Jumped by Colette Auclair Page A

He got a club soda and lime. A server clad in black stopped so Finn could pluck an hors d’oeuvre—something wrapped in bacon—from a silver tray. He meandered over to Melissa and said hello, hugging her and chatting. Someone clapped him on the shoulder. It was Nick, the groom.
    â€œLook who’s here! Phil Mickelson!” All those who had been golfing earlier turned toward Nick and Finn. Several golfers ambled over. Nick put a beefy arm around Finn. “This guy tore up the course today. He was on fire. What’d you have, five birdies? You must’ve shot a seventy in the end.”
    Finn shrugged. “I got lucky.”
    â€œLucky? You annihilated the ball.”
    â€œIt flies farther up here,” Finn said.
    â€œYeah. But in the wrong direction, at least for me.” It was Grady, who had joined the group. “You were a machine.”
    â€œI had a good day. Doesn’t happen often.” Finn looked over Nick’s rock of a shoulder to find Bethany. She was looking in his general direction, but not at him. He wanted her to look at him . Ridiculously, he wanted her to hear how well he’d done on the course. The duffers went on a while longer; they liked talking about golf almost as much as playing. Finn didn’t love golf—it was fine—but he’d played today to be polite. He itched to say hello to Bethany. As soon as he could get away from the golf chatter, he slipped out of the companionable fray.
    It took no effort to turn up next to her. He could smell that shampoo again. “Hey,” he said.
    She turned to him and smiled. “Hi! How are you?”
    â€œGood.” He cleared his throat. “How are you? You look nice.” It was the understatement of the century, but it was the best he could do. His brain was busy processing the shampoo scent.
    â€œThanks.”
    â€œYour feet better today?” He looked at her purple toes. “Ouch. They’re bruised!”
    â€œVery funny.”
    Finn was as comfortable at a party as a hermit. He could converse and be charming, but he disliked the fake smiles and pointless babble. He much preferred to talk with one person and get to know them. And at this party, he wanted to further reacquaint himself with his former wife.
    â€œSay,” he said after they had talked some more about her toes. “Would you mind giving me a tour? I’d like to see the interior layout.” It was a perfect excuse to spend time with her, away from the masses. And Kristen.
    Bethany lifted her chin an inch. She was deciding whether or not to give him a tour.
    â€œLook, if it’s a problem, never mind,” he said, and took a step away from her.
    â€œIt’s not a problem.” Those gray eyes lit up a little. “Not a problem at all.”
    â€œI’d appreciate it.” He was trying to make this interaction as smooth as newly sanded wood.
    Bethany turned on her heel and started walking away from him. “This way.” He couldn’t help but notice the half moons of her strong calves flexing as she walked in front of him.
    She threw open a slider that led into the house. “There’s the kitchen,” she said breezily, pointing to her left. She didn’t pause, but kept pounding through on the broad pine board floors. Finn wondered if she was putting new holes in the floor, she was hammering so hard with the pointy heels of her shoes. He had to push himself to keep up.
    â€œDining room,” she pointed out a room off the kitchen with a large, rough-hewn table and large windows. “This is the living room,” she continued, raising both arms without slowing down a bit.
    â€œYou got a bus to catch?” Finn asked, lengthening his stride to keep up. She was a good foot shorter than he was, but she was walking as fast as a trotting horse.
    â€œThere’s Amanda and Grady’s room, up where the piano is.” She pointed up a flight of stairs to a grand