Page 3 of The Nicest Thing

"Who's Finn?"

"What?" Startled, I looked up and into the eyes of Ana, one of my beloved-yet-totally-nosy cousins. I was nosy too, so I didn't mind. It came with the territory of being a writer. "Where did you hear that name?"

Ana pointed to my laptop screen. "You typed it like a million times—even though you're supposed to be answering company emails."

She was right.

Finn took up half my screen.

"Plus, you kept mumbling 'I should've said yes to Finn. Why didn't I say yes to Finn?'"

"I did?"

"Yeah."

"Actually, I answered all the emails," I said with a sniff. "I'm on break."

I was on desk duty at my family's tattoo parlor, Wild Rose Ink.

My grandfather had opened the business years ago and named it after my grandmother, one of the coolest women of all time and my namesake.

I wasn't as wild as Grandma Rose, but I was thankful to be named after one of my favorite people. Speaking of which…

Thoughts of Finn must've spilled out of my mind and into my fingertips.

His name was everywhere.

Made sense.

I'd spent a sleepless night thinking—and re-thinking his offer.

And now he was taking over my writing time.

"Is he the hero in your new WIP?" Ana asked.

"Ah no," I said with a smile. Ana was 16 and the only person in my family—well, besides Grandma Rose—who ever asked about my writing. I loved her a little more for that. "Finn's my best friend."

"Real or fictional?"

"Real."

She nodded. "Interesting. Why are you thinking about him?"

Because he's the answer to all my problems.

And the reason I couldn't sleep last night.

"Because he made me an offer I don't think I can refuse," I said with a sigh.

"What was the offer?"

"It's nothing really."

"Rose, tell me."

"Ana," Derek said, looking over at us. His thick, black-framed glasses were perched on the bridge of his nose as he worked on a customer.

The man's back tattoo of a lion would take a few more visits, but it was looking good so far.

Derek was Ana's older brother, and his tone was kind yet firm.

"We've been through this. You can't just go around, demanding that people tell you things. You sound like an interrogator."

Ana rolled her eyes. "You're the only one who thinks that."

"Actually," Angelo, her other brother, said, "he's not."

Ana frowned.

"What? You know you can be intense."

"And pushy," Carlos put in. He was my youngest cousin, so he basically got away with everything. "Nosy too. Though to be fair, I think you have to be at least a little nosy to survive."

"You have to be curious," Derek corrected. "There's a difference. Being nosy usually leads to trouble. But staying curious is a must."

I nodded with a grin. "I love that, D. You sound like Ted Lasso."

"Ted Who?"

Angelo shook his head. "That's tragic."

"It really is," Carlos agreed.

"I'm going to write down my username and password so you can watch the show," I said.

Derek waved me off. "No need, Rose. I'll just get my daughter to show me."

"You sure?"

"Is a rabbit fluffy?"

Seeing my face, he smiled.

"I'll look it up. Don't worry." He shook his head. "Can't believe you waste money on all those streaming services."

"I only have two," I said.

"That's a couple too many if you ask me."

I didn't say it, but if things kept going the way they were, I'd have to cancel those subscriptions. Probably need to cut out TV all together. At this rate, I might even end up having to sell my car—or my laptop. I shivered at the thought of not being able to write and publish my stories anymore.

But there were more important things.

Like family.

The little voice in my head said, But how will you pay for your grandmother's care if you can't sell your books?

Good question.

I just wished the answer wasn't using my best friend.

Even if Finn said he wants to be used.

I flushed.

If one of my characters said that, it definitely would have a hidden, romantic meaning.

In fact…

I jotted the note down to possibly use for later then turned to face Ana as she huffed.

"I wasn't trying to be pushy, Rose," she said. "I'm curious. That's all."

I patted Ana's hand. "I know, and I don't mind your questions."

"You don't?" she asked.

I shook my head, and her face relaxed.

"Okay, awesome. So…what did Finn offer you?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I mumbled.

"Finn?" Louis asked, coming out from the back room with a wide grin. "Is that the new guy you're crushing on, Ana?"

"No." Ana scoffed. "He's Rose's friend."

"Friend, huh," Carlos said then lifted a brow. "How good of a friend are we talking about?"

Derek and Angelo chuckled while I shook my head.

"Don't be an idiot," Louis said with a frown then turned to me. "Why haven't we ever met him?"

Because you'd try to scare him off, I thought.

"How long have you two been friends?" Angelo asked next. "Is it serious?"

"If it is, you should invite him for family dinner," Derek said, and to my horror, he looked completely serious. "You know Grandma Rose would want to meet him."

"And the rest of the family," Angelo added.

"I want to meet him," Louis said.

"Yeah, why don't you invite Finn for dinner," Carlos said, exchanging a look with my other cousins that I didn't trust for a second. He met my gaze and lifted his chin. "By the way, is 'friend' code for boyfriend? Because if he wants to be with my cousin, he'll have to pass the test."

And that was my cue.

This reaction was exactly why I hadn't brought Finn around.

"Oh, would you look at the time," I exclaimed, pretending to examine my non-existent watch. "I have to go, don't want to be late for book club."

The guys groaned—loudly—and Ana frowned at their over-the-top response.

"Do any of you want to join me? I know how much you love reading. It's going to be so much fun!"

My male cousins left real quick after that.

They'd never understood the pleasure that comes from reading a book.

It was a shame really. They were good guys, if a little overprotective.

But I knew they just hadn't found the right story yet to spark their interest. It was why I was always getting them paperbacks I thought they'd like for Christmas—whether they read them or not.

Ana hung back. "I'm still curious about that offer," she said.

I nodded. "I'll let you know if anything comes of it."

"I think you should say yes."

"But you don't even know what it's about."

"True," she said. "But you should follow your gut."

"What if my gut leads me into trouble?"

"Grandma Rose always says life is meant to be lived. Take chances. No regrets."

"Thanks, Ana."

"Don't thank me," she said. "Thank Grandma Rose."

I knew she was right.

Grandma Rose was always dropping her wisdom on us. Another thing she liked to say?

Family takes care of family.

And I would do that.

Even if it meant asking my best friend for the favor to end all favors.

#

"So, did everyone have time to read the book?"

Total silence.

I glanced at my fellow book club members. With the exception of Emmy and Maisie, pretty much everyone avoided my gaze and/or squirmed in their seats. Maybe they were just nervous. We'd gotten a few new members recently.

I decided to try again.

"Don't you guys think Sabine and Torin's chemistry jumped off the page?" I said. "Enemies-to-lovers is so satisfying, but I feel like Romantasy does it best. Any thoughts on the story or characters?

Crickets.

"Or the romance genre in general?"

Slowly, one of the girls raised her hand.

"Oh awesome, Lavender!" I said. "No need to raise your hand. What'd you think of A Heart of Fire and Ash?"

"Um, actually, I had a question," she said.

I nodded.

"When’s Finn going to get here?"

I gave a mental sigh. It wasn't the first time I'd heard those words. Probably wouldn't be the last. Our new members seemed more interested in Finn than the books we were reading. But that was no reason to make the girl feel bad.

"He said he would be late," I replied.

"Why?" she asked.

I gritted my teeth. "Because he coaches little league on Tuesdays and Thursdays."

The twins, Tory and Takayla, were suddenly more animated.

"He does?" Tory said. "That's so cool!"

"Finn's cool" Takayla said.

There was a general murmur of agreement—and Emmy snickered as I tried to bring the meeting back to order.

"Yes, he is," I said, "but let's get back to the book. What—"

"I bet Finn's good at coaching," Lavender cut in.

Tory nodded. "And baseball too. All the O'Briens are."

"Seems like he'd be good at a lot of things," Takayla added. "Kissing included."

Emmy rolled her eyes. "Um, can you not talk that way about my brother in front of me? It's gross."

Tory gave her a big smile. "Sorry, he's just so gorgeous."

"So gorgeous," Takayla agreed.

"I don't think I've ever seen someone with such pretty eyes," Lavender added. Her gaze went to me as she asked, "Do you know if he has a girlfriend?"

I shook my head. "I don't think so. But why would you ask me?"

She shrugged. "He's your best friend, right?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"That means you know him better than anyone," she said—then added, "I wonder why he doesn't have a girlfriend."

I had no answer for that.

Finn was the best guy I'd ever met. He was kind, funny, honest, charming, and gorgeous, like they said.

Finn O'Brien ticked all the boxes; he was everything anyone could want.

And want him they did. With all the people interested in Finn—including the three women here—his single status simply did not make sense.

But to my knowledge, Finn wasn't dating/hooking up/seeing anyone.

He hadn't been since we met. The 'why' behind that was a mystery.

I gave her a shrug. "Maybe he's waiting for his one, like Chase did."

"Or maybe he's already found her," Emmy said.