Chapter 13
Reesa
I hadn’t heard from Finn since he texted me good night. Part of me didn’t believe he would show up for breakfast. That didn’t stop me from getting up early to make fresh bread. Now it was hot out of the oven and my house smelled amazing.
Normally I was alone at breakfast, so I would never go through this trouble. Breakfast would consist of coffee and fruit. But I had bragged about my omelets and now I needed to deliver. The veggies were chopped, eggs cracked and beaten, and cheese grated. There was only one thing missing.
Someone to eat this all.
The clock on the wall said ten past eight. Finn was either running late, or not coming at all. It was hard not to send him a text or call to check on him. But he set the time - it was up to him to let me know if he couldn’t make it.
My phone rang and I raced to my bedroom to answer it. But it wasn’t Finn. It was Ziva.
“Good morning, Ziva. How are you?” I asked.
“I’m well. I know we were supposed to meet later today, but I can’t make it. Alex received a call from his publisher and we’re flying out to the U.S. shortly.”
“That’s okay. We can reschedule for when you return.”
“I’m sure you won’t miss us too much. It looked like you and Finn were getting along quite well last night,” she said.
I was glad that the dinner had been at a private residence, where I didn’t need to worry about Barry snapping photos. But it seemed as though everyone was looking at Finn and me as a…couple or something. No. He’s my friend. Who just happened to kiss me. A friend who had me tossing and turning all night long just remembering that kiss.
“It was nice seeing him again,” I replied.
“He just left our house a few minutes ago and you should be seeing him shortly.”
He is coming.
That shouldn’t thrill me as much as it did, but I couldn’t help myself. Finn was only going to be here for one week. I could put up whatever walls I wanted, but the feelings were growing no matter what. And apparently, I wasn’t hiding them as well as I thought.
There was a knock on the door and my heart raced, just from knowing it was Finn.
“Have a safe trip, Ziva. We’ll talk soon,” I said, ending the call and going to answer the door.
I swear, if it’s Barry, I’m going to scream.
Opening the door slowly, I spied through the crack a bouquet of wildflowers. Smiling, I opened the door wide and said, “Those are beautiful. Thank you.” He’s learned that cut flowers are better than potted ones. They all end up looking the same in a week.
As I reached for them, Finn leaned towards me and kissed me. “Good morning.” He stepped inside and asked, “Is that bread I smell?”
“Fresh out of the oven,” I said, filled with pride. “Come sit in the kitchen and have some coffee while I cook our omelets.”
He followed me into the kitchen and asked, “Would you like my help?”
I shook my head. “I don’t want you ruining them,” I teased.
Finn laughed and sat down in a seat with a good view of my positions at the stove and counter. With his eyes on me all the time, I was going to burn the eggs for sure. I needed something to think about besides him.
“What did you think of the hospital?” I asked.
“I was impressed, but not surprised. When you told me Logan had been head of the facility for several years, I knew he would insist on a certain level of care.”
“When I think back to that state of that hospital before he arrived, I could cry. People would go there as a last resort, but so many died. We didn’t have skilled nursing, proper equipment, or the right medication to treat even basic infections.” I wasn’t going to tell him that most women wouldn’t even go to the hospital to have their babies for fear that they would deliver a girl and the tracking of that child would start.
My own mother had to face such a decision. She delivered me at home, and then hid my existence from even those closest to her. It was why Jasper hadn’t known about me until later in life. But once we found each other, the bond was instant, and I couldn’t be prouder of my brother than I am. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be where I am now.
“You might want to turn down the heat,” Finn said.