If only everything in Teddy’s life could be fixed that easily. “We have a date tomorrow. I promise, no matter how tempted I may be, I won’t cancel.”
“There ya go. And we want to hear all the sexy details after.”
Dan laughed again, then came across the line louder as he called, “Bye, Teddy! We miss you!”
“Send cupcakes and I’ll miss you a little more,” Teddy said, but he couldn’t be upset over their meddling any more than he was upset about Erina’s.
A quiet night would have been nice if he wasn’t itching to call Finn, while knowing how desperate and ridiculous that was. Finn was busy, unavailable, even if Teddy didn’t know why.
The sun had long since set, and he was debating going outside to read on his cushy new beach chair when he saw a figure running near the water just down from his house.
Teddy didn’t need stupid teenagers or some cat burglar upsetting his night. Only most burglars didn’t have fluffy white shadows following them.
It was Nora, which meant the tall figure in the dark had to be Finn. What on earth was he doing?
Opening the sliding glass door and stepping out onto the patio, Teddy struggled to get a better look at his neighbor, who was seemingly running back and forth along the beach—at night, in the dark, playing with his dog.
Teddy could only stand there staring, until Smudge snapped him to attention by rubbing against his legs. He hadn’t let Smudge outside before, but judging by the way the cat walked to the edge of the patio, tested his paw on the sand, and recoiled, Teddy wasn’t worried about him wandering off.
“Teddy!” Finn noticed him, running full tilt out of the shadows, huffing and awkward-looking until he stumbled into the light.
He was drunk, so obviously so that his shirt was misbuttoned, like he hadn’t been wearing one until he decided on his evening beach frolic and threw it on with jittery fingers.
“You look about three sheets gone,” Teddy said, stepping off the patio next to his chair.
“Yep!” Finn called cheerily, laughing as he flailed with imbalance and toppled over onto the sand.
Mrs. Thompkins was sure to yell at them in her dressing gown if he wasn’t careful.
Reaching out to help Finn up, Teddy feared Finn would yank him down into the sand with him when he grasped his hand. Thankfully, even sloshed, Finn thought better of that and tuggedonly gently. Teddy sat on the end of his chair instead and left Finn where he was.
“You live in a beach house and won’t even step on the sand?” Finn slurred.
“I’m stepping on it.” Teddy wiggled his feet, which were in slippers now. “Dry sand on skin is the worst feeling in the world.”
“You live at the beach!” Finn cried again.
“Because I like the solitude and the view.”
“Yeah?” Finn said slower, leaning back on his hands to better display his own view, teasing a bit of abs with how his shirt hitched from being buttoned wrong.
“You’re more lit than one of your bonfires,” Teddy joked. “And here I was thinking whatever you had to do today was somber. Clearly, you’re celebrating.”
Finn snorted a sloppy laugh just as Nora bounded over to him. She noticed Smudge on the patio and tried to get him to play, but Smudge batted at her to go away.
“If the anniversary of my parents’ deaths is worth celebrating, then yes, I am!” Finn chortled, only for his expression to drop like the pit in Teddy’s stomach.
“What?”
“That’s not funny.” Finn shook his head at himself.
“Anniversary?”
“Mm-hm.” Lounging there in the sand, Finn stretched out his long legs. “Same day, too, just not thesameday.”
Teddy blinked, unsure how to steer the conversation when Finn wasn’t in his right mind. “I’m not following. I know you said they passed.”
“Car accident when I was ten. I was at Rose’s, playing. Mom died. Dad didn’t. Not right away.” He looked off toward his house rather than at Teddy.
