Worth the Weight (37 page)

He
waited until
Finn
digested that, seemed to agree and nodded his head.

“Beside
s, it’s a good write-off,” Pete
said, obviously wanting to lighten the moment.

Not any better with this giving and receiving stuff,
Finn
smiled and thanked Pete
again then started to turn.

“Just don’t hurt her,” Pete
called after him. “She’s...she’s fragile. I know she acts all business and totally in charge of everything, but she’s not used to mushy love stuff. Just...just don’t break her heart.”

Finn
turned to face Pete
. “I did once and it was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. I won’t let her get away again.”

Happy with that, Pete
shook
Finn
’s hand and both men we
nt in opposite directions. Pete
toward the lobby where two of his teammates were having a chew, and
Finn
to find Liz to tell her what’
d just happened. He was uncomfortable with the whole thing and he knew Liz would be able to put it all in perspective for him. She had that effect on him.

Before he could track down Liz, Gran and the kids found him.

“I’m
going to take the kids home now
. It’s been a long day for everyone.”

Annie could barely keep her eyes open, but her angelic face was flushed with the excitement of the weekend.
Finn
walked them out to the minivan, waiting discreetly as Stevie said goodbye to the purple girl. Heather, he thought Liz had said the girl’s name was. When he swung his exhausted daughter into his arms she whispered in his ear, “Wasn’t it just the best day ever, Daddy?”

He settled her into her seat, buckling her in and ruffling her hair. “It sure was, sweetheart. The best day ever.”

Annie seemed to remember something and looked around the parking lot. “Where’s
Lizzie
?”

“She’s still inside, honey. She has to stick around until the end. Why?”

His daughter relaxed once again. “Oh. I just wanted to say thank you. But I’ll tell her tomorrow.”

A lump grew in
Finn
’s throat as he watched the minivan drive away. Tomorrow. They would now have a lifetime of tomorrows to say thank you. And please. And I love you. And pass the bread and every other mundane thing that members of a family said to each other.

Passing his Jeep on his way back, he de
cided to put the bank note Pete
Ryan have given him into the glove box. It stuck in his craw, to accept the gift. It reminded him once again of all that Liz had brought to his life, all she had done for him and his children. All the things he had not been able to do himself.

The prickling feeling he now knew was his stubborn pride began to burn at the back of his neck. Seeing Liz would ease it. He went inside through a side door that the minivan had parked near for easier access to look for her. Not seeing her in the main room, he headed toward the lobby, but saw the back of Katie and Alison’s heads in a side foyer. Figuring Liz was probably with them, he head
ed in that direction. Liz wasn’
t with them, but before he could ask the women where
she
was, the words coming from Katie stopped him and he stood quietly to listen, the women unaware of him at their backs.

“I mean the woman is beaming, just beaming,” Katie was saying.

“Yeah, I guess this plan of hers was a good thing after all,” Alison said.

Finn
knew he should let the women know he was behind them, but he didn’t. Something stopped him from making his presence known.

“I guess so. Maybe she knew what she was doing. I have to tell you though, I was pretty concerned when she first told us about this master plan of hers,” Katie said, taking a sip of her wine.

“With good reason,” Alison said. “I mean, when your best friend says she wants to fuck an old boyfriend so she can test out her new body, I think concern is in order.”

The women sipped at their drinks as
Finn
thought about their words. He hadn’t realized that Liz hadn’t slept with anyone but him since she’d lost weight. It made sense, though, as shy as she had been about her body in the beginning. He found he liked the idea.

But something wasn’t right with what they’d said
.
Yes, Liz was getting used to her new body with him, but she hadn’t even know he was still in town until she’d run into him that night at the
Mine Shaft
, right? What did they mean “her master plan”?

A vision of one of her tablets, one she always quickly shoved back in her purse when he was around, came to mind.
It was labeled
“the plan” across the font in red marker.

The cool fingers of doubt swept across the back of his neck and he was just about to question the women when they began to speak again.

“Well sure, but what really bothered me was the whole sleeping with
Finn
only so she could be prepared for her relationship with this Davis Cummings.”

“Yeah, that was really unlike Lizard, I admit, but...”

Still stinging from the hi
t his pride had taken from Pete
Ryan’s generosity, the words cut
Finn
to the quick. He whirled and started back to the main room, not hearing Alison finish her sentence.

The door slamming behind him alerted the women that he’d been standing behind them. They just didn’t know how much he’d heard.

“Oh shit,” Alison said.

“Ditto,” Katie said and the women rushed after
Finn
.

Chapter Twenty

√ Make Yooper baskets for athletes

√ Buy new dress

√ Make sure photographers are attending

He had to find Liz. Had to hear from her mouth that what her friends had said wasn’t what he thought. A niggling voice in the back of his mind kept telling him it was true. That it all made perfect sense.

There was no way someone like Liz Hampton would want someone like
Finn
Robbins for anythin
g more than a good fuck. That’
s what she’d come here for, and that’s exactly what he’d given her.

No, he tried to tell himself. She had told him she loved him. His Liz wouldn’t lie. She was good, and clean and honest. They were going to have a future together. He and Liz and Stevie and Annie would be a family.

But the voice that had continually reminded him who he was - who he would always be - plagued him.
You’re nothing but the son of a drunk who can’t even provide for his own children.
He swallowed hard and tried to shake the thought. No, Liz saw him for more than that. She saw him for what he had tried to be, for what he
could
be. She’
d told him so.

Women lie. Women have always lied to you. Your mother. Dana. Now Liz.
The only time she told the truth was in the beginning, when she said she just wanted a summer fling.
Was e
verything else
a lie?
Especially
the loving him part?

He found her in the lobby of the re
c center, hugging some man he’
d never seen before. Someone who had obviously just arrived. The guy was decked out in a fancy suit. Who the hell wore suits to a community dance in the Copper Country? A sliver of ice-cold dread shot through him.

This was him. This was the guy. This was who
Finn
had primed Liz for
. The guy that was going to reap the fruits of
Finn
’s labors. The one who would have a life with Liz.

She saw him then, but didn’t seem to notice his fury as he stalked toward her. Probably too busy pressing herself against that asshole.

Pete Ryan
was also in the lobby talking with a couple of guys in the corner.
Finn
recognized them as clients of Liz, had met them yesterday, but not following sports, didn’t remember their names.

When he reached her, Liz calmly turned to
Finn
and said, “
Finn
, I’d like you to meet Davis Cummings, a friend and colleague of mine. Davis, this is
Finn
Robbins.
Finn
is Annie’s father.”

Annie’s father
?
That’s how she introduced him to t
his Davis guy?
Not even a token “friend” label?

Pride and fury waged a war within him. They both won out when he lifted his hand to Davis and said, “Davis Cummings? Oh yeah, you’re the guy Liz has been practicing for.”

Finn
felt a twinge of gratification when he saw the shock on Liz’s face. She looked past
Finn
to see Alison and Katie entering the room with looks of horror on their faces. She was always sharp, so he wasn’t surprised when she quickly put together what must have happened. “
Finn
,” she started to say but was cut off by this Davis character.

Shaking
Finn
’s hand he said, “I’m afraid I don’t understand. Lizzie’s been practicing what for me?
”
Davis’ glance left
Finn
and searched Liz’s face with something that bordered on delight
that she was doing something with him in mind.

The look sickened
Finn
and he lashed out. “She’s been practicing fucking, Davis. And she’s been practicing with me. It’s been quite a chore, let me tell you, but she’s finally getting pretty good at it.”

Complete
silence filled the lobby. Pete
stepped away from the two men he was talking with and moved toward Liz, seemingly coming to her defense. Jesus Christ, the
woman had so
many men willing to come to her, to help her, what the hell was he thinking that he could offer her any kin
d of life? He saw Liz wave Pete
away, but the hulking man stood close by, ready and waiting.

“
Finn
, you don’t understand. That was before. My plan…things have changed, now.”

Her plan. The words were shrill to
Finn
’s ears. He grabbed for her purse and searched through it for the tablet he knew would be inside. There were several. He pulled the out one titled “the plan” and let her purse drop to the ground. He sifted through the pages until they came to rest naturally on the page that had seen the most use.

Several items were on the list, all but one checked off.
Finn
’s eyes zeroed in on the last line.

Find, fuck and forget
Finn
Robbins.

Images screamed at
Finn
. Dana’s young, pretty face underneath him murmuring it was okay, she was on the pill. Dana’s weathered face screaming she’d rage a holy terror if he didn’t hand over the money. His mother telling him she’d
stop drinking and start being a better mother to Phoebe
. And Liz. Cradling his face and telling him she loved him.

It was the last image that hurt the most, cut the deepest. For it was Liz who he trusted more than anyone. She was the nice one. The good one. The one who did for others. The cheerful giver
,
for Christsake. She’d
come up with some diabolical plan to use him to satisfy her curiosity about her
body,
then go home to
some designer suit-wearing douche
.

And it would have been almost bearable if that’s all she’d done...s
lept with him once or twice,
then went back to this
asshole
that stood beside her.

But she hadn’t done that. No, she’d slept with him for a month, pulling him deeper and deeper under her spell. She’d spent every day at the farm with his family. With his kids. God, she’d been so great with his kids. And it had all been just part of some plan.

The pain slashed deeper at
Finn
and he felt the overwhelming need to slash back.

He waved the tablet in her face. “And I thought you were too good for me! I actually thought I had to aspire to be the kind of person you were. So kind, so generous. So
honest
.” He practically spit out the last word, intending it to burn Liz.

It hit its mark. Liz stumbled back as if his words had been a physical blow.

She grabbed the tablet from his hands, saw what he’d been looking at him, and said, “It’s not checked off. IT’S NOT CHECKED OFF!” Her voice shook, pleading.

“Why not? You certainly found me, and we know how much often you fucked me, Elizabeth.” He dug in his back pocket and came up with a pen. He took the tablet back from Liz and slashed a mark through his name. “It’s checked off NOW!”