The Scarecrow

Chapter 15

Rory didn't sleep very well. The Logan situation and her dream weighed heavily on her mind. She awoke in the morning with mixed feelings. On one hand, she was excited to see Finn later today, but on the other, she was concerned about trusting Logan. She still couldn't shake the feeling.

After some breakfast and coffee, she went into her study. She hoped some work for the Courant would distract her enough to get through the day. She sat at her computer and stared at the screen. She opened up the article she had been working on. She read through the story or attempted to read it. She'd read the same line repeatedly, and it wasn't registering in her head.

Finn prepared for the final descent into Hartford. He was thankful he didn't have to fly commercial. He didn't have to worry about connecting flights, delays, bad food, or much of anything. He wasn't alone on this trip as several people from the San Francisco office were coming to the Hartford office. He thought some mentoring and guidance would do them some good. He hoped it would lighten his travel schedule. At least, the flight went by quickly thanks to his flying companions. If they were going to be stuck at 30,000 feet for six hours, they may as well get some work done. He didn't want anything to stand in the way of his evening with Rory.

Rory was deeply entrenched in her article for the Courant when her buzzing phone interrupted her train of thought.

Logan: What are you doing tonight?

Rory: I've got plans.

Logan: But I've been thinking of you all day.....

Rory: Guess you'll have to wait to see me.

Logan: C'mon Ace. Let's go see a terrible movie and mock it relentlessly.

Rory: Maybe tomorrow night, Logan. I'm busy tonight.

Up until today, Rory had been available for Logan, and suddenly she wasn't. She didn't mention anything about having plans last night. He wasn't sure what was going on. They'd been communicating well, and things were going well between them, except the divorce talk last night. That seemed to put a bit of a damper on the evening, but they'd moved beyond that once dinner came. Why did I sign that stupid prenup? I know it was set up to protect me, but, now, I was trapped because of it, he thought. He knew he had to talk to Colin. He was an expert in the field. If there was any technicality or loophole, he could find it.

Rory managed to finish her article before she heard from Finn.

Finn: I'm back in town, Love. I've got a little more work now that I'm here to get everyone settled before I'm free.

Rory: Glad you made it back in one piece. Did you bring the whole San Francisco office back with you?

Finn: Feels like it, but it should do them some good. How does 7 sound for dinner tonight?

Rory: Works for me. I'm all yours tonight. I've already told someone that I'm busy.

Finn: Is that going to be a problem? I don't want to cause any problems like that.

Rory: I hope not! We are still friends, right?

Finn: Absolutely, Darling!

Rory: Good, besides, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

It certainly does, he thought.

Finn: I'll be there at 7.

Rory: See you then.

At promptly 7, Rory's doorbell rang. She opened the door to see Finn. He was dressed sharply in a dark blue suit without a tie, and the first few buttons were undone on his white dress shirt. She couldn't help but notice how it made his eyes look piercingly blue. She never really noticed before. He caught her staring into his eyes.