by Railyn Stone
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Sydnee laughed, thinking about all of the blind dates she’d been on. “Mina has introduced me to a lot of people she thought were just perfect for me, but no love connections yet.”
“Well, take your time. You’re young. I just wanted to make sure you knew it wasn’t a problem for us.”
“Charles?” He had been like a father to her since she met and married Matt and she wondered if she should tell him about Quinn. “You’ve been extremely good to me and I’m so grateful. I appreciate the way you’ve looked out for us and, well…”
“Yes?”
“Well, uh, thanks.” She suddenly thought better of it. She didn’t think Charles would have a problem with Quinn as a person, but the race and age issue may make a difference. Her in-laws couldn’t tell her who to date, but she did value their opinions.
“You’re truly welcome.” He gave her a hug before walking out.
###
“I’m glad you called me.” Sara and Sydnee walked around the mall, shopping after lunch. “I was a little worried about you. I mean, with what went down at the party.” Sydnee had pretty much shut down after the party and her night with Quinn. Her impulsiveness with him threw her way off kilter and she wasn’t as sure of herself anymore. Hell, it had taken her a long time to get back on track after Matt left, and now Quinn had her stumbling through life once again. “Syd?”
“Huh,” Sydnee looked up to see Sara staring at her.
“You okay? I’ve been talking to you and you haven’t said one word.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Sara. Just, uh, what were you saying?” She had to figure this out. As promised, Quinn called her, but she hadn’t the heart to answer the call. His sweet voice mail message made her want to call him back, but she wasn’t sure what she would say. She did tell him she was okay and they could slow things down, but was she truly ready for a relationship again?
“I was saying, I still haven’t gotten Gavin anything and I’m having a hard time with his gift,” Sara paused and stopped to look at her again. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine. And, I’m sure whatever you get him will be fine. If you’re that stressed over his gift, you two must be getting pretty serious.” Sydnee deflected. Sara was her best friend, but for some reason she was having difficulty telling her what was truly going on in her head. Sydnee still hadn’t talked to Mina after their argument at the party even though she’d called, leaving Sydnee numerous apologetic messages.
“I don’t know about that. You know how I am about commitment. Kinda scares me. Anyway, I’m really sorry about Mina. She had no right to say what she said.”
“It’s not your place to apologize.” Mina was definitely out of line with her comments and Sydnee just wasn’t in the mood to talk to her or hear anything more about her. She still needed time to deal with the fallout. It was unbelievable that someone she’d called a friend had been so hateful and mean. “I’m shocked she feels the way she does. Maybe I shouldn’t have expected much more from her. It just made me mad, especially bringing Matt into it.” She’d always believed Mina wanted the best for her. And maybe she did, but she had a very strange way of showing it. Sydnee couldn’t figure out what hurt more, the way she had treated her, or the backwards mentality it seemed her friend possessed.
“I know. She has a big mouth and she’s too damn nosy. I tell her that all of the time, but she never listens. But enough about that, let’s go in here.” Sara pointed to a storefront and Sydnee’s eyes grew wide as she turned to see Sara grinning at her.
“A lingerie shop? I thought you were looking for something for Gavin.”
“I am. I can definitely get something Gavin will like here.” Sydnee watched a devious smile cross Sara’s lips as she shimmied and jiggled her body in a quick little sexy dance and they both laughed as they entered the store. “He can un-wrap it under the Christmas tree.”
“You’re crazy.”
As the two walked further into the store, Sydnee started to browse the racks. Everything from racy bras and panties to garters hung on every wall. Sydnee was nearly in shock from the plethora of underwear. It had been a while since she’d gone shopping for anything sexy. After years of marriage and motherhood, she usually ended up buying a pack of undies at the local superstore as she did her grocery shopping. The most risqué she got was to get a multicolored pack. She was thankful she’d at least had one nice set the night she spent with Quinn. “So, this Quinn guy must be something special. Especially for you to bring him to the party. I knew he was cute when we saw him at the bar. But my goodness, up close and personal, the man is gorgeous.”
“He is sweet.” Sydnee thought of how good Quinn was to her. She’d pretty much thought of nothing else since the night of the party and the way he had set her body on fire. It wasn’t just his attentive lovemaking skills, but also the way he held her and looked at her. His gaze held her like she was the only woman on earth and she felt more special than she had in a long time.
“Sweet? Girl, he’s like a full-bodied wine. Lots of pucker power and just itching to be sipped. He is great to look at, but I think what makes him even more attractive is how smart he is. He’s very intelligent and so personable you forget he’s younger. Gavin was really impressed by him. And that voice. Man, he’s got the kind of voice that will make you give up your social security number over the phone.”
“He does.” Sydnee laughed at Sara’s vivid description of Quinn as she looked at a lingerie set. “Sara, I’m having a lot of fun with him, which is a little scary.” Her demeanor turned serious as she lifted her eyes to her best friend.
“Why?”
“Because, I haven’t been out with anyone on a regular basis, or gotten close to a man, since Matt left.” Those silly blind dates were a bust and it had been some time since she really connected with anyone. Quinn was like nothing she had ever experienced and her mind raced with a tumultuous amount of doubt. “It’s a little scary to be having so much fun with him. Especially with the differences, and all of my insecurities.”
“Honestly, honey, I’m glad you are. Really, it’s about time you do something for yourself. You are always taking care of the boys and working, but you never seem to think about you. I say go for it. Plus, he’s young, lots of energy and stamina,” Sara giggled, continuing to look through the racks.
“Don’t I know it,” Sydnee murmured, thinking about how good Quinn’s sculpted beautiful physique felt against her own. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a fitness magazine and she shuddered at the thoughts of his ever so sexy upside down triangle. It was the one reason Sydnee watched NFL football games each season. She didn’t care too much for the game and only watched for the cornerback and safety positions. It was something about the way their broad shoulders narrowed to svelte waistlines. And there was something truly sexy about the way a man’s physique had a tendency to form an arrow pointing to their treasure chest below. Quinn was no exception.
“What?” Sara stopped in her tracks and looked at Sydnee.
“Uh, nothing.” Sydnee ducked her head and looked at a pink satin nightgown with matching robe. Sara’s eyes narrowed, noticing Sydnee trying desperately to hide her face behind the rack. “I do have to admit something though. You were definitely right about the tattoo thing. He has one on his back.”
“No, uh-uh Syd, what are you talking about? Just how do you know he has a tattoo on his back?” Sydnee slowly lifted her head to face Sara, knowing her face was probably as pink as the nightgown she was holding. She might as well tell her. One way or the other they would get around to talking about it anyway, and she was a little interested to see what Sara’s take on the whole situation may be. She smiled at the thought of the tattoo spanning across Quinn’s shoulder blades and how the ink hugged every curve of his muscles perfectly. “Syd, you slept with him?”
“Shhh, keep your voice down,” Sydnee looked at a few sets of eyes looking their way.
“You did, didn�
�t you?” Sara’s voice entered the decibel level only dogs could hear as she moved closer to her friend. “Sydnee?”
“Yes, I did.” With a sheepish grin, Sydnee looked into Sara’s wide eyes and shrugged, biting her lip.
“He must have rocked your world! That’s why you’ve been acting so strange. So how long has this been going on?” Sara crossed her arms, tilting her head to the side.
“Just the night of Mina’s party.” Oh what a glorious night.
“Really? So, what does this mean?”
“Sara, I honestly don’t know.” Sydnee felt the same overwhelming feeling she had the night she spent tangled up in bed with Quinn. It was starting to overtake her and she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I can’t believe I slept with him. I mean, it’s one thing for us to go to the movies. It’s a whole other thing for him to end up gloriously naked in my bed.” Sydnee had never felt so out of place and awkward. It was like she’d lost her virginity all over again and she wanted someone to reassure her she hadn’t made the biggest mistake of her life.
“Oh, honey, was it that bad?”
“No. It was…well, it was…amazing.”
“Really?” Sydnee watched the grin on Sara’s face nearly take over her body.
“Sara, you are really missing the point. What am I going to do? He’s already called me and he’s got it in his mind we are pursuing some kind of relationship.” Sara was teasing her and Sydnee was still struggling with the fact she had slept with a man she barely knew.
“Okay, first of all. Big whoop. So you slept with him. So what? Syd, it happens. And in all honesty, honey, you needed it.” Sara answered moving to sift through the racks again.
“What?”
“You needed it. Now maybe you can relax a bit.” Sydnee stared wordlessly at Sara and her nonchalant attitude. How could Sara possibly understand what she was going through?
“You don’t get it, Sara. I don’t do this kind of thing. I didn’t even have anything to protect myself. Thank the heavens above he did. It was so irresponsible of me.”
“See, there you go.”
“What do you mean ‘there I go’?”
“You are always so careful. So safe. You plan everything. Can you just let go for two seconds and enjoy your life?”
“Sara, I am all about enjoying life, but I do have responsibilities.”
“Okay, so what are you going to do?”
Sydnee shrugged as she turned her attention back to the racks of silky unmentionables. The metallic hangers screeched as she continued to sift through each of the sexy outfits. “I’m not sure. I haven’t talked to him. As far as he’s concerned, he’s ready to move into a relationship. I’m just not so sure about it.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. You heard Mina. All the horrid things she said. It got me thinking. If she’s my friend and she’s saying things like this—what are others going to say? And truly, he’s a personal trainer. What kind of stability could that possibly be?”
Sydnee watched Sara roll her eyes. “Please don’t tell me you are on that ‘future earnings potential’ bandwagon. First, before you go crossing him off again, maybe you should talk to him. See where his head is. Then make your decision.”
Nodding, Sydnee sighed. “I guess you’re right.”
Moving over to squeeze Sydnee’s shoulder, Sara giggled. “Yes, I am right. But wow. If you dating a younger guy doesn’t mess with Mina; you sleeping with one will put her over the edge.”
Sydnee stopped abruptly, turning to Sara. “Hey, can we keep this between you and me? I know I shouldn’t care what Mina says, but I kind of want to keep this hush-hush right now. I’m not ready to let the whole world in on my private life.” It all was happening so quickly and Sydnee was trying desperately to get a handle on everything.
“Honey, it’s okay. You’re a grown woman and I don’t care what society says or what anyone says, us girls have needs too.”
“You don’t think it’s too fast? I mean, me sleeping with him.” It was totally out of character for her to sleep with someone so quickly. Even when she first met her ex-husband, it was almost a year before they finally ended up in bed together. Quinn was doing crazy things to her psyche and she needed to get a grip on things. And fast.
“Puh-lease. There are women out there that would have sent the kiddies off to bed when he delivered the tree and gotten it on with him the first night.”
Grateful for her friends’ response, Sydnee felt a little better. It wasn’t that she needed her approval, but she worried if she had been a little too hasty falling into bed with Quinn. “Thanks, but I’d still like to keep this between us.”
“Honey, my lips are sealed. For what it’s worth, I’m glad you got some.”
“Oh Sara, really.” Sydnee shook her head.
“Yeah. Heck, maybe you should be buying something in here instead of me,” Sara winked, before pulling a lace candy apple red nightie off the rack and handing it to Sydnee. “Could make for a very interesting Christmas.”
###
“So where are we going?” Sydnee settled into the leather seat of Quinn’s car and continued her interrogation. She’d built up the nerve to call him back and he had asked her for another date. “You’ve been really mysterious about this date.”
“Why can’t you just sit and wait until we get there?” He cut his eyes to her while maneuvering the car onto the highway.
“Because I’m not good at waiting for surprises.”
“Okay, I’ll give you a hint…it’s something you told me you wanted to do with the boys.”
“Something I wanted to do with the boys? Hmm, I’ve told you so much, it could be absolutely anything.” Tapping her finger to her chin, she replayed their various conversations and struggled to remember what she may have told him.
“Well, let’s just put it this way, I’ll get to see the creative side of you today,” he grinned, exiting off the highway and navigated the car down a few side streets.
She sat quietly thinking as Quinn drove. The buildings and streets started to change from huge buildings and four lane roads, to smaller edifices interchanged with colorful houses and two lane streets. Finally, she felt the car turn and she watched as Quinn pulled into a parking space and turned the car off. “You ready?”
“Sure. What are we doing?” She put on her gloves as he got out and walked around the car to open the door for her.
“Well, I thought since you were interested in taking the boys to do something creative, you may want to try it out first. See if it’s really something they’d like to do.” He closed her door once she exited the car, taking her hand; he led her down one of the side streets. It was funny. She’d lived in the area for years and had never seen this part of town. As they walked, she started to smile when she saw the sign above the door.
“Quinn, oh wow. You really are attentive aren’t you?” She gushed as he opened the door and they headed in. The pottery shop was littered with brightly colored pieces from wall to wall. Polka dots and curly-cues popped off of plates, cups and saucers. Little speckled frogs, ducks and various other animals lined the storefront window. The storeowner approached the duo and gave them the tour of the quirky shop before letting them both pick a piece of pottery and led them to a table to paint.
“The boys would love this,” Sydnee quipped, dipping her paintbrush into the paint to start on the cup and saucer she’d picked. They were almost the only people in the shop, but she noticed a family sitting across the way and how the little girl and boy were so excited as they painted the bowls they had in front of them. “This is fun. I didn’t even know this was here.”
“I thought you would like it. Plus it gives me a chance to show you my artistic abilities,” he joked, painting the plate he had.
“Your artistic abilities? Really, Quinn, looks to me like that plate is going to be one big smiley face with all of the yellow you’re painting on it.” She snickered watching him load more yellow paint on the brush.<
br />
“Hey, don’t mess with the master as he’s painting.”
“Whatever.” They continued to paint and talk, but mostly giggle like two love-struck teenagers. Sydnee found out more about Quinn’s background and how close he was with his family. He was extremely close to his mother, who raised him alone after his parents divorced and she smiled at how he lit up talking about her. “Do you feel like you were deprived in any way since your parents were not together?” Being a single mother, she often wondered how children of divorced parents really felt. She was curious to find out Quinn’s answers and wondered if her own children would feel the same.
“Deprived? No. Even if they’d stayed together, my father was gone a lot with work, that I wouldn’t have seen him much anyway.”
“I often wonder how this is going to affect Charlie and Travis. With Matt walking out like he did, it’s got me wondering if I’m doing more harm than good with them.”
“What? How could you think you would be harming them?” Quinn’s eyes narrowed and she shrugged. “You spend so much time with them. You love them and you’re trying to make things as normal as possible for them. I can’t see anything you’re doing that would be harmful.”
“I don’t know. When they ask if their daddy is coming to see them or coming back to live with us, for the longest time, I had no clue how to answer. So I would just change the subject. Try to get them to think about something else. As they have gotten older that doesn’t work so well. And all I can honestly tell them is I don’t know when, or if, he’s going to come and see them.” She realized she’d been painting the same area of her saucer as they talked and she pushed it aside to finish the cup.
“Sydnee, I personally believe you aren’t harming them. If anything, being honest with Travis and Charlie is going to go a lot farther than lying to them or trying to make Matt out to be something he’s not.”
