Page 72 of Sometimes You Stay

“You forget the small-town farmer from the island.”

His smile disappeared into a scowl. “I’m still not a farmer.”

“Iknow that,” she said, all innocence, forced to bite back the giggle that bubbled in her chest. “But the ladies of theinternet would not be denied. They came up with Farmer Finn all on their own.”

“Uh-huh.” He sucked on a tooth and clicked his tongue. “You’re a terrible liar.” Holding out his hand, he curled his fingers. “Let’s see it.”

Instead of passing over her phone, she walked over to him and spun until her back was almost against his chest. A catch in his breath stirred her hair, and she tried not to smile. He was warm and solid and all the things that had attracted her to him since the day they met.

Kissing was off the table. He’d made that abundantly clear.

It was probably the right choice.

But if she happened to know that her hair smelled especially good after Marie shared a bottle of coconut shampoo with her, shouldn’t Finn get to appreciate it too? And if it made him reconsider his stance on kissing her again...

Some things couldn’t be helped.

Besides, she’d tracked her laptop shipment that morning. It had arrived in New Jersey, headed for Toronto. Estimated arrival to the Red Door, three days.

Her teasing smile took a hard hit at the reminder, and she ducked her head to keep him from noticing. She had only three days left on this sweet island. Three days left with Finn. She already knew that not kissing him wasn’t going to make it any easier to leave. She just didn’t have a choice.

Adjusting the brightness of the screen in her hand to accommodate for the relative dimness inside the barn, she held it up before them. First she played the video of Abner munching on hay and then strolling up to her until all the camera could see were his cute nostrils and infinitely boopable nose. Then the shot cut to Finn kneeling next to the cow,his arm around Abner’s back and his other hand invisible in his thatch of long hair. The cow swung his head in time to the background music she’d added—a popular song by a folk singer—and Finn scratched under his chin before looking right at the camera and giving her a slow grin.

Honestly, she’d slowed that last bit of the video down because she knew the girls would go wild for it. She had too. But just a little bit.

The difference was that she knew the man behind the smile. She knew he was so much more than broad shoulders and a handsome face—though that dimple in his chin still made her stomach swoop when she caught it at the right angle.

And she wasn’t above using his good looks to win her bet.

Finn grunted when the video ended. “Did you write something about it? Something about the business?”

“Of course.” She scrolled beneath the video and read it aloud. “‘Prince Edward Island is more than stunning landscapes and red-rock beaches. It’s home to beautiful farmland and some of the cutest creatures on earth. Meet Abner and Finn—owner of Chaffey’s Newfoundlands, a dog-training business and staple in the community of North Rustico.’” She looked up and behind her to meet his gaze. “Zero mention of you being a farmer. Are you happy?”

His gaze narrowed and he shook his head. “Not yet. How many views?”

“One hundred and thirty-three thousand. Oh!” She looked again at the number that had gone up since that morning. “One hundred and forty-six thousand.”

“That’s ridiculous. It can’t be true.”

“The Instagram insights don’t lie.” When she pointed to the number beneath the play button, his jaw dropped.

“So, I’m thinking Spud, Tater, Sprout, Chip, Fry, Scallop, Tuber, Starch, Russet, Red, and Mash.”

Finn didn’t move, his eyes still focused on her phone.

“Finn?”

Finally, he sighed. “How did you do that?”

“Do what? Make the video? That was easy. There’s all sorts of editing software, but my phone has most of it built in.”

“No, I mean...” He stabbed his fingers through his hair. “How did you make that many people watch me and Abner?”

“I didn’t make anyone do anything. I just gave the people what they already wanted.”

“How do you know?”

She gave him a wicked laugh. “Oh, you want me to open the floodgates. My pleasure.” Clearing her throat and putting on her best suburban accent, she began reading some of the three thousand comments.

---