8. Finn
“Okay, I know that look. Who is it?” Charlie said, adjusting the blanket for the third time, trying to get it right.
It wasn’t like Sabrina was even going to notice.
It would be dark by the time Charlie and Sabrina got out of here.
But Charlie was particular about the details. He had been going over it for weeks.
For the last couple of hours, Charlie had put Finn to work. Which is why Finn was currently dangling off a ladder, fifteen feet in the air, hanging something called fairy lights on tree branches, getting ready for a surprise midnight picnic for his two best friends.
The setup was nice—a plaid blanket, a bottle of sparkling cider, and a picnic box overflowing with food Chucky had spent days perfecting. Not that Finn minded. He got to be the taste tester.
The occasion centered around a deep blue velvet box that Finn knew contained a delicate golden locket, something Charlie had picked out months ago for Sabrina to celebrate their anniversary.
Finn coughed, caught off guard. “Whatcha ya talkin’ about?”
Chucky boy over there had the balls to smirk at him, motioning to Finn’s face. “You’ve got this faraway look in your eyes. And I keep catching you smiling. And it’s not at me. You never smile at me like that anymore,” Charlie teased.
“I’m not smiling.”
“You were. Am I going to win this bet already?”
“Back off,” Finn seethed. The ladder underneath him wobbled. If he died in the pursuit of helping Chucky woo Sabrina, would he go to heaven even after all of the terrible things he had done?
“So are you gonna tell me, or am I supposed to guess?” Charlie paused. “Is it Brylee?”
“No.”
“Regan? Han? Addison?” Charlie said, ramping up with each name.
“No. No. No.”
“Spill,” Charlie begged. He was worse than a granny at a new knitting circle.
Charlie must have gotten the blanket in the right ray of light or something, because his friend was now staring up at him with his arms crossed over his chest, waiting.
Immovable object meet unstoppable force.
Charlie was not going to budge. He was stubborn when it came to his friends.
Moreover, Charlie would just annoy the shit out of Finn until Finn told him.
Better now than being followed around by Charlie for the next three weeks while he begged for a morsel of information.
Finn didn’t have the time or patience for that.
“Who is she?” Charlie asked, tapping his foot on the ground.
Finn stayed on the ladder—wanting to put as much distance between them so Charlie wouldn’t jump for joy into his arms.
“Lucie. Her name is Lucie,” Finn admitted.
Charlie pumped his fist in the air. “I knew it! I knew you’d found someone. Tell me everything.”
“She’s an artist. She works at a little roadside shop near the edge of town,” Finn continued.
He braced for the painful blow that came with the admission, but instead, there was relief.
Charlie motioned for him to keep going. “She has these eyes that—and when I—” Finn could feel his friend staring at him.
“She’s beautiful. Smart. Crazy talented.
I don’t know. She feels like home. Is that crazy? ”
Charlie gave him a half-grin. “No, it makes perfect sense to me.”
Finn twiddled his thumbs.
“But you know what’s weird,” Finn said, coming down from the ladder. “I went back today to introduce myself, but she stopped me. She told me she didn’t want to know my name.” Finn twisted his ball cap backward on his head. “Whatcha think that means?”
“Sounds sexy.” Charlie waggled his eyebrows but stopped. “Is that sexy?”
“It worries me, chamaco. She—I’ve seen that look before. Something’s been bothering her.”
“You’re not bad at flirting, are you? Because if you want me to give you some pointers. All you need to do is wink and?—”
“Don’t make me regret telling you,” Finn huffed, rubbing the stubble on his cheek.
“I don’t know, man. Every time I see her, she’s wearing long-sleeved shirts, even though it’s hot as hell outside.
There was a lot of makeup around her neck and under her eyes.
It was like she was scared to know my name. ”
Only Charlie and Sabrina knew his full story. Late one night, Finn told Charlie everything. Never once did Charlie laugh or look at him with pity. When Finn finished, Charlie looked at him as if he were brave. He knew enough about Finn’s past to catch the worry in his voice.
“You think she’s in trouble,” Charlie said. Finn was grateful that someone was taking it as seriously as he was. “Someone’s hurting her.” He didn’t say it like a question.
Finn took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair. Images of Lucie’s guarded eyes, the way she fiddled with her sleeves, and the heavy makeup peeking up from her collar raced through his mind.
“I think it might be her dad. He’s a creep.” He let out a loud breath. “I don’t know. I don’t want to make things worse for her. I wanna help, but she won’t even let me in enough to learn my damn name.”
“Maybe she’s scared, man. You’ve been there—you know what it’s like. If she’s in trouble, she’s not going to open up just because you waltzed in and smiled at her. You’ve gotta give her time. Help her feel safe. Keep your promises.”
Finn nodded, but his mind was still swirling with questions.
Charlie clapped him on the back, his grip firm and reassuring. “You’ve got good instincts, Finn. Just be there.”
“Yeah, I hope it’s enough,” Finn sighed, rubbing his tattooed hand over his stubble.
“It will be. You are. You deserve happiness, too,” Charlie said.
“Thank you,” Finn said, giving his friend a stiff nod.
“Happy to do it,” Charlie said, clapping him on the shoulder.
“Now, let’s finish this before it kills me,” Finn concluded, rolling his shoulder.
Over the next hour, they finished setting up the picnic in silence, arranging candles and laying out the spread that would make Sabrina smile. Charlie slipped the locket into the basket, gave it one last glance, then tucked it securely inside.
“She’s gonna love it,” Finn said, resting his hands on his hips, overlooking their work. The meadow looked like a Hallmark movie threw up over it.
Charlie smiled with his confidence back in full force.
“I think so too.” Charlie pulled the wrinkled five-dollar bill out of his wallet and handed it to Finn. “You didn’t fall off the ladder. Told you.”
“Pretty sure the bet was that if I fell and broke a leg, but I’ll take it,” Finn shrugged, pocketed the money, and rubbed the top of Charlie’s hair, pushing him away.
Glancing back at the twinkling lights and the setup one last time, the pair walked away toward their homes.
The picnic was set for Charlie’s midnight surprise.