Page 11 of Finn Rhodes Forever

“Hey, Sadie.”

“Ready to go?” she asked Holden, and he nodded as his arm snaked around her waist.

My heart twisted, watching them smile at each other as they said goodbye and headed off.

I wanted what they had, but it seemed so far out of reach.

Down the street, I watched as Liv strode toward the bar. She lived in an apartment upstairs.

She had saidyes. A grin stretched wide across my face. My original plan for this summer was to follow her around like a dog until she gave me the time of day. This was so, so much better.

Maybe what Holden and Sadie had wasn’t so far out of reach.

6

Olivia

A couple mornings later,I stepped outside the back door of the bar to meet Finn, and came face to face with him leaning against an emerald-green vintage sports car. His eyes met mine and a mix of panic and excitement shot down my spine as a cocky grin grew on his mouth.

I let out aha!“Absolutely fucking not,” I said, stopping short at the door, glancing between him and the car with disgust on my face. “No. No way.”

He tilted his head at the car, smiling wider. “Come on. I’ll drive.” He winked.

Sam Rhodes’ green car had become a strange tradition among his sons. When the Rhodes boys knew they had found the person they wanted to be with forever, they took her out in the vintage Porsche 911, a deep emerald green like the forests surrounding our town. Avery, Hannah, and Sadie had all been picked up in the car.

There was no way I was getting in that car.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. This was a mistake. I knew he’d pull this shit. My stomach rolled forward, and when I looked up at him, I couldn’t tear my gaze from his. God, his eyes were so pretty.

No. I mentally slapped myself. I didn’t care that Finn had pretty eyes and thick lashes. I didn’t care that when the corner of his mouth kicked up and his eyes lit up like that, all amused and mischievous like he was up to something, my heart beat harder.

I fuckinghatedFinn Rhodes.

This summer, I was going to find that stupid little flower as fast as I could. The faster I found it, the less time I had to spend with Finn. I’d finish my PhD, he’d get bored and leave town, and we’d all move on.

“I’m not getting in that car.” I strode over to my own car, parked beside his, and hauled my pack into the trunk.

Finn pushed off the car and tossed his pack in beside mine. “Alright, next time, then.”

“No. Never.” I slipped into the driver’s side, turned on the engine, and threw it into reverse.

Finn opened the passenger door and got in just as the car started moving. A laugh burst out of his chest.

“This is going to be fun,” he told me as I pulled the car out onto the street. His fingers drummed on the car door as he smiled out the window, up at the clear blue morning sky.

* * *

A couple hours later,we were both breathing hard as we stopped at the top of the hill we had hiked, and his scent breezed past me. My stomach fluttered and I ignored it.

I swung my pack down and pulled out my notebook, studying my map. Half the map had been hatched with red lines, indicating areas I had already searched.

Beside me, Finn dropped his bag and took a deep breath, inhaling the forest. “God, it’s fucking gorgeous out here.”

I ignored him, pulling out my printed images of the pink sand verbena. The pictures were burned into my brain.

Finn leaned over my shoulder to study them, and my stomach dipped at the heat of him against my back. His smell invaded my space and I stepped away, tucking my papers back into my bag.

“You can’t ignore me forever, Liv,” he said, a teasing note in his voice.

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