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“Yeah.”

“Why are you turning the deals down?” I ask, reaching for my drink.

“Because if I’m handing over my name and image and slapping it on an energy drink or whatever, it’s gotta be worth it. I learned a lesson when I took that deal with the gambling website, and then they turned out to own all kinds of seedy shit. Remember that?”

I shrug. “Vaguely.”

He chuckles. “You really don’t care about my football life, do you?”

“Of course, I do. I hope you play great, don’t get hurt, and sell lots of jerseys. But I’m your fuck buddy, not your finance manager, my man.” I take a quick sip and return the Dr Pepper to the cup holder. “I’m happy to be your sounding board, just like you’re mine when I start talking about whether to cut or color my hair.”

“I love that you’re equating my multimillion-dollar deals with whether you should get bangs,” he says, chuckling.

“We live in very different worlds, Miller.” I take another bite. “But do you want more endorsements? Or are you just done with people wanting your face on their shit?”

He glances across his shoulder and grins at me. “Depends. Do you want my face on your shit tonight? Or was that hypothetical?”

Fuck me. I stop chewing and stare at him for a moment, making his grin turn into a smirk.

I want his face on my shit at every opportunity, and he knows it.

“Yeah, I’d like a deal,” he says, turning his attention back to the road. “Who doesn’t love money? And I’d like one bigger payday in case I decide to retire after next year. But it has to be the right one. Lots of cash with little work.”

“When you find that, let me know if they want to endorse a thirty-one-year-old assistant VP with a penchant for burgers, bangs, and golf. I could use some money.”

He laughs, adjusting the thermostat to combat the fog inching up the windshield. “What do you need money for?”

I bite my lip and consider telling him about my idea for the Someday Now foundation. He has much more experience with charities than I do, considering he’s always in the community volunteering as a player for the Legends. Maybe he has some insight … considering I didn’t get any from Cade thanks to him.

“I’m thinking of starting a foundation or a charity or a nonprofit. Honestly, I don’t know what the differences are because I’m about four days mentally into this. But I found one of my dad’s notebooks, and I really think it’s something I’d like to do in his honor.”

“Hey, I love that.”

“Really?” I ask, not surprised by his support, but pleased at his enthusiasm. “It would help people do things on their someday list. It would help people make someday now. That’s what I’m thinking of calling it. Someday Now.”

Finn grabs my thigh and gives it a gentle squeeze. “I think this is an amazing idea, Pop. Tell me what I can do to help.”

“Well, what do you know about charities?” I ask. “I know nothing and am not sure where to even start.”

“I don’t know much when it comes to the mechanics of them. I show up, sign some stuff, take some pics. But I can hook you up with people who do know.” He lifts a brow, nodding subtly. “Are you fundraising? I’d love to help get you started financially.”

You’d like to help me start a charity? Oh, Finn.

His kindness tightens my chest because this is such a Finn thing to do. He’s so generous and thoughtful—the kind of guy who picks you up, brings you a burger, and has your seat heated so you don’t have to sit on cold leather. He’s just that good—total relationship material.

And we don’t have one of those. By design.

I study his profile as my mind begins to swirl.

Spending a week away from Finn has made me consider how blurred the lines of our situationship have become. It wasn’t more apparent than when I turned down Cade without thinking twice. It was so automatic that I didn’t realize that I had a choice. The answer was just Finn.

And now, as I sit beside him as he chauffeurs me home at nearly midnight—after having picked me up from the airport with dinner in tow—and listen to him offer to seed a charity that’s still in concept mode, I’m unsteady. The groundwork that gave me so much assurance and safety when we started this thing has eroded slowly over the past two years. I’ve been so caught up in the easiness of us that I haven’t paid attention to this very important fact.

I can’t unsee it now. I can’t ignore it, either.

Finn and I are operating in a very gray area that makes my insides squirm. If we don’t get a handle on this and recalibrate our situation back to where it belongs, we’ll slip further into uncharted and unwelcome territory.

Toward a real relationship. Something I’m not interested in.