“You better believe it.” I grin back, feeling happy just to be near him again.
There’s a noise. Delilah clears her throat loudly. I look up, surprised.
“Hey,” she waves. “It’s me. One of the other people at this table.”
“Sorry.” I flush, but she’s smiling.
“God, you two are like a married couple already.” She sighs. “Way to make the rest of us feel single and alone.”
“Speak for yourself,” Lottie pipes up. “I have a man in my life.” She coos at Kit, who answers by launching a spoon of baby food at her. We all laugh. “OK, so maybe my love is unrequited right now.”
I hand her a stack of napkins, and Lottie wipes the mess off her face. “Thanks again for hosting the party,” she tells Finn. “I stopped by today to see if I could help with clean up, but you already had a crew in. The place was spotless.”
“I’m glad you had a good time.” Finn leans back, casually draping his arm around my shoulders. “It was good to catch up with everyone. I haven’t seen some of those guys in years.”
“Your set was quite the hit,” Delilah notes. “Someone already put it up online.”
I give Lottie a look. “Not me!” she protests.
Finn chuckles. “It’s okay, hazard of the trade.”
“When are you getting back in the studio?” Lottie asks eagerly. “I can’t wait to hear some new music.”
I feel Finn tense slightly beside me, or maybe that’s just his muscles rippling as he reaches to sneak some hash browns from my plate. “One of these days,” he answers casually. “The muse is a tricky thing. You can’t rush art.”
“Says a man with a platinum record and money in the bank.” Delilah pops a piece of pineapple in her mouth. “I bet you weren’t so relaxed back before you had a hit.”
Finn laughs. “True. Back then I hustled for anything I could get. I would beg and borrow studio time all over the place. This one producer in Nashville took pity on me,” he remembers, smiling, “He let me come in at one, two AM after all his other clients were done. I barely slept in a month, but those were the first demos I ever cut.”
I watch his face, just talking about it. There’s a light shining there at the memories, something inspired. I realize that I’ve barely seen this side of him. I caught a glimpse at Lottie’s party, with the guitar in his hands, a moment when he talks about performing, too. But this part of his life is something that exists outside of Oak Harbor, in studios and on stages I’ve never even seen. Suddenly, I feel the distance between us more than ever – those years apart, when he was off living a life I know nothing about.
As if he can sense my mood shift, Finn stops, then gives a shrug. “But it’s cool being able to take my time with this next record. Kyle and the label will just have to wait a while.” He squeezes my shoulder, and gives me a private smile, but I’m not convinced he wouldn’t be right back there in the studio – if it wasn’t for me.
“Anyway,” Finn changes the subject. “What have you lovely ladies got planned for the weekend?”
“It’s all go here,” Lottie replies, still mopping up after Kit. “We’ve got baby music class, then a play date in the park.”
“And I’m scoping some new listings,” Delilah adds. “I heard a rumor that the Petersons might be divorcing soon. That house would be amazing on my books, so I’m going to drop by and say hi to Fran.”
“Dee!” I laugh at her blatant tactics. “What if she doesn’t want to sell?”
“What? The kids are off in college. She won’t want to be rattling round that old place on her own.” Delilah’s eyes gleam. “I’ll find her a cute townhouse near the country club, and then it’ll be two commissions for the price of one.”
“You’re too good at this.” I shake my head, admiring.
She beams. “When you find what you’re supposed to do, everything makes sense.”
I wish it was so easy for me. I thought acting was my passion, but I haven’t stepped foot on a stage, or picked up a play in over two years now. It makes me guilty to think how easily I stepped away from my dreams. But now isn’t the time to dwell on the past, not with Finn’s hand stroking lazy circles on my shoulder, and a bright, sunny day ahead. We finish up breakfast, and he insists on picking up the tab. Then we all pack up Kit and stroll back towards town.
“What about you?” Lottie asks me, pushing the stroller. “What are you guys planning? Wait, I don’t need to ask. It’s the weekend, we know what that means.”
Finn turns to me and arches an eyebrow. “What does it mean?”
“You don’t know about the schedule?” Lottie and Delilah laugh. “Eva has everything set in stone.”
“I’m not that bad,” I protest.
“Sure you are,” Lottie teases. “First laundry, then cleaning—”
“Don’t forget groceries,” Dee pitches in, looking up from her phone.
“Shut up,” I flush. “You’re making me sound boring. I just like having a routine, that’s all.”