The waitress who approached their table had a brilliant smile on her face as she greeted them and then turned all her attention on Finn. "Would you like a drink from the bar?" she asked.

"Lily?" Finn asked, leaning back in his chair.

"No, thank you, I don't drink. I'll have a sweet tea with lemon please," Lily replied.

"I'll have the same," he told the waitress without looking at her as she left.

"How do you handle everyone staring?" she asked as she looked around at the other diners who quickly looked away when her eyes met theirs.

He shrugged. "They'll get bored in a few minutes. I would have thought you would have been used to it by now."

"Me? Why?" she asked, confused by the comment.

"Because of Mason and Cassie, you are friends with them." He picked up the coaster in front of him and rolled it on the table.

"Not the kind of friend who goes out with them. We only hang out at the house, and I mostly babysit." She watched his fingers as he rolled the piece of cardboard.

"You don't find that odd?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "I only know them through Penny and Sam, who are friends with my Aunt Kate and live next door."

The waitress brought their drink and asked them if they were ready to order. They both ordered the fried shrimp and passed the menus back to her. Lily leaned back in her chair and admired the view behind Finn. They were on a dock that extended out over the water and beyond the water was the tall marsh grass. The sun was setting, and the red and orange colors it created across the horizons were lovely. It was a beautiful spot, maybe her new favorite spot.

"But you call them Aunt and Uncle?" he said, trying to figure out the dynamic.

"That's because there are so many kids in the family, Mason has five brothers and one sister, and between all their kids, and Penny and Sam's kids, everyone is an Aunt or Uncle. It makes it easier, and less formal that way, plus the kids are more accepting of me." She turned her attention away from the scenery and back on him.

He was watching her as she spoke. "Why do you look at me like that?" she asked, meeting his gaze.

"Like what?" He arched an eyebrow.

"I don't know. Like I'm a puzzle to figure out?" Lily looked away, unable to handle his intense stare.

"You are a puzzle; you're young and innocent, which is contrary to your ability to read people and the witty comments that you throw around."

Lily smiled. "My Aunt Kate says I have an old soul."

"Is that what you think?" He took a sip of his drink.

"No, I think I had to grow up fast and learn how to read people out of necessity." She looked at him with her smile still in place but a little forced. "What did you want to talk about since this isn't a date?" She quickly changed the subject before she was tempted to share more. Sharing wasn't her thing, but she found it a little too easy to do with Finn.

"My nephew, Mike," he frowned, "how did you know that he didn't like Gretchen."

"He told me." Lily couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that he wanted to talk about Mike. She thought for sure it would be something more serious, but then again, she should be glad, he could have wanted to give her a piece of his mind for interfering. Was that what he wanted to do? "Are you mad about it?" she asked, feeling the old unsure Lily slipping to the surface once more.

He frowned. "No, I just want to know how you do it." His voice was gruff as if it pained him to say it.

"You're good at everything aren't you, you succeed at everything, and it kills you that you can't figure Mike out, doesn't it?"

"Yes," he admitted as the waitress approached with their food.

They thanked her, and she smiled before she left once more. Taking their time, they put napkins on their laps, grabbed silverware, and started to dig into their meal.

"The fact is that Mike is easy to read. Today when Gretchen arrived, he stared at his floor as if he wanted to separate himself from the situation totally, and when she touched him, he flinched." She took a bite of her shrimp. "This is really good!"

"What were you and Milke talking about while I was talking to Gretchen?" He took a bite of his hushpuppy.

"I confirmed that he didn't like her and asked if she hurt him, he said no to both," she assured him.

"How did he confirm it?" Finn stopped eating and looked at her.

"He jerks his head to the left once." Lily mimicked the movement. "I then confirmed that she was only mean to him and that she had no real interest in him, only you." Lily looked at him to gauge his reaction to her comment.

He was still watching her, his face serious. "How did he confirm that?" He was only interested in Mike, not Gretchen, her interest must not be news to him, and if her interest wasn't news, then Lily's probably wasn't either.

"He didn't answer, and when I told him that I saw him and heard him and that I would talk to you, he smiled. He also smiled when I told Gretchen that if she didn't hear him when he told her he didn't like to be touched, then she wasn't very good at her job." Lily smiled at the memory.

"What else?" he asked, hungry for more.

Lily looked up at him. "Just pay attention, talk to him even if he doesn't respond because he hears you. He's great to run lines with; he loves it. He memorizes the script after one read through and then parrots back what you get wrong, and he loves it when you get it wrong. He enjoys being smarter than other people."

"I get that; I enjoyed being stronger than most people." He smiled at the memory.

"I imagine you still are," Lily said, meaning it.

"No, not in the way I once was." He shook his head.

"Perhaps not, but maybe a little stronger in a different way. There are all types of strength."

"An old soul, you say?" he smiled almost tenderly at her, and it made her catch her breath. Suddenly shy, she focused on her food until the moment passed. They ate in companionable silence until Lily leaned back in her seat with a contented sigh, looking out over the water.

The sunset had turned from red and orange to pink and purple. When a dolphin jumped out of the water and then another, Lily sat up in excitement, looking over at Finn. "Did you see that?" she reached out and placed a hand on his arm in excitement. "There were dolphins?"

Finn looked over his shoulder at the now empty water, then turned back, not as impressed at Lily.

"I've never seen dolphins!" She watched, but they didn't make another appearance, and she was disappointed.

"I'm sure you've seen plenty of dolphins," Lily said, taking her hand off his arm and leaning back.

"A few," he agreed, popping the last bite of food in his mouth and wiping his fingers with the napkin. "Why don't you drink?" he asked, catching Lily by surprise.

"I don't much care for the taste," Lily said, reaching for her tea. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the entire truth. The fact was that she had hated who it had made her mother and father, and she didn't want to travel down that road. "What are you going to do about Gretchen? I have a feeling that if you let her know that she didn't have a chance with you, she would leave. I don't think she cared very much for the job."

"I agree." He threw his napkin down on the table and finished his drink. "Would you like to help me with that?" he asked as the waitress approached with their bill.

"If it helps Mike, sure," she agreed.

"Come back to the house with me?" he asked as he threw some bills down with the ticket.

"Alright," Lily agreed, eager to see where he lived. "Does this mean that I get to hold your hand. I can stay the night if it helps?" she suggested, teasingly.

He sighed as he stood, waiting for her to proceed him through the restaurant. Many people who had been there when they had arrived had left and been replaced with new people, and they all whispered to each other as Finn passed them.

"This will be your life this time next year. Are you ready for it?" he whispered in her ear. His warm breath tickled and gave her goosebumps.

She wanted to say, 'as long as you're with me I'll be ready,' but instead she shrugged. "Probably not, but then I'm not as handsome as you are so maybe I won't be so easy to recognize." They pushed through the door landing in the small parking lot in front of the restaurant.

"You may not be as handsome, but you're certainly beautiful so you will definitely be recognized," he assured her.

Lily's heart skipped at his word, and she stopped walking, looking up at him as she blinked back tears. No one had ever told her she was beautiful and for Finn Baxter to tell her that she was, it was honestly one of the best moments of her life. Especially since he had only known her looking as she did now, the way she hated with her curly hair and four eyes.

"No one had ever told me I was beautiful, thank you," she whispered.

His gaze wandered over her face, taking in all its curves, pausing on her lips. Her heart picked up speed, knowing he wanted to kiss her.

"You can kiss me," she said softly after a moment.

He growled something under his breath and turned, stomping off towards his truck.

Lily smiled tenderly as she half ran walked to catch up to him, and when she reached him, she grabbed his hand with hers, intertwining their fingers. Something funny happened to her tummy when he didn't pull away.  She had never felt so connected to another person. It was as if everything in her world had suddenly righted itself.

When they reached the truck, he gently let go of her hand and opened her door.

"We held hands, you opened the door for me, you paid for my meal, this is a date, Finn Baxter," she whispered. He only grunted as he closed the door on her.

Lily smiled to herself. A major battle had justbeen won, and she was eager to tackle the next.