Page 13 of Something Unforgettable

“Are you sure you don’t want anything else? The lobster mac and cheese appetizer sounds amazing. We could share it.”

Finn hesitated, glancing at the waitress like she might have an opinion.

She smiled. “It’s my favorite. You have to try it.”

Finn’s eyes met Xavier’s and Xavier wasn’t sure what brought the anxiety back. He ordered the dish. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if they didn’t finish it.

Finn was biting his lip again when the waitress left.

“You can tell me no,” Xavier said. “I promise I won’t be offended. I can be a little overbearing sometimes and I need to be reminded of that.”

Finn blinked at him, then gave a choked laugh. “No. It’s not you.” He grabbed for the napkin-wrapped silverware on the table and started peeling the strip of paper off it. “It’s…I looked up what you’re supposed to do on a first date, and I found a list that said to order food that’s easy to eat.”

Xavier smothered his amusement. “Can I see?”

Finn squirmed but eventually tugged his phone from his pocket, tapped a few buttons, and handed it over. The list was calledTop Ten Ways to Survive a First Dateand included things like “look stylish while staying comfortable” and “always be on time.”

“I’m really bad at starting conversations and eye contact,” Finn said. “I figured I could focus on the other ones, but then I was running late, and I couldn’t decide what would be easy to eat.” His cheeks were pink and his gaze kept sliding away from Xavier’s face. God, he was adorable. Xavier wanted to hug the hell out of him.

“What would you have ordered otherwise?”

Finn’s fingers went back to the paper napkin ring, folding it into a small square. “I don’t know. Maybe the Southwest burger?”

That was the one with all the toppings, including a fried egg. Definitely messy. Xavier flagged the waitress down. She’d been at another table and Xavier didn’t think she’d put their food in yet.

“Could we change our orders to two Southwest burgers? I’ll have mine medium rare.”

She agreed while Finn stammered that he was fine with his salad. He gave in a moment later when his stomach growled again and asked for his to be cooked the same. Something that pleased Xavier more than it should have. Then they were alone again. Finn fidgeted, smoothing the napkin out in his lap, then straightening and re-straightening the silverware on the table. Xavier reached across the table and covered both his hands with one of his own.

“Sweetheart, you know what the most important thing on that list is?”

Finn went still, his eyes on their hands. “Be yourself?”

“Smart boy.” Xavier squeezed his hand. “That’s all I want you to worry about, okay? Just be your sweet self, and screw what the internet says is right or wrong.”

Finn took a shaky breath that was steadier when he let it back out. Then he turned his palm upward and gripped Xavier’s hand. “Yeah. I can do that.”

He was so easily flustered, and Xavier kind of loved it. That didn’t stop him from hoping Finn could relax now and enjoy himself. Constant anxiety wasn’t healthy. Xavier chose a safe topic to distract him further. “It seems like working with your grandfather is an adventure.”

Finn puffed his cheeks out in a dramatic sigh, but his eyes were warm. “He’s a wacky old man, but I love him.” His fingers traced along Xavier’s, thumb pressing briefly to the end of his nail. “I keep trying to get him to let me upgrade our accounting software, but he doesn’t think anything new can be trusted. You should have seen what he was like when the register broke and we had to replace it. That thing was older than I am. I tried to explain that our data would be safer off-site, in case of an emergency, but he refuses to listen. And he won’t stop saying ‘the cloud’ with air quotes.” Finn huffed and rolled his eyes, a bit of amusement creeping into his expression. “It wouldn’t be so bad, except he’s kind of a paperwork hoarder, so there are scraps and notes everywhere, and his filing system is…not so much a system that I could teach someone. Like, the Oakland Farm is under ‘G’ because before Mr. Oakland bought it, it belonged to the Mitchells, and George Mitchell was the one who did their ordering. So it’s under ‘G’ for George. Grace, our part-timer, has worked with us since my Gram passed away, and she grew up here so she can find things, but if I bring on other help they can only do so much before they need Pops or me to take over.”

It was the most Xavier had heard Finn say at one time, barring when he was drunk and rambling at the party the other night. Xavier had to bite his tongue to keep from offering suggestions. No matter how much it was Xavier’s tendency, it wasn’t his place to tell Finn what to do.

“That sounds incredibly confusing,” he said instead.

Finn shrugged. “I’ve lived with Pops since I was thirteen, so I’ve had more than ten years to learn it all.”

Xavier paused, wondering if he should ask about Finn’s parents. It was a good opening, and Micah hadn’t warned him away from the topic. But, he reminded himself, there would be time to ask later, and if it was a sensitive subject he didn’t want to send Finn back into hiding just when he was finally seeing the real him.

The waitress returned with their drinks, saving Xavier from his curiosity. Xavier cleared his throat and turned his attention to his iced tea. He took a sip, then winced as overwhelming sugary sweetness hit his tongue.

A stifled giggle floated across the table and Finn pressed his knuckles to his lips in an attempt to hide it. Xavier stilled, surprised, then mock-scowled. “Are you laughing at me?”

Finn’s shoulders trembled and he dropped his hand to speak, revealing a broad smile. “I wondered if you knew it was gonna be sweet tea.”

Xavier fought to maintain his serious expression. “And you didn’t warn me?” He raised an eyebrow.

Finn shifted in his seat, hesitance flashing across his face. “Well, I didn’t want to be rude and assume.”

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