The Mckennas: Finn, Riley and Brody

CHAPTER EIGHT

HE WAS having a good day. The smile on Henry Winston’s face told Ellie that, along with the doctor’s tentatively positive report. They were on an upswing right now, and her father was gaining ground. For the first time, the doctor had used the words “when he goes home.”

Gratitude flooded Ellie, and she scooted the vinyl armchair closer to her father’s bedside. Happy sunlight streamed through the windows of his room at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her father had more color in his face today. The tray of food beside him was nearly empty. All good signs. Very good.

After last night’s bitter disappointment with Finn, Ellie could use some good news. She’d tossed and turned all night, trying to think of a way to convince Finn to help her with Jiao. If he didn’t, how would she make this work? He hadn’t said for sure he’d get an annulment, but she hadn’t heard from him since the conversation on the balcony. She could pick up the phone and call him herself, but she didn’t. Because she didn’t want to hear him say he’d ended their marriage. And ended Ellie’s hopes for adopting Jiao.

Maybe Linda could try appealing to the Chinese again. Perhaps if they saw how committed Ellie was to adopting Jiao, they’d relent on the marriage rule.

Ellie bit back a sigh. From all Linda had told her, that was highly unlikely. Ellie was back at square one, with Jiao stuck in the same spot. Finn had let her down. He’d accused her of wanting this to be a real marriage.

Was he right? Did a part of her hope, after those kisses and that dinner, and all the jokes and smiles, that maybe this was turning into something more than just a platonic partnership?

She glanced out the window, at the city that held them both, and at the same time separated them, and realized yes, she had. She’d let herself believe in the fairy tale. She’d started to fall for him, to let down her guard, to do the one thing she’d vowed she wouldn’t do—entangle her heart.

Time to get real, she told herself, and stop seeing happy endings where there weren’t any.

For now, Ellie focused on her father instead. One thing at a time. “How are you doing, Dad?”

“Much better now that you’re here.” He gave her a smile, one that was weaker than Henry’s usual hearty grin. But beneath the thick white hair, the same green eyes as always lit with happiness at her presence. “They’ve got me on a new med. So far, it seems to be working pretty well.” He lifted an arm, did a weak flex. “I’ll be ready to run the Boston marathon before you know it.”

She laughed. “And the Ironman after that?”

“Of course.” He grinned, then flicked off his bedside television. His roommate had gone home yesterday, so the hospital room was quiet—or as quiet as a room in one of Boston’s busiest medical facilities could be. “How are you doing, Ellie girl?”

“I’m fine, Dad. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Ah, but I do. There’s some things that don’t stop just because your kids grow up.”

She gave her father’s hand a tight squeeze. She wasn’t about to unload her problems on his shoulders. He had much more important things to worry about. “You just concentrate on getting better.”

“How are things going with the adoption? I’d sure love to meet my granddaughter.”

Ellie sighed. “I’ve run into a bit of a snag.” Then she forced a smile to her face. Worrying her father—about anything—was not what she wanted. Henry didn’t need to know about her marriage or her new husband’s refusal to help. Chances were, Finn had already filed the annulment and Ellie’s marriage was over before it began. For the hundredth time, she was glad she’d kept the elopement a secret from her father. “It’ll be fine. It’ll just take a little bit longer to bring Jiao home.”

“You sure? Do you want me to call someone? Hire a lawyer?” Her father started to reach for the bedside phone, but Ellie stopped him.

“It’ll be fine. I swear. Don’t worry about it at all.” She didn’t know any of that for sure, particularly after Finn had told her he wanted nothing to do with the adoption, but she wasn’t about to involve her poor sick father. “Just a tiny delay. Nothing more.”

“Well, good. I can’t wait to meet her. I’ve seen enough pictures and heard enough about her that I feel like I know her already.” Her father settled back against the pillows on his bed, his face wan and drawn. “Hand me that water, will you, honey?”

“Sure, sure, Dad.” She got her father’s water container, and spun the straw until it faced Henry. She helped him take it, and bring it to his mouth, then sat back. “You sure you’re up to a visit?”

He put down the water, then gave her a smile. “Seeing my little girl always makes me feel better. Now, talk to me about something besides doctors and medications. Tell me how things are at the company.”

“Good.” She hadn’t told her father about any of the problems she’d encountered with Farnsworth quitting and the rush to get the Piedmont project underway. She wasn’t about to start now. Maybe down the road when he was stronger and feeling better.

He tsk-tsked her. “You always tell me that things are good. I know you’re lying.” He covered her hand with his own. “I know you have the best of intentions, but really, you can talk to me. Use me as a sounding board.”

Oh, how she wished she could. But the doctor had been firm—no unnecessary stress or worries. Her father, who had worked all his adult life, had a lot of trouble distancing himself from the job, and right now, that was what he needed most to do. Whatever she wanted—or needed—could wait. “You need to concentrate on getting better, Dad, not on what is happening at work.”

“All I do is lie here and concentrate on getting better.” He let out a sigh. Frustration filled his green eyes, and knitted his brows. “This place is like prison. Complete with the crappy food. I need more to do. Something to challenge me.”

“I brought you a lot of books. And there are magazines on the counter. A TV right here. If you want something else to read—”

He waved all of that off. “Talk to me about work.”

“Dad—”

He leaned forward. The strong, determined Henry Winston she knew lit his features. “I love you, Ellie, and I love you for being so protective of me. But talking about work keeps me from worrying about work. I’m not worried about you being in charge—you’re capable and smart, and I know you want that business to succeed as much as I do—but I miss being plugged in, connected. That company is as much a part of me as my right arm.”

She sighed. She knew her father. He had the tenacity of a bulldog, and now that he was feeling better, she doubted she could put him off much longer about WW Architectural Design. Maybe she could set his mind at ease by sharing a small amount of information, and that would satisfy his workaholic tendencies. “Okay, but if your blood pressure so much as blips, we’re talking only about gardening the rest of the day.”

He grimaced at his least favorite topic, then crossed his heart. “I promise.”

“Okay.” She sat back and filled him in, starting with a brief recap of Farnsworth’s defection, followed by glossing over most of the setbacks on the Piedmont project, and finally, touting the positive aspects of her temporary alliance with Finn. She kept the news mostly upbeat, and left out all mentions of her elopement.

“You are working with Finn McKenna,” Henry said. It was a statement, not a question.

She nodded. “He has the experience we need. I could hire a new architect but we don’t have enough time to do another candidate search and then bring that person up to speed. The prelims are due the fifteenth.”

“Finn McKenna, though? That man is not one you should easily trust. He’s made an art form out of taking over small companies like ours. You know he’s our competition, right?”

“Yes, and we have worked out an amicable and fair arrangement. His business got into a little trouble—”

“Do you know what that trouble was? Did he tell you?”

“He didn’t give me specifics.” Dread sank in Ellie’s gut. She could hear the message in her father’s tone. There was something she had missed, something she had overlooked. Damn. She had been too distracted to probe Finn, to push him to tell her more.

She knew better. She’d rushed headlong into an alliance because her mind was on saving Jiao and nothing else.

“He got involved with the daughter of a competitor. In fact, I think he was engaged to her,” Henry said. “And when things went south in the relationship, several of his clients defected to the other firm, taking all their business with them. I heard Finn raised a ruckus over at his office, but it was too late. A lot of people said he only proposed to her so he could take over her company and when it ended badly, she stole his clients instead.”

Daughter of a competitor. Wasn’t that what she was, too? Had Finn married her for control of the company?

Oh, God, had she made a deal with the devil? Her gut told her no, that Finn was not the cutthroat businessman depicted by the media. But how well did she really know him? Every time she tried to get close to him, he shut the door.

Wasn’t this exactly why she had stayed away from marriage all these years? She’d seen how her parents had been virtual strangers, roommates sharing a roof. She didn’t want to end up the same way, married to someone she hardly knew because she mistook infatuation for something real.

Ironic how that had turned out. Well, either way, the marriage would be over soon. She told herself it was better that way for all of them.

“Just be cautious, honey,” Henry said. “I’ve heard Finn is ruthless. You know they call him—”

“The Hawk.” The nickname had seemed like a joke before, but now it struck a chord. Had she missed the point? Was this entire marriage a plan by Finn to get his company back—

By taking over WW Architectural Design?

Maybe his “help” was all about helping his own bottom line. “I’m sure Finn will be fine,” she said, more to allay her own fears than her father’s. Because all of a sudden she wasn’t so sure anything was going to be fine. “He’s really smart and has been a great asset on this project.”

“I’d just be very cautious about an alliance with him,” her father said. “He’s one of those guys who’s always out to win. No matter the cost.”

“He’s been very up-front with me, Dad. I don’t think he has a hidden agenda.” Though could she say that for a hundred percent? Just because she’d married Finn and kissed him didn’t mean she knew much more than she had two days ago. Every time she tried to get close to him, he pushed her away.

“Don’t trust him, that’s all I’m saying. He’s backed into a corner, and a dog that’s in a corner will do anything to get out.”

Anything. Like marry a total stranger.

And try to steal her father’s legacy right out from under her.

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