“You know this could go very, very wrong,” he warned. “Then she’s going to be mad at all of us.”
Glumly, Penelope nodded.
“Okay then. If you think it’s what’s best.” He dipped his head to catch her gaze, pulling it away from the table. “Sure, you can always move in with me if she kicks you out.”
Penelope knew she should be more worried about being kicked out. Instead, she focused on the other half, finding it very appealing. “Thank you,” she said gratefully.
“And this is happening the day after tomorrow?” Finn still sounded incredulous.
“He booked it while we were still talking. If you hadn’t taken so long to ‘tidy,’ you could have weighed in on it,” she joked. “He flies out tomorrow night.”
“Okay then. We’ll see what happens.”
They stayed in the Franciscan Well’s enchanted back garden for one more drink before heading to Finn’s place. He opened the door for her into a one-bedroom apartment. The front was comprised of a kitchen, dining space, and living room, all in one, with floor-to-ceiling rectangular windows that were the main attraction, offering a view down to the River Lee.
“I pay for the view. But it’s worth it,” Finn said, ushering her in.
A subdued Penelope stepped over to the window that was taller than she was, looking out at the river in low tide. A not-so-picturesque abandoned shopping cart could be seen sticking out of the murky waters.
“Of course, sometimes it’s better than others,” he conceded.
The many repercussions of Felix’s impending visit had been starting to occur to Penelope. What had seemed like a great plan now seemed extremely flawed. “Have I made a giant mistake?” she asked, unable to meet his gaze. She was afraid he would lie to her and didn’t want to see any evidence of it.
“I think you’re doing your best.” He came to stand behind her, putting his arm around her.
“Does anybody get happily ever after?” she asked, unexpected tears welling up in her eyes.
“Hey,” he turned her around, drawing her closer. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“They were the ideal, Finn. They were perfect together. They made each other laugh, shared their secrets with each other, and held each other up. If they can’t last… and you’re wonderful, amazing, and perfect, and in a few weeks, I have to go home.” She’d buried her head up against his shirt, never wanting to let go and lose this.
Easily scooping her up, Finn carried her over to the couch, placing her on his lap and holding her close.
“Now, I’m going to be the crazy girl,” she hiccupped awkwardly. “We haven’t even been together a full weekend. I’m probably scaring you off and ruining everything.”
“Hey, don’t you think I’ve been worried about the same thing? I just found you. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t intend to, either. I don’t know how we’ll make it work, but there has to be a way. People have done it before. We’ll figure it out.”
He wrapped his arms tighter around her, his fingers stroking her gently until her sadness was replaced by other feelings.
Chapter 16
It was evening of the following day before Finn dropped Penelope back to the house. All remnants of the Chinese food were gone. Bonnie had relocated back to the sunroom, her computer at her side. Managing a step up from pajamas, she wore a pair of black leggings and a wool sweater.
Taking one look at the two of them together, she snorted, rolling her eyes. “All loved up, I see.”
“Stop it,” Penny chided, making a point of creating physical space between herself and Finn.
He, however, refused to feel guilty, stepping closer to hover over her until she couldn’t ignore him. He lowered his face to hers, leaning in for a lingering kiss goodbye. They’d already agreed to spend the night apart so he wouldn’t have to make excuses when it was time to go to the airport. “I’ll leave you two to it then. I’m sure you have a lot to catch up on.”
He allowed himself a lopsided grin as he disentangled himself. “Love you, Von.” He enjoyed watching her mouth fall open. She was prepared to battle him, not accept platitudes.
“You dirty dog,” she responded in turn, having none of it.
Finn’s hand cupped Penny’s face one last time, his fingers trailing across her skin as he pulled himself away. “See you tomorrow.”
She nodded back wordlessly. She still had the evening ahead to get through, without giving anything away.
“Well?” Bonnie demanded as soon as the front door clicked shut.
