Page 21 of Scored

He furrowed his brow. “Why would he confess all of that to you?”

“I don’t know. It didn’t feel like a confession as much as an announcement. He’s standing with Daphne and assumed I somehow precipitated the detective questioning her.”

Fin’s strong lips quirked. “You did.”

“I did, but I didn’t admit that. I was convinced that Bre had been wrongfully accused. Now I’m as confused as ever.”

Outside the Vine, lights twinkled in the trees. Fin parked his truck in the garage. Despite the garage being covered, the air was cool. I pushed my hands into my coat pockets. As we walked to the elevator, a realization came to mind. Even the most mundane things felt right at Fin’s side. He had confidence in his being that radiated through the air. His height and muscular build were his armor. At his side, I had a sense of security and vulnerability.

Those two things seemed to contradict one another, but in reality, one wasn’t possible without the other.

A gentleman waited near the elevator doors. As we approached, Fin casually placed his right hand in the small of my back. The man nodded as the elevator arrived.

I stepped in first, followed by the older man. Fin slid in, taking his place at my side as his hand again made contact. More people joined us on the first floor. It wasn’t that past situations like this made me uncomfortable; I was confident on my own. It was that in Fin’s presence, I felt reassured.

We rode in silence as residents got off on various floors. After the last couple got off on the fifth floor, I leaned into Fin and smiled. He brought his lips to my hair and kissed me.

Once inside the condo, I entered the security code into the panel, and Fin flipped the switch, bringing light to the darkness. The sky beyond the windows was dark, the only illumination coming from the lights stories below.

Fin continued our earlier conversation. “Now are you sorry you called the detective?”

I exhaled. “I don’t know.” Taking off my coat, I hung it in the entry and shrugged. “My theory was simple. Bre bought the antihistamines, but she wasn’t around Dad on Sunday. Daphne was.” I helped Fin with his jacket.

“Now, if you go with Grant’s new information, Bre could have had access to your dad and Grant is Daphne’s alibi.”

I pressed my lips together. “Convenient, isn’t it?” As we walked toward the kitchen, I voiced my thought aloud. “I never asked Bre if she saw Dad on Sunday. I wonder if she did.”

“Call her.”

“Remember, my attorney, Trish, discouraged me from contacting her.”

Fin lifted his eyebrows. “I can contact her.”

Nibbling my lip, I gave that some thought. “Just call her up and ask? That seems blunt.”

“I’ve found the direct approach is always better.”

“She was helpful with Dad’s initiative to boost infrastructure.” I inhaled. “Okay. You call, but I’ll talk.”

Fin pulled his phone from his pocket. After finding Bre’s contact information, he hit the green call icon, then the speaker icon, and laid the phone on the counter. Together we stared at the screen, waiting as the phone rang.

Bre’s voice came from the phone. “You have reached the phone of⁠—”

I hit the red disconnect icon. “I don’t want to leave a message.”

“I agree.” He kissed my forehead. “It’s ridiculous that Grant would insinuate you had motive.”

Wrapping my arms around Fin’s torso, I laid my cheek against his chest. The steady drum of his heart soothed my throbbing temples. After a moment, I leaned back and looked up into his sapphire gaze. “If you still want to, I want you to move in. I can’t imagine what the last two months would have been like without you here.”

“I want to be here.” His cheeks rose. “I was nervous that mentioning it would send you spiraling, like it did when Clark mentioned the same thing.”

“Leigh was right when she said I had commitment issues. Dad said it wasn’t the commitment; it was the person to whom I was committing.”

“That’s my fault.”

Smiling, I nodded. “In hindsight, I see that. For some reason, I never associated it with you. Now, commitment feels right.”

His eyes sparkled as he cupped my cheek. “We wasted too many years apart, Vee. I tried to get over you. I never did. To think we could have avoided all the hurt feelings and damaged pride if we’d talked.”