But now she was smiling and listening to his mother intently, her sundress and dark hair fluttering in the early-evening breeze as they made their way to the back of the property. Despite a rather stilted and uncomfortable meal with his father basically ignoring everyone but the Lindts, Liv seemed to be taking the visit in stride. And having her there had made everything infinitely more enjoyable for him. She was like a safe harbor in an ocean of pointed stares and expertly wielded digs hiding within polite conversation.
He hated to say he was happy about his parents’ divorce, but if this was the last meal he’d have to share with the both of them in the same room, he wasn’t sorry. Maybe now he could spend more time with his mom and sisters without the specter of his father looming in the wings.
Not that he’d get to see them that much anyway. Work would beckon again.
Footsteps sounded behind him.
Finn glanced back toward the house, expecting Jill. He’d told her he wanted to hear all about college and studying abroad and any gossip she had on their older sister who had moved out of state, but instead of Jill making her way toward him, there was an old friend. With a big glass of wine.
When Rebecca had first shown up today, he’d braced himself for awkwardness. His relationship with her had gotten complicated as they’d gotten older, and then he’d pretty much bailed on the friendship in college, keeping in touch in a haphazard way. But his parents had always seemed intent on getting them together, and with Liv there today, he hadn’t put it past his father to highlight who Finn should be with and who he shouldn’t. But thankfully, the only awkwardness had been moving her place card from next to him at the table to make room for Liv.
“Hey,” he said, shifting on the couch to turn toward her.
She gave him a tight smile. “Hey. You busy?”
He rattled his glass. “Just having a drink while Liv and my mom ooh and ahh over rosebushes. What’s up?”
She pulled her shoulders back, suddenly looking every bit the no-nonsense lawyer and nothing like the girl who used to be one of his closest friends. “We need to talk.”
“Okay…” he said carefully. He didn’t have a ton of experience with women, but he knew enough to know those words weren’t tidings of joy.
Rebecca walked over and sat on the other side of the couch, turning slightly to face him. “First, I’m blaming this on Olivia. She let me drink and put ideas in my head about fires.”
He eyed the wineglass. “Fires?”
“Yes.” She smoothed a wrinkle in her pants. “You’re one of my fires I need to deal with.”
Oh boy. “I’m not sure I understand where you’re going with this, Bec.”
“Just bear with me for a minute.” She pinned him with a mildly pleading look.
He nodded. “Shoot.”
She rubbed her lips together and smoothed the wrinkle again. Nervous. “I thought I was past this. It’s so long ago, it might as well have been in another life. But being here today, seeing you, being around your family again… It just brings back a lot of memories, and I don’t know, it all hit me.”
He frowned. “What did?”
She laughed under her breath and fiddled with the pearls at her throat. “God, I feel ridiculous saying this. I clearly didn’t drink enough.”
“Bec…”
“Okay.” She set her wineglass on the coffee table and took a breath. When she met his gaze, she was all business again. “Look, here’s the gist. I don’t like things hanging over me, and these time capsule letters have been stalking me like some demented ex-boyfriend.” She shook her head as if admonishing herself. “I thought I could brush mine off, support my friends if they wanted to do something about theirs, but chalk mine up to stupid things teenagers say and move on. But today proved that it won’t be ignored. I need to deal with it. So”—she cleared her throat—“I need brutal honesty, and you’re one of the few people I can ask these questions.”
He took a long sip of his drink, not liking the sound of that. “We haven’t talked in years. I’m not sure how much of a help I can be.”
She met his eyes with determination. “Humor me.”
Her back was poker straight, her posture making her look haughty and confident, but the lines around her mouth showed strain. This was hard for her. Whatever the hell this was. “Yeah, of course. Go for it.”
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and glanced out at the greenery and flowers as if she needed a moment to compose her thoughts. The setting sun threw slants of pink-orange light over her profile. Finally, a little smile pulled up the corners of her mouth. “You remember that first time you found me hiding in this yard?”
He followed her focus to a tangle of bushes behind the birdbath, old memories tugging at his mind. “Hard to
forget.”
Growing up, having families that ran in the same circles had forced them together regularly, but they’d dutifully ignored each other because eww, girls and eww, boys. But then in fourth grade, after Rebecca’s mom had taken off, Finn had found Bec hiding in the bushes one night, Hello Kitty suitcase packed and eyes red from tears. She’d been planning her escape route, how she was going to find her mother. But he’d overheard his own parents talking about the neighbors earlier in the evening. Rebecca’s mom had left with another guy and had no plans to take her daughter with her. His mom had called Bec’s mother a number of colorful names, which had let Finn know it was serious because his mom rarely swore.
“You thought I was crazy then, too,” she said.