A New Leaf (Hemlock #1)

Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Finn

I could tell she was hurting. She didn’t have to say anything. I could see it in her teary eyes, filled to the brim with grief. For me, a walk helps to clear my mind; it’s almost like a temporary reset button. Sometimes, I can get so caught up in my own thoughts that it feels like I’m trapped in my mind, slowly suffocating from the inside out. Getting outside, especially at night, always has a way of making me breathe again.

Right now, Charlie needs to feel like she can breathe again.

Her voice was so small when she agreed to come on a walk with me that it took every bone in my body to not wrap my arms around her and hold her snug against my chest. Even though she doesn’t seem like the hugging type, I could sense she needed one the second those painful memories surfaced.

I study her face and give her a small smile. “Go get your jacket, it’s cold out there.”

She sniffles and nods, disappearing into the store’s backroom for her coat.

Charlie calls out, “Should we bring the dogs? I don’t have a leash for Vera.”

The dogs. I completely forgot about them. A quick glance next to me shows the two lovers curled up together.

“Let’s take them back to my shop. There’s less damage they can do there!” I shout back to her.

Charlie walks back out, and she has on her long, dark brown wool jacket that ends at her ankles. “Uhh. Like I said, I don’t have Vera’s leash, but?—”

I stop her mid-sentence before her worried thought gets away from her. “Vera isn’t going very far. Plus, you and I know she isn’t the fastest dog, so it’ll be easy to catch up to her if she makes a run for it.”

She chuckles. Her eyes are still sad when she laughs, but I’ve never seen anything more beautiful. She adjusts her coat, flipping out her long dark hair that was tucked into the collar. “Alrighty. Let’s head out?”

I take in the sight of Charlie for a brief moment, from her shiny dark hair and beautiful brown eyes down to her full hips and black boots. My heart beats an unusual rhythm at the mere thought of being close to her. Clearing my throat, I nod and lead her to walk ahead of me. Instinctually, my hand settles on her lower back, making her steps falter before regaining her stride.

I pretend not to notice her stumble because she’d most likely kick my kneecaps in. Though I can’t help but feel the thrill coursing through my chest, knowing I have this kind of effect on her.

Once outside, I watch the dogs while she locks up her shop. As we make our way down the cobblestone sidewalk, I realize that ours are, in fact, the only two stores on Main Street with their lights on. Tonight, the deserted town belongs to us, with only the rustling trees in the wind keeping us company.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asks, keeping a close eye on Vera.

I lower my head, intently listening to her words, not wanting to miss anything she says.

“You know, keeping them together . . . alone? In your new building?”

“Positive. Unless you’re not ready to leave her alone with a boy? If that’s the case, we can divide them into separate rooms.” I peer down at her smiling. My fingers ache to brush those wind-blown strands of hair away from her face, wanting to see her more clearly.

“I don’t want to corrupt Vera. Frank can be very persuasive,” I joke.

“Oh, shut up. You’re ridiculous.”

“Ridiculously cute.”

“Only according to your mother. As you’ve stated previously.”

Laughter spills out of me. She definitely won this round, making me eat my words.

Whenever I’m near her, her presence is all-consuming. I unveil a new layer during every encounter I have with Charlie. Every conversation, every look, and every touch intensifies my desire to learn everything about her.

I keep glancing at her out of the corner of my eye just to make sure she hasn’t run off. The more I do, the longer my gaze lingers on her. She licks her lips and my focus zeroes in on that small movement. All I can think about now is what she tastes like, the softness of her skin, and how her body would feel pressed against mine.

We continue to walk in silence before she gives me a double take.

“Uh. Finn? Your glasses are fogging up again.”

A sheepish laugh escapes me. “I guess I’m also pretty hot, along with being cute.” I remove my glasses, and try to discreetly clean off the fog with my sweater.

She groans. “You’re actually the worst person I think I’ve ever met.” Her voice is filled with playful humor. I am absolutely positive she doesn’t feel that way about me, considering her cheeks have gone a deeper shade of pink.

“Lies. You met my aunt,” I scoff, looking down at her.

A loud, genuine laugh from deep in her belly breaks free from her. If I thought she was beautiful before, she’s jaw-droppingly gorgeous when she lets go like this. Looking so carefree and relaxed, I wish I had a camera to capture this moment so that I can replay it over and over. Instead, I make a mental note to figure out more ways to make her laugh like that again.

When we come up to my shop, I swiftly unlock the doors and usher the dogs in to let them roam free. Once I lock up, I turn to Charlie. “Ready to go?”

She nods, taking a step forward. The slick cement catches her boot at the right angle, causing her to lose her footing. I react reflexively, grabbing her before she tumbles to the ground.

“Whoa!” she pants, shaken by the slip.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. I think so.” Her breath is coming out in quick huffs.

Without a second thought, I hold out my arm for her to grab onto while we walk. “Here, hold on to me. I don’t want you falling.”

A bashful smile flickers across her face before she links her arm in mine.

It feels good.

It feels right.

As we fall in step with one another, it settles over me that I have absolutely no idea where I’m going. My faux confidence is working overtime trying to impress this woman.

Since moving here, I’ve been to my coffee shop, the grocery store, and Charlie’s plant store. End of list. I’ve been working so much that there hasn’t been much time to explore. My smooth, confident side is trying its best to take the lead, though I’m mildly panicked about not knowing where to take Charlie.

“Tree!” she yells as I run face-first into a low-hanging tree branch.

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I ran into a fucking tree.

Embarrassed, I croak, “Can we pretend that didn’t happen just now?” I rub my forehead from where the branch smacked me.

She looks puzzled. “Huh? What happened?”

Yep. I think I want to keep her.

As if she senses my nerves, Charlie speaks up, her fingers curling around my bicep tighter. “If we keep walking this way, we’ll end up near a small bridge that’ll take us to the boardwalk on the beach.”

“That sounds perfect. Are you warm enough, though? I have some gloves in my pocket you can use if your fingers get too cold.” I reach for my pockets to give her my gloves, but her tightening grip on my arm stops me.

“I’m okay for right now, but thank you, though,” she replies with a soft, appreciative tone.

I can’t help but keep looking down at her as we walk. I’ll probably run into another tree at some point if I can’t take my eyes off of her.

With flushed cheeks, bright eyes, and a faint smile on her face, Charlie looks radiant.

Completely content and at ease.

Which is exactly what I set out to accomplish.

We make a turn to walk down a cobblestone road that’s lined with vintage lamp posts. Strolling arm in arm, we fall into a comfortable silence. For many, this would be awkward, but for some reason, with Charlie, this peaceful silence is effortlessly comfortable.

Eager to learn more about her, I ask, “So, did you grow up here?”

Immediately, she stiffens beside me, and a faint laugh escapes from her lips. “You should know that I hate small talk.”

I smile. Of course she hates small talk. There’s amusement in my voice when I reply, “Well . . . how else am I supposed to get to know you? I have to start with the basics, right?”

She hums. “I don’t know. Why do you want to get to know me?”

I scoff. “Uh. There’s a cute girl who wears overalls and wards off threats with a golf club. Who wouldn’t want to get to know her?”

“Really laying it on thick there with the ‘cute’ compliment, aren’t you?”

“Time is of the essence, sweetheart. I’m not getting any younger. Have you seen these grays forming?” I point to my temples, where my hair is light brown with soft streaks of gray beginning to appear from too many years of stress.

She gives me her classic eye roll. “Oh, Finn,” she says on an exhale.

“Oh, Charlie,” I echo.

Charlie peers up at me from the corner of her eyes and I mirror her action. Our matching smiles give way to more laughter on the late night walk.

Eventually, she gives in. “Fine. What do you want to know about me? I can assure you that I’m not that interesting.”

“What’s the wildest excuse you’ve given to leave a party or a social engagement early?”

“Oh, that’s a good one.” Her eyebrows raise, clearly impressed by my ability to avoid small talk using creative tactics. “I was forced to go to a party once in college because my roommate thought I needed ‘the full college experience.’ So I had my brother call me and tell me that my pet lizard died.” A giggle rises from her. “I never had a pet lizard, but fake cried and everything to get out of there,” she says with pride.

I was expecting a million possible replies, but that was not one of them. “You are so strange. Wasn’t expecting that,” I respond, chuckling at her story.

“I take that as a compliment, you know.”

Stopping, I carefully grasp her upper arms, turning her to face me. Gazing intently into her large, brown eyes, a smile forms on my lips. “I’m two for two with the compliments tonight. Cute and strange. Just how I like ‘em.”

She drops her gaze, blushing at my words. Without thinking, I hold out my arm for her to take again. Her arm slips into mine, and we continue on our stroll.

During our walk, we take turns asking ridiculous and random questions. I discovered she enjoys throwing on a fresh pair of socks after a bad day, eating pancakes for dinner during a storm, and shopping at antique stores for Depression glass. She learned that I always shield the lines in the book below where I’m reading to prevent spoilers, I only do laundry on Wednesdays, and I have a playlist for every mood. The walk was a total success. Charlie seemed lighter and less weighed down by the heavy emotions from earlier.

We eventually make our way back to the coffee shop and grab both dogs. Because Frank and I are gentlemen, we walk Charlie and Vera to their car. Charlie had parked in the front of her store this time, right on Main Street.

Vera hops into the backseat of her car, and Charlie closes the door when she’s settled.

Before getting into the driver’s seat, Charlie turns to me. “This was nice.”

“Yeah? Same time tomorrow?”

Her head shakes slightly. Quietly, she murmurs, “No . . .” before trailing off.

I wince. My chin lowers to my chest, and before I look up to speak, Charlie beats me to it.

Her feet shuffle over to me, and she touches my arm to get my attention. “No! Oh my god. Sorry, I didn’t speak quickly enough, it happens often, and my siblings hate it,” she confesses. “Anyway, I meant to say, ‘No, I can’t tomorrow since I’m getting dinner with them.’ My sister Joey is finally back in town, so I’ll be spending some time with her. How about Friday instead?” She blinks slowly, waiting for my reply.

“I would love that,” I say, trying to keep my tone calm and even. Internally though? I’m absolutely ecstatic.

She nods. “Great. I’ll see you soon, okay?” There’s so much sincerity in her tone that it wraps around me in a comforting hold.

I take both of her hands in mine and give them a gentle squeeze. “Have a good night, Charlie. Text me when you get home.”

Her cheeks bloom with that stunning shade of pink that I love. When our hands drop, she turns, hops in her car and drives off, waving at me as she leaves.

That night, I drift off to sleep, replaying the scenes of her carefree laugh with a smile on my face.