Yours, With Love: A Sweet Contemporary Romance (Finding Love Book 5)

by Delaney Cameron

  Once they were inside the house, he led the way to the laundry room. “I’ll get some towels so you can dry her off.”

  “Thanks,” she said as she sat the dog on the ground and removed the collar.

  When he returned a few minutes later, he asked, “Do you object to breakfast for dinner? I was thinking of making omelets.”

  “Compared to the canned ravioli I was going to have, an omelet sounds wonderful.”

  Quinn went upstairs to change clothes. If the excitement racing through his veins was any indication, the three days he’d gone without seeing Ellen hadn’t affected his interest in her to any discernable degree. Purposing extending his exposure by having her wash the dog at his house and inviting her to dinner wasn’t going to help either. Did he like rubbing salt in the wound?

  As for Freya, he never thought he’d have a reason to be grateful to that misbehaving mutt, but she’d given him a reason (or an excuse, however one chose to look at it) to see Ellen. As he came back downstairs, he heard her talking to the dog again.

  “Chewing up Quinn’s shirt wasn’t nice, you know. I think you miss Mrs. Phillips, and that’s why you misbehave. You’re lonely. I know the feeling. I get that way sometimes, too, but it passes.”

  As he continued on his way to the kitchen, he wished he hadn’t heard that one-sided conversation. Keeping a level head around Ellen was difficult enough without knowing she was lonely. He was turning the omelets when she came through the doorway. Trotting at her heels was Freya, but in truth, he hardly noticed the dog. Ellen was wearing one of his undershirts. It looked a whole lot better on her than it did on him, but that wasn’t why his heart was pounding. This was something a girlfriend or a wife would do. In a matter of seconds, the scene had taken on an intimacy that was almost more than his fragile hold on reality could handle.

  “I hope you don’t mind me borrowing this shirt. It was folded up on the dryer. Mine got wet during the clean-up operation.”

  Quinn swallowed hard and turned back to the stove. “Not at all. Could you pour the coffee while I finish these? The cups are in the cabinet by the refrigerator.”

  “Did your card game with your grandfather get canceled tonight?”

  That brought his glance back to her. “It was preempted by a bingo tournament. I’m going tomorrow instead.”

  “It’s nice that you take time out of your busy schedule to do that.”

  “I’m not that busy, and he won’t be around forever. I want to make the most of it.” He plated the omelets, and they sat down at the table. Not to be left out, Freya went to sit under Ellen’s chair.

  “These look great, Quinn. What do you put in your omelets?” she asked as she unfolded a napkin.

  “Whatever I happen to have on hand. This version has tomatoes, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, and cheddar cheese.”

  “All my favorite things. Where’s Jase?”

  “On a date.”

  “I met his future wife and mother-in-law today. I went to the garden for solitude and ended up drawing a crowd.”

  He got up to get the salt and pepper. “Now that Winnie knows you’re here, you won’t be getting much alone time.”

  “I don’t mind. I like children, and as my mother likes to remind me, I should have three or four of my own by now.”

  “My sister deals with that, too.”

  “Are you the oldest?”

  “Sure am. Terry just turned thirty, and Jase is twenty-four.”

  She cut off a small piece of egg and gave it to Freya. “Did you get a chance to look at the pictures from Cumberland Island?”

  “I did it last night. If you’ve got time, I’ll show them to you.”

  “All I’ve got waiting on me is a pile of laundry. I’m curious to see how they turned out.”

  Considering how distracted he’d been that day, Quinn was surprised that any of them had been worth anything.

  Once they finished eating, Ellen carried their plates to the sink, and Quinn went to his office to retrieve his laptop. When he returned, she was loading the dishwasher.

  “Don’t worry about the dishes. Jase can take care of them. He’s in the doghouse right now.”

  “Because Freya got out on his watch?”

  “That among other things.”

  When Ellen passed by his chair, her hand slid across his back. Quinn went still as a pleasant warmth spread through him. It was a good thing she didn’t know what that did to him. He waited while she sat down and settled Freya on her lap. He couldn’t help thinking it was more than the dog deserved.

  “I took about forty pictures of which about twenty-five were usable.” He opened the folder and brought them up on the screen. She scooted her chair closer to him severely affecting his ability to concentrate or form a coherent sentence. Staring at the laptop wasn’t enough to keep him unaware of her. What he couldn’t see, he could smell and feel from the subtle perfume she wore to the softness of her skin every time her arm brushed against his.

  “This one where you caught the reflection of the trees and sky in the surface of the water is my favorite, followed by the driftwood on the beach and then the family of geese.”

  He cleared his throat, hoping he could speak over the lump that had lodged there. “Those aren’t bad, but this is my favorite,” he said, clicking on the picture of her.

  She tilted her head to the side. “I always smile too big.”

  “No you don’t. Your smile is the kind that lingers in a man’s mind for days afterward.”

  Her face turned a pretty pink. “Thank you.”

  As his eyes slid along the smooth curve of her cheek, he noticed tiny tendrils of hair that had come loose from her ponytail and clung to her neck. His fingers itched to touch them. The opening and closing of the back door couldn’t have come at a better time.

  A few seconds later, Jase strolled into the kitchen. Quinn read his brother’s thoughts accurately enough; he hoped Ellen couldn’t. He also hoped she didn’t notice the smear of pink lipstick on Jase’s collar.

  “Hey, Ellen,” he said, his smile growing. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  “Hi, Jase. How was your evening?”

  Quinn held his breath. Jase tended to give too much information rather than too little.

  “It was fantastic! I’m seeing her again tomorrow night.”

  “Two nights in a row? I must be doing something wrong,” Ellen complained. “No guy has ever asked me out again so soon.”

  “Jase is into speed dating,” Quinn explained as he closed his laptop. “A long-term relationship for him is two weeks.”

  “Not always,” Jase protested. “I’ve dated a few women as long as a month.”

  Ellen pushed back from the table. “At least they can’t accuse you of stringing them along.”

  “That’s right.” His eyes widened when he saw Freya sitting on her lap. “I would never have believed it.”

  “Me, either,” Quinn concurred. “Apparently, miracles still happen.”

  She kissed the dog’s head and put her on the ground. “This has been fun, but I need to get going. My laundry isn’t going to do itself.”

  “Thanks for saving me and Jase from a fate worse than death.”

  “What does that mean?” Jase asked.

  “I’ll fill you in later,” Quinn retorted as he followed Ellen outside.

  “Winnie invited me to her birthday party on Sunday.”

  “I’m not surprised. I knew she’d like you. I would have been going, too, except I’m speaking at a conference in Atlanta this weekend.”

  “When are you leaving?” she asked, coming to a stop in front of her door.

  “Friday afternoon,” he said, wishing she’d go inside and put him out of his misery. He’d thought it was difficult keeping his hands to himself in the house. It was even harder when they were standing so close together in the dark.

  “I hope you have a safe trip.” For a few, agonizing seconds she stared up at him, and then she reached for the door hand
le. “Thanks for dinner. Goodnight.”

  “You’re welcome. Goodnight, Ellen.”

  As Quinn watched the door close, he let out the breath he’d been holding. Ellen pulled at his senses in ways he’d never imagined, but he still should be able to restrain his thoughts and keep his emotions in check. His inability to do either was a weakness he couldn’t afford.

  When he returned to the house, he found Jase in the living room, a bowl of Fruit Loops in his hand. It reminded him of the Saturday mornings when they were growing up. He’d come downstairs to find Terry and Jase eating cereal out of popcorn-size bowls while they sat on the floor in front of the television watching cartoons.

  “Did your make-out session take all your energy?”

  “You’re one to talk. Ellen was wearing your shirt. I’d like to know how that happened.”

  “I would refuse to tell you except I know you’ll just make up your own version to pass around. In your hurry to leave today, you didn’t put Freya in the laundry room or close the back door. Fortunately, Freya didn’t leave the yard, but instead occupied herself digging holes. Ellen found her and volunteered to give her a bath. Her shirt got wet so she borrowed one of mine.”

  “I’m sorry about Freya, but something good came out of it. You got to spend the evening with Ellen, and based on what I saw when I walked in, you didn’t mind in the least.”

  “I’d have to be made of stone to mind, but that’s not the point. I don’t want to be explaining this to Mom.”

  “How will you explain it to yourself?”

  “That’s my problem.”

  Without giving Jase a chance to reply, Quinn stalked into the laundry room. The sight of Ellen’s tank top lying on the dryer had him thinking of other things. Even so, he wasn’t going to leave it there to incite more comments from Jase. He took it to his bathroom, hand washed it in the sink, and hung it over the shower door to dry. As he shut off the light, he told himself to enjoy the novelty of the situation. This was most likely the only time a woman’s article of clothing would see the inside of his bathroom.

  * * * * *

  Ellen glanced down at the ribbed material of Quinn’s shirt and smiled. It was like having his arms wrapped around her. The only thing that would have made the evening better would have been a goodnight kiss. He hadn’t given her one, but it wasn’t because he didn’t want to. His inner struggle had been evident in the taut expression on his face, the roughened notes in his voice, and in his body language when he accidently touched her. The rigid control he exercised, and the fact that he was so afraid to allow himself to feel anything, revealed the depth of his pain as well as the paralyzing nature of his fear of rejection. It was as if his discipline and self-imposed isolation were all that stood between him and disaster.

  The days that followed were busy enough to make the events of Wednesday seem like a distant dream. Ellen didn’t expect to see Quinn before he left for his trip. He was treating her like the friend she supposedly was. She couldn’t blame him. He’d been hung out to dry by the woman he loved. In his moment of greatest weakness and vulnerability, he’d been abandoned. It wasn’t going to be easy for him to allow someone into his life.

  After church on Sunday, she caught up on some housekeeping, and then walked next door to help Isobel get ready for Winnie’s party. From the time she arrived until she left four hours later, she didn’t have a moment to worry about Quinn or anyone else. The little girls’ energy and excitement was at the same time contagious and exhausting.

  Her phone rang just as she stepped back into the cottage. Thinking it might be Quinn, she hurriedly pulled the phone out of her pocket. It wasn’t him, but talking to Faith was always enjoyable.

  “Hey, Ellen. How was the birthday party?”

  “My ears are still echoing. I thought about you, Olivia and Landris yesterday. If I hadn’t had those two weddings I would have been at the ballpark cheering you on.”

  “Olivia was so cute in her pink and black uniform. She didn’t get a hit, but she did make two catches at third base. We won the game, too, which was nice.”

  “No doubt because of good coaching.”

  Faith laughed. “I could hardly say otherwise. I’m married to the head coach, and his assistant is one of my oldest friends.”

  “So Matt did decide to help out?”

  “Did you doubt it? Olivia asked him, and it’s hard to tell her no. Darcy and I had a blast sitting in the stands yelling our heads off.”

  “When is the next game?”

  “That’s why I’m calling. There’s one tomorrow at five-thirty.”

  “I’ll do my best to get there before the first pitch.”

  “Sounds great. We’ll see you then.”

  When Ellen went to bed at eleven, Quinn still hadn’t made it back from Atlanta. She knew this because she’d spent several hours sitting in her living room with the television muted so she could listen for the metallic sound of the garage door. The next morning it was the same story. Had she misunderstood him? She thought he said he’d only be gone for the weekend?

  She was still thinking about it when she got to the shop. The sight of Frank biting into his customary apple fritter brought a smile to her face.

  “Did you ever think to try something else?”

  He shook his head. “I never settle for second best. You got a call from Nicole Fisher. She said to tell you that she decided to use another florist.”

  No more Mark to deal with! Ellen did a little cheer. “That’s the best news I’ve had in a while.”

  Frank looked at her strangely. “You’re happy that we lost out on a job.”

  “That was a job I didn’t want.”

  “In that case, take this to celebrate.” He slid a fritter in her direction.

  “I think I will,” she said, pinching off a piece and eating it.

  Nothing that happened the rest of the day could undo the relief of being rid of Mark and Nicole. It might be irrational from both an emotional and financial standpoint, but she hadn’t wanted to be part of their wedding.

  A last minute customer wanting flowers for his wife delayed Ellen getting to Olivia’s game. The first inning had come and gone before she arrived at Lakeside Park. She passed by the baseball fields and the concession stand. Adjacent to a large gazebo was the softball field. She found Faith sitting on the bottom row of the metal bleachers wearing a pink t-shirt with number 7 on the back.

  “Have I missed anything?” she asked as she slid in next to her friend.

  Faith laughed. “The score is ten to nine, so yes, you’ve missed a few things. Olivia is at second base today. Landris likes to give everyone a chance to play all the positions.”

  Ellen found the familiar face underneath the pulled down brim of a baseball cap. “Was seven Landris’s number?”

  “Yes, it was. I would never have thought of it, but Olivia remembered seeing it in the pictures Landris keeps in his office. He was really touched when she asked if she could be number 7.”

  “I see Matt standing in the dugout. Where’s Darcy?”

  “She helps her sister Cason with the community theater program. They had a rehearsal tonight.”

  “I’ve got my friend’s manuscript. Remind me to give it to you before we leave.”

  “Oh, good. My online classes are on spring break this week so I’ll have time to work on it.”

  Their attention was drawn back to the field. One of the player’s on the other team hit the ball to the outfield. Two girls converged on the ball, but couldn’t decide who should throw it in. Meanwhile, the batter was still running. She made it to third base before the ball found its way back to the pitcher’s mound.

  “Why is a man pitching?” Ellen asked.

  “This is C-ball which means the coaches do the pitching. At this age, the girl’s aren’t accurate enough to keep it in the strike zone and away from the batter.”

  “That makes sense. It probably speeds up the game, too.”

  In between innings, Ellen w
alked over to the concession stand to get something to drink. She jumped a mile when someone tapped her on the shoulder. If Mark represented her most recent dating disaster, then the bearded man grinning down at her symbolized her first.

  “Hi, Adam.”

  “Hey, Ellen. I heard you were back in town. Do you have a kid playing?”

  “No. I’m here watching someone else. How about you?” She wished the line would move faster. Adam Tillerson was the last person she wanted to talk to. She would never forget that awful night in the front seat of his car when she learned the difference between nice guys and not so nice guys.

  “I’m helping coach a team. We just got done practicing. You know, we should get together.” He reached for his phone and her heart sank. “Can I give you a call some time?”

  Her skin crawled at the thought. “I’m pretty swamped with work right now. I own a floral shop, and this is the beginning of my busy season. I barely made it here tonight. It would be better if I took your number. Then I can contact you when I’m free.”

  “That works for me.” He waited while she located her phone, and then gave her the number.

  “It looks like I’m up next. It was nice seeing you again.”

  As she gave her order to the bored-looking teenager behind the counter, Ellen hoped this was the last she’d see of Adam. The newest entry to her contact list wasn’t going to be there long. She planned to delete it as soon as she got home.

  * * * * *

  After that near miss on Ellen’s doorstep Wednesday night, when Quinn came so close to repeating the mistake he made on Cumberland Island, he went into damage control mode. A trip out of town that he’d been regretting suddenly appeared like a reprieve from a situation that was spiraling out of control. A few days away should have been just what the doctor ordered.

  Things hadn’t worked out the way he envisioned. While it had been pleasant being in the company of his peers, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Ellen. When he looked at the audience, it was her face he saw in the crowd. When he finally managed to fall asleep at night, it was her face he saw in his dreams.

  If that wasn’t enough, he’d spent the drive home this morning talking himself out of dropping by Violets are Blue on his way to the clinic. He wasn’t just losing the battle; he was in danger of losing the war.