“With you, honey,” Eric interrupts. “That’s a wife job. No one needs me for this.”

“A wife job?” I ask, brow raised. But Eric and Erin just exchange smiles while I utter, “Never mind, I don’t even want to know.”

“You girls have fun. I’m going to Finn’s to catch up. Call me when you’re ready, babe.”

“Wait!” I call out and Eric stops, Dad’s sandwich rapidly disappearing into his mouth. “You’re going to Finn’s?” This is my opportunity. I gotta admit, things really have a way of working out for me. “Finn’s giving me a ride back to school,” I tell him. “I’ll catch a ride with you and save him a trip over here.”

“He is?” Eric questions, but he’s not really paying attention to me—he’s distracted watching his new wife tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

Finn has no idea he’s driving me back to school, but I say, “Yes,” all the same. “Just give me a second to grab my stuff.”

I dash upstairs and whip off the sweatshirt I’m wearing and pull on a cream-colored cashmere sweater. My brown knee-high boots will look great with this. I freshen my lipstick and say a silent thank you to the heavens for giving me the foresight to do my hair this morning. It’s normally fairly straight and shiny all on its own, but I flat-ironed it to perfection instead of a ponytail.

I toss everything I brought home for the Thanksgiving holiday into my bag and then sit on the bed to tug on the boots. It crosses my mind that I have no plan in place. That Finn hasn’t agreed to drive me back to school, has no idea I’m about to show up with Eric as if he’s already offered a ride. But I dismiss it. Like I said, things usually work out, and a positive attitude is essential. Plus, Finn is too much of a gentleman to humiliate me in front of my brother. That’s how he got stuck driving me to and from the wedding last month.

Still, the indignity of getting tossed out of his apartment just a few weeks ago is fresh on my mind. But so is that tramp teaching assistant I’ve seen eyeing him.

I hesitate, bag in hand. Maybe I shouldn’t push it. But then again, we’re friends, at the very least. Right? There’s no reason he can’t give me a ride back to campus. We’re both going to the same place, after all. In fact, it’s economical for him to drive me. And environmentally friendly. I nod my head. I’ve always been concerned about the environment.

So he’ll drive me back. I’ll be normal. I won’t make one inappropriate advance. We’ll laugh. He’ll drop me off and realize he wants to spend more time with me. I’ve totally got this.

Fourteen

Three Hours Ago

I’ve never been to Finn Camden’s house before. My knee bounces in anticipation while I sit in the passenger seat of Eric’s car. Finn is eight years older than me, and Finn was Eric’s friend, so obviously there was never a reason for me to go to Finn’s house. I’m curious to see it. Finn hasn’t lived there for years now, but it’ll be something to add to my mental Finn file.

We turn right onto North Road, after passing the Venice Restaurant and Pizzeria, and I laugh.

“What’s funny?” Eric asks.

“Remember how Dad always ordered clams on his pizza and no one would touch it but him?”

“Disgusting,” Eric agrees, but he’s smiling. “And Mom would order pepperoni for the rest of us.”

“Yeah.”

“I should take Erin,” he muses while we wait for a light to change.

“You should,” I agree.

“What about you, Everly?”

“What about me what?” I ask, confused.