Chapter 7
Kenzie
“S pill. What’s going on with you and Finn?” Jessa asks me over a cup of tea while I sip my caramel mocha. And I have to tell you, it just does not taste the same as it usually does. And I know it’s not Georgie or Amber’s fault. Those girls make the best drinks. Georgie’s living her dream job of owning and managing her own cafe and bookstore, Espresso Yourself. If only I could say the same thing for myself. Pretty sure I have to give up that new position I want.
I thought I was living my dream when I realized that you just can’t have it all. What atrocious timing! I mean, what are the odds that the weekend I sleep with Finn is the weekend before I try to get that new job?
“He’s great,” I mumble.
“I know I’m the cynic of the three of us, but that doesn’t sound great.” Shifting in her seat, she poses it as a question for vindication. “It doesn’t sound great, does it, Jessa? Or has the chip on my shoulder grown so big that I can’t see true love anymore?”
“I can’t speak to the chip, Avery. Only you know that. But you’re right. She doesn’t sound great.”
“We had sex.”
“Oh shit. Was it bad?” Jessa covers her mouth in horror.
“It was amazing.”
“That doesn’t sound amazing. I’m confused—wait, is this a stupid game like Opposite Day that we all used to play in elementary school?”
“No.” I drop my head to my forearms on the table. “It’s not Opposite Day. It’s Don’t Be an Idiot You Can’t Have All Your Dreams Come True Day.” Jessa dutifully pats my head.
“It’s okay, girl. What’s going on?”
I look up into the eyes of my besties. “He’s perfect. He’s everything—more than everything I could have dreamed. But it’s like the universe decided to cut off my winnings.”
“Meaning?” Avery asks.
“I can’t get the new job I want.”
“That sucks. I know how badly you wanted that. Safety first,” she says wryly with a twist of her finger in the air.
“Ha. Ha. I may as well tell you. Finn is the one who decides who gets the job.”
“That’s perfect. Of course he’ll hire you,” Jessa says with a hopeful smile.
“First of all, that shouldn’t be a given. He should only hire me if I’m the right one for the job. Second of all, I just slept with him. I don’t want people to accuse him of being biased.”
“Oh,” my besties echo each other.
“Aaaand—”
“Shit. There’s more?”
“Ya. The worst part. He doesn’t think I’m the best one for the job.”
“Oh, no he didn’t—”
“Before you jump down his throat Avery, he might be right. The job does include a lot of public speaking. And I was just kind of hoping to work around that. Find a good partner to tag team it with or something.”
“You could totally do the job. Why is he being such an ass?” Avery bites off the words.
“Thanks for having my back girl. But he’s not entirely wrong.”
DING.
Avery’s phone goes off on the table and she flips it over.
“Don’t worry about that,” she says, but before she can finish the sentence it dings several more times.
“Check it. It’s fine,” I reassure her. “It sounds like it might be important.”
She flips over the phone and her eyes immediately go wide.
“Oh my gosh, you guys. Poppy just had a fire at her house. Her kitchen is toast. She said that Eli and Finn were there to put it out with some other guys. She’s fine. But, man, that sucks.”
“That’s terrible.” My heart is pounding. It sounds like it was a small fire, but even still, this is why I didn’t want to be with a firefighter. The danger. I don’t know if my heart can take it.
I shoot a quick text to Finn while the girls and I chat about Poppy. Avery asks her what she needs, but she says she’s fine. We make plans to check on her later.
“Checking your own messages?” Jessa asks.
“Ya. Finn hasn’t replied yet.”
“Hey ladies,” Summer sidles up to our table. “How are you?”
Summer. Gorgeous. Carefree. Freelance photographer. Heart of a hippie. She’s someone that could handle being with a firefighter. She wouldn’t let the anxiety get to her.
“Good,” I say, plastering on a smile. “You?”
Waggling her eyebrows, she nudges me with her elbow. “I saw you and Finn the other night. Sierra and I thought that you two might be a thing now?” Summer is only in town because of Sierra, her best friend, who was all big-city energy taken down by a small town hottie. I’m happy the two girls are here. It’s nice to have some new blood. And there’s nothing not to like about them.
“Ya. We’re seeing how things go.” I’m not sure how to answer her, but it’s true. Finn and I are definitely seeing how it goes.
“Well, give him my best wishes when you see him. Hope he gets better soon.”
“Um…what now?”
“Oh shoot. Sorry. I don’t really know much.” She grimaces a bit. Probably feeling awkward that she knows something I should know about the guy I’m seeing. “Sierra told me that Hunter said Finn got injured on the job—”
“Where is he?”
“I think he’s at the firehall—”
“Oh my God.” I can feel my eyes welling up with tears already.
“It’s okay, Kenzie,” Avery squeezes my hand. “He’d be at the hospital if it was bad.”
And I don’t know if that helps or hurts. I just know that my heart is being squeezed out of my chest.
“I’m sure he’s fine, sweetie,” Jessa’s voice soothes me a tiny bit.
“Is he okay? Is he hurt? How bad is it?” I fix my eyes back on Summer.
“I wish I knew more. I-I think he’s fine. I’m sorry, Kenzie. I thought you knew.” I don’t blame her. The look on her face tells me that she feels awful to be the bearer of bad news, and incomplete bad news at that.
This is my worst fear. I’m officially living my own personal nightmare. How the hell am I going to get out of this? But there’s another question that’s poking me with a big stick. Would the nightmare only be worse without Finn?