “Holden’s face, oh my god. He was so irritated.”

Hannah chuckled. “I use Cora as an excuse.” She shrugged. “I don’t think they like kids, so we’re home free.”

“Smart.” Emmett tilted his chin at Sadie. “Use your pregnancy as an excuse next time.”

“I’ll do that,” Sadie told us, and we all laughed.

Emmett said a quick goodbye and the second the front door closed, Sadie whirled on me with bright eyes.

“Okay, what the actual fuck is going on?” she demanded. “Rule three of working at the bar is that Finn Rhodes is evil and we never, ever let him inside, and now you two are back together?”

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