Love and Rumors: A Summer Sisters Beach Reads Contemporary Romance (The Summer Sisters Book 1) (27 page)

“What do you think is going to happen to Finn’s career as an action hero now that everyone is thinking he’s out here playing house in Canada?” Jessica asked, her voice resentful.

Hailey’s cheeks burned and her hands shook. “If it truly mattered to Finian, he’d be here. Not you.”

“You don’t get it, do you? You don’t
get
what it’s like to be a celebrity.”

“And you don’t get what it’s like to be real.” Hailey turned the doorknob.

Jessica laid a hand on Hailey’s and she fought to keep herself from flinging it off.

“You hurt him, Hailey. He needs someone like me to protect him. He’s a lost man trying to become a big star, and he’s going to be eaten alive. And you know why? Because of you. If he falls, it will be because of you. Because you used him and you broke his trust.”

“Don’t play me.” Hailey yanked her hand out from under Jessica’s.

“You don’t even know what game we’re playing.”

“Actually, I do. But it’s a game for two and you’re the third wheel.” She opened the door, the crowd of photographers moving closer like a wall. “Have a nice life, Jessica.”

* * *

“You what?” Finn held his aching head. His ride with the paparazzi the night before had evolved into a long bender. They’d gone searching for Hailey at the opening, but finding everyone had left, they’d moved on to her house, where the lights were out. Then they’d started checking out the local bars, hoping to spot her. Eager to help local businesses, they’d purchased drinks in each establishment and before long, the night had involved him and a few others waterskiing in the dark as they, unsuccessfully, tried to find Nymph Island. It had been a fun way to blow off steam about Jessica, and would probably result in getting his mug back in the tabloids as a temporary measure while he tried to figure out his life.

However, now Jessica was standing beside his bed, insisting he come and deal with some sort of crisis that sounded a lot like her having chewed out Hailey to no effect.

She thrust a tablet full of “good boy” images at him.

“Aspirin,” he said, trying to focus.

“Taken by your
girlfriend
. She posted them on
Celeb Dirt!
along
with some chirpy ‘family man’ captions. Happy?”

He glanced at the images. Definitely taken by Hailey. He groaned and rolled over, tugging the blanket over his head.

What the hell did he miss while he’d been passed out?

“What time is it?” he groaned. It felt as if he’d just dragged his ass to bed.

“Two. In the afternoon.”

He
had
just gotten to bed. An hour and a half ago. He needed sleep. Caffeine. Hailey.

“Go away unless you’re Hails,” he said.

“She’s done with you, Finian. Don’t you understand?” Jessica’s voice was close, as though she was hissing at him through the covers. “She got what she wanted and she’s done. Washed her hands of you and your crap.”

“Am I in the tabloids? For bad-boy stuff?” He hated the way his voice rose in hope, betraying his emotions. His vulnerability.

“Yeah, online. A hazy shot that does you no justice.” Jessica whipped the blankets off him and he groaned as the bright light stabbed his eyes. She thrust the tablet at him again.

He took another glance at the photos. Definitely Hailey. He read the captions and suppressed the urge to hurl.

“I thought this was what you wanted,” Jessica said.

He glanced at the tablet again. The unexpected betrayal hit him again like a punch to the gut. The one person he’d thought he could trust, and she’d taken the version she wanted of him—the one he’d told her to keep quiet—and sold it to the public. She was no different from everyone else.

What a fool he’d been. And he’d even been warned by her old friend Polly at the party in Windermere.
Honey, you just
have
to watch Hailey. She’ll tell you one thing, then do the other.

“Doesn’t anyone want me for me?” he moaned.

“Oh, stop feeling sorry for yourself, and get up so we can fix this.”

“There’s nothing to fix, and didn’t I already break up with you today?”

“That was yesterday, and it’s gone viral, Finn.”

He pulled a pillow over his face, the soft cotton comforting. Of course it had gone viral.

Wasn’t there anyone in the world he could trust, and who would want the best for him and not themselves?

He tugged the tablet over and took a closer assessment of the damage. His stomach churned as he flipped through the images. He looked beautiful. Happy. Real. Content. Successful and confident. Like someone he’d like to be. Someone to be envious of.

But that was his private side—a side he’d shared only because he’d trusted her.

He stood and threw his shoes against the wall, making Jessica jump.

“Why did I even leave the ’hood?”

“Do you want to see a bender photo from last night?”

He glanced at an image Jessica brought up on the tablet. He paused for a better look, his anger still pumping through his veins. “Is that me pretending to eat a spotted turtle?” He swore and swung at the air before collapsing on the bed, diving his head under a pillow that smelled of Hailey.

Hailey had been right to sell him out. He was a big, fat jerk.

“The good news is that with all this controversy around you, you should be able to help those charities of yours. The bad news is that this could be the burst of light before your stardom implodes.”

“I don’t want to think about it.”

“I told that woman to back off.”

Finn lifted his head, wishing Jessica was a cup of coffee and not his needling ex. “You what?”

“She needed to be warned. She’s just some small-town chick who doesn’t understand the consequences of messing with your image…”

Finn couldn’t hear the rest of what Jessica said over the rage of blood roaring through his ears.

He leaped out of bed. “Quit interfering.”

“Um…helping?” She gave him a valley girl look.

“You’re making things worse. Stay away from her and quit meddling in my life. Didn’t I already tell you to leave me alone?”

“You’re confused, Finian.”

“I know, and you’re only making it worse. I need to see Hailey.”

“You aren’t going to have a life if you let her near you. Did you hear they are stopping the development of a very lovely resort and spa because of those old things—and because of you.” Jessica folded her arms, eyes narrowed. “Just remember Finian, if you go down, so do I.”

“Go home.”

Jessica turned on her heel, and with a glare, left the room.

Finn sagged, trying not to think. Trying not to feel.

Being a celebrity sucked.

He tugged the tablet closer and, unable to resist, flicked through the photos again. Ten images of him happy and relaxed. Looking like a family man, with Tigger in one of her fluffy party dresses resting on his hip. One of him smiling at Hailey over a cup of coffee, his hair bed-head messy. One of Hailey smiling over her shoulder at him while he was strapped to her back for parasailing. The amazing shot of him with the turtle in the reeds. One she’d taken in her studio, where she’d caught him just before a laugh. His eyes were lit up with what looked an awful lot like love.

Was he really this man? Could he be this person
and
fulfill his obligations? Could he make a difference with something as innocent as an endangered species? What would happen if he said “amen” to these photos and began a life worth living? A life full of meaning?

He ran his hands through his hair, wishing he had a crystal ball so he could look down the paths presented to him, so he could see where they would take him. And which path would lead him to Hailey. The one where they ended up happy together.

Finn reached for his vibrating phone.
Derek.
He flipped it on its face, wishing he’d lost it in the lake last night.

A few moments later the cottage phone rang, then his mother entered his room.

“Derek is on the phone for you.”

“Tell him I’m sleeping.”

“He said he needs to talk to you even if you’re, uh, indisposed.”

“Thanks.” Finn took the phone and turned it off.

His mother raised a brow, the
Toronto Sun
dangling from her hand. A familiar face was smiling out from the pages.

“What’s that?” he asked, pulling the visual arts section from her grip.

“Hailey.” His mother gave him a questioning look. “You missed her opening last night.”

“Yeah, I’m an asshole, Mom.”

“Language, please, Finian.”

“Sorry.”

One last look from Daisy and she closed the door, leaving him alone with the article.

Finn read the story about Hailey. New York galleries were already abuzz about her show at Simone’s. And critics loved how she’d hung a story and not just photographs. It was an unexpected surprise, they said. But the worst was that she’d given him due credit for hanging the show. Him. Finian Alexander. Linked to her artistic statement.

He lowered the paper and pushed the heels of his palms into his eyes. His cell began vibrating again and he knocked it off the bedside table, smashing it underfoot until it cracked and its screen went black.

Swallowing hard, he slowly tugged on a pair of jeans. He was a fake bad boy who was hiding his artistic side, and she was winning awards and getting big paychecks for revealing that fact to the public.

Never trust a noncelebrity especially when she had a camera. Rule number three. And he’d broken it along with all the rest.

And for what? A girl who didn’t love him back.

* * *

Finn paid the man in the cherry-red boat handsomely not only for figuring out where Hailey’s Nymph Island was, but also for transporting him there. It had taken him a while to figure out where to find her, but luckily, Muskoka was a helpful place. He cast a glance behind them as they sped across the water, watching the trail of paparazzi following them.

The loud boat tore across the lake, throwing waves as it spun around a sharp, rocky point on a horseshoe-shaped island in order to slip between the two islands. The driver chose the smaller island, protected by the horseshoe, and cut the engine as he cranked the wheel, swamping an old dock that supported a leaning boathouse.

Hailey. She was basking in the late afternoon sun, drink in hand, along with her three sisters, Tigger, Simone. They all had their mouths bent in various expressions of distaste due to his arrival. But it was Daphne who flew to her feet, fist raised, as she shouted to the driver. “You harbinger of death! Where did you get your boating license? Canadian Tire?”

“He probably did,” the woman beside her quipped. Finn guessed she had to be the sister he hadn’t met yet, Melanie. “That’s where we took the test.”

“There’s a law about speed limits, and you are well within thirty meters of shore—sensitive shoreline, in fact!”

“Maybe he needs a measuring tape. Men do tend to have a poor sense of length.” Melanie rocked back on her heels, arms crossed.

“Loons nest on this shore, as well as mergansers.” Daphne stormed toward them and Finn paused, one foot on the wet dock, one foot still in the boat. “How many nests did you just swamp? How many babies did you just drown in your reckless display of testosterone? How many family lines just came to an end because of your need to show off?” Her eyes filled with tears, and Hailey drew her back into the fold of women.

The driver asked Finn, “You sure you want off here? That one’s crazy. I’d say she’d eat you for supper, but I’m pretty sure she’s vegan.”

“Nah, she’s cool.” Finn climbed onto the dock and pushed the boat off, hoping he’d be able to get a water taxi to take him back—and quickly, if things didn’t go well. He was losing the indignant Hailey-you-used-me speech he’d created in his mind, and was starting to feel as though maybe the women would go after him instead of the other way around.

The boat roared away, swamping the dock with water again. Finn cringed as the women threw the driver icy glares before turning back to him.

Oh, hell.

Maybe next time he should ask an older gentleman in one of those long, 1920s wooden boats to take him for a ride. That way maybe he’d arrive without his foot rammed down his throat.

“Finian!” Tigger came bounding toward him, leaping into his arms.

He held her up, squinting as if unable to recognize her. “Is that Tigger?” He looked at the lifejacket clipped over her bathing suit, then up at her. “Where’s your big dress?”

She giggled and said, “I have a ruffle on my suit. See?”

He placed her back on the dock. “It’s a very nice ruffle. Very Tiggeresque.” Finn ran a hand through his hair and gave the women a sheepish half smile. “Uh, sorry for my poor arrival.”

He looked at the cluster of them, iced drinks in hand. He was crashing a celebration without a ride back. A few boats holding paparazzi drifted past the dock and he felt more uncertain than ever. When he was on shore it had seemed like the thing to do—come out here to shake Hailey’s hand and congratulate her on one-upping him. Basically, get a leg up with a passive-aggressive dig designed to make her feel guilty for outing him to the world as someone who was faking being a badass. And for intentionally ruining him and going against their deal.

“How are you going to get home?” Maya asked, stepping forward.

“Um…” He glanced at the sisters. There was something was off…as if he was the one in the wrong, and not only for the way he’d arrived.

He took a step back, almost falling into the water. He caught himself and quickly threw on a role. Confident man in charge, who was supposed to be here.

And action!

“Could I talk to you, Hailey?” He reached through the group of women, pulling her out by the elbow.

Hailey’s chest heaved, and her sisters and friend dropped back, eyes narrowed at Finn. He drew Hailey around to the other side of the boathouse and into the cool shade. The dock was worn, soggy in parts, and the walkway was narrow compared to the sunny side. Hailey leaned a shoulder into the green-stained siding and crossed her arms, probably trying to block out the boat filled with paparazzi drifting in the water behind her.

“So?” she asked, her voice low so her words wouldn’t carry over the water.