“Archer Weston is not my friend. He’s a guest here, and he’s leaving.” Finley not-so-subtly jerks her head toward the door.
Taylor’s mouth pops open on a laugh. “Finley, don’t be rude. Why are you hanging out in the office? Are you making the guests work now too? You really are a tyrannical dictator about this place.” Taylor waves her off before turning back to me. “Are you staying for dinner, Archer? I love your name and your”—she eyes me up and down—“shirt.”
She’s grinning and Finley is glowering. None of this seems like it can end well, so I decide to make a neat escape.
“I wouldn’t want to intrude on family time.”
“It’s no intrusion. I’m sure we can squeeze in one more person at the dinner table, right, Fin?” She shoots a look at Finley over her shoulder and then winks at me.
“I’m not sure I have enough food, actually,” Finley grinds out. “I only planned for me and Jake, so adding you will require some finesse.”
“She might be right. You look like you have a giant . . . appetite.” Taylor’s gaze pauses on my crotch.
Finley’s face is a storm cloud.
Laughter tickles the back of my throat, but I manage to hold it back.
Taylor is a bit crude, sure, but somehow, it doesn’t toe the line over into smarmy. She’s got an angel-sweet face, and she’s all lightness and humor and clearly doing her best to needle her sister.
“I should be going anyway.” I’ll put Finley out of her misery. “It’s getting late.” I edge around Taylor. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”
“Oh, believe me, the pleasure is all mine.”
I pass Finley on my way out and stop next to her, close enough to catch a glimpse of the flush on her skin where her top dips down into a V and get a whiff of her sugary scent.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning?” I ask in a low voice.
She gives me a clipped nod.
“I look forward to tomorrow’s chore list.”
Her lips twitch, but she doesn’t smile.
I shut the front door behind me, and their voices seep out through the thin wood.
“What was that all about?” Taylor asks.
“What was what all about?” Finley’s voice is an octave higher than normal.
“We need to talk about that hunk of man meat.”
I grin into the night.
“There’s nothing to tell. Let’s go into the house.”
Their voices fade further, but the teasing laughter lingers in my mind. A pang of loneliness slices through me.
I push off the door, jogging back to my cabin in the dark. The sting of her dismissal is minor compared to the nagging awareness of my status as an outsider.
I can’t imagine what it would be like to have a large family. Or any family. What would it feel like to have people dropping by, to have a home to return to where you can tease and cajole and love?
My whole life, I’ve been mostly alone. But I’ve never felt this lonely.
ChapterSeven
Finley
“Nothing to tell, my ass.” Taylor follows me, an annoying presence chirping at my back.