Page 120 of Is Anyone Listening?
He nodded. "Yes. I finally stopped pretending I could be happy living my dad's life. There are parts of it I would like to live, like running my own bar and grill and finding the right person to settle down with."
My heart skipped a beat at the look in his eyes, and a wave of anxiety ran through me. Was he moving for me? What if we didn't work out? We barely knew each other, and the time we'd been together hadn't been real life. It had been high-stakes, drama-packed days, with life-and-death situations. What would happen if we were just normal people living normal lives?
"I didn't mean to scare you," Finn said with a knowing gleam in his eyes. "I'm not moving here for you, Cassidy. I'm happy you're here, but this is a career move I had planned to make a long time ago. I just got derailed by my father's stroke. Then I got stuck until you arrived and shook everything up. But there's no pressure. I'd like to get to know you better, see if whatever this is could be more. If you're not on the same page, that's fine. We can just be friends."
"I'm on the same page. I want to get to know you, too."
Relief flitted through his blue-eyed gaze. "Good."
"Good," I echoed.
He smiled. "I know you're doing the podcast tonight, so I'm not going to stay. I just had to see you as soon as I got here."
"I'm glad you came by. But you don't have to leave yet. Tell me what's happening in Stonecross."
"Well, Nathan is in rehab and is determined to get his life in order. He told me he sent an apology letter to Tessa."
"He did, and Tessa seems willing to accept that, although I think he should be in jail for drugging her, but I know it would be difficult to prove he put anything in her drink because her tox screen was not definitive. I guess rehab is the next best thing."
"Nathan also gave Jessica's ring to Ellen. I assume Ellen will get it to her. He's trying to make amends. I think almost losing his life woke him up, and he wants to do better."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"And the other piece of news is that your father showed up."
"Seriously?" I asked in shock. "He finally went to see Ellen? I've been asking him for weeks, and he told me to back off. If he decided to go, he'd go."
"I guess your experience didn't bring the two of you closer."
"That may never happen, but then I didn't think he would ever go to Stonecross, so I guess there's still hope."
"Well, he didn't just come to town; he went to the inn. He apparently stayed for a couple of hours. After he left the apartment, he walked out on the deck and looked at the ocean in a contemplative way. Then he got in his car and drove away."
"Did Ellen tell you that?"
"No, someone Sophie used to work with. You know gossip flies fast in Stonecross."
"Well, I'm happy they talked."
"Has your dad spoken to Jessica?"
"She told me yesterday he reached out and asked to meet next week. She's nervous about it but also excited. I hope he doesn't let her down. But whatever happens, she and I will have a relationship."
"Jessica is safe now, right?"
"Yes. She gave her testimony and turned over all her evidence. She can no longer be silenced. The police also found a money trail between Marcus Pierce and the fake Tyler Pierce in his murder-for-hire scheme. Apparently, Marcus's real brother washed his hands of Marcus years ago." I paused. "Sometimes, I still can't believe I got taken in by a hit man. I was just lucky I wasn't the hit. He could have easily killed me."
"Let's not think about all the what-ifs anymore. Look at your beautiful apartment."
"It is nice," I said, giving him a proud smile. "You didn't see my other place, but it was about a tenth of this size and in a really noisy area. This feels so much better."
"I like the neighborhood. It has a good vibe."
"I can't believe you're moving here, Finn."
"I just wish it was today. But I have to find a place to live and a place to work until I can figure out how I might open my own restaurant."
"That's a lot to do."
