If Henry was expecting her to ask what it was time for, he would be waiting a long time. She focused on making her coffee—what could she say? She’d grown fond of the pressed bean juice. She hadn’t had a word to give Henry since the time she’d overheard him refer to her as ‘the accessory.’
“Don’t you want to know what it’s time for?” he pressed, since Finn hadn’t appeared yet.
Her answer was to loudly stir her coffee.
“It’s rude to do the silent-treatment thing.”
Iris’s hand slapped down on the counter. “Oh, so now you’re concerned about what is rude?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Itmeansit’s not okay for me to not talk to you, but it’s totally fine for you to refer to me as Finn’saccessory?”
“Hey, no need to get emotion—”
“Idareyou to finish that sentence,” she cut him off, taking a step closer to him. “Dare you.”
“What’s going on out here?” Finn asked, walking out of the hallway in a pair of hastily pulled-up slacks. No top. Because that’s what she needed right then. Half-naked Finn.
“A small misunderstanding,” Henry claimed.
“Right. Because I couldn’t possibly comprehend your meaning with my tiny little female merfolk brain, right? So clogged up with emotions that a thought can’t pass through.”
To that, Finn’s head cocked to the side, his brow raised. Almost—dare she think it—annoyed.
But no.
A real emotion from Finn?
That wasn’t possible.
“Care to explain why Iris seems to think you’re insulting her?”
Something in Finn’s tone had Henry holding up both hands in a placating gesture.
“Iris overheard something … uncharitable I said to you. She is understandably upset about it.”
Finn glanced between them.
“He thinks I’m as useful as cufflinks.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“They’re an accessory, aren’t they?”
“Oh, that,” Finn said. He exhaled hard. And Iris absolutely did not notice the way his chest widened and his abdominal muscles contracted. Nope. Not her. “Iris, I already had a talk with Henry about that comment. You are not an accessory. You are a valuable member of this team.”
Well, then.
If he’d wanted to douse the flames of her growing desire, he’d certainly accomplished that.
“Well, asteammates,” she said, biting off that last word, “Henry has some sort of announcement.”
Finn watched her for a second, brows furrowed like she was a puzzle that didn’t quite make any sense.
“What announcement?” he asked, finally looking to his campaign manager.
“It’s time.”