This is Me Trying (Evergreen Ridge)

Chapter 18

Riley

F inn and I set our stuff down in our hotel room and stare at the one king bed. That’s right I said our room and the one bed. We just got here after a three and a half hour drive, and as it turns out, Finn or the hotel messed up our reservation, and instead of two rooms with one king bed each there’s only one. Did they have another room with two queen beds instead? Nope. There’s some sort of convention happening in Seattle this weekend and everything is booked.

Finn startles me out of my thoughts. “Really, Riles, I don’t want you to be this uncomfortable. I can just go stay at my place and meet you back here in the morning. It’s just one night.”

“No, really, it’s fine. Like you said, it’s just one night, and I’m used to roughing it. I can totally take the floor. It’ll be just like camping.”

“You’re nuts if you think I’m going to let you sleep on the floor. Or if I’m even going to be able to sleep knowing that you’re curled up on the floor while I’m in this big comfy bed.”

I look around the room while my brain tries to come up with a solution. How is it possible that this hotel room doesn’t even have a chair or a couch one of us could sleep on? They gave us like a hundred pillows, though.

“I’m going to build a pillow wall.”

“Huh?”

“Look, they gave us a ton of pillows, so we’ll just divide the two sides and pretend like it’s two beds instead of one.” Yeah, like I’ll be able to share a bed with Finn Hart and not think about it. It already feels like someone turned up the heat in here and it’s only eleven a.m. “See, problem solved.”

He stares at me like he knows exactly what I’m thinking, and my skin starts to feel itchy. “Okay, whatever you say. The day’s just getting started, though, so let’s just unpack our stuff and not worry about it right now. If you change your mind later, I can absolutely go stay at my place and no feelings will be hurt.”

“I won’t change my mind, but sure, that sounds good. What do you have going on today? I looked up some stores that I wanted to go to, and Mason said you might have some suggestions, since this is your stomping ground.”

“Yeah, I actually have a meeting that I need to be at in the next hour. I wrote down a list of places for you to see and gave it to the driver.”

“Driver?”

“Yeah, I didn’t want you walking around a strange city by yourself, so I got a driver to come and get you. When you’re ready, you just need to tell the front desk and they’ll have them out front.”

Weird, I didn’t know Uber worked like that. I especially didn’t know you could give them a list of different places ahead of time. Interesting. “Finn, I’ve been to Seattle before, quite a few times actually. It’s a three and a half hour drive, not halfway across the country.”

“Still, I would feel better if you used the car that I got. Can you do it for me, please?”

“Sure, that should be fine. What time is your meeting over with? Did you want to meet up later, or were you planning on doing your own thing?”

He’s looking at me nervously now. “Well, actually, I made us a dinner reservation, if that’s okay with you. I know we’re keeping things strictly professional, but I couldn’t bring you to Seattle and not take you to one of my favorite restaurants. Another point to this trip is for you to unwind, since you’ve been working so hard.”

I feel the heat rising in my cheeks. “No, that actually sounds really nice, thanks. I also never got to tell you thanks for setting all of this up. I know this wasn’t Mason’s idea, so I appreciate the thought and wanting me to be able to take a breather for a bit. No one’s ever really looked out for me since my mom died, and I want you to know that it hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

Now his cheeks are flushed. “Anything for you, Riley.”

I thought he was going to continue speaking, but he doesn’t. Part of me thinks that he truly means he would do anything for me, but that can’t be right. We’ve only known each other a little over a month. Sure, we’ve started to get to know each other better. And there’s the way he opened up to me in the car.

I was a bit stunned that he opened up to me the way that he did, but I suppose I did the same when we got ice cream. I’m so used to being closed off with people that maybe I didn’t realize that’s part of the payoff. A mutual understanding and safety in sharing things. I have the thought that maybe me opening up to him first gave him a bit of the courage he needed to do the same. I let it flit out of my brain because there’s no way I could’ve had that kind of effect on someone else. Could I?

What he shared brought some things into perspective for me, though. There were a couple of times that he referred to himself as dumb or not wanting to let me down after my interview with Mason. I can’t believe that his parents could look at him and see anything other than the amazing, hardworking, successful man that he is. I can’t even explain the way that my blood boiled when he shared that with me. Also, the way that the guilt came on knowing how I treated him in the beginning and how I’d kept him at such a distance for so long.

After a long moment, I clear my throat and ask, “Well, let’s get this show on the road. I’m just going to freshen up after being in the car for that long. What time do you want me back here for dinner?”

“Our reservation is for five o’clock. I figured that would give you enough time to explore some of the different places on the list, and whatever you don’t get to, we can finish up together tomorrow before heading back. Oh, and you can literally wear whatever you want. It’s my favorite restaurant, but it’s nothing super fancy.”

“Okay, sounds good. I’ll see you at four-thirty then? Is that enough time to get there?”

“It’s perfect, and have fun today, Riles. That’s what this is all about. It’s for the project, but I see how your face lights up when you talk about design. So, don’t get bogged down thinking it’s work. Just see what speaks to you.”

I nod, grab my toiletry bag, and bolt for the bathroom. How is he even real, and why did I spend so much time fighting my attraction toward him? Gone is the cocky, always trying to be charming guy that I first met, and here is this incredibly sweet and thoughtful guy, who is also the hottest man to have ever walked the planet. He already knows me so well because he truly listens and observes.

I know it’s awkward that I took off once again, but I was feeling so stifled in there after all of the kind words he was saying. I know we’re taking steps forward, and I know I am, too, individually, but I’m not perfect, okay? So, maybe if I just freshen up in here and clear my head, I’ll get lucky and he will have already left for his meeting.

Twenty minutes later, I’ve freshened up and put on a cute outfit I can also wear to dinner. Thank God I listened to Chloe when she told me to double pack. I slowly open the door and let out a relieved breath when I see Finn has left already, and I don’t have to face him quite so soon after running into the bathroom.

I head down to the lobby and wait in line to speak to the clerk at the front desk. He makes eye contact with me and smiles, waving me forward.

“Good afternoon. How can I help you, miss?”

“Hi, the friend I’m staying with told me to let you know when I was ready, and a car would be here to take me where I need to go, but now that I hear how silly that sounds, I can really just call my own Uber. I have the app.”

He gives me a knowing smile. “Well, let me just see what the note on your room says. What’s your room number?”

“Um, it’s 619.”

He types a few things in his computer, and his eyes widen slightly. “Oh, yes, Miss Fields, Mr. Hart has taken care of everything. I’ll let them know you’re ready and they’ll meet you out front.”

“Okayyy. Thanks so much.” What kind of fancy Uber service is this?

I walk to the front and out the double doors. A big blacked-out SUV is waiting, and I think there’s no way it’s waiting for me, until a man in a fancy coat asks, “Miss Fields?”

“Yes, that’s me,” I reply skeptically.

He opens the car door and waves me in. “Your ride is ready to take you to your first destination.”

“Oh, no, I don’t think this is right.”

“If you’re Miss Fields, this is for you. Mr. Hart set it up for you before he left earlier.”

“Okay, well, thank you very much.”

I’m more than a bit stunned when I get inside the SUV. This isn’t some normal car, this is one of those fancy car service ones, even nicer than Uber black. It’s kind of like what you see in the movies when a mob boss picks you up and drives you to your death. Maybe he’s not a serial killer, maybe he’s secretly in the Mafia and he’s kidnapping me to be his new bride. I check the locks and they go up and down. Thank God, I’m not trapped.

This is all very strange, and I’ll be giving him an earful later. First, I’m going to enjoy the ride in this big fancy car. I’m going to let it drive me around the city to all the different stores I need to check out. Then I’ll tell him how I really feel. Which, when I really think about it, is truly taken care of.