20
FINN
For all my talk about getting up at the asscrack of dawn, I loved a good sunrise. Standing outside the fire house with a full cup of steaming coffee, I sipped and waited for the sun to make its appearance on the edge of town.
A slight shuffle-step whispered over the sidewalk to my left.
Tamping down a groan, I turned, coming face to face with Tammy. My eyebrows shot upward. “You’re up early.”
“Always up early nowadays.” She thumped her fist against her hip. “These old bones don’t appreciate a nice bed like they should.”
“That sucks.”
“Yes, it does.” She stopped beside me and craned her neck to stare at me. “You need to know there’s a rumor going around that someone saw Ronan sneaking out of Bree’s apartment window.”
I snorted coffee, then coughed so hard I nearly vomited it at her feet. “That’s not really any of my concern. We’re friends.”
“That’s exactly what I said.” Tammy’s eyes narrowed. “But maybe you ought to guard your heart a bit better, Finn. I like Bree, but maybe she’s not as sweet as she seems.”
My entire body blazed with an instant denial. I tamped that shit down and locked it tight. Even someone I trusted, someone like Tammy, wouldn’t understand what was happening between the four of us. But I refused to just let it go. “Don’t believe everything you hear, Tammy. You know better than most how this town is with gossip, especially with someone new. Bree’s a wonderful person, and I don’t want to hear any more talk like that.”
Tammy continued to stare at me with that inscrutable look of hers, but she eventually nodded. “I see what you mean.”
If Tammy spread what I said, it might end the rumor once and for all. Declan, Ronan, and I garnered a bit of respect over the years, and I had no qualms about using that to my advantage. No one deserved to have a fresh start more than Bree. And if she was spending private time with Ronan, that meant I could ask for the same.
I patted Tammy’s shoulder and made sure she didn’t trip on the curb as she headed down the street toward the coffee shop.
A week later, I’d figured out the perfect plan and put it in motion by sending Bree a text saying I needed her to meet me. I hinted at the urgency of it and sent her my pinned location.
Then I waited. My first day off from firefighting and I knew exactly how I hoped to spend it.
An easy breeze tickled the tree branches behind me, causing the newly formed leaves to rustle.
Gravel crunched and spewed as Bree rounded the curve. She came to a grinding stop beside my truck, her sedan dusty from the long gravel road. “Finn? What’s wrong?” She started talking before she’d fully left the car, eyes shot wide and a frazzled look on her beautiful face.
“Easy, love. Nothing to panic about.” I held out my hand, palm up. “Just wanted to surprise you. You up for a little drive?”
She studied me a beat too long before the worry washed away and she slid her hand into mine. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.” I walked her around the truck and helped her into the seat before closing the door and climbing in the driver’s side.
A series of rapid-fire questions exploded from Bree the instant I closed my door. I grinned and shook my head. “I’m not telling you anything until we get there.”
“But where isthere?” She huffed and crossed her arms, but the light smile gave her away.
I cranked the truck and headed out of town, humming under my breath the entire way while Bree pretended to stew in her lack of information. Her body language shifted the further we drove. What started with tense shoulders and crossed arms turned into leaning forward with her hands clasped beneath her chin. She all but bounced on the seat in her excitement.
I parked in what little shade the spring branches offered and waited for her to look at me. “Your mother used to come here when she needed time alone. I thought you might feel closer to her out here.”
She slid out of the truck and walked straight toward the cave system tucked behind a line of trees. A stream wound its way around to our left and eventually led to a narrow waterfall I hoped to show her. If not today then someday.
A chill lingered in the air and brushed over my skin when I entered the cave behind Bree. She stopped several feet in front of me, then walked on through to the clearing on the other side. The cave system could take days to navigate all the way through every twist and turn, but her mother had never bothered going further than the same clearing where Bree stood. She sniffled at my approach and covered her mouth with both hands.
Oh shit. “I’m sorry, Bree.” I settled my hands on her shoulders and tugged her back against my chest. “I fucked up, didn’t I?”
“No.” A ragged breath shook her shoulders. “No, Finn. You did something wonderful, and I’m grateful. I never knew about this place. You’re right, it does make me feel closer to her.”
“She used to tell me that she wanted to build a house here. Said she’d be the witch in the woods.” I grinned at the memory. “Course, we were ten at the time.”
