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“Have you seen Finn yet?” Lucy asked, her tone more bubbly than usual. After the funeral, Colleen had admitted to Lucy that she’d enjoyed dancing with Finn.
“Not yet,” Colleen said.
The doorbell rang. “Hang on, I think my luggage is here.” She walked to the door and opened it wide for the doorman.
“Finn,” she said with a gasp. He was standing there in shorts and a sweaty T-shirt.
“Colleen?” he asked, his eyes widened in surprise.
“Lucy?” Colleen said, “I’m going to have to call you back.”
“Finn is there?” Lucy cried.
“Gotta go.” Colleen ended the call and said a silent prayer Finn didn’t hear her best friend’s squeal through the phone. She refocused her attention on Finn. “What are you doing here?” she asked with a hitch in her voice. “Sorry,” she said, slapping her forehead. “Of course. You live here.”
“Sean didn’t show up for a pickup basketball game. I forgot my phone at home, so I thought I’d stop by.” He rubbed the perspiration from his forehead with the hem of his shirt, revealing his defined abs. He hadn’t shaved, and the stubble enhanced his square jaw and full lower lip. “I didn’t think you were coming until tomorrow.”
She pulled her attention away from his lips. “I changed my flight.”
“Oh, hello, Mr. O’Connor. It’s good to see you, sir,” the doorman said, arriving with Colleen’s luggage.
“Hi, David,” Finn said, standing aside, letting David bring the bags inside.
Colleen held onto the door, her eyes averted from Finn, relieved that David’s arrival provided a welcome pause to this awkward situation. She had expected to see Finn eventually, but she didn’t think it would’ve happened right after she landed. And now he was standing in front of her, looking amazing, while she looked like a disaster.
“That’ll do it, Ms. Murphy,” David said, leaving the apartment with his empty cart. “Be sure to call the concierge if you need anything.”
“Okay. Thanks, David.” Colleen glanced up at Finn, who had his hands on his hips, staring at her. “Do you want a glass of water?”
“No thanks. I’ll wait until I get to my place,” he said, running a hand through his damp hair.
When Finn didn’t walk away, Colleen asked, “Sean should be home soon, do you want to come in and wait for him?”
“I’ll text him,” Finn said, turning to leave.
Colleen stood in place like an idiot. She didn’t know what else to say.
“Welcome to New York, princess,” he said over his shoulder, strolling to the elevators.
“Asshole,” Colleen said, slamming the door shut.
After taking a shower and unpacking, Colleen dressed in a wraparound casual dress made of chambray. She explored Sean’s kitchen for something to eat. His refrigerator contained only two items: a six-pack of beer and a huge bottle of Sriracha. The cupboard had a questionable loaf of sourdough bread and a jar of peanut butter. She could go out and find something to eat, but she didn’t know where to begin. She took a quick look at her phone. It had been over three hours since she talked to Sean.
Scrolling through her texts, she noticed a message from him thirty minutes ago:
I’m sorry. I’m swamped at work. I’ve asked Finn to show you around. We’ll grab dinner later.
She started to type a reply but was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. The doorman again?
She swung the door open to see Finn standing there with his hands shoved into his pockets.
“Oh,” she said in surprise. “I just got a text from Sean.”
“Ready to begin your tour of the neighborhood?” he asked, his expression tense.
Colleen considered her options. She didn’t want to depend on Finn’s help, but it would take forever to figure everything out on her own. If she accepted his offer, it would make her transition to a new city a lot easier.
“Let’s go.” He stepped away and walked down the hall.
