Her heart squeezed so tight it hurt.
She pushed up a wobbly smile, and then with a shivering breath, she stepped into him.
And Finn gathered her close without hesitation, folding her into his chest like she belonged there. He smelled like soap and spice and autumn air, filling her lungs, her heart. And the waiting tears slipped onto her cheeks, warming her face, blending in with the heat from Finn’s body.
But they weren’t painful. They were soft. Healing.
She burrowed deeper, pressing her face into his shoulder, letting the warmth and strength of him fill all the hollow spaces she hadn’t realized were there.
The wind sighed around them, and Finn drew her closer into his embrace, his chin resting lightly on her hair.
And somewhere, in the deepest, quietest part of her, the fear finally began to evaporate and give way to something much more promising.
Hope.
Chapter 19
@TeaThymeNC:Popovers: 0. Panic: 1.
Fortunately, the charming chaos in my kitchen had a name... and a ridiculously good head of hair. Still not convinced he should be allowed near a mixer, though. But his car is nice! Makes me think of blueberries. Anyone interested in a lemon-blueberry tart to help stave off the gloominess of all this rain? #TeamTea #DisasterChef #MoodBaking #RainyDayTreats
Comments:
@TGDPub:You say chaos, I say culinary creativity. And I have a great many ideas of how to stave off gloominess. #JustAsk #TeamPub #CinnamonSpiceAndSideEye #ChefInTheRain
@GrannyDOfficial:Culinary creativity? What’s really cookin’ in that kitchen? #SugarAndSpice
@WisteriaPublicLibrary:I second the lemon-blueberry tart! And third the flirting. Books go well with tarts and staying in. #ReadAGoodBook #RainyDaysRMade4Reading
@PastorNateNHC:As it is written in SecondBarista-lonians: “Let the rain fall and the pastries rise.” #HeBrewsAndBakes #PastryProverbs
@OldManRutherforton:I once proposed over a lemon tart. Still married. Coincidence? I think not. #WhenLifeGivesYouLemons #OldManAdvice
@WisteriaGeneralStore:New umbrella design incoming with the phrase “Let it rain. There’s tart to share.” Or “Wisteria Forecast: 100% chance of love and baked goods.” #PastriesAndPrecipitation #UmbrellaOfLove #SoggyButSweet
@LindsayMonroeOfficial:Can the tarts get the rain to stop before the weekend? No bride needs poodle hair. #SomeCurlsAreGood #TheseAreNotThose
@WisteriaBookClub:This rain is clearly symbolic. Cleansing. Foreshadowing. Someone better kiss in it.
@TeaThymeNC:@WisteriaBookClub If you’re trying to manifest something, could you also include “clear skies by Saturday”? I know @LindsayMonroeOfficial would appreciate it.
A knock at the door pulled Finn from the last sips of his coffee before bed. He glanced at the clock. Midnight? On a Sunday night? Who on earth?
He’d just gotten home from closing the restaurant—another good day, made even better by a surprise visit from Daphne. She’d walked in wearing a little red dress and her hair down around her shoulders, looking better than anything he’d ever plated. His fingers had itched to touch those golden strands. Did they smell like cinnamon too? Or distraction, because for the entire time she remained in the pub, he certainly couldn’t think straight.
When they’d first met, he’d have called her pretty. Smart. Sweet. The kind of woman who made lists and smiled at children and never forgot birthdays.
Not the kind of woman who made a man think about pinning her against a wall.
And yet, the more he’d gotten to know her, the more the wall-pinning sounded like the best idea of his life... all while murmuring his thoughts about her beauty against her neck.
Heat skimmed to his hairline and his pulse took an uptick. He lowered his cup and glanced toward the door, his grin tipping. But she fit the cuddle-on-the-sofa image too. Bantering in the kitchen. Going for long walks with Lucy betwixt them.
His grin stretched. Or doing just about anything else, as long as she was near.
Daphne fit into their life. Into his life.
She’d snuck past every defense without even trying. Not only her kindness and sass—though, heaven help him, he loved that sass—but the way she looked at Lucy alone had him falling all the way.
