Chapter 1069
[ 772 words ]
They found a cozy local bistro, the kind of place where the menu made no attempt at international flair. Tegan ordered enough to feed an army—a silent gesture of gratitude that Finley couldn’t possibly miss.
Finley took in the dizzying array of dishes filling the table. “There’s no way we can finish all this,” he said, dubious.
“We’ll just box up whatever’s left for later. I’ll take it home for dinner tonight,” Tegan said with an easy shrug.
Finley blinked in surprise. “Wait, you ordered dinner now, too?”
“Yeah. I’m not going out again tonight. I’ll just reheat these later,” Tegan replied, as if this was the most natural arrangement in the world. She spoke so nonchalantly that it was obvious she did this kind of thing all the time.
Finley frowned. “So… leftovers for dinner?”
“It’s just leftovers, Finley. It won’t kill me., I do this all the time.” If she was being honest, even day-old leftovers never bothered her, despite everyone insisting it wasn’t healthy. She always felt perfectly fine.
Finley let out a skeptical hiss. “You were raised as a Horner and you’re living on microwave scraps?”
What kind of household was the Horner family, anyway?
At the mention of the family name, Tegan’s fingers tightened around her knife and fork. A fleeting tension passed through her, but she quickly flashed a bright, practiced smile. “I didn’t actually grow up in the Horner house,” she said calmly.
It was true-she’d moved out ages ago. She never quite managed to get along with Leslie, and there was only so much of Leslie’s mind games she could put up with. Eventually, she’d simply left. Most people assumed Uriah had pampered her by letting her move out, but in reality, it had been her own decision.
Tegan made an effort to appear nonchalant, hiding the old loneliness beneath a mask of easy confidence. But Finley still caught a frail note of sadness beneath her words. He tactfully let the subject drop.
Instead, his tone cooled as he shifted the topic. “So, what’s the plan with Leslie?”
Leslie. Yesterday, Stella’s people had shown up, and Skye Yoder had been there, too. Skye had been livid-she’d joined forces with Stella’s crew, delivering a fierce beating and extracting the truth with ruthless efficiency.
Finley glanced down at Tegan’s hand, where angry red welts and swelling still marked her skin. The frostbite was from the day
before she’d sheltered from telne
wind in a cave as best she could, wrapping all her spare clothing around her upper body but some exposure was unavoidable.
Thankfully, they’d found her in time, so the damage was manageable.
Staring at her battered hand, even the usually easygoing Finley felt something cold twist inside him.
When he asked about Leslie, Tegan’s grip on her utensils grew even tighter. “We’ll have to do whatever Stella decides,” she said flatly.
Finley blinked again, then realization dawned. “That’s right. Stella calls the shots on this one.” Since Stella was handling things, Tegan couldn’t very well make the decision herself.
Finley leaned in a little. “If Uriah asks, just tell him that.”
Uriah, Tegan thought, internally bracing herself.
Finley nodded toward the entrance. “Speak of the devil-he’s here.”
She glanced over her shoulder to see Uriah entering, his presence sweeping through the bistro like cold wind. The long,
teel-gravet
overcoat he wore only emphasized. the harsh lines of his face. Helena trailed behind him, her expression icy.
As Helena passed, she fixed Tegan with a glare thick with hostility. If Uriah had taken a moment to look back, maybe-just maybe-every future misunderstanding could have been avoided But he never saw the way Helena glowered at Tegan, never noticed the venom turking quietly behind him. Tegan’s attempts to explain herself always seemed unnecessary in the face of his blindness.
The color drained from her face as the suffocating chill of Uriah’s presence closed in around her.
Tegan shot Finley an apologetic look. “Sorry.”
Finley bristled. “I’m not done eating.” What did she mean, sorry? Was she actually hinting that he should leave? He hadn’t taken more than a couple of bites yet! With determination, he speared a chunk of beef and popped it in his mouth.
Uriah noticed Finley’s unhurried attitude and his gaze grew even colder. “Dr. Yoder, are you that desperate for a free lunch?”
“Sure am,” Finley replied, unfazed. He was more desperate for this meal than he cared to admit. After all their years of knowing each other, this was the first time he and Tegan had shared a table like this. Of course he wanted to savor it.
Finley’s cheek was infuriating, but he ignored Uriah’s glare completely, turning back to Tegan instead. “You should eat, too, Tegan. Don’t let yourself waste away-look how skinny you’ve gotten. Come on, dig in.”
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