A New Leaf (Hemlock #1)

Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Charlie

Knowing I would see Finn tonight, I may have put a little extra effort into how I look. Instead of overalls, I opted for straight jeans, brown boots, and a black turtleneck sweater. Glancing once more in the small mirror on the wall of my office, I attempt to smooth the barely tamed flyaways in my dark hair.

I don’t always know when Finn will drop into my store with a coffee, so it’s always a surprise when he does appear. And when he mentioned tonight, I was relieved he remembered because I want to spend more time with him.

Not that I would ever admit that aloud.

That pesky, nagging voice of self-doubt in my brain kept pinching me, and I tried to ignore it as best I could. Figuring he would bail on me, I tried not to get my hopes up. But the moment I heard those words, “I’ll see you tonight,” my heart rate picked up alarmingly quickly as relief surged through me.

Earlier, Finn looked incredibly handsome when he strolled confidently into my store. His long, lean frame was enhanced by dark jeans, a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a deep tan sweater vest. Pair the outfit with his wavy hair framing the tortoise-shell glasses perched on his straight nose and you have the ultimate hot nerd look.

Irritatingly enough, it makes my knees weak. I love a hot nerd.

Even though I try, I fail miserably at keeping my indecent thoughts at bay. On more than one occasion, I wanted to figure out what he was hiding under that sweater vest.

I’m just a horny girl standing in front of a hot, nerdy guy wanting to strip him down and drag him into my back office.

Finn has an air of calming charisma to him. He’s confident, not cocky; persuasive, not pushy. ‘Captivatingly charming’ are the words that come to mind every time I see him. When you talk to him, he gives you his undivided attention. His head dips down ever so slightly, leaning in as he looks deep into your eyes—listening intently. You’d think he was preparing for a quiz on whatever you were saying.

For many, that would make them feel special. But for me? I just feel overwhelmed. I’m not used to someone, aside from Marnie or my family, actively seeking to spend time with me. In my past relationships, I felt as if they were spending time with me out of obligation. Almost like that’s what they had to do because it's what was required to keep up appearances—not because they wanted to. My past self couldn’t care less if I was wanted or not.

Right now, though, I’m having very different feelings because being wanted almost feels too good. I have to remind myself to tread carefully so I don’t end up drowning.

Needing to clear my head and focus on work, I grab my apron, roll up my sleeves, and begin to water the plants around the shop. This is normally Marnie’s job, but I need to do something about my overabundance of anxious energy. My stomach feels like it’s full of a dozen hummingbirds, all ready to take flight.

“Hot damn, little mama! You look like a snack! No, wait. You look like a whole meal!” Marnie yells and scares the absolute shit out of me. Water spills to the floor, and all I can do is scowl at her.

She winces. “I’ll go get a mop to clean that up . . . I forgot how jumpy you get when you’re deep in thought. I should’ve known better once I saw your little gremlin brows creating that line that’s right between?—”

I put my hands up and cut her off. “Stop talking. Get the damn mop.”

“Ma’am, yes, ma’am!” She salutes and heads to the back.

Marnie comes back out with the mop and starts to clean up the puddle of water around my feet. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice her pair of blue eyes looking at me through thick black lashes. Marnie is practically bursting at the seams to say something.

“Go ahead. Say it.” I groan, setting the watering can on the table.

“Oh, thank god. What’s the occasion? Do you have a hot date?”

“Finn and I are going on a walk tonight,” I say to her, avoiding eye contact. I can feel my cheeks begin to flush at my admission. “Please, don’t make a big deal out of it. You know how it makes me uncomfortable.”

Marnie stops what she’s doing, and her face softens. “I know, Charlie. As much as I want to heckle you, I respect you too much. I think it’s a great idea. He seems like a really nice, genuine guy.”

She’s oddly mature about this, and it makes me uncomfortable when she acts like a responsible human.

Marnie continues. “Plus, I heard a little extra cardio before bed helps you sleep better at night.” She shrugs and wiggles her eyebrows at me.

And there it is.

My jaw drops. “You were almost there. Almost. You just couldn’t help yourself, could you? You couldn’t have just stopped before you crossed into that territory.”

“When there’s an open door for a dirty joke to be had, you know I’ll walk through it.”

“Clearly.”

“How long has it been?”

“How long has what been?”

Marnie tilts her head to the side. “Don’t play coy with me. How long has it been since someone explored your gremlin cave?”

My eyes widen. “You repulse me.” My phone starts ringing, putting an end to this conversation in record time. As I walk away to answer the phone, I call out over my shoulder, “Two years!”

Marnie screeches, “TWO WHOLE FUCKING YEARS? Does it even work anymore? I can’t believe it—Oh, hi! Sorry I didn’t see you come in! How can I help you today?”

My laugh is unladylike, and I can only imagine what the customer who just walked in is thinking.

As soon as the sun sets, my hands begin trembling with so many nerves. I’ve been dropping anything and everything I touch as I anxiously wait for Finn. Part of me starts to panic, wondering what we’re going to talk about, or if he feels like this is an obligation and he’s too nice to say so. I take a few steadying breaths and scratch Vera’s head in the hope of soothing some of the anxiety that’s consuming me.

My thoughts are interrupted by a soft knock. I lazily make my way over to the front of the store. When I get to the door, Finn stands in his long, wool peacoat with Frank by his side. I unlock it and give him a small smile, motioning for him to come in.

“Whoa. No golf club tonight?” he says. “I was hoping you’d whip out a sand wedge one of these days.”

He steps inside the store, and we're standing so close to one another that we're nearly touching chests.

I cross my arms and roll my eyes. “One more sly comment, and I’m walking alone. You can stay and watch the dogs.”

“You can’t get rid of me that easily, sweetheart.”

My heart jolts in my chest as I turn away from him to grab Vera. That damn nickname again throws me for a loop. “Do you want to keep the pups here? Or stick them in your shop?” I call out over my shoulder.

“Definitely mine. Frank has been acting out a little too much for my liking lately, and you may not have any plants when we get back if we leave them here.”

“You should really keep your kid in check. He’s going to be a bad influence on Vera.”

“Charlie, I mean zero disrespect when I say this, but Vera didn’t even bark that night Frank and I crashed in here. She wagged her tail like I was a long-lost friend. There’s no way your dog is being influenced by my furry delinquent.”

I contemplatively tilt my head to the side. “Valid point.”

Slipping on my jacket, I untuck my hair from the collar, letting it fall down my back. Finn’s gaze lingers on me, causing my posture to stiffen.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, buttoning my jacket.

Finn rakes his fingers through his wavy hair, clearing his throat. “N-nothing. You just look really pretty.” A flush blooms across his cheeks as he nervously swallows.

I can’t remember the last time a man genuinely complimented me. A warmth floods through my body, and my heart beats a little faster, knowing his words will stick with me for days to come.

My head tilts to the side as I give him a gentle smile. “Thank you. You look very handsome tonight. I really like your sweater vest.” My voice is barely above a whisper.

“Really?” He looks surprised—borderline shocked.

“I’m capable of giving compliments, you know.” I laugh.

A deep chuckle escapes from him. “No, I was just shocked that you specifically pointed out the sweater vest. My sister gives me shit for it all the time.”

“Well, I personally like the hot professor look.”

Oh. Fuck.

That was a thought that didn’t need to exit my brain. My gaze drops to the ground as I spin on my heel to clip on Vera’s leash—hoping he misheard me and will ignore everything I said. The compliment from earlier is still bouncing around in my head, clouding my thoughts.

I’m kneeling with Vera, pretending to struggle to clip on her leash, when I hear his slow footsteps approaching me. He’s so close now; I can see the creases in his jeans and the scuff marks on his brown boots. I quickly glance up at Finn and then back to my shaky fingers on Vera’s collar.

Seemingly confused, he quirks a brow. “Hot professor?”

“Yeah. Sort of like a hot . . . nerd.” I practically choke getting that last word out. Suddenly my mouth feels too dry.

A faint smile tugs at the corners of his lips, clearly amused by my embarrassing confession. “Miss Thorne, are you flirting with me?”

I silently pray that the ground miraculously decides to swallow me whole. How the hell do you respond to that? I could own it, which would make my therapist proud.

Still not looking at him, I continue to fidget with Vera’s collar and make an attempt to change topics. “Hey, how are your plants doing, by the way?”

“Don’t change the subject, Charlie.”

Ugh. Slowly, I pull myself up, wiping my clammy palms on my jeans.

I guess I’m owning my subpar flirtatious ways today.

“Maybe,” I say with false confidence.

He cocks his head to the side, a devious smile on that devastatingly handsome face. “Maybe, what?”

He takes another step closer to me and I’m certain he can see my heart ready to beat out of my chest. Swallowing nervously, I stare up into his deep blue eyes, which render me speechless. He’s watching and waiting for me to speak, so I put my hands on my hips in a power stance, ready for this battle. “Maybe I was flirting . . . attempting to anyway.”

His chuckle is deep and laced with satisfaction. Finn steps even closer, crowding me with his body. His head dips to the shell of my ear, and I’m overwhelmed by his woodsy cologne, which has traces of lavender and pine. I once read that lavender has a calming effect. Right now, I’m feeling anything but calm.

“Good. I like it.” His warm breath caresses my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. Goosebumps rise on my heated skin, and suddenly wearing a turtleneck feels like a bad idea.

Backing up a few steps, he flashes me a smile, clearly pleased with himself for how flustered I am and for how I’m not putting up a fight about it.

“Are you ready to head out?” he asks, grabbing both Frank and Vera’s leashes.

I’m trying to think of everything I can to tone down the arousal and desire that I feel pumping through my veins. My face feels hot, my neck is damp, and my damn turtleneck feels like it’s choking me.

Unable to form any coherent sentences, I squeak out, “Sure.”

My strength is no match for his charisma.