I groan and flop back in my seat while he laughs.
“I can’t believe Finn didn’t ask for the rest of the keys back.”
“What?” That’s got my attention. How could he possibly know about the keys?
“When Finn called me I asked him if he’d gotten the keys back. He said, yeah, he got his key back, but I insisted you’d made more than one. I said, ‘Finn, trust me on this. That girl’”—he winks at me, like he totally gets it—“‘Everly would have made more than one copy.’” He glances at my face a beat. “My money’s on three.”
Thirteen
Four hours ago
“The game starts in ten minutes!” Dad says before taking a bite of his infamous leftover turkey sandwich. It’s a concoction of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce on toasted bread and he looks forward to it all year long.
“Are we watching the Eagles or the Giants today?” I ask as the front door swings open and my brother Eric walks in with his new wife Erin. They’ve been married just under a month and they’re perfect together, just like my parents.
He met her two years ago on a flight to Chicago. Yup, the whole ‘sat on a plane next to each other and fell in love’ scenario. He was traveling on business. She was traveling to attend a bridal shower for a friend. Three months later he was her date to that friend’s wedding. Six months after that they were engaged themselves.
Our parents adore her. Everyone adores her, myself included. Eric and Erin just fit together. Like two peas in a pod. Peanut butter and jelly. Two halves of a whole. You get the idea. We’ve all seen that couple. Solid. Supportive. Their relationship reminds me of my parents’. Totally in sync. I want that too. And Finn Camden is a perfect fit. Steady. Reliable. He’s a forever kind of guy.
Eric greets me with, “Hey, trouble,” before noticing Dad’s sandwich and making a dive for the other half.
“We got the wedding photos back.” Erin’s clutching a giant album to her chest. “Your mom wanted to go over them with us.”
“With you, honey,” Eric interrupts. “That’s a wife job. No one needs me for this.”
“A wife job?” I ask, brow raised. But Eric and Erin just exchange smiles while I utter, “Never mind, I don’t even want to know.”
“You girls have fun. I’m going to Finn’s to catch up. Call me when you’re ready, babe.”
“Wait!” I call out and Eric stops, Dad’s sandwich rapidly disappearing into his mouth. “You’re going to Finn’s?” This is my opportunity. I gotta admit, things really have a way of working out for me. “Finn’s giving me a ride back to school,” I tell him. “I’ll catch a ride with you and save him a trip over here.”
“He is?” Eric questions, but he’s not really paying attention to me—he’s distracted watching his new wife tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
Finn has no idea he’s driving me back to school, but I say, “Yes,” all the same. “Just give me a second to grab my stuff.”
I dash upstairs and whip off the sweatshirt I’m wearing and pull on a cream-colored cashmere sweater. My brown knee-high boots will look great with this. I freshen my lipstick and say a silent thank you to the heavens for giving me the foresight to do my hair this morning. It’s normally fairly straight and shiny all on its own, but I flat-ironed it to perfection instead of a ponytail.
I toss everything I brought home for the Thanksgiving holiday into my bag and then sit on the bed to tug on the boots. It crosses my mind that I have no plan in place. That Finn hasn’t agreed to drive me back to school, has no idea I’m about to show up with Eric as if he’s already offered a ride. But I dismiss it. Like I said, things usually work out, and a positive attitude is essential. Plus, Finn is too much of a gentleman to humiliate me in front of my brother. That’s how he got stuck driving me to and from the wedding last month.
Still, the indignity of getting tossed out of his apartment just a few weeks ago is fresh on my mind. But so is that tramp teaching assistant I’ve seen eyeing him.
I hesitate, bag in hand. Maybe I shouldn’t push it. But then again, we’re friends, at the very least. Right? There’s no reason he can’t give me a ride back to campus. We’re both going to the same place, after all. In fact, it’s economical for him to drive me. And environmentally friendly. I nod my head. I’ve always been concerned about the environment.
So he’ll drive me back. I’ll be normal. I won’t make one inappropriate advance. We’ll laugh. He’ll drop me off and realize he wants to spend more time with me. I’ve totally got this.
Fourteen
Three Hours Ago