An attendant escorted them to their velour seats on the second row, below an elaborate velvet curtain that veiled the screen. Sissie and the producer gathered in the front rows with Peter, Isadore, and their core crew—a showrunner, prop master, set designer, cinematographer, editor, assistant producer, Harper’s research assistant, and all the actors accompanied by their publicists. They’d worked together for months to film, edit, and promote Olivia and Isadore’s story.
Finn reached for her hand. “Am I allowed to order a drink?”
She laughed. “At the after-party.”
“I don’t think I’ll last through the movie and a party.”
“You’ll be just fine,” she said, glancing over her shoulder as the seats behind them filled.
Marcia waved madly at them from several rows back, seated behind the entire Lamb family. At least twenty of her mom’s church friends drove down from Santa Barbara, and a group of Harper’s friends from film school filed in. Uncle Jim and his wife sat beside Isadore with their children—Harper’s cousins—scattered across the ornate auditorium.
Her mom would be so pleased to see all of them together, uniting to watch a movie inspired by the brokenness and redemption in her family. Tonight, Harper hoped, God would allow both Olivia and Angeline Rayne to peek behind the curtain separating their worlds and see all that He’d mended.
“I wonder what Olivia would have thought about this?” Finn asked.
“She’d probably be thrilled to see everyone together, and a little mystified as to why someone would want to watch a movie aboutherinstead of a film based on one of her books.”
Finn squeezed her hand. “Let’s pretend she’s in the front row with Isadore.”
She smiled. “I like imagining things with you.”
“I’m glad you asked the hard questions,” he said.
“Really?”
“Now that the truth is out, Haven House can grow.”
“Is that the only reason you’re happy?” she asked, her heart trembling under the theater lights.
“You’re prying again.”
“My curiosity knows no bounds, Finn.”
He lifted her hand and kissed it. “One thing at a time.”
Kelsey turned from the front row, leaning back toward Harper, her stage whisper plenty loud enough for Finn to hear. “I like him.”
“Me too,” Harper said, trying to ram down a fresh bout of worry that Kelsey’s declaration would muddy her relationship with Finn.
Kelsey winked at her. “He’ll keep you on the rails.”
Finn inched forward, completely ignoring Harper in the middle. “If I don’t get run over first.”
“Oh, you’ll get run over.” Kelsey laughed. “But she’ll apologize quite nicely before another idea pops into her head.”
“I’m sitting right here!”
“No, you’re really not,” Kelsey told her. “At least, not for long. I give you two minutes before your head is off someplace else.”
“One of us has to do the dreaming.” Harper nodded at the man beside her who’d worked so hard to make this dream possible for all of them. “This is Finn.”
She shook his hand. “I’m thrilled you’re not just a figment of her imagination.”
“Kelsey!”
When her friend turned away, Harper waited for the inevitable. The wistful look in Finn’s eyes. Ignoring Harper and Chet as he tapped onKelsey’s shoulder with a clever remark to continue their discussion or an offer of his phone number for when she returned to Catawba. Kelsey never encouraged the flirtation, but her very presence was a magnet too strong for most men—even the heroes—to resist.
“Harper?”
