“I’m sorry, Laurie. I don’t know how to be friends with a woman. Bran told me I probably offended you with the money thing. But I promise, I didn’t mean to. I don’t want to end up like this guy you hate so much.”
“First of all, I don’t hate him. I just don’t respect him, and I wish I never had to deal with him again. And second, he’s not like you at all.” How could she explain? She’d already said too much about her father. Finn would start putting two and two together if she wasn’t careful. “You can be extremely irritating when you want to be, but down deep, you have a good soul. You care about people. You wouldn’t be working this hard for Limitless if that wasn’t true.”
“Does that mean we’re friends again?”
“Sure.” She forced the word through gritted teeth.
Or, I could pick up a hammer and pound it on my thumb about a hundred times. Either one—equally fun.
Chapter 8
Finn felt conspicuous in the waiting room, wearing a mask and gloves, but a person with cystic fibrosis had to take precautions. Hospitals were dangerous places, teaming with bacteria.
“I still can’t believe he didn’t tell us it was more than a biopsy. This is major surgery, removing part of his lung.” Cole returned to his seat, handing Finn one of the coffee cups in his hands. Finn stowed his mask in his pocket and took a sip, wincing at the harsh flavor. But he wouldn’t complain—he needed the caffeine to stay awake. He’d only slept for three hours before rising to complete his cystic fibrosis treatment in order to be at the airport for a five a.m. flight. Even in a private jet, they had to arrive forty-five minutes early.
“He didn’t want us to come and make a big deal about it.” Finn understood. He would’ve done the same. He often kept his hospital stays on the down-low. It was almost as if having his friends there made him admit it was actually happening. If he was alone, he could pretend he was simply living in a dream-world, waiting to return to real life.
“The good news is it was only in one lung, and they think they got it all.” Bran was only repeating what they’d all heard when the surgeon gave his report, but it was worth repeating.
The conversation died as each sat, lost in his own thoughts and worries. After a few minutes, Finn asked Branson the question that had been on his mind all weekend. “How was the dinner party Saturday night?”
“Great. You missed some good steaks.”
“That’s it—rub it in. First you invite me. Then you uninvite me. Then you torture me by describing the food I missed.”
Cole piped in. “I already told you the food was good.”
Branson managed a hint of a smile. “Ellie was excited to be there and s
ee Laurie. I appreciate you giving up your spot for her.”
“Did Laurie… did she say anything about me?”
“Nope.”
“Nothing at all?”
“She didn’t even mention you. At least, not to me.”
“Okay.” Finn couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad. At least she didn’t complain about him. “I’m kind of surprised.”
Cole lifted his hand. “Uhmm… excuse me. Did I miss something? Is there some reason Laurie should be talking about you? Did you give her such a hard time she wants to quit?”
“No, we’re fine.” Finn took another sip of coffee, shuddering as he swallowed.
Finn thought he’d closed the subject, but Cole persisted. “I’m set to finish the shareholders’ report by Wednesday, and I could take over the LA fundraiser. I wasn’t planning to stay in New York past Friday, but this…” His gaze shifted around the stark waiting room. “This changes everything.”
“Are you sure you’ll be able to clear your schedule?” Branson asked.
“I will. This is my priority.”
Finn made a quick decision. He had the Laurie-thing under control now that they’d defined their friend-relationship. For some reason, he no longer wanted Cole to take his place. He must be feeling possessive about the job. “I’ll stay on the fundraiser. You can cover Jarrett’s other projects.”
“What about R&D? Don’t you have a new game release in a month?” Cole lifted the coffee to his lips and drank, pursing his lips.
“I’ll get it done. It’s not like I have a social life.”
“That’s true.” Cole chuckled. Then his smile faded as the room got quiet again. The sound of a dinging elevator echoed down the corridor. “Can I just ask—is anyone besides me scared?”