by J. L. Jarvis
Without lifting his head from the comfortable sofa, he surveyed the room. “It does look good, doesn’t it?” So did she. “Merry Christmas, Annie.”
As they sprawled side by side on the sofa, Finn was overwhelmed by a sudden desire to kiss Annie. So he quickly stood. “Well, it’s been a long day. Don’t get up.” As he walked to the door, he said, “See you tomorrow.”
Finn took long strides to his A-frame. What was that? It wasn’t even the first time that day he’d thought about kissing Annie. Since they’d found themselves back at Cedar Creek, emotions he’d tamped down years before had come flooding back. Everyone told him—whether he asked them or not—that he’d be too vulnerable for any serious relationship for at least a year after his divorce. But dating hadn’t even occurred to him until now.
Finn walked inside and got a fire going in the wood stove. Since spending time with Annie again, he’d found himself wanting more. Doing something about it, however, took him back to that moment over two decades ago. If Annie had ever had those sorts of feelings for him, she wouldn’t have run off and married Matt. That alone was a sign that Finn wasn’t her type. There could be no more polar opposite of Finn than Matt.
Even if she had any interest in him, shifting gears from friendship to romance was too risky. How many dating relationships lasted a lifetime? Not many. If things didn’t work out, their friendship—if it even survived—would never be the same. The thought of losing Annie was too much to bear.
What did I say? Annie stared at the door Finn had just closed. Everything had been fine all day between them. They’d had fun decorating his house then hers. He hadn’t seemed like he was in that much of a hurry when they went up to the attic to search for the ornament box. Annie told him she’d be fine using the ornaments they’d bought at the Christmas tree farm, but he insisted. It took half an hour, but they found it. She recalled his expression when she saw it and turned to him. He was so happy for her.
Had she done something to reveal her deeper feelings for him? After all these years, had she suddenly slipped up and scared him away? Even so, how could he rush out like that without saying something? She knew the answer. What could he say? “I’m sorry I don’t love you back?” There were no words that wouldn’t make it worse. In his place, she might do the same. Just walk away. Maybe run.
14
After his hasty departure the evening before, Annie wasn’t sure whether Finn would still come to the pizza party. So when he knocked at the door, she was relieved but a little uneasy. Still, if she’d done something wrong, wouldn’t she have an inkling of what it could be? But in he walked, carrying three pizza boxes and a twelve-pack of beer. He went straight to the fridge with the beer then turned and drew in a breath as though he were about to say something. Ella walked in, and whatever it was remained unsaid.
Finn had said hello, and although Annie had said hello back, there was unvoiced tension between them. Annie couldn’t blame either of them. While it wasn’t Finn’s fault, his son had just left Ella alone with unresolved issues between them. As far as she was concerned, Finn was on Team Connor.
Annie chimed in with news of the weather. A nor’easter was brewing and heading their way in the next couple of days. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for snow. I like it for Christmas and New Year’s, and then it can stop. Of course, it never does.”
Finn and Ella smiled politely. Ella’s eyes darted anywhere but in Finn’s direction. “The decorations look great. It’s very festive and Christmassy in here.” Ella smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. At least she was making an effort.
A door knock put them out of their misery. It was Regi with a stranger in tow.
“Annie, this is Alex Laghari. Derek had to work, so I brought Alex. He’s new in town, so I thought I’d introduce him to some of the locals.”
Regi’s friend Alex wouldn’t be friendless for long. He was staggeringly good-looking. Annie tried not to stare as she took in his dark eyes, strong cheekbones, regal nose, and black tousled hair. As he walked in and met Ella and Finn, Annie turned to Regi with a wide-eyed, questioning look.
Regi said to the others, “We’ll be right back.” She turned to Annie. “I’ve got to see that dress you were telling me about.” She dragged a confused Annie to the bedroom and said in hushed tones, “You’re welcome. I tried to tell you Alex is hot—and he just bought your dream house. You’re meant for each other.”
“Except for the part where I told you I’m not looking for a relationship right now.”
“Well, it found you. As much fun as it must be to live the life of a cloistered nun in the woods, this is a real opportunity.”
“You make it sound like a business investment.”
“Well, honey, if I were single, I’d want that asset in my portfolio.”
Annie’s mouth hung open for a moment. “I’m just not ready.”
Regi gave her a no-nonsense look. “Well, get ready, ’cause you deserve to be happy.”
Annie didn’t feel at all happy at the moment. “Does he know why you’ve brought him here?”
“I brought him to make some new friends. That’s all.”
Annie exhaled. “We’ll talk later.”
Annie walked into the kitchen to find Finn playing host while Ella set out plates and napkins. Alex stood with his back to her, looking tall and broad shouldered. Hearing Annie and Regi approaching, he turned and flashed an engaging smile. She couldn’t fault her friend’s taste. Anyone with a pulse would find this guy attractive.
Her musings were interrupted when Ella peeked into the first pizza box then discreetly went over to Annie and whispered, “Sorry, Mom. I’m not feeling well.” She escaped to her room while Annie made apologies for her.
As the evening went on, Annie gave up trying to find Alex's flaw. Everyone had at least one. If she could find his, she’d have an excuse to offer Regi so her friend would let go of this dating idea. But Alex was charming and smart. He’d even brought her a gift, which was entirely unnecessary, since Regi had brought not only a hostess gift but a Christmas gift too.
After dinner, they casually sat around the fireplace. What began as stories of favorite past Christmases evolved to reminiscing about past Cedar Creek summers.
Finn had just finished telling how they could identify every summer until about age thirteen by which play-related injury one or both of them had sustained.
Annie said, “My favorite was the tire swing.”
Finn winced. “Age twelve.”
Annie tried to pout, but her laughter won out. “There was this tire swing hanging from a branch over the creek. All the kids used to do it. We’d jump on the tire and swing out over the creek. Well, Finn’s turn came, and the rope broke.”
“Everyone was laughing too hard to see I was hurt—except Annie.”
Annie shook her head as if it was nothing.
Finn said, “Doctor Annie made a splint with some sticks and a beach towel and walked me home. I had a cast on my arm for the rest of the summer.”
Alex smiled at Annie. “So, how long have you two been married?”
Annie froze, glanced at Finn, and caught Regi’s stunned expression from her peripheral vision. “Oh! No! We’re not...!” She realized she had pointed to Finn and herself at least twice. Then she laughed a weird, uneasy laugh. “We’re not married! We’re friends.” She laughed again and said, “Yeah, we’re just friends.” By the time she made something akin to an umpire’s gesture for safe, Finn had the most peculiar expression. She couldn’t quite pinpoint its meaning, but he wasn’t amused. That much she knew.
Alex, on the other hand, looked thoroughly charmed. So she smiled at him. Their eyes locked for a moment.
Regi came to the rescue and brought everyone back to some semblance of normalcy. “How about a game of charades?” She said it with such enthusiasm that everyone agreed. Regi assigned teams, claiming Finn for herself, which left Annie and Alex together.
An hour later, it was down to the wire
. Both teams were tied. It was Annie’s turn to pantomime. It was a movie. Two words. Annie mimed pulling something over her shoulders. Everyone called out their answers.
Finn said, “Sweater!”
Regi called out, “Coat!”
Alex said, “Shawl. Shawshank Redemption!”
Alex leaped up. They both cheered and then hugged. Still feeling victorious, Annie turned, smiling, to Finn. He appeared oddly stunned. The air was electric. No one moved until Regi’s eyes darted from Annie to Finn, and she quickly got up and congratulated Alex.
Annie said, “I can’t remember the last time we did this.”
Finn appeared to be trying to climb out of the dark place he’d fallen into. “It was your broken-toe summer. One afternoon, it was raining. I came over to check up on you. You’d finished your book, and you begged me to play charades.”
“Oh, that’s right. I remember.” The rest of the memory came back to her. “You hated charades.”
He noted with a pointed look that left no doubt that hadn’t changed.
“Finn, I’m sorry. I completely forgot.”
He shrugged and smirked as though it didn’t really matter, but it obviously did. Still, not liking a game didn’t seem like a good enough reason to brood for the entire evening. Something else had to be going on. Maybe he was upset about Connor spending Christmas with Georgina. Whatever it was, she couldn’t do anything about it at the moment.
Regi said, “Well, I hate to be the one to say it, but I’ve got work tomorrow.”
Finn excused himself and disappeared down the hall.
Regi said, “Tell Ella we missed her. I hope she feels better.”
Annie wished she and Regi could talk more about Ella. She worried her daughter had taken this argument with Connor so much to heart that it was affecting her health. But Alex was there, so she nodded and said she’d pass along Regi’s thoughts.
While Alex helped Regi with her coat, Annie studied him. He had a presence that was undeniable. And those dark eyes of his could give a weaker woman a case of Victorian vapors, but Annie was strong. Still, she found herself recalling how her shoulders had landed just below his when they’d embraced. It was a sturdy embrace. If she were to pass out from the vapors, he would catch her brilliantly.
Finn cleared his throat, giving Annie a start. She’d been staring at Alex and hadn’t heard him arrive at her side. “Oh! I’ll get your jacket.”
“Got it.”
Sure enough, he was wearing it. “Oh.”
Alex reached out to shake Annie’s hand. “Thank you so much. I’ve enjoyed meeting you.”
“Same here. I hope you like Cedar Creek. It’s a nice community.”
Regi gave her a hug. There were jovial Christmas wishes all around, then the two made their way through the door.
Finn said, “Good night, Annie.”
Annie smiled. “Good night. Thanks again for the pizza.”
Finn lifted his chin in a half nod and left.
She had never thought about it before, but Finn usually stayed behind to clean up and chat about how the evening had gone. There wasn’t much to do now except put the leftover pizza in the fridge, but she missed their debriefing. She went to check on Ella and heard her snore softly, something she always insisted that she didn’t do. Ella sounded fine.
It was Finn she was worried about.
15
We need to talk. That was the cryptic message that had popped up on Annie’s phone no more than an hour after everyone left the previous night.
Regi, you just left my house, Annie texted.
But we couldn’t talk then. Are you free for breakfast at nine?
Annie had envisioned sleeping in until ten but let go of that dream. Sure.
Great. Diner breakfast at nine.
See you then.
Annie set down her phone with a curious frown. There was something almost cloak-and-dagger about Regi’s vague message. She had to have known Annie would stew about this all evening.
As it turned out, Annie didn’t stew for long. She picked up a book from the stack on her nightstand and started to read. When her watch alarm went off at eight thirty, she awoke with her face resting on the open book. If pillow face was a thing, Annie had book face.
She walked into the bathroom, half expecting to look in the mirror and see the reverse of page forty-seven imprinted on her left cheek. One look at her face made her wonder if that wouldn't have been an improvement. She solved the problem by averting her eyes. She pulled on some jeans and a sweater, ran a brush through her hair, brushed her teeth, and headed out the door. At 8:59 a.m., Annie slipped into a booth where Regi and a hot cup of coffee were waiting for her.
“I’ve got a meeting in an hour with the contractor for the second salon,” Regi said.
Annie leaned forward. “That’s so exciting!”
Regi was beaming. “It is. But that’s not why we’re here.” She raised an eyebrow and quietly said, “He likes you.”
Annie didn’t know how to react. “You don’t mean Finn, do you?”
Edgy shook her head knowingly.
Annie couldn’t deny she found Alex attractive, but it was more of an admiring-from-afar sort of attractive—like a movie star. Sure, they looked good on the big screen, but who’d want to date one? Those guys were so out of touch with the real world, she couldn’t imagine a conversation with one. But Alex Laghari? She’d spent enough time with him to imagine he could never be boring. And he was kind.
Regi waved her hand before Annie’s glazed-over eyes. “Annie? You went somewhere just now—I’m assuming with Alex?” She made a crooked face that, under any other circumstances, would have made Annie laugh.
Instead, Annie felt herself blush. “Regi, you’re—”
“Right?”
“Crazy! I’m not dating Alex!”
“Not yet.”
Panic was setting in quickly. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Well, for one thing, it’s been over two decades since I’ve gone on a date!”
Regi smiled. “You’re right. Let’s not rush things.”
Annie narrowed her eyes. “Very funny.”
Regi lowered her chin and looked over her glasses. “Why won’t you let yourself be happy?”
I don’t know. But she did know. She just couldn’t say it out loud.
Regi’s eyes softened. “Annie, honey, Finn’s a great guy, but you can’t carry that torch for the rest of your life.”
Why not?
“Because if you hold a torch long enough, it eventually burns you.” Regi tried another tack. “Give me one good reason why you can’t go out with Alex.”
“He’s too handsome.”
“Yeah, that would suck—having to look at that face all the time! But because you’re not shallow, you would see past his perfectly proportioned features to what a nice guy he is. He really is, Annie.”
“I know your business is really taking off, but have you ever thought of selling used cars?”
Regi leaned back and folded her arms with a scowl.
“’Cause this is a really hard sell.”
“Because he’s perfect for you. He’s easy to look at. I guess we’ve established that fact. He’s nice and successful, and he just bought your dream house. What more could you want?”
“Love?” It made Annie sad to admit it, knowing how unlikely it was.
Regi exhaled. “You don’t know that you won’t fall in love with him.”
“And I don’t know that I will.”
“No one ever does! That’s what dating is for!”
“Aren’t you leaving something out?” Annie asked. “He hasn’t asked me out.”
Regi closed her eyes and shook her head. “Because asking you last night would have been awkward. I was there. Finn was being weird. Who wants to ask someone on a first date in front of an audience? That’s why he asked me about you on the way home. He didn’t want to be pushy or make it awkward for you, so he gave me
this.” She handed Annie a business card with a handwritten message on the back.
Coffee sometime? His phone number followed.
Annie stared at the card for a moment. “It’s pretty cryptic.”
Regi’s eyes widened. “It’s a business card, Annie, not an illuminated manuscript.”
Annie tore her eyes from the note and looked up at her friend. This couldn’t be happening.
Regi nodded. “Call him.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Don’t think too long.” Regi glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to go.” She squeezed Annie’s hand. “You can do it.” She stopped by the register to pay and walked out of the diner, leaving Annie still studying the card.
Two hours later, Annie sat at her kitchen table with the card in her hand and her cell phone on the table. She’d already started to dial twice and lost her courage. But Regi was right. It was time to let go of her feelings for Finn. Guys like Alex didn’t stumble into her life every day. She was making too much out of this. It was only a date—not even that. It was coffee. Even if it didn’t work out, he could turn out to be a good friend. Annie’s shoulders slumped. Just what I need—another guy friend I’m attracted to. Am I attracted to Alex? He’s attractive. And he's nice. And fun. He's a kick-ass charades player. What if we could be a thing? She sighed. Well, you’re not going to find out if you don’t call him.
Ella wandered into the kitchen, drying her hair from a shower.
Annie hastily slid the card under the napkin holder. “Feeling better?”
Before Ella could answer, a loud knock on the door startled them both. Finn yelled, “Annie! Open the door!” She was still opening it when he said, “It’s Connor. He’s had a ski accident.”
Annie shoved her phone into her purse and, leaving the card on the table, threw some clothes in a bag and rushed out to the car. While Ella zipped up her suitcase and followed, Annie dashed off a quick text to Regi, asking her to check in on Mr. Willoughby while they were gone.
Annie insisted on driving the three-hour trip to Stowe. While she drove, Finn and Ella passed along regular updates from Georgina’s texts. Connor had swerved to miss another skier then lost control and gone into the trees. Georgina and Adam were skiing with him when it happened. “He’s conscious.”