Jill’s eyes lit up. “Yay, a date.” She turned back to Finn, her expression way too pleased. “You brought a girl. I’m super impressed. Dad told me you’ve been living in a cave or something. I figured you’d have adopted a volleyball for a friend by now.”
Liv laughed and then quickly coughed over it.
Finn scoffed. “Dad has no idea what I’ve been doing or where I’ve been. I was adopting felons as friends.”
Jill frowned, worry wrinkling her brow. “Caves and volleyballs would be safer.”
He reached out and cupped her chin, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Hey, none of that. I’m here and fine. Okay? And yes, I brought a date. Who is not a felon.”
Some of the light in Jill’s face had dimmed, but she made an attempt to clear the frown. “Okay.” She stepped back through the doorway and then turned her head and yelled, “Mom, Finn’s here!”
Liv sent Finn a here-we-go look, and they followed Jill inside. She hurried toward the back part of the house, announcing to whomever would listen that Finn was there. Soon there were more voices drifting from the kitchen. His mom stepped into the hallway and clasped her hands to her chest at the sight of him. “Finn-Joseph.”
The gentle drawl of his mother’s voice using his first and middle name like one word hit him harder than he expected.
She hurried across the hallway, her silver bob bouncing and heels clicking until she stopped in front of him. Her eyes went shiny while she gave him a full head-to-toe perusal as if to make sure he hadn’t been lying to her about being okay.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Don’t you Hey, Mom me,” she admonished. “You come here and let me hug you, you stupid boy. Why have you made me wait so long to see your handsome face?”
He bent down and embraced his mother, feeling none of the awkwardness he had anticipated. He and his mom hadn’t always gotten along because she’d sided with his dad by default on most things, but he’d never doubted her love for him and his siblings. And he could feel by the tight, almost desperate way she was gripping him that she’d been well and truly worried about him never coming home again. Or coming home in a box.
A ripple of guilt went through him. “I’m sorry it’s been so long.”
“You should be,” she said matter-of-factly before releasing him. “It’s not good for an old-ish woman’s heart.”
He lifted the bottle of tequila, which was all he’d been left with for a gift after his and Liv’s predinner detour to the shower. “I brought this.”
His mother took the bottle and read the label. “Interesting choice, Son. Expecting a need for hard liquor tonight?”
“Maybe?”
She laughed, her blue-eyed gaze flicking to Liv. “Well, now you’ve probably scared your friend. Hello, I’m Barbara.”
Liv shook his mother’s hand. “Hi, Mrs. Dorsey. Liv Arias. You probably don’t remember me, but we met a few times when Finn and I were in high school. We were classmates.”
His mother’s lips pressed together in thought. “Arias? That name does sound familiar.”
Liv released her hand and smiled. “My father also used to do your landscaping. I helped him out from time to time.”
“Oh yes!” his mom said, face brightening. “Santos. He did such a lovely job and was always so friendly. And oh”—she snapped her fingers—“you were his daughter with the purple hair. I remember thinking you had such a unique style.”
Finn cringed at the word unique, but Liv laughed. “That’s one way to describe it. I was going through a fashion-questionable phase.”
His mother waved a hand. “Don’t we all, darlin’. You should’ve seen my hair in the eighties. It was so big, it needed its own zip code.”
Finn let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He’d never expected his mom to make Liv feel uncomfortable. She was the consummate hostess and, unlike his father, a whole lot less judgmental about where people came from or how much money they had. But it was a relief nonetheless to see Liv relax.
“All right, you two,” his mother said, leading them down the hall. “I have appetizers in the kitchen. I went with a devilish theme.”
“Devilish?” Liv asked.
“You’ll see,” his mom said proudly. “Finn will tell you. I love a theme. But don’t fill up too much. The ham will be ready in a little while. I’m expecting a few more guests.”
Finn and Liv followed his mom into the kitchen where she had set up a number of delicious looking plates of food. Deviled eggs with jalapeños on top. Her famous spicy, roasted garlic dip with crudités and crackers. These things she called devils on horseback, which were dates wrapped with bacon and stuffed with cheese. His stomach rumbled at the sight.
Most kids he’d known growing up had found his mom’s food odd, but it was comfort food for him. His dad had always been working, so she’d picked up new hobbies or projects regularly. But cooking had turned out to be her love. When she’d told his father that she was considering opening a small catering business, he’d squashed the idea instantly. They didn’t need the money, and he’d be damned if his wife was going to be serving the neighbors food like hired help.