Page 66 of Hound Dog
I’d only seen a loon in person once… the last time I’d been in Maple Grove on the visit with Meryl. And I’d always wanted to spot a Red-throated Loon or an Arctic Loon. But both were extremely rare in these parts.
We came to a clearing at the top; rocky with a breathtaking view of tree canopy and smaller hills below us.
“Wow.” The word was barely audible. A simple exhale that I didn’t think would be discernable.
“Yeah,” Finn said. “This is… ” the words caught in his throat, and he didn’t finish the sentence.
I’d been so concerned in those last few steps about beating Finn, I’d forgotten for a few minutes why I was doing this hike in the first place.
Tears sprung hot in my eyes as I looked out over the edge and Birdie flopped down onto her belly at my feet, tired and happy.
Finn removed his backpack and poured a bowl of water for the dogs from his water bottle, which they both rushed to, lapping it up in a messy display.
“I brought you something,” Finn said, his hand hidden within his backpack.
I blinked, surprise mixed with something else, something sweet, twisting in my chest. “You did?”
From within the bag, he pulled free a bottle of Dom Perignon and two plastic cups. “Have a glass of Dom Perignon,” he said. “ I wasn’t sure if you’d crossed this one off your mom’s list yet, but even if you had, I figured a second time couldn’t hurt either. And toasting to her with a bottle of champagne at the top of Mount Washington…”
The tears filling my eyes spilled over my lashes and down my cheeks. “You remembered.”
Have a glass of Dom Perignon.Number seventeen on her list.
“I haven’t had Dom Perignon yet.”
I braced myself, waiting for the insult to Ben that I was certain was coming.What? Didn’t your rich lawyer boyfriend ever treat you to Dom Perignon?
But he didn’t say that in response. He didn’t say anything. He simply stood there, a little smile curving his mouth.
I stared at the olive-green tinted bottle with beads of sweat dripping from it. “This was… Finn, this is too much. You shouldn’t have.”
He shrugged and handed me the bottle. “You want to do the honors of opening it?”
I stared at the bottle, feeling strangely thrown off by its presence. It had been months since I’d checked off anything from Mom’s list, and here I was… with Finn… about to mark off two items.
Even though he didn’t say it about Ben, I couldn’t help but think it myself.
Ben never participated in this list with my mom. He never asked about it. And in the moments that I mentioned one of the bucket list items, he usually rolled his eyes at me.
He thought her list was stupid. That goals which didn’t advance your career were meaningless.
It was probably strange of me, but when someone else like Meryl or Maisie insulted him, I spent my energy defending. But the moment I had the space and silence to reflect on things, many of their thoughts about Ben also crossed my mind.
Finn cleared his throat, drawing my attention back to him.
With his smile, that dimple of his put a deep divot in his cheek, making a swell of attraction surge in my chest. “Is that a no…?”
I shook away all thoughts of Ben. Today wasn’t about him, anyway. It was about me. About Mom. About honoring her life and living mine to its fullest.
“I’ll do it.” I took the bottle from him, and as I did, our fingers brushed, not for the first time today.
An avalanche of tingles rolled down my spine with the contact, and I could have sworn I heard a slight hitch in his breath.
Or was that my breath?
Crap.
I couldn’t help the fact that I was attracted to Finn. But I could help how I responded to that attraction.
