Jack glanced at his kid in the hospital bed for a little minute, a moment of agonizing doubt, but he ultimately nodded and walked out. Readjusting his seat, Finn turned to face Riley.So, he uttered. "Rugby?"Riley gave a shrug. "Lunchtime was just a muck-around game." I was tackled, but it didn't really matter how I fell on my arm.Finn looked over the cast. "Is there space for writing on it?"Riley smiled. "Not with this particular one. Until my arm is less swollen, this is only a fictitious one. You can write on one of those colored ones that I get to keep."Very cool," Finn remarked. "What game are you playing? He gave the Nintendo a nod."Zelda.""The most recent one?"Riley gave a headshake. Nope. They just have this old console instead of the new one, but because it's Ocarina of Time, it's still cool, he shrugged.Finn gave a wise nod. He was aware of how much Jack and Riley enjoyed playing video games, particularly the whole Legend of Zelda series.When Finn opened the door af
Peyton swore. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” The rain was pouring down and drenching her to the bone. Rivulets ran down her neck and under her shirt, not that her shirt wasn’t already wet through. She gripped the lug wrench and pulled, willing the nut to loosen so she could replace the tire and get the hell off the side of the road. All she wanted to do was go home and sink into a hot bath with a glass of wine and a good book. She did not want to be stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire in the pouring rain after the shitty day she had already had. It’s not that she hated her job, but ever since her ill-advised YouTube drunken rant, nobody was making her life easy. She saw the snide looks and heard the barely contained sniggers when she’d walked in that morning. Thankfully none of the kids knew anything about the incident and once she was in her costume, none of the parents did either. Dressing up as Wonder Woman was meant to be empowering, but today it just felt like an exc
Finn saw the stranded car and the blinking hazard lights before he saw the woman. He probably wouldn’t have stopped except that she looked so…pitiful. She was sitting in a muddy puddle wet to the skin and looked about ready to burst into tears with a moment’s provocation. He slowed and pulled over, coming to a stop behind her car, and contemplated the situation. She had a flat tire and it looked like she had been trying to get the wheel nuts loose. Her spare sat beside the car ready to go and the lug wrench was still attached to the wheel nut. He opened the door and stepped out into the rain. He quickly pulled on his waterproof jacket, although the summer heat made it uncomfortable. He locked his car and walked over to where the woman was sitting. She looked up at him and blinked resolute blue eyes at him. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t place her. “Do you need some help?” he asked. “Thank you Captain Obvious,” she muttered and he raised an eyebrow at her. “I
Of all the people to stop and help her, it had to be him. Peyton couldn’t believe that ‘Uncle Finn’ from the hospital had been the only person in all of the city and surrounding suburbs who would pull over to help someone in distress. When she had first walked into Riley’s room and saw him sitting there, her traitorous body had perked up. When she found out that he wasn’t Riley’s dad but his uncle, all her girl parts cheered. She had even flirted with him a bit. And then Riley had commented that ‘Uncle Finn’ was only there to perv on the nurses. Of course, he was. Hadn’t she learned that men were all the same? Had the whole Dale saga taught her nothing? Peyton pulled her car into the underground parking garage and found a place to park. Her building didn’t have its own parking and she paid a tidy sum to walk two blocks to her apartment, but at least her car was safe. With a sigh she climbed out of the car, grimacing at the mess she had made on the front seat. She would need to co
She had managed to rouse herself enough to crawl to the bathroom and have a bath without drowning in it. Now she was in bed with her iPad and extensive library of ebooks, hiding from the world and getting lost in the sweet, sweet love of imaginary people. The very last thing she wanted to do was to get dressed and go out. Even if it was the hottest new club around. “Come on,” Mia said, dragging the covers off Peyton. “I have VIP passes to Vibe. V. I. P. Do you know what that means?” She went on without waiting for Peyton to answer. “It means sitting in the VIP section. It means not having to fight for a seat. It means having a waitress bring your drinks to you instead of fighting for attention at the bar. Come on Peyton! We can’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! We don’t even have to line up outside the club to get in!” “I don’t want to,” Peyton whined. “I’ve had enough people-ing today.” Mia sat down on the bed with a huff. “You know that you’re letting h
Finn sat in the corner and watched as Liam worked the room. He didn't want to be there but Liam had needed a wingman - or so he said. In Finn’s opinion, Liam was doing fine all by himself. A waitress set a beer down in front of him with a wink before sashaying away. What did it say about him - the ultimate player - that he didn't even feel a spark of interest? Was he getting old? He sipped his beer and looked around the club. The vibe was new and trendy but as he took in the women, they all looked to be about twelve. God. He was getting old. He mentally shook his head. What was happening to him? He was not even thirty and he was living a life that most guys dreamed of. He knew for a fact that some guys would do anything to live a week in his shoes; they emailed him constantly asking for just that and offering to pay obscene amounts of money for his one-on-one consulting. Unfortunately for Finn, the whole thing had begun to feel empty. It wasn't so much that he didn't en
He managed to move closer, within earshot. The music wasn't so loud in the VIP section that you couldn't have a conversation. He knew it wouldn't be long before she was approached by an eager male and he wanted to see just what she would do in that situation. It didn't take long until the first poor sucker approached. Finn felt an anticipatory glee for what he was sure would be a blood bath. “Hey I noticed your glass was empty—” it wasn’t “—so I thought I’d bring you a refill.” The guy sat down opposite her and slid a fruity umbrella drink across the table to her. The drink she had yet to finish was in a tumbler and was clear with a slice of lime. If Finn had to guess, he would say it was vodka or gin. “Thanks but I don’t—” “So, do you come here often? I know the owner, so I’m here a lot, but I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.” “No, I—” “Yeah. Me and Scott, we’re like this.” He held up two fingers, crossed. Finn rolled his eyes. He was pretty s
She smiled at him, a genuine smile even if he was being cheesy. “I believe you were introduced to me as Uncle Finn.” She watched as his eyes narrowed in concentration before widening as recognition dawned. “Wonder Woman?” She nodded once and then looked away, embarrassed. She enjoyed filling in for Brandi while she was pregnant, but it wasn’t exactly a career that garnered a lot of respect. “That’s…kinda cool,” he said, his cheeks creasing with a grin. “I prefer the red,” he said, leaning forward to pick up a lock of her hair. Her breath shortened and her pulse picked up. He let the curl slide between his fingers, his eyes never leaving hers. It suddenly felt hot in the club and her cheeks flushed… maybe not just her cheeks. His eyes held hers and she felt drawn to him. She may have even leaned forward a little without conscious thought. “Hey,” Mia said, flopping down beside her and breaking the spell that Finn had woven around them. Peyton sat back