Revision (COMPLETE)

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Two weeks had passed since she'd hidden her laptop from herself, however today it needed to be resurrected. Delaney finally flushed out the ending of her latest manuscript and was ready to begin writing it. Sometimes she needed time to think through the scenarios, playing with details and choices until she decided which direction she wanted her story to take. These decisions were often driven by her current mood and forecast of life.

The temptation was too great, and against her better judgment she logged into her social media account. As expected there were messages awaiting her from Fin. He'd left them every couple of days during the course of the last two weeks.

"I'm here and waiting for you. I hope you're running late and not decided against coming."

"I'm guessing you weren't quite ready and that's ok, but I'm not giving up."

"I'd like to chat with you again, if that's all you're willing to do."

"Red, please don't phase me out, even though I deserve it."

However, the truth was that she had been there. She'd arranged for the kids to be with their doting aunts and came back home spending an hour getting ready. She'd changed her clothes ten times, styled her hair and paid meticulous attention to her makeup. She'd arrived late on purpose making sure she wasn't the one waiting on him. She parked her car and slowly walked toward the small storefront. She paused by the small slice of a window adjacent to the doorway. Her breath hitched in her throat as she took in the sight before her. There was Fin, completely unchanged except that his hair was trimmed neat against his ears and the nape of his neck, leaving a longer top that was swept to the side. He was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt and was seemingly distracted by his phone. She wondered if he was checking to see if she'd left a message for him. Her heart hammered against her ribcage making her feel more alive than she had since Shane had died.

She stood there motionless. A voyeur in a shop window watching a man she hardly knew. Her heart and brain were leading her in opposite directions, yet she was firmly planted, weighing her options. He set his phone down and reached for his coffee mug, absentmindedly twirling it around on the tabletop by the handle. He stared down into the contents examining it as if he were reading tealeaves. It was the exact same way that Declan twirled his mug of hot cocoa, watching the marshmallows swirl in motion. A huge lump formed in her throat.

Her fingers hovered over the keys. "I'm sorry I didn't make it to the coffee shop."

"That's ok. I knew it was a long shot."

She was surprised to find him online. She swallowed hard. "That's a lie. I did go."

"What? Where were you?"

"Watching you from the window outside."

There was a long pause.

"Wow. I just realized how creepy that sounded." She added.

"Haha, does it make you feel better if I told you I drove by your house?"

A frisson went through her. "You drove by my house?"

"Yes, not my proudest moment. If I'd thought the kids weren't there I would've knocked on your door."

Her stomach flipped nervously. "See, I told you this wasn't a good idea."

"But it is."

"No."

"At the very least I owe Shane to look after you guys."