Sophie pinched his arm, but she didn’t argue.
Finn shrugged, glancing over his shoulder to find James wrestling Mandy off the curb again.
“Are you trying to break your neck?” James grumbled.
“You’re such a mother hen sometimes,” Mandy said, but she didn’t protest when he lifted her off the curb.
“You’re making me an old man,” James said. “If it’s not one thing, it’s another. Can’t you ever just sit still?”
“I thought you liked it when I squirmed,” Mandy said, her eyes flashing as she pushed out her lips into a flirty little pout.
James kept his arm around Mandy’s waist, not letting her feet touch the ground as he carried her toward his Ford Explorer. “Oh, I’m going to make you squirm, baby.”
Finn watched them cavort, his heart pinging as he wished – not for the first time – for someone to share little moments like these with. Both of his brothers had found love and contentment – and they were the ones not looking for it. Finn, who had always been open to the concept, was now the one left behind.
“I take it you two aren’t up for a snack either?” Finn asked.
James didn’t answer, but Mandy, who was still hiked up in his arms, shook her head over his back shoulder apologetically. “Sorry. I have to console James so he doesn’t have nightmares.”
James smacked her rear, opening the door to his Explorer and tossing her into the passenger seat. As he was moving around the vehicle, he paused. “I have a job for you tomorrow.”
The brothers were all partners in Hardy Brothers Security, a business James had started after his stint in the Marines a few years before. After their own military tours ended, Finn and Grady had joined him in the suburban-Detroit business – and the brothers had made quite a name for themselves in the region. Finn grimaced. “What? I hope it’s not a chauffeur’s gig. That last one was … uncomfortable.”
James barked out a laugh. “You didn’t like the sheik trying to run a harem from the backseat of the limo?”
Since they were in the security industry, the list of tasks the Hardy brothers were asked to perform was large – and often tedious. Finn wasn’t looking forward to whatever job his brother had enlisted his talents for the next day.
“It was one of the worst nights of my life,” Finn admitted.
“Well, tomorrow should be better,” James said. “I just need you to run security in the Madison’s Marina booth at the boat show down in St. Clair Shores. It’s a long day, but it’s not exactly taxing.”
That didn’t sound too bad – which meant there was probably a catch. “Why would a marina need security?”
“They’re having some promotion where they’re raffling off a three-carat diamond for people who sign up to buy one of their 2015-model boats,” James said. “You just need to make sure someone doesn’t steal the diamond before it’s raffled off. It’s a two-day job.”
“Where is the diamond going to be?”
“In some glass-covered thing in the middle of their display,” James said. “It should be easy.”
“It sounds boring,” Finn said.
James shrugged. “Hey, look at this way, at least there will be boat models to ogle.”
Finn brightened. That was a bonus. He might not find a soul mate there – but he would certainly find a date. Things were looking up.
Two
Finn had no idea who decided to host a boat show at the end of February – but he was sure whomever it was needed psychiatric help.
Michigan was mired in one of the worst winters on record, and yet the hall where the boat show was being held felt like the furnaces of Hell were heating it. Where had all of these people come from?
Finn ran a hand over his forehead, wiping away the beaded perspiration on his brow. He’d been sitting in a folding chair watching a diamond encased in Plexiglas for so long he could have sworn his ass had fallen asleep.
The boat show was swamped with people – most of whom Finn was convinced were only there because they were dreaming of summer. The economy in the area was still stagnant and even though Macomb County, located northeast of Detroit itself, was located on the edge of Lake St. Clair, only a small portion of the population could actually afford a boat.
If you’ve never been to a boat show, picture fifty different booths with fifty different boats on display in one big room without partitions. There are just as many salespeople as visitors – and each salesperson is trying to sell an idea more than an actual product.
In an effort to draw attention to their booth, various marinas and stores hire some hot young thing to parade around in a bikini to catch the attention of the assembled masses. The men were happy to engage in some small talk – while they’re wives were busy shooting the models dark looks whenever they thought their husbands weren’t looking.