After dinner, I decide to go for a run on the trail to clear my head. Mostly because I’m too damn embarrassed to face Finn just yet. Why did I let myself get so drunk last night? And what else happened that I don’t remember?
On my way back to the house, my phone buzzes in my pocket. Pulling it out, I take in the name on the screen, guilt eating at me as I answer, bringing the phone up to my ear.
“Hey, Vi.”
“Well, hi, stranger.”
“What’s up?”
“How is it possible that I see less of you now that you live fifteen minutes away than I did when you lived halfway across the country?”
I wince, guilt filling me like smoke as I realize how right she is. “Sorry.”
“Heard you got pretty drunk last night.” There’s humor in her tone, but her words make my pulse race.
“Who’d you hear that from?”
“Finn. I called him before I called you, and he mentioned you went for a run, and that he was surprised to see you running after last night.”
“What else did he say?”
“Nothing much,” she says. “He couldn’t really talk because he was getting Tucker ready for bed.”
“Oh, well, what’s up?” Getting back to the house, I stroll up the steps, sitting on the top one, not wanting to go inside just yet.
“Wanted to check and see how you’re doing with the new gig,” she says softly, which only intensifies my guilt. I haven’t been distancing myself on purpose; it’s just kind of happened.
“It’s good,” I reply, looking out across the yard and fidgeting with the hem of the shorts I’m wearing. “I’m enjoying it. Tucker is a cool kid, and he’s well behaved.”
“That’s good. I’m glad.” Violet goes silent for a moment, but something is telling me she has more to say, so I wait. Finally, she asks, “Is anything going on with Finn?”
My brows pinch. “What do you mean?”
Why is she asking me that?My heart races in my chest as sweat lines the back of my neck.
My sister blows out a breath. “I don’t know,” she murmurs. “He came over the other day and acted really weird before leaving suddenly, and we’ve hardly talked since. I didn’t know if maybe he mentioned something to you?”
“Vi, he’s my boss. Why would he discuss his relationship with me?”
Huffing out a small laugh, she says, “No, you’re right. I’m sorry. It just feels like he’s pulled back a little lately.”
I shouldn’t ask, but I can’t help it. “How so?”
“I don’t know. Like, we used to hang out at least once a week, but lately, we’ve barely seen each other, and when we have been together, we haven’t been, you know…intimate.”
Fuck.“Violet, I love you, but I don’t need to hear about your sex life.”
Hearing that they’re not having sex shouldn’t make me excited, but it does. What a fucking shitty brother I am. If she knew this was where my head was at, she’d probably never talk to me again.
Giggling, Violet goes on. “I know, I’m sorry. I just…I like him, and for a while, it seemed like we were getting somewhere, but lately, it’s seemed to have halted.”
“Are you sure you guys are even on the same page?”
Shit, that came out harsher than I intended, and of course, she noticed.
“What is that supposed to mean?” There’s a bite to her tone, and I know I’ve struck a nerve. Jesus.
“I don’t mean anything by it, but Finn seems like a busy man with work and his son. Are you both wanting the same thing out of your relationship?”
