Page 26 of Capture The Moment

Finn sighed and then closed his free hand over hers, essentially trapping it there. “Everything I’ve done, I’ve done freely. For you, for Blake, and for me.”

She met his eyes then, and it was impossible to look away.

“You make me out to be this unselfish do-gooder, but some of it has been for me, Harper. Can you understand that?”

And then he slid his hand up her arm and cupped her cheek—her traitorous cheek, which leaned right into his warm, calloused palm like it belonged there. They were silent for a long moment while Harper wondered what more to say. What could she say? Maybe Finn needed her as much as she needed him, to stay connected to Blake, the man they’d both loved.

“I think so,” she ventured.

Finn was gently caressing her cheek with the pad of his thumb, and while he meant it to be comforting, it was having a different effect. Yet she didn’t pull away.

“I don’t want to crowd you, though, so I’ll try to back off a little. If that’s what you really want.”

He’d leaned forward so that she saw the various shades of blue in his eyes, the stubble on his jaw, the straight line of his nose. She caught a whiff of his scent again, but this time, she picked up a distinctly musky, male smell too. She wondered if he was as warm as she was and if it was for the same reason.

She half-shook, half-nodded her head, indicating that she wasn’t sure what she wanted. Observing him at this proximity made it difficult to think.

Finn chuckled, the sound of it as warm as his palm on her cheek. And then he inched forward, and while maintaining eye contact, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. If she wasn’t mistaken, he lingered there for a few seconds longer than necessary. He’d kissed her forehead before, and she knew it was a friendly gesture, but why did it feel different tonight? She could still feel the imprint of his lips after he’d pulled away.

“I’m glad we had this talk. I think we understand each other a little better now, don’t you?”

Yes. No. Hell if I know! “Um-hum,” she mumbled.

Finn sat back in his seat, and she removed her hand from his, breaking all contact. “So, I guess I’ll see you later,” he said and started to get out of the car.

“Finn. Wait.” She wasn’t sure what she was going to say until she said it. “I can still call you, right? If I have a question about something?”

Smiling broadly, he said, “Harper, you can call me anytime.” And with that, he unfolded himself from her car, hopped into his truck, and drove away.

Harper’s fingers hovered over his name as she debated whether to call. She’d just picked up her shiny new SUV, and she wanted to show it to someone. She would have called Julia, but she was going out with her sorority sisters. After all, it was a Friday night, and most people probably had plans. But the thought of going home to an empty house (except for Daisy) sounded daunting, so she pressed down on the call button and waited for him to answer.

The phone rang four times before he said, “Harper?”

“Yes. Hi, Will.” And suddenly, she felt nervous.

“Hi. How’s it going?”

“Good. How are you?”

Will chuckled. “I’ll be better in about ten minutes, when I get off work.”

“Oh, crap! I’m sorry. It’s after five, so I just assumed...”

“No worries. I’m just wrapping up a few things before I leave.”

“Well, I was just calling to see if you wanted to meet up for a drink or something.” I am SO bad at this!

“Sure. Although I have plans with some friends later, so I’ll have to cut out early.”

She hadn’t counted on that. She’d been hoping that they could spend some more time getting to know each other. But it had been last-minute notice, so what did she expect? “We can do it some other time if you’d rather.”

“No, no. It’s fine. I’d like to see you. Where do you want to meet?”

“How about the Clarkston Tap?”

“Great. I’ll meet you there in about fifteen minutes.”

Harper arrived first, and because the parking lot was already filling up, she went inside to get a table. She had never been there before, but Blake had been there many times. He and his friends (including Finn) used to stop there for a drink after playing basketball on Friday nights. The thought of it made her uncomfortable for a moment, but she shook it off. It was impossible to avoid all the places that Blake had been to.