Since Erin had cooked, Noella took responsibility for the cleaning up, so once she was finished with her meal, she got up and began to clear the empty dishes away.
“Let me help you wi’ that,” Finn said as he stacked his and Tennyson’s empty plates.
Though there weren’t that many dirty dishes, Noella accepted his help with a smile. They had a dishwasher, but she began to fill the sink with warm soapy water. When there were only a few dishes, she didn’t mind washing them by hand.
“Well, guys, I’m going to call it a night,” Erin said then covered her mouth as a yawn overtook her. “I’m exhausted.”
Finn grabbed a dishtowel from a drawer and began to dry the plates as Noella put them in the dish drainer. They worked in silence for a few minutes, their shoulders brushing as Finn moved next to her to grab another dish. Tennyson was fiddling on his phone as he sat at the counter but then got up and made his way to the living room, talking as he went.
“So is my car going to die on me again?” Noella asked as she put a cup into the drainer.
“Certainly not if I can help it,” Finn said with a grin. “She’s a fine vehicle, and there’s no reason she won’t last for years to come if you take care of her. Sometimes things go wrong like they did a couple days ago, but in this case, it was relatively minor, and you shouldna have any more problems with it.”
“Thank you so much.” Noella slid the casserole dish out of the warm water and rinsed it off before putting it in the dish drainer. “How much do I owe you?”
When Finn didn’t say anything, she glanced over at him. He had a contemplative look on his face as he picked up the casserole dish. “I’m tempted to say nothin’, but I have a feelin’ that won’t go over well?”
Noella nodded. “I believe in paying for work that’s done to benefit me because I don’t want to take advantage of our friendship. It’s not like I can barter with anything to reciprocate for what you’ve done for me.”
“You are correct. I can only use so many cupcakes and sweet rolls.” Finn smiled, once again causing his dimples to make an appearance. “I have an invoice in my jacket pocket. You can look it over and let me know if it’s fair.”
“I do trust you, Finn. Whatever you’ve charged is fine by me.”
Finn set the casserole dish on the counter and hung the towel up. “Let me get it for you.”
While he was gone, Noella pulled the plug on the sink then dried her hands before putting away the few dishes Finn had left on the counter. She was glad Finn had respected her enough to accept that she wouldn’t want him to do the work for free. Though part of her reason was what she’d told him, the other part was that she never liked to feel as if she owed someone if they did something for her for free.
“Here ya go,” Finn said as he walked back into the kitchen. He held out a piece of paper which Noella took from him.
She unfolded it to see what he’d written on it and was surprised to see his print was surprisingly neat and legible. She had just assumed it would be messy like Tennyson and Forrest’s writing was.
“Do you want me to explain it to you?” Finn asked. “I realize tha’ some of the terms migh’ not make sense to someone who’s nae in the car repair business.”
“Yes, please.” Noella put the paper down on the counter so they could both see it.
Finn came to stand next to her, one hand holding down the upper corner of the bill while he pointed to the first line. “This is what it cost to replace the battery because of the corroded terminal connections.”
Noella listened as he explained each line, but having already seen what the total would be, she wasn’t going to quibble over any of it. She appreciated his willingness to explain it all to her, but she trusted him—probably more than she’d ever thought she’d trust a guy aside from her foster brothers.
“Can I give you a check for the total?” Noella asked once Finn finished with his explanation. ”Or do you want me to stop by the shop to pay it with my debit card?”
“A check is fine if you want to pay tha’ way.”
“Let me just grab my purse.” Noella had anticipated that Tennyson would have joined Finn by the time she got back with her checkbook, but Finn was still standing there alone when she returned.
After she had written out the check to match the total and then signed it, Noella handed it to Finn. “Thanks again for fitting me in so quickly and for giving me a car to drive while you worked on mine.”
Finn gave her a gentle smile. “You must ken that I’d do anything for you, Noella.”
The warmth that spread through her at his words took Noella by surprise. Her heart picked up speed as she considered her response to his statement. What could she say? Had she known that?
“I was wondering if you’d like to come wi’ me to the Winter Wonderland.”
Though his tone was relaxed, Noella could see the sudden tension on his face. Did her answer really mean that much to him?
“Is that the drive-through light display?” she asked, wanting to be sure what he was talking about before responding.
Finn nodded. “I thought it migh’ be a nice thin’ to do one evening.”
Noella knew she should say no. It wasn’t fair to lead Finn on if she truly believed that he wasn’t the right man for her. And she truly believed it…right? Her momentary confusion caused her stomach to knot. The temptation to say yes was overwhelming. Combined with his statement, Noella knew that this wasn’t just some casual friends’ night out. She really should say no.
“What evening were you thinking of going?” Noella asked.
Some of the tension eased from Finn’s expression at her question. “Actually, I’d leave that up to you since your schedule seems busier than mine. It doesn’t start until next week, so you choose the day, and I’ll be here to pick you up.”
Noella snapped the band on her wrist, trying to remember all the reasons this was a very bad idea. “Maybe next Thursday night?”
“Thursday works for me,” Finn said quickly, as if to make sure she didn’t change her mind. “I’ll pick you up around seven-thirty.”
Noella snapped the elastic one last time before giving up. “That sounds good.”
“Are you coming to watch us play hockey tomorrow night?” Tennyson asked as he walked into the kitchen. “Erin said she’d be there.”
“Is it another one of those super late games?” Noella folded up the repair invoice and slid it into her pocket.
“Yep. But if Erin doesn’t mind the late hour, neither should you,” Tennyson told her.
“I’ll see how tomorrow goes,” Noella said, not willing to commit to anything right at that moment.
“You can always take a nap before coming.” Tennyson turned to Finn. “You gonna be there?”
Finn nodded. “Sure, why not. It’s not as if I have anythin’ else to do at eleven o’clock on a Friday night.”
Tennyson chuckled. “Exactly! None of us have anything better to do.”
Noella hated how it was suddenly a lot more appealing to go sit on a hard seat in a freezing cold arena now that she knew that Finn planned to be there. She reached for the elastic around her wrist, but then she just jerked it off and shoved it into her pocket. Obviously, that was not helping her at all when it came to negatively reinforcing her attraction to Finn.
“Well, then I’ll see ye both t’morrow night,” Finn said. “I need to head for home and get a few things done.”
Both guys pulled on their jackets then Noella walked them to the door. Tennyson headed out first, leaving Finn to follow him out the door.
“Here’s the key for the loaner,” Noella said, holding out the keychain he’d given to her a couple of days earlier. “Thanks so much again for helping me out with the car.”
Finn smiled. “You’re welcome. Don’t hesitate to call me if you have issues again. You shouldn’t, but if ya do…”
“I’ll call you,” Noella completed his sentence and returned his smile.
“G
ood night.” Finn pulled on his gloves then lifted a hand in farewell before heading down the sidewalk to where she’d parked the loaner.
Noella closed the door and headed back into the kitchen. She stood for a moment at the counter reviewing how she had once again not managed to stick to her guns when it came to resisting Finn. Why were her heart and mind at such odds? Was she more like her mother than she’d thought?
Her stomach clenched at the thought. She did not want to spend her whole life chasing love and going through countless relationships in the process. She’d managed to get to this point in her life without dating, mainly because she devoted so much time to school and then to the business. But now…now the bakery was doing well and really didn’t require the hours she chose to spend there. It was why she’d started to contemplate pursuing a relationship with someone like Bennett McFadden. He was exactly what her mind wanted: single, Christian, and a successful businessman.
So why did her heart long for the mechanic who lived in a trailer park?
***
Finn glanced over at the items that sat on the passenger seat. While he’d bought plenty of doughnuts to share, he’d only purchased hot drinks for himself and Noella. He’d debated whether or not he should get a drink for her when he’d stopped to pick up some doughnuts and a drink for himself from Tim Hortons. He’d known that walking in there with a drink for her and no one else would say something, and he hadn’t been sure that Noella would appreciate that. But then he’d realized that he wanted her to know that she was more important to him than anyone else there, and though it might be a small thing—bringing her a hot chocolate—he hoped she understood what it meant.
He pulled into a spot in the parking lot of the arena then climbed out of the truck and went around to the other side to get the box with the doughnuts and the tray with the two drinks. There were quite a few other cars in the lot, and he recognized a good chunk of them given that he had worked on most the cars of his friends and their friends over the years.
Finn wasn’t terribly happy to see that Bennett McFadden’s truck was parked near the entrance. Though he had no issues with the man himself, the fact that Noella had some sort of interest in Bennett didn’t sit well with Finn. If he found the two of them seated together inside, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. He had no claim on Noella—they hadn’t even gone on their first date yet—but Finn wanted to let Bennett know that he was interested in her. Bennett hadn’t seemed inclined to pursue Noella romantically, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t change his mind if Noella expressed her interest in him.
Balancing the box and tray on one arm, Finn pulled the door to the arena open and headed toward the glass wall that looked out over the ice. He still needed to go through another set of doors to get into the area next to the ice where the seats were. He could see that there was a large group gathered in the stands on the one side of the arena. This particular arena only had seats on one side. Since this was just a church hockey league and not a professional one, they didn’t go for the better arenas, and they usually had to take whatever times were available which, for the most part, were late in the evening.
“Hey, Finn,” Forrest said as he came to a stop on the ice near the boards where Finn had just entered. “That a coffee for me?”
Finn grinned and shook his head. “Nope. Sorry.”
Forrest gave him a knowing look as he took off his helmet and tucked it under his arm. “You know she won’t drink coffee this late at night, right?”
“Oh, I know. You didn’t think that I’ve been paying attention?” Finn asked as his gaze swept the people gathered there.
“She’s seated over in the middle section with Erin and Makayla McFadden.”
Finn glanced at Forrest. “The McFadden boys are playing tonight too?”
“One McFadden. The rest are Callaghans.” Forrest gestured toward a group of guys standing in the middle of the ice. “And I’d better get back to the game. See you afterwards.”
Finn watched as Forrest pushed away from the boards, strapping his helmet back on as he went. Though Finn didn’t spend much time with the McFaddens and Callaghans, he knew most of them by sight. Thankfully, if Bennett was playing, he wouldn’t be sitting with Noella.
As Finn made his way to where Noella sat, people he recognized from church called out their greetings to him. The teams were made up of players of all ages so some of the guys’ families were there along with those who were just friends or fans of the teams.
“Hey, Finn!” He looked over and saw Erin waving to him. “We’ve got a seat here for you.”
Happy to see her gesture to the other side of Noella, Finn climbed the stairs to reach the row where they sat. He handed the box of doughnuts to Erin. “Sorry. They’re probably not as good as you’d make, but I thought I’d bring somethin’ to share.”
He sat down on the hard surface next to Noella and gave her a smile. She seemed to hesitate before returning his smile, as if wondering if that was the response she wanted to give. She looked beautiful in a dark brown coat with a deep purple scarf around her neck and shoulders. The arena was cold so no one was likely to take off their jackets for the duration of the game.
“Here,” Finn said as he held out her drink. “I thought you migh’ like somethin’ to keep ya warm.”
Again there was hesitation before she took it from him. “Thank you.”
“It’s not coffee, in case you were worried.” Finn bent to put the empty tray on the floor by his feet. “I knew you wouldn’t want to drink that this late at night.”
Her smile broadened as she nodded. “You’re right. The caffeine would keep me up far too late if I drank coffee now.” She took a sip of the hot chocolate and gave him another smile. “It’s delicious. Thank you again.”
“None for me?” Erin asked, a cheeky grin on her face. It was as if she wanted him to admit why he’d only brought a drink for Noella.
“Not tonight. I figured I couldn’t juggle a tray of drinks with the box of doughnuts, so I had to pick and choose who to bring a drink for.”
“I’ll forgive you this time,” Erin said as she opened the box on her lap. “But I’m taking the first pick of the doughnuts.”
Finn shifted on his seat, his arm brushing lighting against Noella’s. The noise in the arena increased as it became clear that the game was getting ready to start. The team from their church had enough players to allow for rotation so some sat in the players’ box waiting their turn to play. Though it wasn’t a highly competitive league, both teams still wanted to win, and as soon as the referee dropped the puck, there was a mad scramble for it.
There was lots of cheering as the group of men fanned out when the puck made its way to one end of the ice rink. Finn had never played hockey himself but had become a fan after making Canada his home. Becoming friends with Forrest and Tennyson had helped to elevate his interest in the sport even more.
As the game progressed, he and Noella were on their feet along with the others in their row, cheering on their team. Though Finn had been to a ton of games—even some with Noella—this one was extra fun for him since he had a date pending with her.
“C’mon, ref!” Erin yelled as the man made a questionable call against their team.
Noella wasn’t as aggressive with her comments as Erin, but she cheered loudly for each goal. The environment wasn’t terribly conducive to any type of conversation except for what pertained to the game. Still, Finn wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else. Just sitting with Noella knowing they would have the opportunity for more in-depth conversation on their date was good enough for him.
It was well after midnight when the game finally ended. Not too surprisingly, their team won. Though when the McFadden and Callaghan guys showed up, it was almost a guarantee. Given that one of the Callaghan boys had gone on to play in the NHL, the rest of the guys in the family were also pretty decent at the sport.
Once the game ended, Finn took Noella’s empty cup from her and put it together with
his in the empty tray and dropped it into the garbage can as they exited the seating area of the rink. They stood together waiting for the guys to join them after changing out of their hockey gear.
“I think the guys are planning to head out for something to eat,” Erin said. “Are you going to join them, Noella?”
Noella frowned. “I don’t think so. I didn’t get a chance to nap so it’s been a super long day.”
“You need a ride home, Noella?” Finn asked.
6
Noella’s gaze went from him to Erin, leaving Finn to wonder about any previous conversation they’d had before coming tonight. He didn’t want to push, but at the same time, he wanted her to know that he was serious about what he felt for her. Something told him that she had no clue, which was why he hoped to let her know and find out if there was even a chance for a relationship with her.
“You’re going to go with the guys, Erin?” Noella glanced toward the locker room.
“I think so. I did get a nap in after work, so I’m doing okay.”
Noella nodded then looked at Finn. “You don’t want to go with them?”
Finn didn’t hesitate to shake his head. “I am more than happy to run you home. I have stuff I need to be up for in the morning so can’t stay out too much longer.”
“Well, there you go,” Erin said with a smile.
Noella seemed a little less enthusiastic about how it all had unfolded, but Finn hoped that she wasn’t uncomfortable with it. “Do ya want to go now? Or did ye want to wait ‘til the guys are ready to go?”
With a final look in the direction of the locker room, Noella said, “We can go now.”
The Wonder of His Love: A Christian Romance (Fostered by Love Book 1) Page 5
