Letting Go (Holding On Book 2)

by Jolie, Meg

  “Cricket?” Quinn could’ve sworn she saw the blood rush from Jesse’s face. “What is this?” he demanded. He reached for her left hand and held it up. The diamond on it sparkled brilliantly. Mockingly.

  She snatched her hand away. “Exactly what it looks like. What?” she sharply demanded. “Are you surprised someone might actually want me?” She plastered her clenched fists against her hips and glared at him defiantly.

  He met her defiance with some of his own. “I’ve never had any doubt about how many guys want you. The problem has always been how many guys you let have you!”

  Carly’s gaze darted to Quinn. Quinn knew, right then, with absolute certainty that Carly had never clued Jesse in to the games she’d been playing. She shook her head subtly, feeling, for the first time, a bit of disgust for her sister. The games between Carly and Jesse needed to stop. And maybe now, they had. But not, Quinn thought, in a way that would make either of them happy. Jesse had no idea that until Nolan, Carly had only ever been with him.

  And sadly, Quinn realized as she shared a look with Luke, she knew for whatever reason, Carly wanted it that way.

  “Be quiet,” Carly shot at Quinn.

  “Hey!” Luke shot back.

  Quinn put her hand on his arm. “No, it’s okay,” she said but she was looking at her sister. “I didn’t plan to say a word.”

  Jesse shook his head, looking regretful. “I didn’t mean that. I was just surprised. That’s all. I had no idea you were engaged.” She gave him a small shrug. He shot an accusatory glare at Luke. “No one told me,” he said.

  “It just happened,” Luke informed him. “So, uh, hey, I don’t suppose you want to join us?”

  Jesse’s gaze swept over Carly once more. Quinn thought that he just might accept the invitation.

  “Actually, I’m here with some friends already.” He motioned toward the other side of the bar.

  Quinn recognized Jake’s friend, Shane. He was with a group of guys she didn’t recognize. She gave him a wave. He grinned and waved back. It was obvious he was curiously watching the interaction taking place between Jesse and Carly.

  “It was nice seeing you,” he said to Carly.

  She forced a smile. “You too.”

  She took a step away from him, preparing to slide back down in her chair. He grabbed her by the elbow, stopping her.

  “Do you think maybe…” He cleared his throat. “Could we go for a walk?”

  Carly’s mouth opened slightly in surprise. She looked as though she were about to protest.

  “Please, Cricket,” Jesse prodded, his voice soft and pleading. “I just want to talk to you. We don’t have to be gone long.”

  She nodded slowly, her eyes dropped to Quinn. Quinn had no idea what was going on in her sister’s head. She wondered if she should jump in and protest. She couldn’t tell by Carly’s expression whether she wanted to talk with Jesse or not. Maybe Carly didn’t even know the answer to that herself.

  “I’ll be back in a little bit,” Carly said.

  “I didn’t see that coming,” Quinn said as she watched Carly slip through the door with Jesse.

  “Why does he call her that?” Luke asked.

  Quinn cringed. “Cricket? I don’t know. I’ve always been afraid it has something to do with sex so I’ve been a bit too afraid to ask.”

  “Did it really go that badly with your parents?” Luke questioned. “Or was she overreacting just a bit?”

  Quinn sighed. “No, it didn’t go well. Mom accused her of being too impulsive, too rash, too irresponsible. Let’s see. What else…Oh, she said she wasn’t mature enough to handle marriage.”

  “Ouch.”

  “I know,” Quinn agreed. “Dad took it okay. I mean, he usually does. But Mom told Carly she’s too much of a free spirit and that she’s not ready to settle down yet. I think that was her way of trying to be nice about it. I’m so glad you took Carter. It got pretty loud there for quite a bit. I was glad he wasn’t there. I never asked how it went. Was he good for you?”

  Luke smiled. “Yeah, he was great.” He told Quinn about how they spent the afternoon. A large chunk of the time, Luke built towers for Carter to tear down. Carter never seemed to tire of the process.

  Carly returned much quicker than Quinn expected her too. She slumped down in her chair. Her elbows were propped on the table and she tugged her hands through her hair.

  “Are you okay?” Quinn asked.

  “Fabulous,” Carly replied, her voice weary. “I thought getting engaged was cause for celebration. Instead, everyone is giving me crap.” She glanced up. “Except you, so thanks for that.”

  “Jesse gave you a hard time?” Luke guessed.

  “Oh, yeah,” Carly muttered. “He started out by congratulating me but that quickly turned into wondering what the hell I could be thinking. What I’m thinking is that I love Nolan. He loves me. So how is this everyone else’s business?”

  “It’s not,” Quinn agreed.

  “I told Jesse I’m bringing Nolan home with me next weekend. He said he didn’t think that was a good idea. A good idea for who?” Carly demanded. “I should be able to bring my fiancé back to town if I feel like it. I have that right, don’t I?”

  “Of course you do,” Quinn agreed. “I’m sure as soon as we all get to know him, we’ll love him.”

  “I hope so. I told Jesse if he was going to be such an ass about it, that he might want to stay home next weekend,” Carly said with a sigh. “Who the hell is he to tell me what I should and shouldn’t be doing? No one, that’s who. He’s proven time and again that he doesn’t want me. Why shouldn’t I be with someone else?” she fumed. “I can date who I want. I can get engaged to who I want. I mean, he dated Betsy for crying out loud! That woman is crazy!”

  Quinn couldn’t disagree.

  Carly let out a little growl. “I’m sorry. I know coming here was my idea. But would you mind if we headed home? I am so ready to get out of here.”

  “It’s fine,” Luke assured her.

  “Let’s go,” Quinn agreed.

  16

  “Mom!” Quinn exclaimed. “What a surprise.” She had a feeling it wasn’t going to be a pleasant one. Not if the scowl on Margo’s face was any indication. “What are you doing here?”

  “What?” Margo demanded. “Do I need an invitation to come see my daughter?” she asked. She nudged her way past Quinn, wandering deeper into the house. Quinn closed the door behind her and followed.

  “No, but—”

  “Can you believe your sister?” Margo demanded. She’d made her way into Quinn’s living room, where she began to pace the floor. Quinn perched herself against the doorframe. “Just showing up like that, out of the blue yesterday? Dropping a bomb like she did and then expecting that we should be happy about it?!”

  “It’s her life,” Quinn pointed out. “If she’s happy, then we should be happy for her.”

  Margo’s hand flew to her heart. “I’m too old for this. My heart can’t take the stress.”

  Quinn rolled her eyes. Her mom wasn’t that old. Never mind that if anyone else accused her of being old, she’d rip them to shreds.

  “She’s not ready to get married. We both know this was nothing more than an impulsive decision. Carly has always been too impulsive. This is going to blow up in her face.”

  “You don’t know that,” Quinn argued. “What do you have against this guy? You don’t even know him!”

  “That is not my fault. Obviously she’s embarrassed by him or we would’ve met him by now.”

  “She’s not embarrassed by him. Maybe she’s worried she’ll be embarrassed by you,” Quinn said as kindly as possible. “Have you ever thought of that?”

  “Why on earth would she be embarrassed by me?” Margo demanded.

  Quinn motioned to her. “Maybe she’s afraid you’ll act like this in front of him!”

  “Act like what? The only person who sees things clearly? Honestly, Quinn, you can’t think this is for the best. You
need to talk some sense into your sister. You’re the only one she’s ever even pretended to listen to.”

  “I won’t do any such thing,” Quinn said. “If this is what Carly wants, I’ll support her in this. If she wants to marry Nolan, she should.”

  “To think that all these months I’ve been worried that you would be the one to show up on my doorstep with a ring on your finger,” Margo muttered.

  “Excuse me?” Quinn snapped. “Would that be so bad?”

  “If it was put there by Luke? Yes, that would be bad Quinn.”

  Quinn could only stare at her mother for a few silent moments as she tried to gather her thoughts. “I thought you were okay with Luke and I being together.”

  Margo waved her hand dismissively at her. “I knew you had a little crush on him during high school. I thought you just needed to get him out of your system. I never thought this thing between the two of you would last this long. I mean, he’s Jake’s brother Quinn! For heaven’s sake! Do you know how bad that looks? How tasteless? It’s tacky. At least you were being discreet those first few months. But lately?” She shook her head. “Well, you’ve been going out more. People have seen you together. People are talking!” She said the last part as though it were unthinkable.

  “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to listen to gossip?” Quinn asked.

  “It’s not gossip when it’s true,” Margo retorted.

  Quinn shook her head. “Wow. I had no idea you felt that way.”

  “Neither did I.”

  Margo spun around at the sound of Luke’s voice.

  Quinn emitted a huge, frustrated sigh.

  “What are you doing here?” Margo wanted to know.

  “I invited him here,” Quinn said. Her was tone was full of annoyance.

  “What I meant was that I didn’t realize he was here. His truck isn’t parked out front. Oh dear,” she muttered. “Did you move in? Quinn, tell me he did not move in! Is he parking in the garage now?”

  “No,” Luke said as he struggled to keep his tone calm. “A friend of mine borrowed my truck. He had some furniture to move. He dropped me off earlier. Quinn’s bringing me home after dinner. I don’t live here,” he said pointedly.

  “Well,” Margo sniffed, “it would’ve been nice to know you were here.”

  “You didn’t ask,” Quinn said with a shrug. “He was putting Carter down for his nap.”

  “I see,” Margo said with a frown.

  “So, Mom, are we done here?” Quinn wanted to know. “Because it kind of feels like we’re done here.”

  “Maybe we should discuss—”

  Quinn cut her off. “I was trying to be polite. Really, I was asking you to leave. I’m not in the mood to talk to you right now.”

  Margo blinked at her in surprise. It was unlike Quinn to be so abrupt. This was behavior she would expect from Carly but Quinn was usually much more discreet. She finally got moving again when Quinn motioned to the doorway.

  “You’re asking me to leave?” Margo asked in disbelief.

  Quinn nodded. “I am.”

  Margo slowly made her way past Luke, who stepped aside to let her pass.

  “You know, Quinn,” she said, “I only want what’s best for you. For both you and Carly.”

  “The problem with that is that I don’t think you know what’s best. You think you know, but you don’t. Luke? He’s the best thing for me. And if Carly thinks that Nolan is the best thing for her, well, until she tells me otherwise, I’m going to have a little bit of faith in her.”

  Margo looked like she was going to argue but Quinn cut her off again. “He proposed. She said yes. She’s got a ring on her finger. That means something. At the very least, it means that you need to respect her decision. Even if you don’t like it, you need to respect it. I get that you don’t agree with her. But you don’t get to make this decision for her.”

  Margo reached for the doorknob. Quinn could tell by her demeanor that she was furious. As long as she was already mad, she decided to keep going.

  “When Luke and I take that step,” she noticed her mother visibly grimace, “that’s what I expect from you. You might not like my decision either, but you’re going to need to respect it. You’ve got less than a week to get used to the idea of Carly being engaged. When she brings Nolan home next weekend, you need to let her know you accept him.”

  Margo arched an eyebrow at her. “And if I don’t?”

  Quinn shrugged. “Then you’re probably going to lose her.”

  Margo nodded and then left without saying another word.

  Quinn slumped against the door when it clicked shut. “Did that really just happen?” Her head was swimming with the events of the last five minutes.

  Luke nodded grimly. “Yeah, it did.”

  “I’m sorry,” Quinn said. “I should’ve stopped her. I could tell by her expression she was about to go on a tirade.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t. At least now, I know how she really feels.” His gaze dropped to the floor. When he raised it again, Quinn’s heart clenched at the expression on his face. “What if she’s right? What if you and me together is a terrible idea? First Betsy, then your mom? Who knows who else.”

  “You cannot be serious.” She pushed off from the door, grabbing Luke’s hand as she propelled him into the other room. “We’re going to talk this out,” she said as they both took a seat on the couch.

  “The thought of anyone saying anything bad about you makes me sick,” Luke admitted. “And maybe a little bit crazy. I just can’t…I can’t stand it. Especially if I know I’m the reason why.”

  “Do you think I care what Betsy thinks?” Quinn asked with raised eyebrows.

  “I don’t think it’s just Betsy. Not according to your mom. She said people are talking. And what about your mom? You must care what she thinks?”

  “Luke, my mom is capable of finding the negative side of everything. If I listened to every negative thing she had to say, I’d never have gotten anywhere in my life. She turns everything into something dramatic. It’s just what she does.”

  “It’s not fair. The last thing I want is to come between you and your mom.”

  “She’ll get over it. It’s a small town. People are going to talk. Because…” she shrugged, “I don’t know why. Apparently they can’t find anything better to do.” She managed to put a smile on her face. “Luke? Please tell me you’re not going to let this bother you.”

  He shifted in his seat. “I’m going to be honest here, Quinn. It does bother me. Even though I know it shouldn’t. I guess the reason that it does is because I’m sure what they’re saying are things I’ve already been thinking myself. It’s hard to just ignore them when I think they might be right.”

  Quinn leaned back, away from him. “You think they’re right? About what? That we don’t belong together? Who are ‘they’, whoever they are, to say that? Unless…you don’t think that we belong together either?” Her heart slammed against the wall of her chest.

  “It’s not that. I just wish things were different.”

  “Different how?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. I just wish our past wasn’t so messy.”

  “There’s not a single thing we can do to change that.”

  He realized then how shaky her voice had become. “Oh, hey, Quinnie, I didn’t mean to upset you.” He reached over and pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “That’s not true. I’m glad you did. If you feel that way, I want to know. But I just don’t want it to come between us. I can’t lose you, Luke.”

  “Okay,” he said. He hugged her back as he trailed a few kisses across her hairline.

  She finally released him and sat back. “When you got here, earlier, you said you had something you wanted to talk to me about. When we had a few minutes to ourselves. What was that about?”

  “Oh, that. I don’t know…maybe it’s not a good idea after all.�
�

  He’d seemed excited about something earlier. Now he looked glum.

  “What’s not a good idea?”

  He seemed to be debating whether or not to tell her. Finally, he started talking. “Dad finally decided his last day will be the end of April.”

  Quinn nodded. “That’s less than two months away.”

  “Right. Anyhow, I started thinking…with him gone, I’ll need someone to do the books. You’re looking for a job.” He shrugged. “I was wondering if you’d be interested? It would be part-time, like you wanted. You could work from home if you feel like it. Your hours would be flexible.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “Luke, you don’t need to give me a job. I’m sure I’ll find something eventually.”

  “I know,” he said. “But it’s a family business. It would make sense if you worked there. I know you don’t know the ins and outs yet, but after all of these years, you’re at least a little bit familiar with things. If you’re not interested, I’m going to have to start looking for someone.”

  “Are you really serious?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Yeah, of course. Mom used to do the books for Dad back when the business was small. Before she started working at the courthouse. She just did the books from home, that way they stayed out of each other’s way. But after hearing what your mom had to say today, I would understand if you weren’t interested.”

  Quinn scoffed. “You can’t honestly think that I’d let that affect my decision. Because it won’t.”

  He nodded. “Okay, you can think about it. I mean, for a week or two. I think it would work out great for both of us. I want someone I know I can trust. You should have a job that’s flexible in case Carter gets sick or has an appointment or something.”

  “Okay,” she agreed. “I’ll think about it.”

  ~*~*~

  “I can’t believe her!” Carly fumed. “Oh, wait. Yes I can.”

  “Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have told you,” Quinn said. “But I don’t like keeping things from you.”

  A sarcastic laugh shot out through the phone line. “Don’t worry about me. But, oh, Quinnie. What is she going to say when she finds out about the house?”