And now he saw it plain as day. She’d gone through hell. Alone. She hadn’t quit and was still fighting to build something more. By herself.
But he wasn’t going to let her go it alone anymore.
Not if he could help it.
Finn didn’t know how or if he could even earn her trust back.
But he sure as hell wasn’t going to disappear again.
CHAPTER 14
Lainey stoodat the sink as she put the final pot on the towel to dry. She stared out the kitchen window overlooking the lake. Tree branches cast shadows over the water, and the ducks were beginning their nightly waddle toward the big tree where her neighbor kept a bird feeder. The birds spilled the seeds on the ground; the ducks gobbled them up. Win-win.
The dishes were finished. Luke was in bed, and she thought about grabbing a glass of wine and sitting on the patio, letting the quiet wrap around her.
Or … she had a list of things she could be doing. Balance the checkbook, go over the contractor timeline, stare at her dwindling cash reserve, worry about the vandalism and try not to think about Finn.
How handsome he was! How he left a boy and returned a man. How seriously he was taking her protection. How upset he would be when he finds…
Nope. Not going there tonight.
None of the above would help her relax right now. She dried her hands on a dish towel and was putting the pots away when her doorbell rang.
Who could be stopping by at this hour?
She opened the door and blinked.
Dani stood there with a big smile, holding a bottle of wine. “Surprise.”
Behind her was a group of women holding various containers and bottles of wine.
“What’s going on?” Lainey asked. This was so unexpected.
“We figured you needed a break. I know Luke is in bed.” Dani grinned. “So, surprise! It’s girls’ night.”
Lainey blinked again. “Wow. I’m speechless.” She hadn’t had a spontaneous girls’ night in forever. Actually, never.
And who exactly were these women? She opened the door wider and ushered them in.
The women poured in. Her quiet home was suddenly warm and buzzing.
“I love this neighborhood,” Dani said, glancing out the living room window. “It’s quiet, and there is so much wildlife by the lake.”
“That’s how I felt when I found it,” Lainey said. She was still trying to make sense of the women, who were making themselves at home.
“I’ve forgotten my manners. Let me introduce you,” Dani said. She motioned to each woman. “This is Joy, our party planner.”
A slender, blue-eyed blonde stepped forward and gave a finger wave.
“Naomi,” Dani continued, pointing out the women, “is Joy’s sister-in-law, then we have Isabelle and her sister-in-law Felicia, and Emelia, baker extraordinaire.”
Isabelle looked like a fairy, all dressed in pink and yellow. She was shorter than Lainey’s five feet four and slender. Isabelle handed her a small ribbon-tied box. “Felicia and I make soap. We made a Dragon Defender bar for your son. Heard he likes them. It’s a citrus fizz, mint and cedar.”
“Oh, he’ll love that,” said Lainey.
“And for you…” Isabelle handed her a neatly wrapped bar. “We made Looking for Love. Coconut water, freesia and linen. Just because.”
Naomi groaned. “Really, Isabelle?”
