“Don’t tell me there’s another ex-husband who married you in Louisiana.”
Quinn smiled and shook her head. He’d done it again. She wouldn’t have thought of
New Orleans.
“New Orleans is full of culture. It won’t be as exciting this time of year as it would
be during Mardi Gras, but since you don’t like crowds, you’ll enjoy it.”
Indy didn’t get up from her spot on the floor with the kids, but she called out, “That
makes it exactly half the list you’ve helped with. What’s his reward, Quinn?”
“No reward necessary,” Ryan said, much to Quinn’s relief. “I have to get back to the
bar. I’ll call you tomorrow. Enjoy your night.”
On his way to the door, Thomas stepped in front of Ryan and handed him a truck with
its wheel popped off. “It’s broke.”
Ryan knelt down and held out his hands. “Let me see.” He fiddled with it for a few
minutes and reattached the wheel. He handed the truck back to Thomas and ruffled his
hair on his way past. “Absorb all you can, little guy. This might be last time they
let you hang out in a roomful of girls.”
“Real funny, O’Leary. We didn’t throw you out,” Quinn called.
“Only because I’m charming. And I’m your problem solver.”
He slipped out the door before Quinn could respond. She couldn’t argue. He’d been
charming from day one, which is why she refused to go out with him. Since then, he
had proved to be quite the problem solver. He’d become a better friend than she imagined.
She clapped her hands. “Okay, looks like I’m going to New Orleans.”
Indy leaned her arms on the counter. “Now that the vacation is settled, you guys didn’t
notice the present Richard gave me. I wore my hair up to show them off, but I guess
vacations and baby talk trump jewelry.” Indy shifted her head so the lighting caught
and sparkled on the sapphires dangling from her ears. “What do you think?”
“They’re beautiful,” Quinn responded. She personally preferred jewelry less flashy,
but they looked perfect on Indy.
Indy inclined her head toward Kate.
“It’s not a diamond ring,” Kate pointed out.
Indy’s face turned cold. “Why do you always try to ruin my happiness? What kind of
friend are you?”
Kate stiffened. “I’m the friend who’s been telling you what a mistake Richard is from
the moment you told us the whole story. He is
married.
All you’re going to get is hurt.”
Indy’s eyes flashed with anger. “He’s getting a divorce. You need to accept we all
don’t want the perfect marriage you have. Richard offers me a good time. It’s all
I’m looking for.”
Quinn would never understand Indy’s affinity for unattainable men. Indy never searched
for any permanency in her life. Quinn, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to be tied
down with a family.
CHAPTER 7
R
yan and Griffin sat on the black leather couch in Ryan’s living room. They each held
a bottle of beer. The White Sox game played on the TV for lack of anything more interesting
to watch. Ryan shifted in his seat. He hadn’t been able to get Quinn out of his head
for the past week. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted her, and the
more he realized he needed to distance himself from her. Nothing was working, though.
“If you don’t sit still, I’m going to hit you. What’s wrong?” Griffin threw one arm
over the back of the couch and leaned back into the corner.
“It’s Quinn.”
“How can you be so hung up on her? You just met.”
“I’m not hung up. I told her I’d help her with her list. What do you know about speed
dating?”
“Not much. I’ve never done it. All I know is a bunch of people move from table to
table and try to hook up in a couple of minutes.”
“I’m thinking of setting up a speed dating night at O’Leary’s. What do you think?”
“Isn’t your bar already a place where people go to pick up strangers?”
“The format takes the awkwardness out of it. I think it’d be easier for shy people.”
“Like Quinn. I can’t believe you’re trying to . . . woo her.”
“Woo? Who the fuck says that?”
“I can’t think of another word to fit. You’re going out of your way to do a bunch
of crap to make her like you. What’s next, a love poem? Why don’t you ask her out?”
Ryan puffed out his cheeks with a breath of frustration. “I have. She won’t date me
because I can’t be her summer romance.”
“Why not?”
“Because her romance ends with summer. If we get involved, we’d lose our friendship.”
“That makes no fucking sense.” He stood to get another beer.
Ryan shrugged. “It’s her list, her plan.”
From the kitchen, Griffin called, “When the hell are you going to unpack all of these
boxes? I’m tired of stepping around them at every turn. How important could the crap
be if it’s been in boxes for two years?”
“It’s probably not important. This was a temporary move, remember?” An easy place
to go and lick his wounds after Cassie dumped him.
“What do you tell women when you bring them here?”
“I don’t bring them here.”
Griffin returned carrying two fresh bottles of beer. He popped the cap off one beer
and took a drink. He set the other on the table in front of Ryan. “So you’re going
to help her find some other guy?”
Ryan settled back in the couch. “No. Yes.” At Griffin’s raised eyebrow, he continued,
“I’m going to help her complete her list, making sure she doesn’t find a guy better
than me.”
“And you say you’re not hung up on her.”
The following afternoon before the crowds picked up at the bar, Ryan called Mary into
his office. The petite blonde entered and closed the door behind her.
“What’s up?” she asked, still holding the towel she’d been using to wipe down the
bar.
“Remember when you asked about setting up a speed dating night?”
“Yeah, I remember. You shot me down.”
Ryan smiled at the spunk of his manager. “I didn’t shoot you down. I had other, more
pressing projects. Like running another bar. Do you still have the information?”
Mary hopped a little with excitement. “I can do it?” She straightened. “I mean, we
can do it?”
“Put together the information. How long will it take to plan it, what would the bar
be responsible for, how many people we’d need on staff, how much business we’d lose
to close for the event. You get the picture.”
“Can I ask why the sudden change of heart?”
“Someone I know told me how difficult it is to meet someone. I’m trying to help her
out.” He settled back in his chair and thought of Quinn. She was enough of a reason
for the headache Mary caused.
“Her?”
Ryan nodded. “A friend.”
“If you say so. I’ll be out front if you need me.”
The last thing he’d do was ask any more questions. Mary pontificated enough on the
merits of planned singles events to last him a long time. He wanted to kick back and
relax. Without thinking, he dialed Quinn’s number.
“Hello?”
“Hi. It’s Ryan.”
“Hi. How’s it going?” Her voice melted across the line like warm butter.
Yes, she was well worth the headache. “My manager talked me into hosting a speed dating
night here at the bar. I assume you’ll be up for it. Your Romeo might be there.”
“You need to stop trying to fulfill everything on my list. These are supposed to be
things I accomplish.”
“You will accomplish them. I’m providing extra opportunities. Besides, there are things
on your list that require a partner.” He imagined her stripping naked for him. He’d
like to see her lose total control—during orgasm.
“I appreciate the opportunities, but it feels like cheating.”
“How’s the rest of the list coming?”
“I want to kill Indy for making me pose nude. I’ve scoured so many art classes this
week. I hoped to find a senior citizen group to pose for. I figured it would be less
embarrassing.”
“Now,
that
would be cheating.”
“I know. I didn’t have any luck anyway. One class I answered an ad for was horrible.
I walked in thinking I’d ask questions, get some information; instead, I found myself
staring into a roomful of naked people. It was like being part of a nudist colony.
I was mortified.”
“Hold on. Let me grab a pen. Now where was this?” He pretended to fumble for a pen
on his desk.
She laughed. “You’re funny. They all weren’t naked, but the group in the middle of
the room was. In retrospect, it might not be as terrifying if I wasn’t the only one
in the room naked, but it caught me off guard. I couldn’t even speak. I turned thirty
shades of red and bolted.”
“I can come by with my camera if you want. You can pose for me.” He toyed with the
idea of where it could lead.
“No, thanks. I’m talking to photographers tomorrow. Hopefully it will go better. What
have you been up to?”
He heard her shift her position and pictured her curling her legs under her on the
couch, settling in comfortably. Like she planned to hang on and talk for a while.
“I’ve been working. Nothing exciting. What are you doing with all your free time?”
“Looking for a place to get naked. Sounds crazy. I also looked into planning my vacation
to New Orleans at the end of the summer.”
“So you liked my idea. You’ll have a great time. Next time we get together, I can
give you some ideas of places to go. Actually, Griffin would know. I’ve only gone
once, during Mardi Gras, so there are some blanks for me. He’s been there a few times.
He could tell you the best of everything so you don’t waste your time.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“What else have you been up to?”
Her quiet told him she had something going on but wasn’t sure if she wanted to tell
him. When had he become so adept at understanding her moods? “Come on, spill it.”
“I’ve been thinking about getting pregnant.”
The air left his lungs as silence swallowed the room. She planned to have some guy
get her pregnant? It didn’t make sense. It didn’t even fit who Quinn was. He didn’t
even know what an appropriate reaction was. “Why?”
“Because I really want to be a mom.” Her deep breath sounded in his ear. “The thing
is, I always thought I’d find the right guy, get married, and have babies. That was
always my plan. I want a family more than I’ve ever wanted anything. I’ve decided
that after I complete my list this summer, I’m going it alone. I want a baby.”
Indy should’ve told him, at least warned him off. Instead, she pushed Ryan in the
direction he wanted, which was straight into Quinn. He remembered Quinn telling him
she didn’t want to be alone. He couldn’t understand her fear. He’d always had family.
Even when they drove him crazy, they were his and he would never be alone.
Ryan swallowed the pity stuck in his throat. “You won’t ever really be happy. You
have to know that. You’re the kind of girl who wants the whole deal.”
“I can’t find the whole deal. You’ve seen the dates I find. The men I attract. You’re
a guy. You don’t get it. You have years to decide to have kids. Women have an expiration
date.”
“So you’ll settle for half of what you really want.”
“Half is better than nothing.”
He wished they were face-to-face. He wanted to touch her, shake her until she saw
what a mistake she was making. They mumbled good-bye with plans to talk later.
This at least explained why she kept pushing him away. Her plan didn’t make any sense
to him. It wasn’t like she couldn’t still find someone. She was just so closed off,
most people found it hard to see past her defenses. But he had and he wanted more.
Raucous laughter reached him from the bar, pulling him from his thoughts about Quinn.
Not the normal lunch crowd noise.
Sure enough, Colin sat on a stool, telling stories to the crowd around him. Everyone
loved Colin.
Some things never change.
Ryan didn’t interrupt but turned back to his office. He wasn’t quick enough.
“Ryan. Wait.”
He looked over his shoulder and saw Colin make parting gestures to his new friends.
Ryan continued to his office.
Moments later, Colin entered and closed the door behind him. “Do you have time to
talk? I’ve been trying to catch up with you for days. I figured I’d get you here.”
Ryan settled behind the huge solid oak desk that had been their father’s. All of the
fixtures in the room had been standing in the same spot for more than a decade. Except
the chair. Ryan had replaced his father’s broken chair with a high-end black leather
desk chair. “What do you want? I have work to do.”
Colin rubbed his hands together. A sure sign of another scheme. “That’s what I want
to talk to you about. Work.”
Ryan leaned back and waited for the pitch. He wouldn’t be as easily sucked in as their
father had.
“Look. I know I left on bad terms after Dad died.” He took a seat in front of Ryan,
making them eye level. “But you have to admit I had reason to be pissed off. This
bar was supposed to be mine.”
Ryan leaned forward, putting his elbows on the desk. “You had the bar and you fucked
it up, so Dad brought me back in.”
Colin raised his hands in surrender. “I know. It took a lot of time, but I get it.
Dad spent his life building this place and I almost totally screwed it up.”
He hadn’t expected that. An admission of guilt from Colin? Ryan didn’t respond and
waited for the lead-in.
Colin stood and walked the room, touching various pieces of furniture. “I’m not making
excuses, but I was young. The bar was already established. I didn’t think about the
work Dad did daily.”
“Sounds like excuses to me. I was no older than you when I started Twilight. From
the bottom.”
“But you had Dad’s support. And money.”
Ryan stood. “Is that what this is about? Dad gave me the seed money for Twilight,
sure, because he knew I loved this place and I wanted to run it. But because you’re
first-born, he felt he had to pass it on to you. I worked my ass off to make Twilight
a success. Three years after I opened, I was in the black and I bought Dad out.”
Colin’s eyebrows shot up on his forehead. The information was news to him.
“Dad was a partner in Twilight only for three years. I’ve been sole owner since. There
is no money for you there.”
Colin hung his head. “I wasn’t looking to get a cut of Twilight. I know it’s yours.
I’m proud of what you built there.” He met Ryan’s gaze. “I want to build my own bar.”
Ryan crossed his arms on his chest. Here it comes. “What do you want from me?”
“Help.” He moved back to the chair in front of the desk. “I want to move back here
permanently and buy a bar.”
Ryan didn’t move. “I’m not giving you money to throw out the window on a whim.”
Colin stiffened. “It’s not a whim. I’ve been thinking for a long time. I miss the
family.”
“So visit more often. It’ll give you more chances to break Mom’s heart.”
“Shit. You’re not going to make this easy.” Colin ran his fingers through his hair.
Ryan offered a slight shrug. “Why would I? Dad always made it too easy for you.”
“He did. No argument there. He should’ve kicked my ass a long time ago. But he didn’t
and he’s gone. You’re not him.” Colin paced the windowless room again.