She mimicked, “Adi,” but then her face brightened.

My body went rigid. “What?”

“Finn calls you Adi.”

“What’s your point?”

She tossed her hair back and smirked knowingly. “You’re blushing.”

Considering my nipples hardened every time he used my nickname, I wasn’t surprised. A subject change was in order. “What does opening a successful nail salon have in common with falling in love while fighting over a plot of land?”

“Is this supposed to be a sample question for the bar exam, because it hurts my head as much as one of those.” Kate pressed her fingers to her temples as if to emphasize her point.

“It’s for my story! I keep waiting for my aha moment.” The bagel I ate for lunch sat like a log in the pit of my stomach. I wasn’t sure what I dreaded more: my worlds colliding at dinner tonight or Kate going back home tomorrow, leaving me out of reasons to procrastinate.

“It will all work out. I promise!”

“Your optimism is most appreciated.” I didn’t share it, but the absence of a sneeze after she said it was comforting. “Do you want to check out Main Street or not?”

She was halfway out the door before I finished the question. “Is there an antique store? Can you introduce me to Doreen? Are you sure there’s no bakery?”

It was going to be a long night.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Five

It was surreal being at a table with both Finn and Kate, but I tried to act normal. Except for practically jumping out of the car before it was barely parked outside Lakeview House, a two-story bluish-gray estate with a wraparound porch on both floors. I needed to escape the feel of Finn’s breath against my neck as he leaned in from the backseat to be our human GPS. If either of them noticed my haste, they didn’t say anything.

Now we were seated at one of the approximately ten tables amply spaced around the room. It was too cold to sit at the restaurant’s outside dining area, but our table on the top floor afforded us a clear view of the lake through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The sky was tinged with pink and orange and reminded me too much of the sunset on my movie night with Finn. But it was beautiful.

The waitress had just delivered our drinks. I took a large sip of mine, a cucumber mint cooler, and smacked my lips in pleasure. “Aah.”

“You enjoying that?” Finn asked, a glint in his eyes.

I placed the gin-based cocktail on the white tablecloth. “It beats Brothers dark.”

“And you never tried Brothers light.” He brought a tumbler housing an old-fashioned to his lips. “Did you make any progress on your story today?”