Jess snorted in a mixture of amusement and pity. “You’re a goner.”
Rachel must have heard Jess speak because she glanced over, curled her lip in scorn and ran her velvety eyes over him scathingly.
“She’s a firecracker, isn’t she?” Jess mumbled, referring to Rachel.
Finn blinked when he heard the undisguised heat in his brother’s voice.
“Must run in the family,” Finn mused as he studied Jess speculatively.
Rachel backed out of the huddle and spoke audibly. “All right, fine. Just stop lecturing me about it. We’ll talk about it more tomorrow. I’ll meet you at Mom and Dad’s to trade them. I’m getting out of here. I hope I don’t get attacked again on the way back out to the car,” Rachel said sarcastically as she walked toward the door.
“I said I was sorry,” Jess called out. Rachel refused to even look at him as she stormed out the door.
“She’s a little high-strung, your sister,” Jess murmured as Carla and Esa approached. Carla looped her arm around Jess’ waist and leaned her head against his shoulder.
“Let’s go. I’m tired. Jess is going to take me home, aren’t you?” Carla asked as she glanced up at Jess seductively.
“Sure,” Jess agreed, prying his eyes from the door that still swung back and forth from Rachel’s dramatic exit.
Finn waited silently once they’d said their goodbyes to Jess and Carla. He saw the moment when Esa’s thoughtful, tense expression altered. She furtively looked around the kitchen and back at him.
“That’s right. We’re alone,” he challenged softly.
She laughed shakily. “The party really cleared out quickly.”
“It’s amazing how a woman screaming her head off that she’s been attacked and the subsequent illness of the hostess can do that to a party.”
Esa’s face fell. “Oh—I’m so sorry about Rachel. It must seem really strange to you that she came here but…she just… Well, to be honest, I’ve never seen her act like that. Rachel’s usually the cool one. I didn’t think she had a hysterical bone in her body.”
“And?” Finn prodded. From the pink stain that colored Esa’s cheeks he guessed that she was probably dodging the truth again. Anger rose in his chest at the clear evidence of her dishonesty. He tamped it down in self-irritation. Why did he keep expecting her to be something more than she was? He was seeing her in order to have a good time—get back on his feet after few harsh blows in his personal life.
He listened to her blather on.
“And…and…Rachel came because she wanted to switch cars with me,” Esa finally concluded.
Finn crossed his arms above his waist. “Switch cars?”
“Yes,” Esa assured him brightly. “So, do you want to—”
“And what about all that stuff with Grandma Glory?” he interrupted.
“Oh, that?” Esa asked as she pointed in the general vicinity of Glory’s bedroom and laughed too loud. She examined him nervously through lowered eyelids. “I can explain about that. See, I’ve known quite a few people who have had a condition similar to your grandmother?
??s. Funny it came up because I was going to tell you all about it tonight.”
“Really.”
She looked stung by his sarcasm. He ground his back teeth together when he saw anger flash into her brandy-colored eyes. “Yes, I was. What are you acting so pissy for?”
He uncrossed his arms and straightened. “You know what? I have no idea. You don’t owe me anything, Esa.”
“Nothing but a good time in bed for a few nights, is that it?” Esa flared.
He met her glare with equal irritation for about ten seconds before he finally exhaled slowly. Why was he so fired up? It wasn’t Esa’s fault that her sister was a hysterical party crasher. And even though he was mystified as hell by the appearance of that calm, authoritative, entirely confident persona that Esa had taken on during the whole incident with his grandmother, he had to admit that it only made her exponentially more appealing to him.
Maybe that was at the core of his anger. Esa was really getting to him, rebound fling or not. If he didn’t watch himself with her he was going to be the goner that Jess had already accused him of being.
He’d been stewing for the last twenty minutes over the fact that he hadn’t thought to question Esa’s knowledge or motives once during the entire incident with Grandma Glory. He might have thought the whole situation was unusual but his confidence in Esa had been complete.