Chapters (48)
- 1. One
- 2. Two
- 3. Three
- 4. Four
- 5. Five
- 6. Six
- 7. Seven
- 8. Eight
- 9. Nine
- 10. Ten
- 11. Eleven
- 12. Twelve
- 13. Thirteen
- 14. Fourteen
- 15. Fifteen
- 16. Sixteen
- 17. Seventeen
- 18. Eighteen
- 19. Nineteen
- 20. Twenty
- 21. Twenty-One
- 22. Twenty-Two
- 23. Twenty-Three
- 24. Twenty-Four
- 25. Twenty-Five
- 26. Twenty-Six
- 27. Twenty-Seven
- 28. Twenty-Eight
- 29. Twenty-Nine
- 30. Thirty
- 31. Thirty-One
- 32. Thirty-Two
- 33. Thirty-three
- 34. Thirty-Four
- 35. Thirty-Five
- 36. Thirty-Six
- 37. Thirty-Seven
- 38. Thirty-Eight
- 39. Thirty-Nine
- 40. Forty
- 41. Forty-One
- 42. Forty-Two
- 43. Forty-three
- 44. Epilogue
- Afterword
- Also by
- Acknowledgments
- About Author
“Well, it’s lovely to meet you, Finn. Olive said you had to work.” Her mom was all smiles and blushes; it was adorable. On the other hand, Olive’s dad did not seem pleased at all by my presence. Just give me until the end of the night, I’ll have them all wanting me over on Christmas morning.
“I think she was planning on surprising you. You know her—always up to something.” Was she? Heck if I knew. I only said it to make it sound like I knew her the best.
Olive let out an awkward chuckle. “Ha. Ha. Oh, yes.” She was so bad at this. She was going to blow our cover quicker than I expected. Her stiff voice and movements made it seem like I was holding her captive, and I feared her family would catch on. Her mom was going to write on a napkin and slide it across the table, “Olive, blink twice if you’re in danger.”
Olive moved to sit and with no other free chairs at the table, she scooched hers toward Matt so I could fit in. I grabbed a chair from an empty table behind me and pushed it between her and the other man, Logan.
The whole family together looked like a group of models. Matt and Taylor looked like a couple straight out of a movie; their confidence was clear but not obnoxious. Sarah and Logan both seemed more shy and timid but still were dressed up for the evening. Even her parents had young features and could pass as Olive’s siblings. But Olive was the most gorgeous one there; she was a knockout. Bright, silky blonde hair, deep green eyes, her tan skin such a contrast to the usual paleness in this town. Freckles sprinkled across her cheeks like stars in a night sky, and I wanted to trace my fingers over those constellations. And in that dress, even as nervous as she clearly was, she owned the table. She was the best-looking one in the restaurant. Probably the best-looking one in the state.
“So, Finn. When did you and Olive meet?” Her dad eyed me across the table when he asked the question. This felt like a test, like a state-your-intentions-with-my-daughter kind of conversation. Olive opened her mouth to answer, but I put a hand over hers under the table to stop her.
I looked in her eyes, hoping to send calming wavelengths to her. If I tried hard enough maybe it would work.