Falling for Finn (Maplewood Falls #1)

Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

OAKLEY

DAY 15

I’ve been anticipating the festival all week and am so excited it’s here. Though each passing day means I’m closer to leaving, and my time here is quickly coming to an end. Even if Finn were to ask me to stay, I’d have to go back and figure out my apartment situation. The more I try not to think about it, the more it will slap me in the face when I get home.

For the past few days, I’ve been going on more Maplewood Falls tours with Finn and working on the painting. I drew my original sketch onto the canvas to get the foundation of the buildings’ layout beforehand. The sidewalk and road are finished, and I’ll fill in the festivities once I see them. Afterward, I’ll add in small details for each local business.

Needless to say, I’m feeling the pressure to make it perfect. I have until Sunday to finish since I fly out on Tuesday.

“Levi’s on his way over, then we’ll go set up.”

Last night, Finn told me Levi volunteered to help set up the orchard’s caramel apple booth. It’s tradition, something they’ve hosted each year since the beginning. Willa asked Levi—who could never tell that woman no—since Paisley and Poppy are working at the bakery until five.

“I think it’s sweet how Levi helps your family like that,” I say, brushing my hair. “I only get updates from my childhood friends on social media. We’re all so busy living different lives that it’s hard to keep up with everyone.”

“Yeah.” There’s sadness in his response.

I’m tempted to ask him what’s wrong, but I know we don’t have time for a deep conversation right now.

As I finish getting ready, Finn cleans the mess in the kitchen from the breakfast he made this morning. While he busies himself, I shoot my sister a quick text. After I told her about my extended stay, she asked if I’d made a decision about moving to Florida. I’m still undecided, and while I’d love to be closer to her, too much is going on in my head right now.

Oakley

We’re leaving for the festival soon! I’ll send pics later!

Tiernan

Awesome, can’t wait to see! Your painting is gonna turn out so good.

Oakley

I hope so! I don’t want to let them down.

Tiernan

You don’t ever have to worry about that. You’re so meticulous. I’m sure it will look like the real thing.

Oakley

Fingers crossed.

Tiernan

How’s everything else going? You and Finn still “pretending”?

Oakley

Until I leave, we are. It’s easier.

Tiernan

But?

Oakley

But what?

Tiernan

You’ve been hooking up. So that’s not really “pretending.”

Oakley

We agreed that it was just a fling. Nothing serious.

Tiernan

And that’s still the case?

Oakley

As far as I know, yeah. We both know I’m leaving in a few days.

Tiernan

Maybe you should tell him how you feel?

Oakley

What difference would it make?

Tiernan

You never know. It could change your life. But at least you’d know and not have to wonder. Maybe he’ll even offer to visit you in California.

Oakley

What’d be the point? He’ll never permanently leave his family’s farm. I doubt long distance would work.

And I wouldn’t want to ever make him feel like he had to choose between me and his family or change who he is. The orchard means the world to him.

Tiernan

I think you’re both setting yourselves up for heartbreak.

Oakley

Sis, I’ll be okay. I agreed to this arrangement, and I’m not going to make it more complicated by turning it into something it’s not. His path is to work here and start a family.

Tiernan

And would starting a family be so bad?

Oakley

Maybe when I’m old, like 30.

Tiernan

Excuse me!

I burst out laughing because that always gets a rise out of her.

“Levi’s here. You ready?” Finn pokes his head into the bathroom.

“Yep.” I set my brush down, realizing I’ll need to pack my shit soon. Right now, it’s scattered all over his house.

“You look beautiful.” He scans his eyes down my body before pulling me into his arms. “Not sure how I’m supposed to keep my hands off you all day.”

Before I can respond, Levi stalks inside. “Well, you’re gonna have to because I’m not third-wheeling.”

I snort as Finn shakes his head.

“You better close your eyes because I’m about to kiss her.”

“Ooh, a free ride and a show?”

Finn presses his mouth to mine, but I can’t stop laughing. Every word Levi says agitates Finn more.

“We better go. I’ll grab your stuff.”

I cup his face and smack my lips to his. “Thanks.”

“I’m not sitting bitch!” Levi calls out, opening the door and strutting out.

“Thank God,” Finn shouts when I realize I’ll be squished in the middle of them. I don’t mind, though. Levi cracks me up as he helps Finn carry my art supplies to the truck. He’s well over six feet and is built like a lumberjack yet is so bubbly. They’re complete opposites that it’s a wonder they’re even friends.

“So, California, have you met any movie stars?” Levi asks, and I snort at his new nickname for me.

“A few but not super famous ones. You need to have connections to get invited to the big events. I pursue a lot of local and independent galleries, and not a lot of A-listers go to those. However, I interned at a highly reputable gallery in LA for a semester, and Trent Hugo came in with his entourage. It was wild .”

“What was he looking for?” Levi asks as Finn drives us into town.

“From what I gathered, a gift for someone. He only said a few words to me, but once he found something he liked, he bought it and left.” I shrug. “There have been a few others, like lingerie model, Meghan Bailey, but I don’t get starstruck easily, so I stopped paying attention.”

“I would literally shit myself if I saw a supermodel,” Levi exclaims.

“Jesus Christ,” Finn mutters, shaking his head as he focuses on the road.

I glance over at Finn. “Oh yeah. She’s gorgeous. I’d put her on my free pass list.”

Levi chuckles, slapping a hand on his leg. “Maybe we should take a trip to LA? Let Oakley give us the proper Cali tour.”

“They’d eat you up and spit you out,” I tease.

Finn’s clenches his jaw, clearly not enjoying this conversation. “But I only go into the city when I have a commission or an interview. Normally, I’m at home painting and listening to audiobooks.”

“Yeah, Finn told me you like very spicy books.” Levi waggles his brows.

I playfully roll my eyes as Finn chuckles. “That’s not how I described them,” Finn says.

“He called them audio pornos,” Levi admits.

“You laugh but don’t knock it till you try it. I’ll send you some recs. I bet you could learn a thing or two,” I throw at Levi.

“Pfft.”

“Levi’s dated almost every girl in our graduating class,” Finn tells me.

“Oh, so you’re that type of guy. Got it.”

“Dude.” Levi scoffs. “Give her some context at least.”

“What?” I ask, confused.

Finn glances over at me, smirking. “There were only eight girls total.”

“ Eight ?”

“Yep.”

“And thirty boys,” Levi adds.

“Jesus. But still…you dated all eight?” I pop a brow.

“No, only five. I was related to the other three.”

I burst out laughing. “Oh my God. What a small-town cliché.”

Once we’re closer to the festival, I see cars lined up along every road. Main Street is blocked off, and all the parking lots for the small businesses are full.

“I’ll drop you and Levi off by the entrance so we don’t have to lug your supplies around. Levi can help you set up while I find a spot a few blocks away.”

“Okay, that works,” I tell him as he slows and shifts the truck into park.

“Levi, be good,” Finn warns.

Levi puts his hands up in surrender. “What’d I do?”

“I know you.”

Levi chuckles as he grabs my stuff from the bed.

“Be right back.” Finn pulls me in for a kiss. “And don’t believe anything he says.”

I snicker. “Well, now I’m curious.”

Levi carries my easel while I carefully hold my canvas and paints. Mayor Myers secured a spot for me out of the way so I can work.

“He’s crazy about you, ya know?” Levi speaks up once Finn drives off. “In case he hasn’t told you, he’s sad you’re leaving.”

I frown. “Yeah, I’m sad too.”

“You can’t stay?”

“My job kinda requires me to be close to a large city. I mean, I could technically live anywhere, but if I want to do this professionally with higher-paid commissions, I need to meet people in the industry. Be present at events.”

“I bet you could open your own gallery,” he points out. “Just a thought. But I know people would love to see your work and would purchase whatever you created.”

“It’s not a business model that makes a lot of money on its own. Most of them have sponsors or funding from universities. There’s a lot of networking involved.”

“Sounds like it’s more complicated than just selling art.”

“It is. A lot of shit goes on behind the scenes. Most times, we don’t even meet the clients. They hire people to find what they want, and it’s their job to track down the right pieces.”

“That seems so weird. Art is personal and should be something you connect with before hanging it in your home.”

I smile. “I agree. That’s why I prefer to freelance. It allows me to work with the clients on a more intimate level. But it’s not always easy finding work. I was lucky with this one and even luckier with Mayor Myers.”

“Do you have jobs lined up when you get home?”

I frown as I set up and organize my paints by hue. “No. I was waiting until I had my apartment situation figured out first. I can do some small paid projects to cover expenses, but finding bigger jobs takes a while. I wish it was more stable, but hardly anything in the creative field is. I’m still new to the game, so I gotta do my time. Hopefully, one day, it will be more consistent. The Bennetts’ project and this one will be great for my portfolio. I’m hoping to use it to get larger ones.”

“Maybe you can do one for me? We have a gift shop in one of our barns, and a nice canvas of the farm would look great in there.”

“You’re just trying to find ways to keep me here, aren’t you?” I taunt.

“I like seeing my best friend happy,” he says somberly. “I haven’t seen him smile and joke so much in months.”

I swallow hard, pushing back the tears threatening to spill over. “Will you keep an eye on him after I leave?”

“Already planned on it.”

I nod, silently thanking him for understanding. This will be hard on us both.

“What about you?” he asks.

“I’ll bury myself in my work like I do with every other life inconvenience.”

“Ahh, art therapy,” he muses.

“Pretty much the coping mechanism I’ve used my whole life.” I shrug.

Before he can respond, Finn appears. “Sorry it took me so long. I parked a mile away.” He comes to my side and kisses my cheek. “Can I get you some coffee?”

“Sure, that’d be great.” I look up at him and smile. “I’ll probably work on this for a while if you two wanna walk around.”

“Alright, I’ll deliver your caffeine first.”

As Finn and Levi walk away, I do my best to gain control of my emotions. I need to focus on this piece. Since it’s chilly outside, I can only paint for a couple of hours each day before my fingers freeze.

As promised, Finn returns with a hot latte. I thank him and tell him I’ll shoot him a text when I’m done. It’s hard to work with someone hovering over me, so it’s best he enjoys himself while I paint.

Jessa and Sebastian are already at the caramel apple booth, and I wave when they spot me. They’re across the street, but I almost have a bird’s-eye view from where I’m standing. It’s the perfect vantage point for the painting.

After two and a half hours, my fingers are like icicles. I have enough outlined and started that I can work on the rest back at Finn’s.

“Wow, it looks so good already,” he tells me as he carefully lifts it into the truck. We’ll keep it there while we walk around the festival.

“Thanks! Where’s Levi?”

“He found some friends and said he’d hitch a ride back with them.”

“How was the booth?”

“Bombarded with kids.”

I laugh. “The entire street is.”

“So you wanna tell me what you and Levi talked about earlier?” Finn asks, taking my hand as we walk toward the downtown area.

“A whole lot of none of your business .”

He glowers. “I know my best friend likes to talk.”

“And we had a good conversation. That’s all you need to know.”

He sighs. “Great.”

“What are you so worried about?”

“He has a big mouth.”

“You think he shared embarrassing stories about you or something? Because if those exist, I need to hear them.”

“Hell no.”

I giggle. “Pull that stick outta your ass, and let’s go have some fun.”

“Excuse me?” he warns, yanking me into one of the alleys and pressing me against the exposed brick. “Are we back to that?”

“You tell me, Mr. Grumpy.”

He buries his face in my neck, and his warm breath feels good against my cold skin. “I have to ask you something.”

“Hmm?” My heart hammers as he keeps me waiting.

“Will you come to my family’s dinner tonight?”

“What?” I wasn’t expecting that at all.

He leans back to meet my confused eyes. “My grandparents are hosting a big get-together tonight and demanded I invite you. You don’t have to, so don’t feel obligated. It’s going to be a lot, and I know how they can be sometimes. I can make up an excuse that you’re working or too tired, if you prefer.”

I give him a puzzled look. “Do you not want me to?”

“Of course I do, but they’ll ask a ton of questions. I didn’t want to put any more pressure on you.”

“I think I can handle them.” I wrap my arms around his neck. “I survived Levi’s inquisition, so I think I’m prepared for anything at this point.”

“God,” he grumbles, leaning his forehead against mine. “I knew he would.”

Smirking, I cup his face. “Your friends and family love you. I don’t mind the questions. I’m good at winging it.” I shrug proudly.

“Not sure if I should be proud or scared of that.”

I laugh. “Come on, fake boyfriend. Let’s parade our relationship all over Maplewood Falls, then have dinner with your parents.”

This day has been one of the most fun I’ve had in months. After I warmed up, we walked all through town, greeted everyone who smiled our way, and tried all the sweets.

At five, we drove back to Finn’s to get ready to go to his grandparents. He dressed in nice black slacks, and I wore the same dress Jessa let me borrow.

As soon as I’m ready, Finn takes my hand and kisses me. “I can’t wait to peel this off you later.”

“Mm…no dirty talk before dinner, or I won’t be able to think about anything else.”

He grins, brushing a thumb over my cheek. “Ready to do this?”

“Yep. Let’s go.”

I’ve met most of Finn’s immediate family, but Willa and James invited over their other siblings, who brought their kids. The house is jam-packed, and there’s so much going on, I can hardly keep up.

Everyone I’ve met has been kind—with the exception of Finn’s jealous ex—and it’s honestly a nice change from what I’m used to. Since I have no family in California, I never get to experience this. It’s something I’ll miss when I’m gone.

“Did you have fun at the festival?” Willa asks as she finds me after dessert.

“Oh, it was incredible. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Trick-or-treating is a fun time too. You’ll have to make sure to go down there on Monday.”

“Oh, I will. That’s when I’m presenting the painting for the town hall.”

“I bet everyone loves it.”

The self-doubt and pressure never go away, no matter how much experience I have, and this time is no different. “Thanks, I hope so.”

“It’s a shame you have to leave so soon.”

I frown. “I know. I’ve loved being here. I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity.”

“I know about your little… arrangement ,” Willa whispers.

“What do you mean?”

“With my grandson.”

I swallow hard. “Oh.”

“I may be getting older, but I see fine.”

“I still don’t understand.”

“He’s in love with you, Oakley. I know you two were pretending to date.”

“You did?”

“Of course. I’m aware it happened because his ex was here, but I also know you can’t fake real feelings.”

“I-I’m not sure about that.”

She pats my shoulder. “Trust me, dear. He’s smitten with you.”

Something more is brewing between us, but we agreed to make the most of our time together until I had to leave. That’s all it could be.

“I very much feel the same,” I admit. “Maybe it’s a right person, wrong time kind of situation.”

“I know you live far away, but I hope you’ll at least come back to visit. You’re basically a part of our family now.”

“I hope so too,” I tell her honestly, though I’m not sure that’ll be possible. She shoots me a wink, and we join everyone in the living room.

After an hour of chatting, Finn and I leave. After my text conversation with my sister this morning, and then Levi, and now his grandmother, my head is spinning. I hate that everyone knows I’ll be the reason for his heartbreak.

It won’t be easy for me, either. But what choice do I have?

“You okay?” Finn glances over at me as he drives us to his house.

“Can you pull over?” I ask.

We’re only a few minutes away, but this can’t wait.

“Sure. Is everything okay?”

As soon as he puts the truck in park, I climb over and straddle him. He quickly moves his seat back to give us more room.

I crash my lips to his, he braces my hips, and together we rock against each other.

“Pull your pants down,” I order, lifting my skirt as he does.

Then he moves my panties to the side and lines up our centers before I impale myself on him. We moan in unison as we frantically make love.

I can’t get enough and can already feel him slipping away. I’m going to miss him more than I want to admit.

“Fuck, that was hot,” he murmurs after we come down from our highs.

“We steamed up the windows.” I laugh as I shimmy my dress down and sit next to him.

He waggles his brows. “Now, let’s go home and steam up the shower.”

I snort at his joke. “Lead the way, Country Boy.”