it when he comes over to watch a movie. I love the way he makes me feel.”
“It’s okay to say it, you know.” Carrie’s voice was soft.
“Say what?”
“That you love him.”
He opened his mouth to deny it, but the words wouldn’t come. Because you know she’s right, don’t you?
“I see you together,” she continued, “and it makes me so happy. I don’t know if it will last, any more than I know if Eric and I will last. There are no absolutes. But if he makes you happy, then go for it. Tell him how you feel.” She paused again. “Don’t let fear hold you back.”
Joel shuddered out a breath. “Is it that obvious?”
“Only to me, but then, I know you, sweetheart. So here’s my advice. Call him, text him, whatever, and invite him to dinner. Make it special. And then sit him down and talk to him.”
He could make Finn dinner. As for talking… Let’s see how the wind is blowing after we’ve eaten.
“I’ll think about it.” Except Joel knew he’d do more than that. “But now I really need to walk the dog.”
“That’s you saying ‘Shut up, Carrie.’” She chuckled. “Go for your walk. But please—”
“I said I’ll think about it, and I will. So let me get off the phone and walk my dog. I can think and walk at the same time, you know.”
“Wow. A man who multitasks. I must call Guinness.”
“And on that note…” Joel said goodbye. He stroked Bramble’s silky ears. “Walk?”
Bramble’s joyous bark was answer enough. Joel had one more task to do before they left the house. He scrolled through Contacts and quickly composed a text to Finn.
Friday night, dinner at my place? Come over as soon as you’re ready.
Then he clicked Send before he had a chance to change his mind. It was just dinner, right? No big deal.
Except Joel knew it was a huge deal.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Finn pulled the drapes back and groaned. “Well fuck.”
The sky was the color of lead, and the clouds looked as though they were about to disgorge themselves within minutes. The forecast the night before had mentioned rain, sure, but this went beyond a shower. Finn knew the guys would turn up to work, just like he was going to do, but if the weather got dicey, that would be an end to it for a while.
Why couldn’t it wait till the roof was on?
By the time he arrived at the site, the rain was coming down heavily, and Lewis and Ted were covering up the piles of rebar with a tarp. As Finn walked over to them, Lewis’s phone rang, and he put it to his ear under the humongous hood that covered his head.
“Hey, Jon. Yeah, it’s bad here.” Just then, thunder rumbled, lasting several seconds, and Lewis scowled. “Scrap that—it just got worse.” He listened intently, while the others stood around, the rain pelting their coats and hitting the ground so hard, it bounced. “Okay, sure. Yeah, I got that. You never know, this might pass.” Then Lewis cackled. “Yeah, I know, ever the optimist. I’ll let you know.” He disconnected.
“What did Jon say?” Max demanded.
“He says to keep working. A little rain never hurt nobody. Just be sure to dodge the lightning.” When Max’s jaw dropped, Lewis cracked up. “Are you fucking kidding me? He said go home. The forecast is shit, this storm is coming in fast, and we don’t wanna be around when it hits.” Lewis grinned. “So, ladies, go home and bang the girlfriend—or girlfriends—or boyfriend, as the case may be.” He speared Finn with a glance. “Well, he sure won’t be walking the doggy in this crap.”
Lewis had a point.
Finn walked back to his truck, jumping when a roll of thunder reverberated through the heavens. He got behind the wheel and stared out at the driving rain. Much as he loved the idea of paying Joel a surprise visit, he wouldn’t do that, not when Joel was working. There was dinner the following day to look forward to, right? I can wait that long, right? His stomach clenched.
I can’t go on like this.
It wasn’t that he didn’t fucking love every minute he got to spend with Joel—what was killing him was the not knowing if they were ever going to pass Casual and reach Commitment. He wasn’t going to tell Joel how he felt, because that would only put pressure on him, but Finn couldn’t leave this hanging. He had to know if they had a future.
Because dear