Page 9 of Forever with the Mountain Man
A week or two more of having him close by. The thought makes me happier than it probably should.
"Well, we appreciate your thoroughness," Principal Martinez says. "Caroline, could you show him where the supply closet keys are kept? He might need access for some of the electrical work."
As Principal Martinez heads back inside, I'm left alone with Finn. He looks like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"Is everything really okay?" I ask quietly.
"Fine." His voice is clipped, professional. "Just tying up loose ends."
I study his expression, looking for the warmth that was there just days ago. Instead, I find careful distance, the same professional mask he wore when we first met.
"Finn, is everything okay? Between us, I mean?"
He glances around the parking lot, then back at me. "We should keep things professional. While I'm working here."
"Professional."
"It's better this way."
"Better for who?" The question comes out sharper than I intended.
"For you." He meets my eyes briefly, and I see something that looks like regret there. "Your reputation, your job. People talk in small towns."
"Let them talk."
"Easy to say when you're not the one they're talking about." He takes a step back, increasing the distance between us. "You've got a career to think about. Parents to impress. I won't be the reason you lose that."
"That's not your decision to make."
He looks at me steadily. "I've been thinking about this all weekend. About what your dad would say, what the school board would think if they knew we were... involved."
The word hangs between us like an accusation.
"So you're ending this before it starts?" I ask, hating how small my voice sounds.
"I'm protecting you."
"From what? From happiness? From someone who cares about me?"
"From making a mistake you'll regret." His jaw is set, his mind clearly made up. "You deserve someone appropriate. Someone your own age, with your education, your background."
The dismissal stings worse than anything else he could have said. "You don't get to decide what I deserve."
"Maybe not. But I can decide what I'm willing to risk."
With that, he turns and walks back to his truck, leaving me standing in the parking lot feeling like the ground has shifted beneath my feet.
The rest of the day passes in a blur. I smile at my students, help them with their activities, read them stories, but my heart isn't in it. All I can think about is the way Finn looked at me like I was a problem to be solved rather than a woman he claimed to care about.
That evening, I'm grading papers at the kitchen table when Dad comes home from the lodge.
"You look like someone stole your favorite book," he observes, settling into the chair across from me.
"Just tired. First day of school."
"Mmm-hmm." He studies me with the perceptive gaze that's made him successful in the hospitality business. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Finn O'Sullivan, would it?"
My head snaps up. "What?"
