I moped back to the bar and checked my phone, where there was still nothing from Finn. Where the hell was he? Had something come up at work? Was it his dad?

Having reached my limit of unanswered texts, I pressed call instead. Voicemail picked up. He’d probably never listen to it, but I left a message anyway: “It’s me. I haven’t heard from you, so I’m heading over to the construction site. Call me when you get this. I hope you’re okay.” I repeated the message in a text in case he was already halfway to the brewery and we were about to miss each other by two minutes like two tourists passing in the night.

I walked to the center of town with one hand pressed against the side of my hip to prevent my dress from flying over my ass in the breeze. The black-and-pink, cinched, pleated dress was one of my just-in-case outfits—just in case there’s a blizzard, just in case there’s a heat wave, just in case there’s a black-tie event. I was for sure overdressed for the venues I’d be visiting, but my farewell tour was a solid enough occasion to gussy up. Besides, if anyone gossiped about the woman wearing a cocktail dress and three-inch heels to the diner later, I wouldn’t be around to hear it. I hadn’t considered all the walking involved in a bar/restaurant crawl or the increasingly windy nights as we crept further into autumn. My feet were killing me by the time I reached the construction site and my hair needed smoothing, but it would be worth it if Finn’s eyes dilated in appreciation of my bare legs.

The site appeared to be closing down for the night. The crew were huddled together doing…I squinted…not much of anything actually.

Vick approached. “Adina. You’re back again.”

I felt a rush of affection. Vick was a lot like I’d imagined my dad would have been as an older man. “Good to see you! I’m looking for Finn.” I glanced around but didn’t see him. “Is he here?”

“He’s in a meeting,” Vick said, his smile strained.

“Oh. That would explain it. He was supposed to meet me at Brothers but didn’t respond to my texts.” I scraped a hand through my hair. Had I just outed Finn and me as a couple? Who cared? It didn’t matter. Finn and I were consenting adults, and more importantly, Vick only reminded me of my dad. “I’ll just wait here, then.”

“It might be a while.” He glanced toward the trailer, where I assumed the meeting was taking place.