Page 73 of Sometimes You Stay

“Girl, please. You need to warn us about cuteness overload.”

“Starts looking for real estate on PEI.”

“Must get one of those hugs. And cows.”

“Can I visit on my next trip to the island?”

“I’m packing my bags right now.”

“That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. The cow’s pretty adorable too.”

Finn began to cough, and Cretia turned around to find his face was the color of a beet.

“I told you,” she singsonged. “Just giving the internet what it wants. They already gobble up accounts about hot guys with dogs and hot guys reading books and ... well, generally, hot guys. Add in ridiculously adorable animals,and they don’t know what to do with themselves, except...” As she skimmed through a few more comments, her smile began to dim and her brain churned.

When Finn finally got control of himself, he mumbled, “Except what?”

“They want to come visit. Not just you but your cow. And I would bet your goats too. Can you imagine if you let them bottle-feed the kids?”

“Why would I do that?”

“For the experience. People pay for experiences. They want to see and hold and touch and feel and experience life with real animals. You could show them what it takes to care for animals and how cows—even mini ones—aren’t really inside pets. You could teach them about caring for the animals and raising them well and let them get in the stalls and make furry friends.”

“Who?” He sounded like he thought she’d gone completely off the rails.

Waving her phone in his face, she said, “Them. These people. The ones who come here on vacation and want something fun to do with their families. There are millions of kids just like Jack, who love animals and would love to spend an afternoon on this property.”

Finn began shaking his head before she even finished. “I can’t ... I didn’t take these guys in to show them off. They just needed a home.”

“I know. But that doesn’t mean youcouldn’tshow them off.”

Scrubbing a hand down his face and scraping across his whiskers, he shook his head again. “I have to focus on the dogs. The business is my priority.”

“But this could be an extension of your business. You could keep breeding and training the dogs, and you could make that part of teaching visitors about how Newfoundlands are such a special breed. And you could get local kids to help out—it’d be better than camp for them. I bet kids from all over the island would come to help. Or you could hire someone.”

“No.”

She blinked rapidly at the volume of his voice. She’d never heard him shout before, but the single word silenced even the barn crickets for a moment before the dogs began barking and even Roberta let out a concerned bellow.

“Finn?” She took a hesitant step in his direction and rested her hand on his forearm, the muscles there bunched up and tense.

“I don’t need help,” he said between clenched teeth. “I can make this business grow on my own.”

“I-I know you can. But the point is you don’t have to. Justin doesn’t run his whole dairy by himself. Even your dad had you to help when he ran this business. A little change, an extra hand, could open a big door for you.”

Finn forced his fists to unclench at his sides, flexing his fingers and taking a deep breath through his nose. Still his hands trembled, and his pulse pounded in his ears. A band around his chest had pulled tight, and he didn’t know how to release it. Or how to explain it to the woman with eyes full of questions.

“I’m sorry.” His voice barely carried the mere distance between them.

“It’s okay. But did I say something ... or...?” Cretia cocked her head to the side as she squeezed his arm. Her careful inspection bored into the secret parts of his heart.

He wanted to step away or hide. But his feet refused to budge. “I need to do this on my own.”

“But why? There are so many people here who care about you, who would be happy to help you. And your parents love you. I’m sure they’d be happy to—I don’t know—cosign a loan application for you or something.”

Begging his parents for help would just prove that what his dad had said to Milo McGinniss was right. It was not going to happen.

Letting out a slow breath through tight lips was all he could manage for a moment as he remembered that day, those words. It had been more than a decade ago, but somehow, they still rang through him.

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