All the Way (Romancing Manhattan 1)

“You shouldn’t.”

“But five, or even two years ago I would have. And now I’m just numb when it comes to him. He’s a manipulator, and he’s toxic. So no, he isn’t welcome in my life. I do hope he gets help before it kills him, but I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.”

“That’s a tough position to be in,” he says as he plates our dinners. It smells and looks absolutely delicious. “I know your father struggled with his decision to have Kyle removed from the will.”

“I’m sure he did. My dad was a control freak, and he couldn’t control Kyle. But, my parents were good people. Isn’t it amazing how two kids can be born of the same couple, raised in the same household, and turn out so differently?”

“It’s fascinating,” he agrees, leading me into the dining room as he carries our plates. “Wine?”

“No thanks.” I cut into my steak and take a bite and can only look at Finn in absolute awe.

“Do you hate it?”

“Oh my God, Finn, this is delicious.” I take another bite and sigh with pleasure. “Did you go to culinary school?”

“No,” he says with a laugh. “I just cook what I like to eat. And I don’t like to eat bad food.”

“Well, this is great.” There are twice-baked potatoes and asparagus on my plate as well, and I dig in with enthusiasm, already forgetting Kyle’s text. “So, how does a successful attorney get to take this much time away from his own firm?”

“I just wrapped up a big case that I’d been working on for about eighteen months. I was exhausted. The great thing about corporate law is, it’s mostly a Monday-through-Friday gig, unlike criminal law, which I’m sure you know because your dad was also in the corporate law world.”

I nod, and he keeps going.

“But there are still some intense cases, and I just finished one. I was going to head back to the office tomorrow to help my brothers with a couple of their cases, but I have a few months before I have to start the heavy work on my next case, so I’ve been able to do a lot of work from here, especially since I’m not taking any new clients at this time.”

“That’s great,” I reply. “And it’s nice to have a place to get away to, to take you out of the city and away from the root of the stress.”

“Is that why you came here?” he asks.

“Part of it,” I confirm. “My parents have had this property since before I was born. From what I’ve heard, Dad got it for a steal and did a ton of remodeling to spruce it all up. So we were here every single summer my entire life. I have a lot of happy memories here, and it’s true that I needed to get out of the city. My apartment in Manhattan is convenient to everything that I love, and also a constant reminder that I don’t get to live that life right now. I couldn’t go to the house in the mountains of North Carolina because that’s the house that burned down, and the house in Connecticut is my parents’ house. It’s where I grew up, my childhood home, and it’s theirs. Does that make sense?”

“It does.” He reaches over and takes my hand in his, holding on tightly.

“So I had my doctor in the city refer me to one here along with a physical therapist, and made the decision to recover here. I still think it was the best decision.”

“I am exceedingly thankful that you made that decision,” he says, and kisses the back of my hand before turning it over and placing a kiss on my palm. “I was immediately attracted to you that day, and I apologize, because it wasn’t really the time or place to hit on you.”

“You asked me to dinner,” I remind him, earning a sheepish smile. “I was both pissed and flattered.”

“Well, I didn’t try very hard. You looked so sad. Haunted. And I want to punch the fuck out of Kyle.”

“That makes two of us.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“No.” I shake my head and take my hand back so I can cut my steak. “He’s all over the place. I’ve had calls from L.A., Texas, Florida. I’ve been told he’s spent time in Seattle. He just roams about, he doesn’t have a home. And every time he texts or calls it’s from a different number.

“I don’t even know how the police found him after the fire.”

“I’d feel better if we knew where he was,” Finn says.

“Why?”

“Because I’d rather know than be surprised.”

“Trust me, he won’t surprise anyone. I go years without hearing from him.” I take a sip of water and another bite of my potato. “It’s nice that you’re close to your family.”