“Not your thing anymore?”
“Not so much. I’d rather experience the great outdoors from the comfort of a convertible.”
The overlook was a flat patio made of the same gray stones as the building. There were a couple of picnic tables, but both were vacant. It was later in the afternoon, well past lunch. Finn sat at the edge of the short wall that bordered the patio that overlooked row upon row of blue-green mountain ridges.
“Wow.” Iris stood beside her looking toward the vista. “This is really beautiful.”
“Worth the trip?”
“Definitely. And I enjoyed the drive also. That’s a great car. I can see why you love it.”
They were quiet for a few minutes, enjoying the view.
“You know, this used to be a major intersection of Cherokee trading paths.”
“Really?” Iris turned to look at Finn.
“Yeah, before it was the Appalachian Trail, like a hundred years ago, right through here was a Cherokee trail. The remains of the original Cherokee town are down there somewhere.” Finn leaned over, glancing past the ledge.
“You’re a good tour guide.”
“Too much local history?” Finn rocked back, shoving her hands in her pockets.
“No, I’d say you’re just right.” Iris smiled.
There it was again, a hint of flirtation. Finn was sure she wasn’t imagining it. They sat down on the top of a nearby picnic table, dangling their legs like little kids. Every time Iris’s leg brushed Finn’s she’d feel a little electrical surge. No matter how hard she tried to fight the attraction, it was no use. Iris was her type in almost every way. Iris was dream girl material.
Finn bought them a couple of sodas from the Mountain Crossings camp and supply store. The place was stacked with backpacking gear and clothing, but luckily also had a stocked drink cooler for thirsty hikers. They sat for another twenty minutes sipping the drinks and enjoying the view. Finn hoped Iris was having half as much fun as she was.
“I was thinking, there’s only one thing wrong with this day so far.” Finn tried to look serious but couldn’t stop the smile.
“What?” Iris sounded concerned.
“Cake. This day needs cake.”
Iris laughed, a magical, genuine laugh that hung a string of lights around Finn’s heart.
“Well, who am I to say no to cake?”
“Excellent. A birthday requires cake, and I know just where we can get some.” Finn jumped down and extended her hand to Iris. “Shall we?”
Iris accepted Finn’s hand and allowed their fingers to entwine for the briefest of moments as they walked to the car. The warmth from Iris’s touch shimmied all the way up Finn’s arm and settled in her chest before dropping into her stomach. With or without cake, from Finn’s perspective, this day couldn’t be more perfect. Dessert for dinner? Well, that was just an added sprinkling of powdered sugar.
Chapter Thirteen
Iris couldn’t help grinning. The whole day with Finn had been so easy. Not just easy, but truly fun. There was hardly ever a lull in interesting conversation, and when there were segments of silence she had no compulsion to fill them. Being quiet with Finn was just as pleasant as chatting with her.
Her feelings defied logic, but Finn made Iris feel calm. There was something solid about Finn. She had this way about her that made Iris think she was a person she could count on, that in a crisis, she’d be there for her. Of course, it was ridiculous to think this about someone Iris had known for only twenty-four hours, but there it was nonetheless. Iris had trusted people before and they’d let her down. Her father being chief among them. He’d been a huge, hurtful disappointment. She wondered if that’s how she’d ended up dating a guy like Kent, cavalier and generally immature, just like her father. Those were qualities she didn’t want to seek out in her next relationship. More than anything, Iris wanted to feel safe before she gave her heart away again. Safety would only come with trust.
Twenty or so minutes after leaving the overlook, they drove into a charming town called Blue Ridge. An historic railroad depot was the central focus of the quaint downtown, home of the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway.
Shops and eateries were in abundance up and down Main Street parallel to the train tracks. It seemed the little village was only a few blocks long and beyond that, everything quickly reverted back to a rural two-lane road.
Finn waited for someone in a pickup truck to back out and then parked in front of a Victorian building with a wide wraparound porch. The back of the truck had a patchwork of bumper stickers, but the one that caught her eye said “American by birth, Southern by the grace of God.” There were several others in support of the NRA. She reminded herself that she wasn’t in California, although, in the foothills of the Sierras they had their own sort of gun fans.
Sally’s Sweets was painted on the large front window, and the smell of baked goods overwhelmed her senses when they entered the cozy bakery style café. A bell chimed as they crossed the threshold, and a woman smiled and waved them toward a table near the front window. A cozy little two-seater, with fresh cut wildflowers in a Mason jar.
Now that they were here and the smell of confectionary delights surrounded them, all Iris could think about was dessert.
“The coconut cake is really good, but so is the key lime pie.” Finn was perusing the menu as she talked, not really looking at Iris. “I could go for pie or cake, I’m easy. I mean, only about cake.” She looked up at Iris and grinned.
“Good to know.” Iris was amused by Finn’s playful flirtation. She pretended to read the menu.
“It’s your birthday. You should pick.”
“Maybe we should have a little of each.” Iris glanced up.
“A woman after my own heart.” Finn set the menu aside. “We order at the counter and then they bring it over. I’ll go order. Do you want coffee too? Or tea?”
“A latte sounds good. Or just regular coffee if they don’t do espresso.”
“You’ve got it.” Finn ambled toward the counter.
Iris made a mental note that Finn’s ass looked very good in the jeans she was wearing. They fit just right, a little loose in the butt, low on her hips, and tapered through the legs. Finn made casual look good, effortless. People in LA probably paid hundreds of dollars to buy jeans pre-worn and distressed to perfection like the ones Finn was wearing. Iris had no doubt that all the custom wear on these jeans had been done by Finn personally.
Iris took a minute to look around the bakery. This place was an explosion of country cute. Funny sayings written in flowery hand-lettered fonts and then framed ornately, hung everywhere. The one closest to their table read, “We don’t have Wi-Fi, pretend it’s 1995, talk to each other.” She was pretty sure she’d seen that one on Twitter, but it still amused her.
The framed quotes were mixed in with paintings of barns, cows, and other rural scenes. And shelves of vintage looking dishware ringed the room close to the ceiling. The decor was basically a well-groomed, higher-end flea market, with baked goods. Cluttered, cozy, and not altogether unappealing if country chic was your thing. Given the context of Blue Ridge, it seemed to Iris that the owner had struck just the right note.
Finn returned with two lattes and set one in front of Iris.
“They’ll bring the cake and pie over in a minute. She’s a little backed up with drink orders.” Finn dropped one brown sugar cube into her coffee.
“Finn, thank you for today. Everything we’ve done has been really fun. I literally had no expectations for how I would spend my birthday other than possibly lounging and reading a good book. So thank you.”
“I’ve had a really good time too. You made the day-after-getting-fired seriously okay.”
The woman who seemed to be running the whole place delivered the desserts. Finn had been resting her elbows on the table. She rocked back in her chair to make room for the largest slice of coconut cake Iris had ever seen. There were four layers of cake, each separated by at least a quarter-inc
h of frosting.
“Wow.” The pie was piled with whipped cream.
“We can take a few bites of each and then switch if you want.”
“And then who drives us home when we pass out in a sugar coma?”
Finn laughed.
“Don’t worry, I have a high tolerance for decadent behavior, and that includes sweets.”
“Great. If I find myself in a confectionary crisis in the future, I know who to call.”
The key lime pie was in front of Iris, so she started with that. The flavor was amazing, and the graham cracker crust was perfect, not too hard, not too crumbly. They each took two or three bites without talking. Iris felt the sugar rush almost immediately. She knew that in about half an hour all she’d want to do would be to take a nap.
“So, how long does it usually take after you read for a part? You know, to hear if you got it or not?”
“A few days.” Iris scooped an entire spoonful of whipped cream and then licked the spoon. Finn was right, these desserts were decadently good.
Finn swallowed and took a sip of water. Watching Iris leisurely lick her spoon was doing nothing to temper her libido. She wondered if Iris truly had any idea how sexy she was. She must. She’d have to. People noticed Iris. It had started with her friend Ward, but all day long Finn couldn’t help but note how much attention Iris garnered from every random person they encountered, male or female. She wondered what it was like to go through the world that way. Finn cleared her throat and tried to focus on the cake in front of her.
“But you said you’re leaving tomorrow.” Small talk. Finn was trying her best for neutral subjects, when what she really wanted to do was ask Iris to meet her at the car so they could make out.
“I’m supposed to fly out tomorrow. I suppose if I get the part I’ll have to decide if I’m actually going to take it.”
“What’s your gut tell you?”
“My gut is currently experiencing a tsunami sized sugar rush.” Iris shoved the half-eaten pie in Finn’s direction. “Want to switch?”
“Sure.” Finn slid the cake over to Iris.
“Can we not talk about the show?”
“Oh, sure. Sorry.” Finn regretted bringing it up. She could tell it was a sore subject for Iris.
“It’s okay. I just don’t want to end the day talking about it. Especially since my gut has no idea how it feels about the situation.”
“Let’s change the subject.”
“Thank you.”
“What’s your take on Crocs?”
“As in the rubber garden shoe?”
“Yes.”
“Can’t stand them.” Iris laughed.
“Agreed. That’s definitely a check in the yes column for you.”
“Oh, how’s my score so far?” The corner of Iris’s mouth tilted up teasingly.
“High. Very high.” The temperature in the room seemed to soar suddenly.
“Good.” Iris held a forkful of cake near her tempting lips. “A girl likes to know where she stands.”
Finn would give anything to know for sure where she stood. Did Iris even like girls, the way Finn liked girls? Women, she corrected herself. Did Iris like women? Finn was sure Iris was flirting with her, but was this simply friendly female flirtation or was this flirtation that might lead to other things? She just wasn’t sure and it was beginning to drive her crazy. If Iris were planning to stay longer in Georgia then Finn would’ve just come right out and asked her. As it was, Iris was leaving tomorrow, so knowing or not knowing probably didn’t matter.
“Can I ask how you got into acting?” Maybe that was a happier question than asking about the current show she’d read for.
“Hmm, okay, here’s what happened.” Iris set her fork down and Finn knew that despite efforts not to, she’d asked another heavy question. “In my senior year of high school I lost half my family in a bad divorce.”
“I’m sorry.” Finn felt terrible for asking. She sincerely thought she’d picked a safe topic.
“My dad was a philanderer, which didn’t help, but he and my mom were mismatched from the beginning. When they divorced, his entire family turned against my mom and by extension, me.”
“Wow.” Finn felt sad for Iris. Her family by comparison was drama free, except for the usual meddling relatives.
“When I started applying for college I thought I’d go into science, or teaching. I’d really enjoyed biology in high school. I had to pay my own way so I ended up auditioning for the theater troupe that gave scholarships. That’s how it started, and then I just fell in love with it.”
Finn sipped her coffee and waited for Iris to continue. Iris looked out the window as if she were remembering something she was fond of.
“Acting, theater, gave me a family and sense of security when I felt like I had none.” Iris turned toward Finn. Her direct eye contact was as tangible as if Iris had reached across the table and touched her. “And then I dated a woman in college, so when that news came out, no pun intended, I lost a few more people in my life. But my theater family didn’t care who I slept with, they cared about me.”
There it was, the answer to the question Finn hadn’t been able to voice. Iris had dated women at some point. The flirtation she’d picked up on wasn’t all wishful thinking.
“My theater friends became my chosen family. I think a lot of actors get into this because they’re broken people somehow.” Iris took a sip of water. “Of course, there are always people who want the fame and money. But I’ve met so many actors who were orphans of the world and that’s why they found their way to it.”
“Thank you for telling me.” Finn sensed that this wasn’t something Iris readily shared. Iris had allowed herself to be vulnerable and Finn didn’t take that offering lightly.
Iris expected Finn to run for the door. She hadn’t meant to speak so openly, but once she started talking it simply spilled out. She was afraid she’d made the conversation heavy. She couldn’t read Finn’s expression. Was that empathy or annoyance? Was Finn sorry she’d asked? Iris had two modes—avoidance or overly honest. She either didn’t share at all, or she told the truth completely. Sometimes honesty worked against her.
“Sorry, that was probably more than you bargained for when you asked.” Iris still couldn’t quite read Finn’s expression.
She wanted to give Finn an out. To her surprise, Finn covered Iris’s hand with hers and let it rest there, despite the crowded café. Clearly, Finn wasn’t worried about the small display of affectionate support.
“I’m glad you told me.”
But Iris still wasn’t sure she believed Finn.
“What about you?” Iris wanted to change the subject, lighten the mood.
“Me? Oh, I can’t act. I’m terrible at it.”
Iris laughed. Just like that, Finn had lightened her mood.
“Lean in. I’ll take a photo of us before all the birthday cake is gone.” Finn held her phone at arm’s length.
“And birthday pie.” Iris scooted forward.
Finn and Iris both leaned toward the center of the table, and Finn snapped a couple of shots.
“Will you send me the photo?”
“Sure, here, put your number into my phone.” Finn handed Iris the phone. “I probably have some good shots from the lake too. You can scroll through and just put a heart on the ones you like.”
“Hearts and cake and birthday wishes.” Iris entered her number.
“Wishes. I knew I was forgetting something. We need a candle…for wishes we definitely need a candle…”
Iris laughed at Finn’s faux display of urgency.
“Don’t move. I’m going in search of fire.”
Iris watched in amusement as Finn left her to search for a candle for the last third of the epic slice of coconut cake.
* * *
The return trip to Hideaway Haven seemed too short. Iris was grateful that Finn had thought to bring jackets for them. She’d gladly pulled on Finn’s heavy hooded sweatshirt for the dr
ive down the mountain after their yummy dessert dinner in Blue Ridge. She’d been wearing Finn’s baseball cap most of the day. It was nice to loosely braid her hair and tuck it into the cozy hood for the drive back to the cabins.
Only briefly did she get a glimpse of the night sky as they wound their way through all the hairpin curves. The two-lane road was narrow and only occasionally did the thick canopy allow for a view of the moon. The air had cooled just enough as to be refreshing, but not chilling. And night sounds were all around them—tree frogs and cicadas.
They’d hardly talked the entire drive. Iris had been thinking that the whole day with Finn had been like a glorious vacation from reality, from her life in California. Maybe Finn was thinking something similar? Hard to tell from the expression on her face as she drove. Every now and then she’d glance over at Iris and smile. More than once, Iris thought of reaching over to rest her hand on Finn’s thigh, but that would just be a tease for both of them. She was leaving tomorrow, and chances were she wouldn’t be back. Better not to start something she might actually want more of.
Finn parked in the open-air garage, and after they took the towels and cooler out of the trunk she helped Finn replace the cover over the car. Finn left the cooler and towels piled on her porch and walked Iris to her cabin.
Suddenly, things were awkward. Iris remembered she was wearing Finn’s sweatshirt and tried her best to tug it over her head gracefully. Not an easy task. The hem of her shirt slid up, exposing several inches of her stomach, and her hair feathered everywhere from a light dusting of static electricity. She righted her shirt and then smoothed her hair down with her hand as she held the sweatshirt out to Finn.
“Thanks for this. It made the ride home pleasantly warm.”
“You sure you don’t need it?”
“No, I’m just going to take a hot bath and probably curl up with my Kindle.” Iris could tell Finn wanted to kiss her, but hesitated. “Thank you again for today.”
Chasing Sunset Page 9