It was wise to keep Finn strictly in the friend zone and keep her heart strictly out-of-bounds.
* * *
Maggie’s a friend and nothing more. Over and over again, Finn repeated the phrase until he felt certain it was seared into his brain.
He’d made a mistake by becoming too attached to the beautiful single mother and her adorable son. He didn’t have any romantic feelings toward Maggie, but he felt protective of her and Oliver. Being such a big part of their new lives in Love was dangerous to his decision not to form any lasting attachments. The night of the tree-hunting expedition, Finn had vowed to maintain a healthy distance from Oliver and Maggie. The lines were getting a little blurred, especially when people like Al started linking him romantically with Maggie.
Finn let out a snort. The tree stand owner had actually thought they were a couple. Finn stuffed down the little burst of joy he felt at being linked with his childhood friend.
Maintaining a distance from the Richards family was a difficult proposition since he was working with Maggie by day in the shop, then watching Oliver each weekday afternoon and some weekends. It seemed as if he couldn’t manage to detach himself from their lives. And it was wreaking havoc on him. Despite his best intentions, Finn was finding it impossible to stay away from Oliver and his mother. He kept reminding himself that he didn’t want to get too tangled up in their lives. Somewhere down the line Maggie might fall for someone here in town, and it wouldn’t be fair to the man in question if Oliver’s feelings toward Finn continued to blossom. It was very clear how Oliver felt about him—it was a very strong case of hero worship. Because Oliver was fatherless, Finn knew it was very possible Oliver had sought him out as a father figure.
Finn let out a sigh. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt Oliver. In some ways he reminded Finn of himself as a kid. Funny. Wise. And incredibly vulnerable. Finn could sense a lot behind Oliver’s eyes.
For today he wasn’t going to worry about building a little bit of a protective fire wall between them. Today was all about providing a wonderful flying experience for Oliver.
Finn O’Rourke didn’t renege on promises. Especially not to six-year-old boys who made him feel as if he’d hung the sun, the stars and the moon.
Finn felt almost as excited as Oliver as he arrived at the airport hangar. He had arisen early this morning, bursting with enthusiasm about taking Oliver on a flying adventure. He stood outside and gazed out over Kachemak Bay. He couldn’t have asked for better flying weather if he’d put in a special order for it.
As soon as he saw Oliver and Maggie walking toward him, Finn felt adrenaline racing through his veins. It was always like this before he flew—excitement pulsing through his body. It was a rush, pure and simple. The thrill of a lifetime.
Finn knew the moment Oliver saw him standing in the airport hangar. He started running toward him at breakneck speed, leaving Maggie in the dust.
“Welcome to O’Rourke Charters. Thanks for choosing to fly with us today, Oliver.” Finn gestured toward the plane. “Please step inside and make yourself comfortable.”
“Awesome!” Oliver practically tripped over himself making his way to Finn’s side.
Finn placed his hand on Oliver’s shoulder. “I think you’re forgetting something,” Finn said, jutting his chin in Maggie’s direction. Finn could read Maggie’s face like a book. She was fretting over her decision to let Oliver fly with him.
“’Bye, Mom,” Oliver said, rushing toward Maggie and hugging her tightly around the waist. “Thanks for letting me do this.”
Maggie’s expression instantly transformed. She was smiling down at Oliver with an expression of joy etched on her face. Oliver’s happiness was contagious.
“Be safe up there,” she called out to them.
“Always,” Finn said with a wave before helping Oliver into the plane. Oliver’s eyes widened once he realized his seat was right in the cockpit next to Finn’s seat. Once Finn was seated in the cockpit, he set Oliver up with a headset so they could talk over the roar of the plane.
“Up to the wild blue yonder,” Finn called out as he worked the controls and began to ascend into the sky.
Oliver repeated Finn’s words, reminding him of the way he and Declan had always recited those same words—their grandfather’s mantra.
Once they were up in the air at a decent altitude, Finn began pointing out landmarks.
“This is my grandfather’s plane,” Finn explained. “I fixed it up a few months ago so it runs perfectly. It’s called the Killian after him. He taught both Finn and me to fly on this plane.”
“Wow. It must be old,” Oliver said.
Finn let out a throaty laugh. “It is. We don’t fly any customers in this plane. We reserve it for very special people.”
“Like me?” Oliver asked, his grin threatening to split his face wide open.
“Exactly like you, Oliver.” Finn turned toward Oliver. There was something about this kid that endeared him to Finn. He was curious and sweet and he had a zest for life unlike anyone else. Finn cared about Oliver in a way he couldn’t even explain to himself. The kid brought up feelings inside him he’d never felt before. He could safely say he would take a bullet for Oliver.
“Look out the window! Do you see those trees covered with snow? That’s Nottingham Woods.”
“It looks so small from up here. Jasper said it was huge!” Oliver said, wrinkling his nose as he peered out the window. “They don’t really look like trees.”
“It’s actually a really big forest like Jasper said. When we were kids my brother and I used to go cave hunting with our friends, the Prescott brothers. And guess what? Your mom came, too, whenever she visited.”
“She did? Aw, man. I’ve never been in a cave,” Oliver said in an awestruck voice. “Will you take me sometime?”
Finn grinned. Oliver was a boy after his own heart. He would have asked the same thing when he was Oliver’s age. “If your mom says it’s all right, I sure can,” Finn said with a wink.
Finn steered the plane to the left, dipping it down low at an angle to give Oliver a thrill. Oliver let out a whoop of excitement. A few minutes later Finn spotted the glistening waters of Kachemak Bay down below. Patches of white reflected ice chunks on the surface. Finn loved looking down at the body of water. Its raw power was awe inspiring.
“Do you know what that is down below?” Finn asked.
“Kachemak Bay,” Oliver said without hesitation.
“You’re saying it perfectly. It takes most folks a while to learn the right way to pronounce it.”
“Mom taught me on the ride over,” Oliver said, his voice full of pride. Finn felt a little hitch in his heart at the sight of Maggie’s son sitting beside him in the plane. He must be a resilient kid to have lost his father not so long ago and still be able to greet the world with a smile and optimism. He prayed Oliver’s future wouldn’t be hampered by the loss of his father. He knew all too well how those wounds festered.
As Finn made a final loop around Love, he looked out across the landscape of the hometown he adored. For so long he’d denied the pull of this town and what it meant to him. He glanced over at Oliver. He was sitting quietly, gazing out over the horizon with a look of satisfaction etched on his features.
“We’re about to go into our descent and head back to the hangar,” Finn announced. Truthfully, he could hang out in the sky for hours, but he knew Maggie needed him at the store for a few hours. He wanted to check out her window display and slap some red paint on the sign outside the shop. In a few days, the shop would be ready for the grand opening.
After landing the plane, Finn led Oliver inside the airplane hangar. A quick glance at his watch showed he was still within the time frame he’d promised Maggie. They could have a quick snack then head over to the shop.
“Hey, Oliver. The
re’s a fridge out back. Why don’t you go grab a juice box or some chocolate milk? I’ve got some stashed back there.”
“Okay,” Oliver said in an agreeable voice before dashing off.
Declan was sitting at his desk poring over some paperwork. He swung his gaze up and focused on Finn.
“You’re pretty crazy about Oliver, huh?” Declan asked. His blue eyes were twinkling with interest.
“He’s a great kid,” he said in a curt voice. Declan wasn’t fooling him. He knew his brother was trying to stir something up about his feelings for Maggie and Oliver.
“You and Maggie seemed to have picked up right where you left off all those years ago. I remember the way the two of you were as thick as thieves.”
“We’re friends. You can tell Annie not to start planning a wedding shower,” he said in a dry voice.
“Why would she do that? Word around town is that Hank Jeffries is interested in Maggie.” Declan flashed him a smug look. “They’re going out on a date.”
Whoosh. Finn felt a jolt pass through him. Maggie hadn’t mentioned anything about Hank or going out on a date. It wasn’t as if she owed him that type of information, but Finn felt a little bit of a shock. He spent most days working side by side with Maggie. Why hadn’t she confided in him about Hank?
“Seems to me if you’re interested in Maggie you ought to speak up before she’s taken.” Although Declan tossed the words out casually, Finn knew his brother was trying to prod him into action.
“What part of not interested don’t you understand? We’re friends, just like in the old days.”
“You two are like peanut butter and jelly. You finish each other’s sentences. That’s how it was when I met Annie. For a while I resisted what it meant. Don’t be so stubborn, Finn. You’re blocking your blessings.”
“I’m not like you, Declan. Not everyone embraces marriage and kids with open arms. I knew at a young age I wasn’t going to get the white picket fence and the house full of kids.”
Declan frowned. “I understand, to an extent. Before I met Annie I had my doubts about happily-ever-after, but loving her helped me make peace with the past. I hope you see how it’s possible. I’m living proof.”
Just then Oliver came back into the room, juggling two small boxes of chocolate milk in one hand and some apple slices in the other. He grinned at Finn. “Look what I found. I got one for both of us.” He handed a chocolate milk to Finn.
“We’ll pick this conversation up later,” Declan said, shooting Finn a glance filled with meaning. He smiled at Oliver. “I’m glad you had a good time today, Oliver.”
“It was awesome,” Oliver said. “Finn’s the best pilot in all of Alaska.”
Finn threw his head back and laughed. It was nice to hear a vote of confidence from Oliver.
The corners of Declan’s mouth were twitching with mirth. “I see I’m outnumbered,” he said.
Declan leaned across his desk and said in a loud whisper, “Don’t tell Finn I said so, but I agree with you.” He looked at his watch. “I better head off toward the pier. I’m making a run to Homer.”
After Declan’s departure, Finn sat down with Oliver so they could enjoy their chocolate milk and apple slices.
“So, what do you have planned for later on?” Finn asked. “Anything exciting for the weekend?”
He wrinkled his nose. “Mom has a date tonight,” Oliver said in a soft voice. “I’m hanging out at Aidan’s house.”
Finn tensed up. Clearly, Declan’s information had been correct. Even Oliver knew about it.
He made sure his voice sounded cheery. “Really? Well, that’s nice.”
Oliver frowned at him. “Do you really think so?”
“Sure. Why not?” he asked, hoping to inject a little positivity into the situation. Clearly, Oliver wasn’t impressed with his mother’s plans.
“Because if Mom goes out with this guy then they might get married. Aidan told me all about the Operation Love program,” Oliver said, his voice trailing off. He bit his lip and stared at Finn with a troubled expression.
“Would that be such a bad thing?” Finn asked.
“Yes, it would,” he said in a raised voice. “I don’t want her to marry just anybody, Finn.” His hazel eyes pooled with tears. “I want her to marry you.”
Chapter Nine
Maggie cranked up the holiday music and did a little dance around the shop. Everything looked wonderful. The shelves had been painted a pristine white. The hardwood floors were glistening. Trash had been cleared. The charity organization had stopped by to pick up the donations. Stock had been delivered.
They still had some work to do, but it was night and day from when they had opened up the door and come face-to-face with a shop in disarray. That day Maggie had prayed for wisdom and strength to go the distance. With the help of Finn, Maggie was a few steps away from her goal of opening up Keepsakes in time for the holiday season.
Becoming a part of the fabric of this quaint town involved being seen. She didn’t want to be a shadow anymore. It was the Christmas season. Celebrating the birth of Jesus meant rejoicing with your community. Locking herself away meant Maggie was living in fear. She didn’t want to do that anymore. Not for herself or Oliver. She wanted to embrace everything this town had to offer.
Maggie reached out and ripped down the brown paper from the windows. As light flowed into the shop, Maggie felt as if she was being embraced. She hoped Finn didn’t mind her taking down the brown paper without him. She’d been caught up in a moment. It had felt right.
While she was setting up the window display, numerous townsfolk passed by the store. They smiled and waved at her. Some gave her the thumbs-up sign as they watched her set up the miniature Christmas tree and the snow globes on one side and the twinkling reindeer and the smiling snowman alongside it. Once she was done she stepped outside and surveyed it.
The sound of clapping interrupted her perusal of the display. Finn and Oliver were walking down Jarvis Street and straight toward her. Finn was clapping enthusiastically.
“It looks great!” Finn stepped closer to the windows and examined her displays. “I’d say this is the best holiday display on Jarvis Street.”
“What do you think, Oliver?” Maggie asked. “Do you give it a thumbs-up?”
Oliver shrugged and pushed snow around on the pavement with the tip of his boot.
“What’s wrong?” Maggie asked, reaching out and tilting Oliver’s chin up so she could look him in the eyes.
“Nothing,” he said in a short tone.
Maggie raised her eyebrows at Finn. She turned back to Oliver. “Well, you better tell that to your lip. It’s sticking out like a sore thumb.”
Oliver rolled his eyes and walked past them, entering Keepsakes without saying anything further. Maggie’s first instinct was to read Oliver the riot act. She had no intention of raising a brat with no manners.
“That attitude is unacceptable.” Maggie frowned. “Did something happen?”
Finn sighed. “We had a great time flying, but afterward he began talking about your date.”
Maggie gulped. “My date? With Hank?”
“Yes. He’s not too keen on the idea of it.”
“It’s nothing. We met up at the mixer for Operation Love. We’re just going out to dinner.”
Finn held up his hands. “You don’t need to explain a single thing to me.”
Maggie’s face crumpled. “I should cancel it. It’s not worth upsetting Oliver.”
“No, you shouldn’t. Oliver is six. He’s bound to try to put his foot down from time to time. I think they call it pushing the boundaries. If you let him have his way with this, you’re going to create a little tyrant.” He folded his arms across his chest. “Do you want that?”
“No, Finn. I most certainly
do not. But maybe it’s too soon,” Maggie said. “He’s just a little boy grappling with adult issues.”
“Only you know if that’s true or not. Keep in mind why you came here to Love in the first place. To change your life. You can’t do that by standing on the sidelines.”
“I need to talk to him, but what should I say?” Maggie asked. As a mother, Maggie usually had all the answers or at least a hunch about how to handle things. At the moment she felt clueless. She trusted Finn’s advice.
“I think you should simply tell him you’re meeting up with Hank because you’re trying to get to know people here in town. Don’t make too much of it. If you do, he’ll pick up on it and freak out again.”
Maggie nodded. “You’re right. That sounds good.”
On impulse, Maggie threw herself against Finn’s chest and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you. Not just for this advice, but for treating Oliver so well. Even though he’s in a bit of a funk right now, you made one of his dreams come true today.”
When she released Finn, she noticed he was staring at her with a strange expression on his face.
“What is it?” she asked, wondering if she had something stuck between her teeth.
“Nothing. It’s just that...you’re a fantastic mom, Maggie. Oliver is very blessed to have you. He’s not at the age where he’s going to say it to you in so many words, but I know he feels it. Right here,” Finn said, tapping his chest.
Tears stung Maggie’s eyes. The compliment from Finn meant everything to her. Every day she got up in the morning and put one foot in front of the other trying to do her best for her son. It felt gratifying to hear she was doing a decent job of it.
“Thanks, Finn,” she said, her voice choked with emotion. She prayed he was right about Oliver. She felt so tangled up inside knowing he was upset about her plans with Hank. Being a mother wasn’t all peaches and cream. It was tough, never-ending work, and not for the faint of heart.
She took a deep breath as she headed back into the store. Somehow she was going to have to find a way to talk to Oliver about her date with Hank.
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