"Not here. Not now. So incredibly bad."
"Not me. You're thinking of someone else, which come to think of it is highly disturbing." I picked up my board and tucked it under my arm before nodding to the lodge. "Let's go have this talk and finish clearing the air between us."
"Yes. Then we should really test out these promises about your magical tongue." She wagged her eyebrows.
I growled and reached for her hand, hoping the talk would be short and the night long.
* * * *
I carried two cups of hot chocolate over to the table as Chloe played with her nails. She was nervous, and she wasn't the only one.
"Peppermint in yours or no?" I held out both cups toward her.
"Yes. I love it, unless you do."
"Nope. It's all yours." I sat down and pressed my forearms to the table. "I need to apologize."
"You already have, Finn." She took a tentative sip and looked shocked. "This isn't scorching hot."
"I know. You tell them child's temp and they make it to where you can drink it." I wagged my eyebrows. "And here you thought I was just sexy. I'm smart, too."
She laughed, and the sound of it caused my heart to beat fast. I couldn't even contemplate her leaving in a few weeks. It was too much to consider.
"I owe the apology," she began. I started to cut her off, but she lifted her hand in protest. "No, let me finish. Please."
"Okay." I sat back and let my free hand drop into my lap, willing to give her center stage.
"Coming here was something I did begrudgingly and only because I had to." She shrugged and glanced down at her mug. "I'm glad I did, but I think I wanted to just treat it like a quick stop off in life and move on. I just wrapped up my degree and my dreams have always been to be on the west coast."
"Which is beautiful." I nodded, hoping to encourage her to forgo thinking about my feelings and just open up to me.
"Yeah, but meeting you and things spiking so fast between us has me wondering if maybe I was just trying to stay in California because this place has too many memories. I mean... I do seriously hate the cold, b
ut this place really is fun." She tugged her cap off and worked to smooth her long hair. "I'd be near my family if I stayed, which would be great. Parker mentioned wanting me to this morning."
I leaned in and slid my open hand across the table, wanting her to take it. She did, and I closed my fingers around hers.
"Listen, you have to do what you think is best, and remember that any decision you make can be undone. You move here and don't like it? Go back to California. You stay there and it sucks? Come back to us." I smiled, but my words only seemed to hurt her rather than help.
"My apology is for the way I treated you when I first got here. You didn't deserve it. I pre-judged you. Forgive me."
"My actions and the way I lived my life had everyone judging me the same, and you were all right." I pursed my lips. "Your apology is accepted, but it wasn't needed. You were the wake-up call that I needed so desperately."
"Why are you so damn nice?" She tugged her hand away from me.
"Because I care about you, Chloe. I want your happiness. Wherever that is, go there. Be free to live your life." I forced a smile and picked up my hot chocolate. "You and I will be friends no matter where you are."
"What if I want more than a friendship?" She sucked her lip into her mouth as her eyebrows pulled together.
"Then we work on that while you're here, and when it's time to go, nothing changes. If we decide to be together like that, then location shouldn't change anything. It would be hard, but worth it, right?"
"Yeah. I'm overthinking this. I just can't help myself."
"Let's finish up here and get on with the rest of the afternoon. We don't need to sit here and figure out the future. I'm sorry for being an ass, and you're sorry for being so fucking hot, and it's all good." I lifted my hands and shrugged.
She laughed and leaned back in her chair as the worry on her pretty face melted. "Did you find out anything about our dads? Why they can't stand each other?"
"Nope. I mentioned it to my dad, but he closed up tighter than a clam." I stood and offered her my hand. "That's their problem, not ours. When it becomes ours, I'll deal with it for us."