Page 44 of Finn Rhodes Forever

My eyebrows pinched together. The way he said it, the confident, assured expression on his face, it filled me with a weird rush of gratitude for him.

“Are my thoughts that obvious?” I joked.

“Yes,” he said. “We saw it. I believe you.”

My heart squeezed. When he said things like that, he gave me hope, and I didn’t know if that was a good thing anymore.

“I think you’re the only person who does.”

“You’ll show them, Liv.” He slid down to sit beside me, back against the log. His warm arm brushed mine. “I know you will.”

* * *

We spentthe rest of the afternoon working in silence, aware of each other walking through the trees in the forest but focused with our eyes on the ground, stopping for snack breaks before getting back to work. When we were three hours from sunset, Finn called out that we should head back to the car, and we began the hike back to the logging road.

“Don’t worry,” Finn said as we got to the car. “We’ll find it.”

I nodded, avoiding his eyes.

“How’re your inner thighs?” He tossed his bag in the back and shot me a smirk. “You need me to take another look?”

I couldn’t hide the grin. Even if I didn’t want to, Finn always knew how to make me laugh.

“They’re fine, pervert.”

He chuckled and closed the trunk. “I’ll drive back if you like.” He tilted his chin to the keys in my hand.

I massaged the spot on my shoulder where my pack strap had rubbed all day. After a full day out in the woods, my batteries were drained in the best way—that bone-deep tired from being outside, breathing in the fresh air. My gaze flicked up at him.

He cocked a grin at me. “Come on, let me drive. I’ll go the speed limit and I won’t help any criminals get away, promise.”

I rolled my eyes and tossed him the keys.

“You working tonight?” Finn asked a few minutes later as he drove the car down the bumpy logging road that led back to the highway.

I shook my head. “Nope.”

“Good.” Instead of turning left toward Queen’s Cove, he turned right.

“Finn.” My eyebrows shot together and I straightened up. “Where are we going?”

He slid me a sly smile before turning back to the road, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. “Let’s get some food.”

My mouth opened, ready to protest, but the words didn’t come. Aside from finding out Finn had unwittingly helped someone steal a car, today had been fine. More than fine. Nice, even.

My mind wandered to the bag of Cheezies he had brought for me, and his focus in the forest as he searched for the flower, like it was important to him.

Like my goals were important to him.

I sat back and watched the forest as we passed, and Finn turned up the music.

18

Finn

The bellon the door rang as we stepped inside the diner off the highway between Queen’s Cove and the next town.

“Sit anywhere you like,” the server called.

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