Luke glances over at me again. I decide to throw him a lifeline. “Yes, this is the brilliant one. And this beautiful lady is his mother, Anita.”
Sasha shakes hands with Anita. “It’s so nice to meet you. I know this is kind of a strange situation, what Emma told me about it anyway. But you couldn’t wish for better relations than Tank and Finn.”
Surprised, I turn to Sasha. In the beginning I got the impression she wasn't too fond of Tank so it's a shock to hear her speak about him so warmly. “Has Tank managed to trick you into thinking that we’re good guys or something?”
She rolls her eyes. “Tank is just a big old growly teddy bear. I thought he was so mean when I first met him but he’s not like that at all. And when our boss was getting out of line, Tank showed up and took care of the problem for me. Now, I’m not saying he’s all bark and no bite. But he saves his bites for the people who deserve it and he stands up for those of us whose teeth aren’t sharp enough to defend ourselves.”
“I’m glad he was there to stand up for you sweetie. Would you like something to eat while you’re here?” Anita has already accepted Sasha as one of her own, I can tell.
“I’ll have a piece of this pie just like Finn’s having, please. Thank you.”
Anita intercepts Tank and Emma before they can approach. She smiles at them warmly, holding out her hand to Tank. I can't hear what they're saying but then they all laugh.
"Your mom is awesome." I look over at Luke. "Seriously, she's handling all of this so well. Does anything faze her?"
Luke shakes his head. "Well, she had to raise me so what do you think?"
Tank reaches the table and stands awkwardly by my side. I speak up, hoping that Luke isn't so pissed that he'll be rude in front of Emma.
"Luke, this is my older brother Tank and the only woman who can make him behave, Emma Shaw."
Tank scowls at my introduction. "Hey. I know this is unexpected. And I'll leave if you want me to."
Luke sighs. "I'm already being harassed by this guy so honestly I expected the rest of you to show up at some point."
That doesn't sound like a welcome to me but apparently he and Tank speak the same language because Tank grins. Sasha hops up so Tank and Emma can sit next to me.
Then she looks down at Luke. "Do you mind?"
He moves over silently, watching her with a look of awe as she slides into the booth next to him.
I have to stifle my laugh with another bite of the pie I've been neglecting. Was I ever this much of an idiot around beautiful women? Then I realize that I'm still that much of an idiot over one woman in particular.
“Are you okay, Finn?” Sasha is watching me with concern. At her question, Tank and Emma look over at me, too.
“He’s having girl trouble.” Luke smirks.
“I didn’t even know you were seeing someone Finn.” Emma looks thrilled.
Tank watches me with knowing eyes. I’m sure he’s already figured out that the woman screwing with my head is Rissa. Further, I have a feeling he knows my reasons for bringing her back into my life are not at all altruistic.
“There’s no woman. There’s nothing. Just a nosy little brother with too much time on his hands.”
As the conversation turns to general things, my mind wanders back to this morning. Despite the fact that she's available, I can't allow myself to get sucked back into Rissa’s spell. It’s time to stop playing around. Maybe I don't need revenge. Seeing her in tears this afternoon wasn't satisfying, it was just sad. My desire to hurt her has morphed into an insatiable curiosity about her life. I want to know if she's happy. I need to know all the things I was too blind to notice when I was teenager.
Andrew had the means to give her everything I couldn't but yet she still wasn't happy with him. There's a stupid part of me hoping that it was because she never got over me. The same part of me that once called out for revenge would love to know that thoughts of me haunted her after we parted, providing her with the same torment that kept me in limbo for years.
But there's another part of me, rooted in the heart that loved her that just wants to understand why. I need to understand exactly what he did wrong and what was missing.
And I need to understand what it was about me that drove away the only woman I've ever wanted to stay.
* * * * *
By the time I get back home, my ears are ringing with unwanted love advice. Emma and Sasha took the opportunity to tell me everything that men usually do wrong in relationships. I tried to tell them several times that I wasn't in a relationship and have no intention of being in one but after a while I just let them talk. My brothers both seemed to enjoy watching the girls school me. Or maybe they were just happy the attention wasn't on them.
I take a seat on the couch. That's when I notice the catalogue on the coffee table. Did Rissa leave something behind? The women on the cover are wearing lacy lingerie so I figure she must have had this in her bag and decided to look at it while she was taking a break. I feel like a pervert as I open the cover but I can't deny that I'm curious if she's marked anything. The idea of her wearing one of these see through pieces of lace is enough to spike my blood pressure anyway but I really want to see the kind of things that she'd choose for herself.
Inside the front cover, there is a sticky note with my name on it.
Finn. Since you asked for help decorating, I decided to pick out a few things for you. I noticed some things in this catalogue that would be perfect for you! Check out the dog-eared pages.