“I get it.” Let it go, Adi. Let. It. Go. I couldn’t let it go. “It’s just…my mom lost her husband too. And she misses him. She misses him every single day. But she moved on, like he would have wanted. Your dad…fifteen years is a long time, Finn. Do you think maybe you’re enabling him by jumping whenever he calls?” I bit down hard, knowing I’d gone too far by his flared nostrils.

“Bravo to your mom.” Finn glanced around the diner, shaking his head as if wishing he could switch places with another patron. “If I don’t keep up with my dad’s rants, I risk him doing something stupid like emptying a bottle of vodka into his mouth.” He studied me. “Are you sure you can handle this, Adi?”

My mouth went dry. “Yes! I’m sorry I said anything. I just worry about you.”

I wasn’t bothered so much by the interrupted meals and sex—not that I was a fan of those—but Finn was a grown-ass man who put his life on hold for his father. Didn’t he deserve more?

I rubbed my chin. What did I know? Losing the love of her life and father of her child had crushed my mother, but it hadn’t broken her. I should be grateful, and I was. But would I drop everything for her the way Finn did for his dad? I liked to think so, but the difference was she wouldn’t ask me to. In any event, I wasn’t going to say another word about it. Finn’s girlfriend or not, it wasn’t my place.

If he was okay with it, I would be too. “Let’s change the subject. How was your day so far?”

His face brightened. “Andrew’s tentatively scheduled me to transfer to his lower-income housing project in New Jersey next month. Except the crew here has threatened to sabotage the site to keep me longer. They don’t want me to go.”

I caught the blush in Finn’s cheeks before his face was hidden by the massive turkey club sandwich he’d ordered. He was so adorable, I couldn’t wait to devour him later.

“I have some news of my own,” I said. “I claimed my spin classes and café shifts for this weekend, which means I need to head back to the city tomorrow.” I’d debated staying in Pleasant Hollow a few more days but could no longer justify spending the money. I knew Finn would let me stay with him, but it would only prolong the inevitable.

“Okay,” Finn said with a sad nod.

“I don’t need to be here to finish the story. The only thing keeping me here is you, and we’ll need to figure out this long-distance thing eventually anyway.”