Chapter 8

Eight

Finn

I thought about that moment I was alone with Aria for the rest of the week. I was physically attracted to her, but it was more than that. I was drawn to her lightness and to her eternal optimism that everything would be okay.

I’d thought she romanticized relationships and weddings, but her comments that night revealed another side of her. One that had seen the darker side of life but still believed in a better one.

She had a depth to her that I’d missed when we’d talked previously. I thought she was like most girls who only wanted to plan the perfect day and didn’t care about what came later. Girls grew up watching movies where the heroine wanted to get married. Then they wanted the wedding, the house, and the white picket fence. And all I could think about was that it wasn’t me, and I needed to stay far away from her.

When she touched my thigh, I wanted her, despite all logic. It was stupid and reckless and didn’t make sense in my head. I should remember she wasn’t the kind of girl who had flings or meaningless hookups.

She wanted it all, a boyfriend, a relationship, and commitment. Everything I avoided. She wasn’t the girl for me, so why couldn’t I get her out of my head? I was determined to avoid her and not find ourselves in dark rooms alone. Nothing good could come from it.

When she babysat the next time, I kept our interactions brief and professional. She was there to watch my daughter. We weren’t friends, and we wouldn’t be anything else. I ignored the confusion swirling in her gaze.

I went to work, feeling unsettled. I went through the motions of teaching my kids in their small instrument lessons and music classes, but my heart wasn’t in it. Something was off, but I couldn’t figure out what it was, and I chalked it up to being tired.

Paisley hung out with me after school was dismissed since she went to the same school where I worked. When it was time to go home, we headed out to my SUV, and my phone rang.

“Aria?” I answered when I saw it was her.

She sucked in a jagged breath. “Finn. I can’t—I’m so sorry. I never do this. But I can’t watch Paisley tonight.”

“Why not?” My voice was sharp. I needed someone dependable to care for Paisley.

“I’m dealing with something.”

“What could you possibly be dealing with?” I ran a hand through my hair. Had I misjudged her? Was she not as responsible as I thought?

“My apartment was broken into. I’m not the only one, but it’s a mess. The police are here. I have to deal with this. I’m so sorry.” Her voice was small.

“Your apartment was—?” I started to clarify before shooting a look at Paisley. I didn’t want her to worry.

“I need to go. The police want to talk to me.”

I had so many questions. How bad was it? Did they take anything? Was she hurt? My mind raced with possibilities.

I should have been thinking about what it meant for my gig tonight, but instead, I was worried about her.

A male voice said something in the background, and Aria said to me, “Let me call you back.”

I didn’t even know where she lived. I couldn’t do anything about the situation, and it was driving me crazy. I drove home, my fingers tight on the steering wheel.

“Is Aria coming tonight?” Paisley asked.

“No. Something came up.” There was no way I was talking to her about the situation.

“Who will watch me?”

“I can stay home, or we can call Aunt Ireland.”

Paisley bounced in her seat. “Yes, call Aunt Ireland.”

I wasn’t sure she’d be home. We went inside, and Paisley hung up her book bag and went to play with her toys.

With shaky hands, I called Ireland.

“Hey, how’s my favorite niece?” Ireland asked by way of greeting.

“She’s your only niece,” I said dryly.

“What’s going on? Aren’t you playing at Max’s tonight?”

I ran a hand through my hair again. “I was supposed to, but Aria called out.”

“Oh. That’s not like her. Did something happen?” Ireland asked, concern seeping into her voice.

“Her apartment was broken into.” My stomach knotted.

Ireland sucked in a breath. “Is she okay?”

“I think so.” Although we hadn’t gotten that far in the conversation. “She’s talking to the police. I think she’s going to be tied up for a while.”

“What do you need from me?”

Appreciation for my sister filled me. When my parents were too tied up in their own troubles, we always had each other. “Do you know where she lives?”

Ireland fell silent for a few seconds. “Actually, I don’t. We’ve never hung out there, and come to think of it, she never talks about her place. I didn’t think it was weird before now.”

“Could you get the address from Gia? Tell her what’s going on and that we’d like to help her.”

“Are you planning on going there?” I could hear the concern in her voice.

“I feel like we should do something.” I felt helpless. That was the tightening sensation in my chest.

“I’ll call Gia and see what I can find out,” Ireland said.

“Thank you,” I said as she hung up.

“I’m hungry,” Paisley said, so I pulled out a frozen pizza and turned on the oven. I didn’t have the bandwidth to make a healthy dinner tonight. Then I called Max and said I wouldn’t be in. He was understanding when it came to issues with Paisley, which I appreciated. My daughter always came first.

I was on edge until Ireland called back a few minutes later. “I’m texting you the address.”

“Gia didn’t mind?”

“Oh, she had questions, but she’s just as concerned as we are. Finn?”

“Yeah?”

“She doesn’t live in a good area. I had no idea.”

I pulled the phone away from my ear so I could read the unfamiliar address. I googled it quickly while Ireland waited. “Why does she live there?”

“I have no idea. She doesn’t talk much about her past.” Ireland sounded a little frustrated, as if she wished she’d asked more questions. I did too. But to be fair, we didn’t know each other that well. I’d made some assumptions, and I was obviously wrong. If she was struggling, she hid it well.

Other than her admitting her neighbors argued, that didn’t necessarily mean she grew up poor or that she was living in a bad area now. “I guess we don’t know her that well.”

She’d only revealed a few small details, not enough to know someone.

“I thought we were friends,” Ireland said, disappointment lacing her tone.

“Aria was probably embarrassed to admit where she lived. How soon can you be here?” How bad was her place? Where would Aria stay tonight? Would whoever broke in come back?

“I’ll be right there.” And then she hung up.

The stove sounded, letting me know it was fully heated, and I opened the door to put the pizza inside. Then I sat in the living room to watch Paisley play with her dollhouse. She was quiet tonight, as if she sensed my unease. I kept looking at the time until Ireland turned the knob and came inside. “Are we going over there to see her?”

“I have Paisley.”

“You want me to watch her?”

“Do you mind?” I didn’t want Ireland in that area if the person responsible was still there. And I needed to make sure Aria was okay.

“Of course not.” She waved me off. “Go. Let me know what’s going on.”

“I will.” Then I kissed Paisley.

“Is Aria okay?” Paisley asked me.

“I’m going to check on her, see if she needs any help.”

“That’s nice.”

“Yeah, we help out our friends.” Ireland was her friend, not me. I was just her coworker, boss…whatever. But I needed to make sure she was okay, that she wasn’t hurt and had somewhere to stay tonight. I had a feeling she hadn’t considered all those things yet, and she wouldn’t reach out for help.

Ireland followed me to the door. “Be careful, and take care of her.”

“I will. If she needs a place, can she stay with you?” Ireland had a two-bedroom apartment close to the harbor.

“Absolutely.”

I hugged her before walking out. I could always depend on my sister. Who did Aria have? She’d mentioned a sister, but it sounded like she was the one helping her, not the other way around.

I wished I’d asked more questions.

I was anxious the entire drive to her apartment. The area was seedy. I couldn’t believe she lived here. Is this where she grew up, what she knew, or was she living here with a boyfriend? The thought made me feel cold. I had no idea what I was walking into.

When I saw Aria next to an officer, I parked and made my way to her. I wouldn’t feel better until I saw that she was okay. “Aria.”

She turned, confusion etching the lines on her forehead. “Finn, what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

I touched her back, needing to reassure myself that she was intact.

The officer stepped back. “You have my number. We’ll have the report ready tomorrow for your insurance company.”

Aria’s lips twisted as she mumbled, “I didn’t have insurance.”

“You didn’t have renter’s insurance?”

Aria looked away, clearly embarrassed. “Who would insure this place?”

I didn’t want to admit that I thought her place was less than ideal, so I didn’t respond to her question. I ran my hands up and down her arms. “Are you okay? Were you hurt?”

“I’m fine. When I came home, the door was ajar. Several places were broken into. It wasn’t just me.”

That made me feel slightly better. “They catch who did it?”

“The officers think it happened during the day sometime. Apparently, the locks are flimsy.” A shiver ran through her body, and I wondered if she was thinking about what would have happened if she had been home alone.

I pulled her into my body and wrapped my arms around her. She curled into me as I held her. It filled the hole in my chest that opened when I got her call. She was okay.

“Do they need anything else from you, or are you free to go?”

“They’re done for the night.”

“Do you need anything from your apartment?”

“I should get my clothes, but I’d need to wash them first.” Her eyes filled with tears.

“Ireland said you could stay with her. You’re about the same size.”

Her eyes cleared. “Yeah, that would be great. Thank you.”

I ushered her over to my car, thinking she wouldn’t be able to drive herself. “We can get your car tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” she said as she got inside.

I pulled out of the lot, relaxing more the farther we got away from her place. I had so many questions, starting with why she was living there, but I bit my tongue, knowing it wasn’t the right time.

“I’m sorry you missed your gig.”

I shrugged. “Max was cool about it. He knows I have a daughter, and she comes first.”

“But you’re with me, not her.”

“Ireland’s watching her. I didn’t want her to come—” I broke off, hoping she didn’t realize what I was going to say.

Her face twisted. “You didn’t want Paisley in my neighborhood?”

“I was worried that whoever broke into your apartment was still there.”

“Right,” Aria said as she looked out the window.

“I needed to make sure”—something bloomed in my chest—“that you were okay.”

I felt her gaze on the side of my face, and when I looked over at her, her lips were parted in surprise. “Did you call your family?”

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t want to worry them.”

“Don’t you think they’d want to know?” I asked, glancing over at her.

Her gaze was on the side window. “There’s nothing they can do about it.”

My parents weren’t always the most attentive, but they’d want to know.

“My family isn’t like yours.”

“What do you mean?” I asked as I signaled a left turn.

“It’s just different. I don’t rely on them as much as I help them. It’s a different dynamic. I make sure they’re okay, that they have enough food in the fridge, that sort of thing.”

Was that an issue for her family? They didn’t have enough food? She didn’t seem to realize what she’d revealed, and I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable by bringing it up. “You can stay at Ireland’s for as long as you need to.” I hadn’t discussed it with her, but I was positive she felt the same way I did. There was no way we’d let Aria move back to that apartment complex. Whether she was targeted or not, it wasn’t safe.

“I really appreciate you looking out for me. It’s nice.”

She didn’t have anyone to look out for her, and that got to me in a way that no one else ever had. I reached over to cover her hand with mine. “You can count on us.”

I included Ireland because it was true, but also so she didn’t get the wrong idea about us. There was something going on between us, but I wouldn’t act on it. She needed our help right now.

Aria’s eyes fell closed at my words, as if she were savoring them, and I liked that a little too much. I’d never thought about what it would be like to have someone rely on me, other than Paisley. But I kind of liked it. I wanted to be there for Aria.

I pulled my hand away and immediately missed the warmth of hers. As I parked in my driveway, relieved Aria was okay and nervous about what came next, I knew if anything was going to happen between us, it couldn’t now. Aria was moving in with my sister.

You didn’t date your sister’s friends, especially not their roommates. It would be all kinds of awkward.

Inside, Ireland immediately hugged Aria, and when she pulled back, she scanned her body. “Are you okay?”

Aria smiled. “I’m fine.”

“Aria, Aria. You’re here.” Paisley was excited because all her favorite people were in one room.

“I know you want to play with her, but Aria needs to get settled into Aunt Ireland’s place. There was an issue with her apartment, and until it can be fixed, she’ll be staying with her.”

Paisley’s eyes widened. “You’re having a sleepover? Can I come too?”

“First of all, it’s a school night, and second, you know I’d miss you if you stayed with Aunt Ireland, right?”

“You can’t keep her to yourself forever; the rest of us need our Paisley time too,” Ireland said as she ruffled Paisley’s hair.

I wanted to go with them and make sure Aria was settled, but Ireland could handle it. I probably needed to keep my distance from her anyway. Her staying with Ireland meant she had a safe place to live, which made her off-limits for me. It was a good thing.

“Let me know if you need anything,” I said to Aria as Ireland opened the door to leave.

“Sorry about tonight.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault.”

Aria headed out to Ireland’s car, and Ireland kissed me on the cheek. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of her.”

“Why didn’t she say anything?” I lowered my voice so Paisley wouldn’t hear me in the other room.

Ireland looked over at her car, where Aria was already seated in the passenger seat. “She was probably embarrassed, so don’t make a big deal out of it.”

“I won’t.” Even though I was dying to know more about her situation.

Ireland leaned closer, her face filled with concern. “Is something going on between the two of you?”

I could answer that honestly. “No.”

She tipped her head to the side. “You seem to care about her as more than just a coworker or her boss.”

“She’s a nice girl. I don’t like her living there.”

Ireland shook her head. “Me either. At least she’s got us now.”

I hugged her. “And we’re pretty awesome.”

Ireland’s shoulders shook as she laughed. “Love you, brother.”

“Love you too.” Ireland was the only one I’d ever committed to. She was there for me when my parents weren’t, and I didn’t see anyone else holding a place like that in my heart.

Things in my life had been relatively easy the last few years. I was in a good routine with Paisley and Naomi. I had a steady, predictable job that allowed me to stay home with my daughter over the summer. I had music as an outlet. My life was nice.

But the more I found out about Aria, the more I wanted to understand what made her tick. And the other side of me wanted to know her in a different way. I wanted to know what would have happened if that person hadn’t interrupted our time in that back room at the wedding a couple of weeks ago.

Would we have kissed? Would it have changed everything?

Now I’d never know. Aria was my sister’s friend and roommate. That line had been drawn, and there was no way to get around it.