Amused at her candor, he offered his elbow again, searching her eyes for forgiveness. When she tucked her fingers into the crook again, the tingle was back, but it felt normal.
“Mum will love this dress. But watch out… she’ll probably ask where you bought it. Hopefully, she won’t be able to buy a matching one, so you won’t ever be… big and small red Twinkies.”
“No chance of that. I bought it from a resale shop.”
“I’m sure it looks better on you than the original owner.”
A chuckle bubbled from her throat. “You’re getting better at this, Finn. There may be hope for you, after all.”
“Good evening.” The driver, who stood by the open limo door as they approached, had eyes only for Laurie. “May I say you look stunning in red?”
“Yes, you certainly may. Thank you.”
She bestowed the most brilliant smile on him, her even white teeth sparkling. He grinned like a schoolboy with a crush, and Finn fought a sudden urge to accidentally plant a sharp elbow in his ribs.
“We should get going,” he said crossly. “Don’t want to keep Mum waiting.”
Inside, on the plush leather seats, Finn was relieved when Laurie scooted away, leaving a generous space between them, allowing him to clear his head. He watched her expressive profile in the soft inner lights of the limousine.
“Thanks again for doing this,” he said. “I don’t expect you to act like you’re in love with me or anything.”
“Good thing,” she replied.
“I need to tell you one more thing before you meet my mum and sister.”
“I think you already told me more than I could possibly retain this afternoon.” She ticked off facts on her fingers. “Your mother is Susan. Your step-dad is Joe. She married him and moved to the States after your dad died in a car accident. You have two older sisters, Sarah and Katie—both married with kids. Neither of them has CF. And I don’t remember the kids’ names.”
“That’s more than I thought you’d remember, but this isn’t another factoid. I just wanted to tell you Katie knows the scoop.”
“You told her the truth?”
“I didn’t have the chance to talk to her alone at lunch, but I called her an hour ago to enlist her help. She knows everything. She’ll help deflect my mum’s questions.”
“That sounds good.”
Laurie’s fingers roamed lazily along her purse strap, and his eyes were mesmerized. He found himself jealous of the strip of leather, caressed by her gentle touch. He tore his eyes away.
“Mum, however, will probably grill you about your entire life’s story.”
“She’ll be bored. I’m not that interesting.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you about Mum and my sister… they’re really pushy.” Even as he cautioned her, he felt the need to defend them. “Don’t get me wrong—I love both of them. My mother would give you the shirt off her back, and my sister would probably invite you to live in her house. But they really like to meddle. To be honest, my whole family is like that. Even me. I think it’s genetic.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m warning you they both really want me to get married, and I’m afraid of what they might do.”
“But your sister knows the truth, right?”
“Yes, but I don’t trust her. Even after I told her what really happened—the whole fake girlfriend thing—she was asking all kinds of questions about you, like where you were from and how to spell your name.”
She sat up, bolt-straight
, glaring daggers at him. “Did you tell her?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I? Anyone could guess how to spell Laurie Fields.”
“I know that. But you told her where I’m from?”