Page 47 of Twist of Fate
He must feel my eyes on him because he turns and catches my gaze. His smile is so subtle. I almost miss the tiny curve of his lip, but it’s enough to make my stomach flutter and my knees go weak.
Geez, Ash, get yourself together. Yesterday, you hated the guy.
I miss the last of what the guide, Todd, is saying just as Clint walks up to me.
Great.
“Hey, Ash!” he says brightly.
“Hi.” I flash him a hesitant smile.
I look for my mom, hoping for an out—any reason I can escape his attention because I know if I stay too long, I won’t be able to escape it. I’m the kind of person who will sit and suffer through a boring-ass date or eat a cold steak at a restaurant just to avoid any awkward confrontations.
As much as it irked me that Finn was right, sitting on the bus with Clint yesterday had been a bad idea. I’m sure I gave him false hope by laughing at his jokes, but what was I supposed to do?
Being single is more complicated than I anticipated.
My mom is up ahead, having been engulfed by the group, either intentionally or otherwise. Regardless, she’s joyfully strolling with a couple from Ontario while listening to the guide discuss the Gothic church on our right.
“Your mom seems better,” Clint says.
“What?”
He points to her as she laughs at something the woman next to her says. “She wasn’t feeling well last night,” he reminds me.
“Oh, right.” Shit, I forgot about that. “Yeah, she just needed to rest up a little bit, and now she’s good as new.”
“Great!” He seemed to like that bit of information, and suddenly, I realized why. “So, maybe?—
“Hey, Clint.” Finn’s familiar voice cuts in, and I think I let out a sigh of relief as he casually approaches us. “I remembered the name of that player I mentioned yesterday.”
“Oh yeah.” Clint’s eyes light up. “Finn used to be a rugby player,” he tells me as if the guy isn’t even here. “Although I suppose that’s not hard to imagine given his size. And I thought soccer players were tall.”
My throat goes dry.
That’s when I notice Finn giving me a look. It’s subtle, just a slight raise of his brow, but it’s enough, and suddenly I understand.
The interruption. The sports talk.
He’s giving me an out, and I amsotaking it.
“I’m going to go see if I can find my mom,” I say, trying to hide the grin tugging at my lips. “I’ll see you two later.”
I don’t wait for Clint to respond; I simply disappear into the crowd. However, when I sneak a glance back a moment later, I find green eyes staring back at me.
Thank you, I silently say.
He simply nods.
THIRTEEN
Finn
PAST
One of my favorite stops on any of the tours I lead is Galway.
While Dublin will always be home, I can easily see myself in Galway one day. It still has that city vibe, with enough culture and variety to keep it interesting, but it’s open enough that sometimes, when you’re walking down the streets, it almost tricks you into believing you’re in a small village.
