“You should be proud,” he said. “The work you’ve done is incredible. It will help a lot of people. I am sure of that.”
Elena felt warmth spread through her. “Thank you,” she said softly.
Finn held her gaze for a moment longer and then gave the pan a final toss. “Let’s eat.”
Finn prepared two bowls, and then they settled backonto the couch. Elena took a bite and had to stop herself from making an embarrassing sound of appreciation.
“This is really good.”
Finn’s face lit up at the compliment. They ate in comfortable silence for a bit. “So.” Finn picked up the TV remote. “Want to put something on?”
“Sure, what do you have?”
“Pretty much everything,” he said as he scrolled through the streaming app until a familiar heist movie popped up. “Oh! Ocean’s Thirteen!”
Elena burst out laughing. “God, you are obsessed with George Clooney.”
“I’m not obsessed with Clooney,” Finn stated in dramatic defense. “He’s just good at heists.”
“Uh-huh.”
“We talked about Ocean’s Thirteen on our first date. Made me want to watch it again.”
“Oh. Was that a date?”
“We had dinner together and then held hands in the parking lot.” Finn glanced at her. “That seems like a date to me.”
He was right, but she didn’t let it show. “I see. So, what does that make tonight? Our second date?”
Finn scratched his head in exaggerated deliberation. “I don’t know. We spent hours digging through financial reports and research data. Also, you’re wearing all of my clothes.” He paused. “Those sound like at least fifth date activities.”
Elena laughed at that. “Fifth date. Got it.”
He was right too. She was at his apartment. Wearing his clothes. Drinking beer with him. Eating the food he’d made for her. Watching a movie together on a Friday night. Whatever you called it, it didn’t matter. It was what she wanted.
“Unless you count the conference room,” Finn added casually. “Then this might be the sixth.”
Her body got warmer as the memory flashed before her. His mouth on hers, her back against the wall.
“That wasn’t a date. It was just my elaborate plot to make out with you,” Elena teased.
“I thought that was why we were there!” Finn said in mock defense as he laughed.
They settled back into the movie, but Elena felt the mood shift. Finn seemed a little more tense. A few minutes later, during a quiet moment in the movie, Finn turned toward her.
"Can I ask you something?" he said, voice gentle in a way that put her on alert. "About Miguel's father?"
Elena tensed, her fingers tightening around the cold glass of her bottle. It wasn't an unexpected question, especially given how much he knew about her life now, but it still caught her off guard. She rarely discussed her ex-husband with anyone, even Laura.
"What do you want to know?" she asked, trying to keep her tone neutral.
Finn seemed to sense her hesitation. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," he said quickly. "I just... I've been curious. About what happened."
Maybe it was the beer, or the lingering high of their discovery, or just the way she felt safe around Finn. Whatever the reason, Elena found herself wanting to tell him. "It's okay," she said, drawing her knees closer to her chest. "It's not a secret. Just not something I talk about much."
She took a long sip of her beer, organizing her thoughts. Finn waited.
"I gave up my career when Miguel was born," she began, her eyes fixed on some point across the room. "Afteryears of education and making a place for myself in research, I left it behind. It was what Mateo wanted.”
