I do find it strange that we’d never crossed paths before and now it’s happening over and over again. I don’t know if it’s coincidence or some sort of divine intervention, but I’m glad I’m getting a chance to know her now. She’s like an onion, made up of so many layers. The more I peel away, the more I learn—and the more I learn, the more I really, really like. She’s a very private person who tends to put everyone else’s needs ahead of her own. First and foremost, she’s her mother’s right hand. Literally. It’s become obvious she’s nervous about her mother needing the surgery on her wrist. Add in her friends, who she loves like mad, and her students, who she cares for like they’re her own children, and she’s stretched so thin it’s a miracle she does anything for herself. It makes me feel guilty that Becky was so insistent about the tutoring. Quinn swears she’s fine with it, but …
I think it’s time Quinn had someone look out for her. I just hope that person can be me. The hilariously ironic part is that I’m still trying to figure out how to take care of myself and my daughter.
I stop my cart right behind hers. “So, it would seem we are going to be thrust together by some cosmic force until we admit we’re supposed to be together.”
She whirls around in surprise, then her lips spread into a wide grin. “Well, if it isn’t Mr. Ramsey.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. If, as you insisted, we’re beyond Ms. Lockmore, then we’re most definitely beyond Mr. Ramsey.” I give a rough chuckle.
She steps away from her cart to come closer, looks around, then takes one of my hands in hers and squeezes. I reach for her, craving her nearness, at the same time she takes a step back with a smile, shaking a finger. “Nope. That’s all you get in public.”
I drop my head back in mock agony. “If that’s the case, I need to better strategize where I unintentionally bump into you.”
Quinn lets out a little giggle-snort. “Right. It sounds very unintentional when you put it that way.”
“Do you think shopping together is pushing it? At this rate, I don’t know if we’ll ever make it out on a real date, so this may have to do for now.”
She eyes me teasingly. “Lemme get this straight. You want a trip around the grocery store to be our first date?”
“Well, if that’s all I can get, I’ll take it. Gladly.” Nonchalantly, I shrug.
She grins at me, her eyes heating. She is always beautiful, but even more so when she smiles at me like that. Shaking her head in amusement, she turns back to her cart and pushes it forward down the aisle.
“Truth be told, I didn’t follow you in here just to beg for a date. I actually do have a grocery list. Do you know where I’d find the cauliflower around here?” I give a look around, but don’t immediately spot it.
“It’s back that way.” She points behind us. “I know you didn’t follow me in here, but it sure seems like you were a little eager to come talk to me.” Her eyes sparkle as she teases me.
I run my hand through my hair. “Possibly.” I wink at her just as I turn my cart around and head for the display on the far side of the produce section where the cauliflower is hiding out. “I’ll grab a few things and catch up.”
“I’m in no hurry. What else do you need? I can help you out.” She narrows her gaze playfully. “This can’t be the first time you’ve grocery shopped here.”
“It’s not. But I’ll admit we’ve mostly survived on foods from the premade section of the store, and I promised Olivia once things settled down at the mill that I’d make an attempt to cook more. The cauliflower is for a soup later this week, and I need bananas because Olivia asked if I’d make banana bread with her.”
“Ooh, baking. Now you’re speaking my language. So, do you want bananas to eat, too, or just for banana bread?”
I wince. “Uh. What’s the difference?”
“Well, take it from the baker’s daughter, you want overripe bananas for banana bread.”
“Really?” My brows draw together.
“Yep. So, if you aren’t making it soon, then you could get a bunch, eat a few, and then wait for the peels to turn all brown and speckly. That’s when they’re perfect to mash up and make banana bread with.”
“That sounds like a plan. I’ll let you pick out the perfect bananas while I get the cauliflower.” I look down at my list. “And onions.” I sneak a peek at her as she walks a little farther down the aisle from me. I’m not sure how much I can push. I grab the veggies I need and roll my cart toward her. “So, is this what we are going to tell people about our first date? Or should we think about going on a real one?”
She holds out a bagged bunch of bananas to me and we continue on our way through the store. “What, you mean you have something more special than the grocery store in mind?” She smirks at me, and I want to grab her, toss her over my shoulder, and show her just how special a night with me can be. I chuckle to myself. As if she doesn’t already know.
“Olivia is with her mom next weekend. I’d love to take you somewhere. Maybe just out for coffee or dinner or something. What do you think?”
She bites her lip, looking over at me from under her lashes. “Is it okay if I say let’s think carefully about how we want to proceed?”
“Sure. Just tell me when and what works for you and we’ll do it.”
We make our way around the rest of the store, picking out what we need. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun doing something as mundane as grocery shopping. It’s like we’re in our own little private world, talking and laughing about nothing and everything all at the same time. I don’t care if we ever have an official date or not, not if she’ll keep doing stuff like this with me. And I definitely wouldn’t mind if she stops by the cider mill again. That would be great, too.
Chapter 12
Quinn
“I really want you to think about doing a science fair project for extra credit. It would help boost your grade,” I suggest to Olivia as we finish up our second tutoring session.
She looks at me like I’m insane at first, shaking her head, and makes an ick face. “I really don’t want to do that.”
A burst of laughter bubbles out of me at the disgusted look. “Well, no one ever wants to do an extra project, but if it can improve your grade, isn’t it at least worth considering?” I study her while quiet falls between us. “Anyway, it’s just a suggestion and obviously your choice.” Every time I think I have her attention it slowly slips away. I’m not quite sure where she’s going in her head, but I have a feeling something in her teenage world is wrong—really wrong.
When she’d arrived to class earlier today, Olivia seemed fine at first and then all of a sudden, not so much. I have no clue why, but I suspect her shift in demeanor has something to do with a few of the other students in our class. I’d caught a couple of looks being passed among them. I couldn’t pick up on what was going on, though.
The worst part is when she’d come in for tutoring, it was like whatever had happened had upset her so much that she’d turned her attitude on me. And that attitude is bleeding into everything she does. Liam had mentioned in one of our text conversations over the weekend that he’d noticed exactly the same thing.
I set aside the textbook and review worksheets and fold my hands in my lap. I angle my body toward her so I can look into her eyes. “Olivia, I have to ask. Are you okay? It’s obvious you’ve been having some sort of trouble lately, but today, you’ve just been really off. In class and now, too. Is it something I can help with?”
She shakes her head sharply. “No. I’m fine.”
Shit. Fine never really means fine. Fine is a blow off.
“You know what I think? I think someone in class is bothering you.”
She eyes me warily. Softly, she whispers, “If I tell you, do you promise not to tell my parents?”
I cringe, squinting an eye at her, and weigh my options. Typical teenage drama is one thing, but if it’s something more serious, I may have to report it or at least talk to Liam about it. I decide to
take a neutral approach. If I know what it is, maybe I can help her somehow. She’d have one person in her corner. “Sweetie, I can guarantee whatever you tell me I’ve probably heard before.”
She looks at her hands, which she’s folded on her desk. “I dropped a note into the locker of the guy I like. It just said I liked him. I didn’t sign it.” She rolls her eyes, mostly at herself, I think. “I’m so stupid.”
My forehead creases. “You aren’t stupid. But I don’t understand what the problem is if your name wasn’t on it.”
“This girl saw me put it in there and she’s been teasing me about it ever since. She’s a cheerleader and she told a bunch of the other cheerleaders about it and because he’s on the football team, it’s all turned into a big mess.”
I grit my teeth. “Sounds like it.” Now I have a good idea which students are messing with her; there’s a trio of cheerleaders in that class who are the likely culprits. “Why do they even care?”
“I have no idea.” She shrugs. “Cheerleaders are weirdly possessive of all the football players. Kind of like if you aren’t a cheerleader, you couldn’t possibly be good enough?” She chews on the corner of her lip. “I don’t even know what I did to make her not like me, but she’s been taunting me for weeks that she’s going to tell him who the note was from.”
“That’s just mean. Am I right in assuming that we are talking about the group of cheerleaders in the class?”
With a deep sigh, she meets my eyes, giving me a quick nod. “Yes. Katie is the one who saw. The other two are just her sidekicks. They go along with whatever she says.”
I nod cautiously. I don’t think it’s something I need to tell anyone about, at least not yet. But I’m no counselor, and wonder if maybe I should pull Zoey into this. I tuck that idea into the back of my head. All I can think to do for now is to reassure her that this sort of thing has been happening for as long as teenagers have existed. “There are always going to be people who think they are better than everyone else. People who behave this way to feel better about themselves. You’ll look back on this someday and probably just shake your head.”
“I guess. But I’m so afraid she’s going to publicly embarrass me I can’t think straight when I’m in the same room with any of them.” Her eyes flick to mine. “You won’t say anything, will you? To them? Or to my parents?”
I take a deep breath before I assure her, “Not unless you want me to. But know this—you’re letting these girls hold a lot of power over you when it’d probably just be easier to either ignore them or go ahead and tell him how you feel.”
Her eyes get really big, and she blushes. “Oh, no. I could never.”
I give her a gentle but knowing smile. “Never say never. Is he cute?”
She presses her lips together, trying not to smile, but she can’t stop herself. She grins shyly as she says, “So cute.”
Chapter 13
Quinn
Olivia and I wrap up her tutoring session and head for the front of the building together, only to realize the rain is coming down in buckets. Liam’s RAV4 is parked right next to my Xterra. We stop under the overhang right outside the door.
“Ugh. I don’t think this rain is stopping anytime soon, and I did not bring a raincoat or an umbrella.” I make a face.
Olivia points to where Liam is stepping out of his vehicle, umbrella in hand. “Dad to the rescue.”
Every time Olivia calls him “Dad,” I feel a little funny about keeping our budding relationship from her. “Well, he’s handy to have around, isn’t he?”
She grins and nods at me right as he jogs up the stairs to us.
“Hi.” He huffs out a breath as he comes to a stop.
“Hi, Dad. I told Ms. Lockmore you’d be our knight in shining armor.” Olivia steps under the umbrella, and he tucks her under his arm.
He grins at me, and the force of the feelings he creates within me practically knocks me backward. “I didn’t want either of you to get wet. It’s a nasty, cold rain.” He jerks his head toward the car. “If you wait here, Ms. Lockmore, I’ll come back for you.”
I nod at him. “I’ll wait, then. Thank you.” He sends me a wink over his shoulder as he huddles close to his daughter and hurries down the steps with her and deposits her in the waiting vehicle.
As he hustles back up the stairs to me, I peruse the length of his body. His legs are encased in mildly distressed jeans and his broad chest and shoulders are hidden under a long-sleeved black T-shirt with his cider mill’s logo. And as he comes up the final few stairs to me, my gaze lifts to his ruggedly handsome face, where his jaw is covered in a day’s worth of stubble, and his chocolate-brown eyes twinkle at me. All the air in my lungs whoosh out in an unintentional gasp, and I almost forget to take another breath, such is the effect he has on me.
“I told Olivia I wanted to ask you about how the tutoring was going, so we have a minute. Really, though, I just want to be close to you. Texting is a poor substitute.”
I tilt my head to the side, and nod. “Okay, so let’s figure it out.”
“What?”
“Let’s figure out when to go out on the date you were talking about.”
His eyes widen in surprise. “We didn’t talk about it again. I thought maybe you’d forgotten.” He throws his free arm up. “And they told me dating in my thirties would be so damn hard.”
“Who told you that?”
“Just some buddies who happen to be in similar positions. Only they don’t have kids, so I figured I was sunk for sure.”
I can’t hide my smile. “Nah. I can’t say I’ve been deterred by finding out you have a teenager. I was surprised at first, but …”
“You can’t resist me.”
I roll my eyes to the sky. “I haven’t been able to, have I?”
“Nope.” He shoots me a grin full of boyish charm. “Okay. So, I’ll text you later about plans for a date sometime this weekend. Anything I should know about how Olivia’s tutoring is going?” He presses his lips together in silent apology. “Becky will ask me later.”
I hold a hand up and shake my head. “I wouldn’t expect anything different. You can tell her Olivia’s catching up rather quickly.” I bite my lip, not sure what to say about the rest. Olivia had trusted me with it. It’s not anything life-threatening, just some teasing and embarrassment. Where the hell is Zoey when I need her?
“Uh-oh. What’s this?” He gestures to my face, which I realize has scrunched up in hesitant contemplation.
I wince. “I think Olivia’s having some standard high school drama going on. Are you going to be mad if I say I kind of have an idea of what’s going on, but she doesn’t want me to talk to you about it?”
Liam’s eyes bore into mine for a second, and he shifts on his feet, then glances over his shoulder back toward Olivia. When his gaze comes back to mine, he steps closer, and I see him visibly swallow before he asks, “Is she okay?”
I nod. “I think so.”
He runs a hand over his jaw and lets out a deep sigh. “Okay, then. I trust you.”
My eyes open wider as they search his. “I will watch over her as best I can, Liam. Obviously, if the context progresses or worsens, I’ll tell you immediately, but I don’t want to break her trust.” I exhale swiftly. “This doesn’t freak you out?”
He blinks a few times, clearly taking the time to think it through. “If you tell me she’s okay, then I believe you.”
I nod, working my jaw back and forth as we continue to stare at each other.
He takes another step closer, raising the umbrella over me before he tucks me into his side, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, just like he had with Olivia. Together, we make our way down the stairs and to my car.
At the driver’s side, he stops, turning to face me. “I really want to kiss you right now.”
I can’t see Olivia at all from where I’m standing, and as much as I want to go up on tiptoes and plant a kiss on his lips, I don’t think it’s appropriate. I reach for his fr
ee hand, take hold of it, and squeeze. “Talk soon?”
I go directly from school to Mom’s bakery, my windshield wipers on high the whole way. What a nasty, miserable day. I pull up outside and hurry in, unsurprised there are zero customers. No one wants to be out and about on a day like today.
With no one in the shop, I go back to the kitchen where I’m just in time to witness Mom’s wrist give out and a loaf pan full of gooey batter hit the floor.
“Dammit!”
I clench my teeth and rush forward. “You okay?” She shakes her hands in front of her, her mounting frustration with the arthritis in her wrist clear. I put a hand to her back and guide her over to a table where there are a couple of chairs.
She sits in one, her eyes unmoving from the mess on the floor. She takes a few calming breaths before her gaze slowly rises to meet mine. “I already know what you are going to say.”
“Well, you do need the surgery. There’s really no way around it. Working the way you do, it’s just going to get more and more painful. The arthritis isn’t going to go away, and you know baking isn’t going to magically get easier. You use your hands all day long. Besides, you said it was bad in the right hand, but it is starting in the left, too.”
“I’m …” She takes another deep breath. “I’m scared.”
“Mom, this is not a difficult procedure. The doctor told you that. And it could vastly improve your quality of life.”
“I know. And I’d be really happy if I didn’t have to deal with the daily pain. I’m just scared that it’ll reduce mobility, and I’ll have a hard time doing things.”
“You’re having a hard time now.” I jerk a thumb at the mess on the floor. “Case in point. There’s no denying it.” I lean down and wrap my arm around her shoulders, whispering, “I know you’re scared, but your doctor thinks it would help. You trust Dr. Stevens, don’t you?”
Fall for You (Flirting with Forever Book 4) Page 7
