by Janie Crouch
“No, I have something else in mind.” She turned away from the wallpaper. “But first, I heard about your job at Harvard.”
“Did Kendrick tell you?”
“No, actually, we heard it from someone else.”
That was even worse. “Baby?” She tried to keep her voice neutral. Maybe he’d discovered the details of everything that had happened back East and that’s why he’d decided he was out-of-pocket.
Riley crossed her arms over her chest, eyes narrowing. “Baby Bollinger found out you’d lost your job at Harvard before Riley and I did?”
Quinn winced. “I was with him when Kendrick brought it up. Kendrick was one of my students a few years ago, and he recognized me, so we were chatting.”
Riley raised an eyebrow. “You were chatting with Kendrick while you were on a date with Baby?”
Quinn wished she could hide. Hearing the words come out of Riley’s mouth made the fact that she’d gone out with him seem all the more ridiculous.
“Yeah.” She waited for the mockery. The cougar jokes. The announcement that she’d be another notch in Baby’s bedpost.
But to her surprise Riley merely nodded. “Yeah, I can see it. Baby is a good guy. How did you meet him?”
That was it? The lack of drama caught Quinn a little off guard. “Um, I met him at the Eagle’s Nest. I’m waiting tables there for the lunch shift.”
Riley nodded, and when she didn’t turn around shocked, Quinn realized this was information she already knew.
“Waiting tables,” she murmured. “What’s going on, Quinn? Are you in trouble? Can we help you? You know we will.”
Was she in trouble? She wasn’t sure how to answer that question. Her life was different, so drastically different, than it had been six months ago.
Almost unrecognizable to what it had been three years ago.
Three years ago, she’d thought she had everything figured out. Knew exactly what path she would take to get to where she wanted to go. The divorce had changed the path, but not the destination. She’d still had her career, plans to publish, obtain tenure. She’d just do it alone.
And then her reputation had been ruined, the nest egg she’d built stolen, and her career ripped from her.
Was she in trouble?
No, not in the way Riley was asking. She didn’t have a mob boss or something after her.
Drowning, on the other hand...well, maybe.
“I’m okay. I’ll be okay.” Eventually.
Riley walked over and rubbed Quinn’s arm. “It’s alright to not know what the future holds and to be a little afraid of that. Believe me, I know.”
That was true. Riley’s life had changed so much with her MS diagnosis. Quinn’s problems paled in comparison.
Riley shook her head. “And before you think it, this is not the misery Olympics. My problems are not any bigger or more important than yours. But we all have to play the hand we’re dealt. If you are making a new start, then hell, Oak Creek is as good a place as any. But if you’re in trouble, in any way, then Riley and I both want to do whatever we can to help. We’ve already talked about it.”
“I’m not on the run or anything like that. I got fired, accused of things I didn’t do, and didn’t handle that as well as I should have. So, I kind of got blacklisted. That combined with some other really poorly timed bad luck, coupled with an unfortunate shark attack, had me packing up and moving out this way.”
“Unfortunate shark attack, huh?”
“Don’t you hate it when that happens?”
“I sure as hell do.” Riley grinned. “Are you sure you don’t want us to help you hire a lawyer or something? If you’ve been accused of something you didn’t do, maybe we can help you get your job back.”
The thought of going back on the Harvard campus to fight for her innocence didn’t appeal to her. Especially since Peter had been the one leading the charge against her in the first place. The more she tried to prove he was incorrect, the more she was going to look like a bitter ex-wife angry with the man who divorced her.
“I appreciate the offer. I’m not sure there’s anything that can be done or if that’s what I want in the long run. I need to take a little bit of time to reevaluate, decide which route is the best for me.”
“And that might not include Harvard?”
“I never thought I’d say this, but yeah, I’m not sure the future I want includes a career at Harvard. Honestly, I don’t know what it includes right now.”
“Well, if Boy Riley and I can’t help you figure out your future, I hope you’ll let us do the next best thing.”
Quinn raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”
“Get dressed. You’re about to experience an Oak Creek girls’ night out.”
Chapter Eighteen
Baby should never have agreed to stay away from Quinn while Gavin looked into the Boston incident. He’d known Gavin wouldn’t find anything that would prove Quinn was trouble.
And, low and behold, Gavin had stopped by the garage this afternoon to share that very fact.
“I didn’t find anything. The police report on Quinn Harrison-Pritchard ended up being exactly what it looked like at first glance—a slight disturbance on campus and someone making sure they covered their ass.”
Gavin held out a report for Baby to look at. Baby grabbed the cloth sitting on the table next to the engine he was working on and wiped some grease off his hand but didn’t take the papers. “You know what? I don’t care. I don’t want to know what some beat cop wrote up about the situation.”
That was the truth, and he should’ve realized it before now. Before he’d left her that dumbass message.
He’d known from the first moment he’d laid eyes on Quinn that she was coming from a world way outside of Oak Creek. He’d known she had haunted eyes and definitely hadn’t been a waitress.
So she’d had some issue at Harvard, big deal. He knew better than to look at one side of the story—which is exactly what that police report was, one side.
“I wanted to let you know that it doesn’t look like she’s any sort of threat to anyone.”
Baby threw the cloth back down on his wheeled toolbox with a snap, pissed. Not at Gavin, at himself.
He’d known Quinn wasn’t a threat. And if he had any doubts, the way she’d talked to Ethan and her concern about that damned dog should’ve confirmed it.
“I’m not surprised. Did you ever figure out who sent that report in the first place?”
“Yes.” Gavin’s eyes narrowed. “It actually came from Reddington City, not back East.”
“Somebody local sent you a report about Quinn?”
Gavin shrugged. “You know there are still busy-bodies in this town who would like nothing better than to dig up dirt on somebody new. Or maybe someone at TSC could’ve taken a notion to find more information about her. This police report wouldn’t have been hard to find with any sort of computer skills whatsoever.”
“I guess.” Baby shut the toolbox. “I’m going to go talk to her.”
“You seem awfully taken by her. I wouldn’t have pictured that.”
Baby turned away. “Why? Because she is a Harvard professor, and I’m a high school dropout who barely managed to get my GED?”
“What? No. All I meant was she’s a little older than you and seems to be more into big city Boston things than hiking and camping and the outdoor stuff you like to do. Everything I found out about her screams high-maintenance.”
Baby grinned at Gavin, careful not to let it show that he was still convinced Gavin thought Quinn was too smart for him. Which was nothing but the truth. And yes, she was older than he was, but that was a non-issue for Baby.
He winked. “Good thing I’m a mechanic. I’m used to maintenance upkeep.”
Gavin laughed and shook his head the way Baby had intended. “Well, I wouldn’t go see her right now. Boy and Girl Riley got back in town today, and I let them know Quinn was here, and about the Harvard situation.”
Baby
grimaced. So much for Quinn being able to tell them about everything when she was ready. “How’d they take it?”
“They were surprised. Hadn’t heard anything from her. Of course, Quinn couldn’t have contacted them if she’d wanted to. They’d conveniently decided to disconnect from the whole world for the three days they were gone.”
“Can’t blame them for that.”
Gavin shrugged. “I guess.”
Gavin was always so busy taking care of everyone that it would never occur to him to turn off his phone for three days to be with a woman–what if the world needed saving and no one could get in touch with him?
“Anyway, Boy Riley was pretty concerned that his sister was out here at all. Actually, your name was mentioned...” Gavin paused for a moment. “Something about you knowing something about her birthday. When I left, Girl Riley was trying to convince him to let her go talk to Quinn first. They have a lot to discuss.”
Baby bit back his curse. Boy Riley deserved a chance to talk to his sister. Baby would have to wait his turn. He’d had a place at the front of the line and blown it.
Instead of going out with Quinn like he wanted, Baby found himself at the Eagle’s Nest later that evening. He was more than a little surprised when Boy Riley sat down at the bar beside him.
“I’m a little surprised you’re not with your sister right now,” Baby said. He signaled over to Lexi behind the bar, pointing at his beer to get one for Riley.
“I heard you were here and wanted to talk to you first. To finish our conversation about how you knew it was Quinn’s birthday a couple of weeks ago.”
“I met her here when she was working the lunch shift. I had no idea she was your sister.”
Not that that would’ve stopped him from getting to know her.
Baby and Riley had been friends since he’d first come into the Oak Creek area years ago for a YouTube stunt. And they’d become much closer after their brush with death together during the Wild Wyoming Adventure Race. But friend or not, bro-code or not, Baby wasn’t going to be staying away from Quinn. Not if she would give him another chance.
“She is my sister,” Riley said as Lexi slid the beer over to him. He tilted it in Baby’s direction in thanks.
“I know. And believe me, from the moment I found that out, I encouraged her to tell you she was here. But I also wanted to respect how she’d decided to handle the situation.”
“I wished she’d come talk to me right away. I still don’t know the extent of everything going on.”
“You haven’t seen her yet?”
“I will be in a few minutes. I got a text from Girl Riley that she’s throwing together a girls’ night out to give Quinn a proper welcome into Oak Creek. I’m sure they’ll be here soon.”
This night was suddenly looking a lot more adventurous.
Baby slid his beer back onto the bar. He’d only drunk half, but he wasn’t going to be drinking anymore, especially if Quinn was on her way here. He ran his fingers though his hair, wishing he’d paid more attention to how he’d looked before he’d left his apartment.
Riley’s eyes narrowed. “What just happened? Did you just start fluffing yourself like some sort of peacock when you heard Quinn was on her way here?”
Shit. His eyes shot over to his friend. “Phoenix, it’s not what you think...”
“Oh really? Because I think you want to bang my sister.”
Okay, so it was exactly what he thought. But it was much more than that.
Baby held his hands out in front of him in a gesture of surrender. “Look, man, I have the utmost respect for your sister. She’s smart, funny, and beautiful.”
Riley ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe she’s been here for two weeks, and I didn’t know it. Quinn and I have never been particularly close, but I hate that she would’ve thought I didn’t want to see her.”
They both turned on their barstools so they were facing the rest of the bar, both keeping one eye on the door.
Baby slapped Riley on the back. “She came here because of you. She could’ve gone anywhere in the world, and you wouldn’t have heard about her hardships until she wanted you to hear about them. But she came here because when it’s all said and done, this is where you call home. I don’t know Quinn very well, but she seems like the type who doesn’t want to be a burden on anyone else.”
“She and I are the only family both of us have left. I should’ve made more of an effort to be part of her life. Especially since her divorce from Peter the prick.”
Baby chuckled. “Peter Pritchard is quite the unfortunate name.”
“He’s quite the unfortunate asshole—even more so if that report Gavin showed me was true. Quinn always seemed relatively happy with him, so I never made my opinion known until recently. But he was bad for her.”
“He hurt her?” Baby couldn’t stand the thought of someone hurting Quinn with her soft skin and quiet eyes that took in so much.
“No, not physically. And I doubt even emotionally. She just could never relax around him. Always trying to be perfect and proper and...Ivy League. Everything about him reinforced that need in her.”
Suddenly, the tightly wound bun and the pressed trousers and the classic blouses made a lot more sense. Baby had thought maybe it was just Quinn’s personal taste or the fact that she was a little older and perhaps not as interested in fashion trends.
But maybe, even here in Wyoming, she was trying to fit a mold she was so used to seeing herself in that she couldn’t get out of it.
Baby didn’t want that for her. He wanted her to feel free to be herself—whoever that was.
“Riley, I haven’t known Quinn that long, but I care about her. I know she and I have a lot of differences, but I’m still hoping I can talk her into going out with me.”
Phoenix sat his elbows on the bar and leaned back, stretching his legs out in front of him. “I hear you already talked Quinn into going out with you. Weren’t you guys at dinner when Gavin found you?”
“Basically.” At least Gavin had had the good sense not to mention that Quinn had been in Baby’s lap kissing him senseless when he found them. “I keep making some fundamental errors with your sister. Let’s just say she’s probably confused as to whether I’m really interested in her or not.”
He turned to look Riley in the eye. “I am interested. I don’t think she’s looking for anything long-term with someone like me, but I respect her, and I’d like to help her find the side of herself that has been stifled under a thick professor veneer.”
“Are you looking for my blessing?”
Baby wasn’t sure exactly what he was looking for, but he knew he didn’t want to fight with a friend.
“I don’t know. And just know I don’t mean any harm to your sister.”
“I’m not sure if brothers are supposed to be protective of their older sisters or not, but I still am. Quinn is, like you said, smart and funny. But she’s also—”
“Innocent,” Baby finished for him.
“Yes. She’s been locked away in her academic tower. She might be older than you, but she’s not more experienced than you.”
“I’m not going to take advantage of her.”
“Then if you can get her to say yes, I definitely won’t stand in your way. Quinn is smart. She can make up her own mind about what she wants.”
Baby smiled. He was going to make sure that what she wanted was him.
Business at the Eagle’s Nest was picking up, as it always did on a Friday night. The DJ was already pumping out the 80s music.
It was going to be a good night. Now more than ever.
He and Riley both tilted their chins up in greeting as Finn and Zac walked through the door. That meant Charlie and Anne were joining in the girls’ night out celebration. Riley went to say hello.
Soon Aiden, Cade, and Gavin strolled in. The Linear guys didn’t always show up every time their women had a girls’ night out. They trusted them, but given that the last time they’d all been
together Girl Riley had been kidnapped out from under their noses, the men were feeling a little extra protective.
The women had learned how to put up with it.
Gabriel Collingwood and Kendrick were next through the door. That meant Gabe’s fiancée, Jordan, would be taking part in the festivities tonight, which always made Baby happy after everything she’d been through.
Kendrick was telling the big man some sort of animated story—most of Kenrick’s stories were animated—that had Gabe laughing.
The guys ordered beers and Kendrick walked over to Baby.
“Hey, I’m really sorry if I stuck my foot in my mouth the other day about Dr. Harri— Quinn. Those rumors about what happened on campus a few months ago might not be true.”
“Or at the very least, there’s two sides to the story, I’m sure.”
“Quinn was a great professor. She talked me through my ideas about global cyber culture. It changed a lot of how I was thinking. I’m not sure many instructors would’ve taken the time, especially when there wasn’t much in it for her.”
Baby smiled softly, his gaze flicking toward the door. “Yeah, she’s pretty amazing.”
“Well, I should’ve kept my big mouth shut the other night at New Brothers.”
“It’s fine. Evidently word had gotten out anyway. Gavin knew.”
Kendrick shook his head. “That’s a shame. I hope no one judges her based on that. I’ve spent enough time at Ivy League schools to know that the rumor mill there is as bad as small-town Wyoming.”
Baby chuckled. “I don’t think any of us are too concerned about it. Except Quinn. She didn’t want to talk about it.”
“I’m surprised Gavin heard about it.”
That still nagged at Baby. “Hey, do you think you could trace where an anonymous email came from?”
Kendrick glanced over his shoulder, probably to make sure Gavin wasn’t listening. Gavin preferred to keep everything on the up and up.
But Gavin was too busy watching Lexi behind the bar. And he wasn’t being subtle about it either. She kept shooting him annoyed glances, but he stared her down anyway, like he didn’t trust her.
