Larissa Judson and Haskell Palmer novel Chapter 621

After Vivica left Spire Village, Finley didn't follow her. Instead, he went to the village’s public well to wash his face, the cold water a shock against his skin.

Watching him from a nearby field, Kimberly Moore took off her straw hat and fanned herself. “Zendar,” she said, gesturing toward Finley, “do you think he’s really trying to repent? Is he actually hoping Larissa will forgive him?”

Zendar Schwartz snorted, his voice thick with disdain. “Repent? What’s the use? It’s like mending the pen after the sheep have been eaten. The damage is done. Larissa’s heart is closed to them. They could drop dead, and she wouldn’t shed a tear.”

Kimberly sighed, agreeing completely. “So we just let him wander around the village?”

“Let him,” Zendar said. “Larissa’s twenty-first birthday is coming up. I doubt he’ll miss a day that important. He’ll have to go back to Regal City for the party—not that he and his family were invited, I’m sure.”

“You don’t think that’s why he’s here?” Kimberly mused. “To win us over so he can get an invitation?”

Zendar shrugged. “Who cares? Come on, Kimberly. We have medical research to get back to. Let’s not waste any more time on him.”

Kimberly nodded, and they turned their backs on Finley, heading back toward their work.

Finley knew the villagers hadn’t forgiven him, but he wasn’t in a rush. Larissa’s birthday was still a little while away, giving him time to earn their trust.

Three hours after she’d left, his mother, Vivica, called. Finley ignored it, but she was persistent. With a sigh of frustration, he simply switched his phone off, finally granting himself some peace.

For the rest of the day, Finley observed the villagers. He offered a hand wherever he saw a need—helping haul heavy loads, pushing oxcarts, spreading manure, or watering crops. Some refused his help outright, while others, with a mischievous glint in their eyes, let him help only to make him mess things up.

But Finley didn't let it get to him. At least some of them were giving him a chance. If he could just win over these people, who were like a second family to Larissa, maybe, just maybe, he’d have a shot at attending her birthday party.

“A month is too long!” Theon snapped. “I heard Larissa has already finished recording her new music and plans to release it on her birthday. Leopold’s EP has to drop on the same day. We’re going head-to-head with her.”

He turned to Leopold. “You know when your sister’s birthday is, don’t you?”

Of course, Leopold knew. It was the same day as Honora’s.

“The twenty-first of this month,” he replied.

“That’s only two weeks away,” Theon pressed, turning his glare back to Magnus. “If Larissa gets her music out first, she’ll steal all the momentum. Magnus, we’re not paying you double what Starlight Media did to follow a normal schedule. You have two weeks to get this EP out. If you have to, make everyone work overtime.”