She slid into the driver’s seat, shut the door and sat there.
You matter.
Two simple words. They shouldn’t unravel her. But they did.
She wanted to believe him.
And that scared her more than she wanted to admit.
CHAPTER 19
Finn stretched,the morning sun beaming through the blinds and warming the bare skin of his chest. He lay there for a minute, one arm behind his head, the other resting lightly over his heart. The room was quiet. Just the low hum of the air conditioner and the occasional creak of the house settling around him. There’d been no calls. No alerts. Not yet.
His thoughts drifted to the fundraiser the night before.
Chase had taken his idea and run with it, and Tessa, event planner extraordinaire, had worked her magic. She transformed the blank canvas of an old warehouse into something warm and elegant. He’d learn later whether the shelter made its goal.
And then there was Lainey.
He hadn’t expected to see her there.
She hadn’t spotted him at first, but he got a good look at her before she did.
And didn’t she look sexy as hell? That fitted, one-piece blue-green outfit hugged her in all the right places and brought out her eyes. Her auburn hair was down, those soft loose curls brushing her shoulders. He recognized the locket around her neck and felt a dull thud in his chest. He remembered when she got it. Her grandmother had given it to her at graduation. Howthrilled Lainey was with her first piece of “real” jewelry and the thought behind it.
He remembered that moment. He remembered everything. All bittersweet.
He rolled to his side and exhaled slowly.
She hadn’t mentioned she was going to be there tonight. Then again, it wasn’t as if she had to pass by anything with him.
Still, it would have been nice. It would’ve felt like they were friends—more than friends.
But that wasn’t all that struck him.
It was the tension in her shoulders when she talked to Lena Morales. A flicker of something in her eyes that passed quickly. The way her fingers tightened on the champagne flute.
She was tired. Stretched too thin. Holding too much in.
Finn rubbed his chest absently. He wanted to help, wanted to be the one she leaned on. But every time he got close, she held something back.
He hoped she’d tell him when she was ready.
But whether she did or didn’t, he wasn’t stepping back. Because all the vandalism, the rumors, the anonymous calls weren’t coincidences. It was targeted and definitely had to do with the project. And it was coming to a head.
And when it did, he’d be right there.
For her.
For them.
But first, he needed coffee. Lots of coffee.
He dragged himself out of bed, padded to the kitchen and brewed a strong pot. He poured a mug and looked out the kitchen window while he drank it. Outside, Jack and Will were in the yard building something.
The scene was peaceful. Finn stared a moment longer. He wondered what it was like to have a father-son bond. Sure, he had a happy childhood, but his dad was a banker, not a builder.
Bah. Not going there today.
