“About what you overheard back there at the tree stand,” Finn began. “I don’t want you to think I’m against people finding love or anything. I think it’s great. And I’m not against Jasper’s program. It’s just not for me.”
Maggie held up her hands. “You don’t need to explain anything to me. I hope you don’t think I would judge you for your opinions.”
Finn quirked his mouth. “Maggie, I’m a single guy in a town full of bachelors who are all tripping over themselves to find a woman to settle down with.” He shook his head. “I’m a bit of an anomaly.”
“Glad to see nothing’s changed since we were kids,” Maggie teased. “You always were an outlier.”
“That’s a nice way of putting it.” Finn chuckled. “Good night, Mags. I’ll see you at the shop tomorrow.”
Maggie saw Finn to the door and waved as he drove off into the dark Alaskan night. As soon as she shut the door, she leaned against it and pondered the events of the last few hours. Despite the slight tension at the Christmas tree stand, it had been an enjoyable evening, full of laughter, fellowship and discoveries. Oliver had thoroughly enjoyed himself with Finn. And Maggie had felt grateful for adult companionship.
If Maggie’s past hadn’t been filled with heartache and betrayal, she might be in a position to test the waters. Based on her research, Operation Love was a resounding success. Even Finn’s own brother had found love through the program with Annie, who ran the Free Library in town. According to Ruby, Annie had come to Love in order to run the new library, then fallen in love with Declan O’Rourke, the pilot who had flown her to town. And her new friend Grace had met the sheriff of Love, Boone Prescott, through Jasper’s matchmaking program as well. The list of successful matches was quite lengthy.
She’d heard so many romantic stories about Operation Love and people finding their true north. The truth was, Maggie was no longer looking for a fairy tale. She would be content to raise Oliver in a house filled with love and faith. She’d had her one love in a lifetime. Before everything had gone so horribly wrong, she and Sam had been a love story. Over time their marriage had buckled under the strain, but they had been a love match when they’d pledged forever to one another. Despite what people said, Maggie wasn’t sure a person got two bites of the apple.
No matter how much she cared for Finn, there was no sense in hoping for something that would never happen. She and Finn actually had a similar outlook on romance. Finn was closed off to relationships and commitment. Maggie had been burned in the not-so-distant past by a husband who hadn’t been on the same page with her or the lifestyle she wanted to lead. Right before her very eyes Sam had changed. And she hadn’t been any the wiser until the bottom fell out of their world. There was no way she was going to set herself up for any more heartache. As it was, Sam’s duplicity had brought her to his knees.
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
