Page 102 of Best Friends, Tennessee

I went to throw on a pair of sweatpants and came back to eat Finn’s elaborate meal. I still felt like I was in some dream world, like this was a vacation instead of my actual life. He told me about how one of his favorite horses at Minton Ranch, Maisie, was doing a cute little hop this morning when he’d arrived, and I told him I’d be happy to come meet them sometime.

“You want to come see the horses?” Finn asked. “Hot damn. You reallyareturning over a new leaf on Tennessee, aren’t you?”

“Honestly, I would have liked seeing the horses anytime,” I said, looking up at him from under my lashes. “I’m going to admit something to you.”

“Juicy secret?”

“Well, you know I always thought Mason wanted to fuck you,” I told him. “And… in retrospect, I think I might have been a little…”

Finn’s face brightened into a smile. “Holy shit, Ori, were youjealous?”

“Maybe.”

“Wow.”

“I wouldn’t have known it at the time, but maybe I was jealous. Mason just belongs in Tennessee, like you do. He’s a country boy, even if he’s not always rocking quite as many cowboy-style clothes as you.”

“So you didn’t want to come around the ranch?”

I pulled in a slow breath. “It’s just that I felt like I didn’t fit inanywherearound here. You and Mason, getting along so well even if hedidn’twant to fuck you. You being here for my parents and for Olivia’s birth. Not to mention that everyone around town has always thought you’re the golden boy, whether it was in football or in the damn diner.”

“I didn’t know you felt it that strongly.”

I shook my head. “I numbed myself to it, while I was away,” I said. “But goddamn, Finn, I just wished I could snap my fingers and be more like you. I always kind of did.”

He shook his head. “No way. You were always more confident than me. Confident in how different you were.”

“Have you ever heard the phrasefake it ‘til you make it?Yeah. That was me.”

Finn swallowed. “Well, then I wish I could have been there for you, too,” he said softly. “I wish we both hadn’t been so goddamned stubborn.”

I puffed out a laugh. “Tell me about it.”

I was lost in thought for a minute, finishing off the rest of my French toast.

“All right,” Finn said. “Going forward, I’m just going to tell you how I feel, no matter what. Starting now. Ori, I think you’re really fucking hot when you lick maple syrup off your finger.”

I hummed, smiling at him. “You like when I lick things off of your finger, too.”

“God, I still can’t believe I made you do that, right after you got back to town.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “You didn’t just make me do it, trust me. I wanted to.”

“In the spirit of honesty, that’s hotter than fucking hell.”

After cleaning up, I got dressed and came back out.

“Well,” I said. “In the same spirit of honesty, I’ll tell you that I was secretly going to try to visit that art museum in Sable Valley today. I was afraid to bring it up because I’m telling you Finn, Idon’tfeel like I’m settling if I stay in Tennessee anymore.”

He looked surprised. “Are you sure about that? Because I heard you spout off about how shitty this place is for so long.”

“I know. And I feel awful about that,” I said. “I do still like the city, but… I was looking for it to fix my life, and that’s notsomething it’s ever going to do. Nothing in my life is going to be good if I stay closed off like that.”

Finn nodded, reading my face, clearly trying to figure out if he believed me.

“I want to try,” I told him softly.

It was all I wanted with everything, here.

---