Had I finally “arrived” here in Pleasant Hollow? Nothing said you were no longer the newbie like the bartender knowing who you hung out with. I glanced over my shoulder and waved at Jennifer and Monica. I had two “sort of” gal pals here too. Maybe I was becoming more of a small-town girl than I thought. Or maybe I’d just needed to give people a chance to know me before expecting to be best friends. A bell rang in my brain, and I pulled out my trusty notepad to jot down that gold nugget for my story.

I checked the time on my phone. Finn was a few minutes late. He must have gotten caught up at work. It was strange to think neither of us would be here in a month or two. Would Finn live in whatever town in New Jersey the lower-income site was located, or would he commute from Manhattan? I didn’t like the idea of an Adi 2.0 staying in his next B&B and turning his head, but the possibility didn’t stir real tension. I smiled into my glass. If this lack of insecurity was the norm when dating the right guy, I was a fan. I took a selfie with my beer and texted him.

Hurry. Dark and I miss you!

When the dancing bubbles didn’t appear right away, I flipped my phone over and took out my book. Kate had secretly repacked Rescue Me starring Finn McAllister in my purse. Now that I was solidly Team Finn again, I was happy she did. The hot K-9 handler would distract me until the real Finn—Fancy Finn to his friends—showed up.

I could get behind a sexy military hero with a German shepherd sidekick, but when I’d finished the first chapter with no response from my Finn, the hairs on the back of my head stood up. Had I gotten the time wrong? But wouldn’t he have responded to my text to let me know if I had?

Where are you? I’m getting worried.

I glanced from my left to my right and then over my shoulder before checking my phone again—nothing.

“I’ll be right back,” I said to Greg. I placed a napkin over my beer and walked over to Monica and Jennifer’s table. They were in heated discussion about something.

“Hi there.” When they looked up, I said, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’m going back to the city tomorrow and didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye to you.” I opened my arms for hugs, surprised by my sudden melancholy.

They responded with identical head-to-toe once-overs, followed by an overlapped “Good luck” and “See ya,” and promptly resumed their conversation.

I let my arms fall to my sides. So maybe “gal pals” was an overstatement. “Okay, then. Well…bye.”