Lainey had a son.
She hadn’t offered anything else. And he had no right to ask.
But he couldn’t shake the flicker in her eyes. Not quite guilt. More like guarded tension as if she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
What was she afraid he’d say?
Dex bumped him with his shoulder. “You’re quiet tonight. Find anything at the site?”
Finn blinked, coming back to the moment. “Not yet. But something is certainly going on.”
“Need backup?” asked Dex.
Finn shook his head. “Not yet.”
He wasn’t ready to say it out loud, but he had a bad feeling in his gut, and it wasn’t going anywhere.
“Well, you don’t have anything to worry about on your site,” said Caleb. “I’ll check in tomorrow, but it’s been smooth sailing with the electricians.”
The evening passed by in a blur of memories, half-listened conversations and good-natured joking.
But Finn’s mind was somewhere else. Finally, he stood. “I’m out. Early day tomorrow.”
He knocked back the rest of his beer, slapped down some bills, and gave a lazy salute.
Outside, the evening sky was dark and clear, dotted with twinkling stars.
He walked to his truck, turned on the engine, and just sat there.
He couldn’t help wondering what Lainey was doing. Where was the kid? Home with some guy? His gut twisted at the thought. Why did he care? He lost that privilege when he left her. Ten years ago, to be exact.
Finn slapped the steering wheel. “Damn it.”
Why did life have to be so complicated? And why couldn’t Lainey have picked another town to settle in?
He shifted into drive, pulled out of the lot, leaving the bright lights of the bar behind. His headlights cut through the dark. The road ahead was quiet, but his mind was working overtime.
He told himself he was just heading home. But part of him hoped Lainey’s car was there. Because the thought of stopping by, seeing her and saying hi flashed through his mind and was impossible to ignore.
Finn gripped the steering wheel tight. Bad idea. Worse than bad.
But still, he wondered. What would happen if he did stop by? And what the hell would he even say?
Heard you were here and figured I’d drop in? Oh, by the way, where’s your son?
Yeah. Real casual.
Really stupid.
CHAPTER 12
The next morning,Finn sat at the small kitchen table nursing a cup of coffee. The morning sun was just peeking through the blinds. He’d been up since dawn reviewing everything he’d learned the previous day after touring the site with Gus. Notes. Punch lists. Problems that needed solving.
And Lainey.
He felt a flicker of relief Lainey’s car was already gone when he got home last night. He still wasn’t sure that he wouldn’t have gone over to say hi. And that was a complication he didn’t need. Not when his pulse still kicked up thinking about her.
He scrolled through his phone and zoomed in on the X-shaped scratch mark. It meant something, but what?
