I was proud of it, but critical feedback could only make it better. As long as he didn’t say it was complete and utter crap. I twisted my hands. “Let me know if you find any typos!”

Without looking up, he said, “No interruptions.”

I mumbled an apology and excused myself to the downstairs half-bath to avoid trying to read into every movement of Finn’s face while he read. He blinked. What does it mean? He scratched his ear. What does it meeeeeean?

When I got back, Finn was on the phone. I sat down and bored a virtual hole in his head with my eyes until he finally ended his call.

“Well?” I assumed he was finished reading, since the article was under five hundred words, and seriously, how long could it take?

“Well, what?” His blank expression gave away nothing.

“Finn.”

“Adina.”

I clenched my thighs at his teasing eyes. The fondness would be my ruin. “What did you think?”

He grinned. “I think you slayed it.”

“Really?”

“I especially liked your change of heart regarding my boss.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I rolled my eyes. “It’s not what I promised Derek, but I’m crossing everything he’ll take it.”

“You’ve got nothing to lose.”

He was wrong. I had everything to lose. But I had no other choice unless I was prepared to either create a false reality where the town and the circumstances surrounding The Hollows matched the story I’d pitched or give up without even trying. Neither of those was an option. The income from the article itself would be nominal, since Derek was paying by the word, but it was the catalyst for securing a full-time job with Tea.

Finn tapped his head. “You wanna hang out?”

It hit me like an earthquake that once I sent this story to Derek, my business in Pleasant Hollow was completed. I would say goodbye to the town. And to Finn. I pushed aside the mounting gloom and smiled at him. “Let me finish this and I’ll be right up.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

With my story signed, sealed, and delivered to Derek, I had nothing to do the next day but wait to hear back from him. My room at the B&B was paid through the weekend and nonrefundable. Based on my calculations, the money I’d spent on the inn was more than what I could make if I was lucky enough to snag a last-minute rotation working at the café or teaching a spin class back in the city this weekend. It was more economically feasible to stick around until Sunday than go home early. I called my mom to let her know.

“Break it to me gently, Squirt. You’ve fallen in love with Pleasant Hollow and are abandoning New York City to live there.”

I paced the room. “Not quite. It’s…um…not what I expected.”