He shuffled and faced Quinn. “How about you?”
Second choice again, and Indy wasn’t even here. She wished she had a ring on her finger
that she could flash at him to make him go away. “I’m good. Maybe later.”
He shrugged and left. Kate smirked. “Not your type?”
“Not quite. I’m going to go sing again. Want to join me?” She slid off her stool.
“You know I can’t sing.”
“Neither can most of the people here. It’ll be fun.” She tugged Kate’s elbow. “We’ll
sing ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun.’ It’ll be a blast. Trust me.”
They moved to the stage and added their names to the wait list. Standing in the crowd
waiting for their turn, Quinn studied the people around her. So many of them were
young. She didn’t fit in here. She wasn’t looking for a one-night stand. Sure, a summer
romance would be great, but she still believed she wouldn’t find him in a bar.
The DJ called her and Kate to the stage. They set their drinks on the table near the
DJ and grabbed microphones. The music started and they sang. And laughed. The crowd
joined in. For a few brief minutes, Quinn understood why Indy enjoyed being the center
of attention.
When the song ended, burly guy met them near the stage. “I’ll show you some fun.”
He’d obviously had too much to drink. He swayed as he spoke. Quinn didn’t respond,
hoping he would move on.
He stepped into her path. “Come on. I owe you a drink.” He tried to put his arm around
her shoulder, but she ducked the contact.
“Actually, we’re done for the night.” She wanted to end her night on a high note,
but this guy was making it plummet fast.
“Uh-uh. You said I could buy you a drink later. It’s later. Let’s go.”
Kate stepped closer. “She said she wasn’t interested. Now excuse us.”
“No one’s talking to you.” He shoved past Kate to get close to Quinn.
She smelled the beer and sweat on him and her stomach curdled. What had Ryan called
this place? A dive? She was beginning to agree with him. This guy was being obnoxious
and no one seemed to notice.
“I’m not interested. Thanks anyway. Now, please move.” She took a step, but he mirrored
her movement until she was boxed against the wall. Her thoughts immediately turned
to Ryan. Why hadn’t she left with him? Her heart thumped in panic. If she screamed,
would anyone even hear her over the guy singing?
Suddenly, a deep male voice asked, “Is there a problem here?”
Burly turned to face an equally big guy. “No, I’m just talking to a woman. Get your
own.”
The new guy looked at Quinn.
Kate stood beside the new guy. She reached for Quinn’s hand. “We’re on our way out.
Thanks.”
She pulled Quinn through the crowd. “Sorry I left you. I just had a feeling things
were going to get bad with that guy, so I went to find a bouncer.”
“Thanks. He was drunk and more than a little creepy.”
Kate dropped Quinn off and went home. Before plugging in her cell phone to charge
for the night, Quinn turned it on. Only one voice mail to go with four missed calls.
Not as obnoxious as Ryan could’ve been. She accessed her voice mail and listened.
“Quinn, damn it. I wish you’d answer. I wasn’t trying to tell you what to do. There
have been a string of rapes. Some guys are picking up women at neighborhood bars and
slipping roofies in their drinks. I was worried.”
The message went on for a few more seconds, but Quinn tuned it out. She felt like
an ass.
He was worried.
She smiled. The thought brought back the feeling of comfort she had when she hugged
him at Duffy’s.
Then guilt stabbed at her. She treated him horribly and because of her stubbornness,
she had to deal with some creep hitting on her. Ryan had been right again.
Her phone was still cradled in her palm. She itched to call Ryan. Or go see him. She
thought of Kate and the problems she was having in her marriage. Quinn didn’t want
to be there again. One failed marriage was enough. She could find someone to sleep
with anytime if she really tried. It might even be pretty good sex.
But real friendship like she shared with Ryan didn’t come every day.
CHAPTER 19
I
t was almost midnight. The crowd had thinned and Ryan finally took a moment to sit.
He scrubbed his hands over his face. Worry gnawed at his gut. He still hadn’t heard
from Quinn.
Jenna laid her serving tray on the bar. She pulled a slip of paper from her apron.
“Hey, boss. I forgot to give this to you. She called an hour ago.”
Ryan unfolded the paper as Jenna filled her tray again. It read,
“Quinn called. At home. Talk tomorrow.”
The weight he’d carried in his chest for hours loosened. She must’ve finally listened
to his message. She was smart enough not to go bar hopping. By tomorrow she wouldn’t
even be pissed off anymore.
He looked back at the customers who remained so late on a Wednesday night. Mostly
men. Mostly regulars. Mostly trustworthy.
Colin stood behind the bar wiping glasses.
“I’m leaving. You can handle closing, right?”
Colin grunted.
“Make sure Jenna gets to her car safely. Walk her out.”
“Got it.”
“I’m trusting you to not fuck this up.”
Colin put down the glass. “I got it. I’m not the fucking idiot you try to make me
out to be.”
“We’ll see. Good night.”
“Yeah.”
Ryan felt heavier with every step he took to his apartment above the bar. He dropped
his clothes as he walked to the bedroom. He should’ve taken a nap after making Quinn
breakfast. He wasn’t twenty-two anymore.
He crawled into bed. The cool cotton sheets rubbed against him, and he thought back
to the warmth of Quinn’s body as they’d slept. He was beginning to think she had a
point. Having sex had changed their relationship. He couldn’t decide if the difference
was a positive or negative, but he was sure he didn’t want to go back.
When he dragged himself from bed at nine-thirty the following morning, his first thought
was coffee. His next was Quinn. He’d wanted to call her before she went to work, but
he realized he already missed her.
Back to coffee.
He showered and dressed as quickly as humanly possible, knowing Mary would have good
coffee made downstairs. He grabbed his keys and cell phone. He’d forgotten to charge
it and he’d missed a call from Quinn.
Dialing voice mail, he hoped the battery would hold out.
“Hey, Ryan. Thanks for the warning last night. If you had told me, I might not have
been such a bitch. Anyway, I was hoping you had some free time this afternoon. I need
to talk—” The phone went dead. It was enough. She’d thought of calling him before
she went to work.
In the bar, Mary had music playing, the local country station. She hummed while she
set up the kitchen. She came around the corner and stopped. “You look like crap. What
happened?”
“Nothing. Just tired and in need of coffee.” He moved directly to the pot. The first
sip scalded the roof of his mouth, but the pain was worth it. There was no reason
for him to be tired after eight hours of sleep.
“I got the information all set for our next singles event, if you want to go over
it.”
He hid the cringe, afraid to hurt Mary’s feelings, but he remembered the amount of
information she’d had for speed dating. “I told you to go ahead and schedule whatever
you want. It’s your baby.”
She looked at him over the rim of her coffee cup. “Do my ideas bore you?”
He smiled. “No, but your graphs, charts, and piles of paper do. I trust you.”
“Can I schedule it at Twilight?”
“Sure, I guess.”
“I think the lock-and-key event would fit better at Twilight. We might not even need
to block part of the floor.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head. “You’re doing it again. Plan it. Put it on
my calendar. I’ll be in my office.”
Behind the closed door of his office, he heard the quiet movements of Mary’s setup
routine. He stretched out on the couch. He felt sleep pulling at him and searched
his brain for a reason to explain the fatigue.
Maggie leaving was a definite stressor.
Rapists prowling his neighborhood.
Wild monkey sex with Quinn. He laughed again at her description.
The long night and early morning with Quinn did him in. They lived opposite schedules.
He couldn’t remember what it was like. An occasional date didn’t matter. Long term,
they’d have to make adjustments. His fuzzy brain clouded with sleep. A nap couldn’t
hurt.
Long term? Where had that come from?
Quinn went to school with the plan of staying only a couple of hours. Part of her
regretted taking on Shari’s problems.
It added another complication to her life. She was juggling too many things. Too many
balls in the air at once. Her normal locked-tight control had slipped.
Other people wheedled in, tossing extra balls at her. She intended to drop some of
those balls today.
After working with Shari, Quinn planned to meet with Carlson. He’d given the job she
wanted to Shari Ackerman and now she wanted him to know how upset it made her. Diplomatically,
of course. She wouldn’t risk her job.
Three hours later, frustration still sang through her blood. Shari wasn’t good at
thinking on her feet with these kids. Dumping an ill-suited lesson plan terrified
her. It took Quinn thirty minutes to convince her winging it was less frightening
than having kids zone out and not learn. Funny, since she didn’t know how to wing
anything other than teaching.
Quinn counted on her frustration to get her through her meeting with Carlson. Carlson
had to know she’d been bothered when passed over for the position. She swallowed that
anger months ago, when she saw Shari working with the Honors kids. The job wasn’t
a cakewalk and Quinn knew it. But to be pulled back this summer to mentor Shari irritated
her. Schedules weren’t set for the upcoming year yet, and she wanted another shot
at Shari’s position.
This time she wouldn’t back down. She deserved the chance to not only prove she would
be a good fit for the position, but she also deserved the position for doing everything
that had ever been asked of her. There had to be some perk for being a team player.
Carlson sat behind his desk with his usual friendly smile. “Hi, Quinn. How’s everything
going?”
“All right, I suppose. Shari is a little rigid in her lesson planning, but I think
it’s because she’s still new. She’ll be okay.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I knew you’d be able to help her.”
“About that. I wanted to talk about next year.”
He leaned forward, his chair creaking with the repositioning of bulk. “Yes?”
“I want the Honors position next year. I’ve worked my butt off, and I’ve handled any
project or task you’ve tossed at me over the years. I want this.”
“I can appreciate that, Quinn. It’s one of the reasons I always feel comfortable passing
extra projects your way. I know they’ll be handled. But I already assured Shari that
she would have the same classes next year.”
“But I have seniority. I’ve proved myself time and again.” The anger and frustration
threatened to bubble out and she’d look like a fool. She inhaled slowly to calm herself.
“I always place teachers where they’re most needed. We need you with the kids who
struggle.”
What a line of bullshit.
“I really appreciate you helping Shari this summer and my offer for comp time stands.
But when the school year starts, I need you exactly where you’ve been. We’ve seen
annual growth on our state test scores, and I don’t want to upset a well-oiled machine.”
Translation:
I hired Ackerman to teach Honors and she gets to keep it. I don’t trust her with the
other kids.
Quinn now realized why he gave Shari the summer-school class. It was a test, and Shari
failed.
The determined set to Carlson’s face told her she wouldn’t win this battle. So much
for standing up for herself and breaking out of her rut. If this rut got any deeper,
it would start to feel like a grave.
For the first time since she took this job eight years ago, she considered quitting.
She briefly imagined standing up and saying, “I quit,” and storming out. But she couldn’t
afford to quit at this moment, no matter how much she’d like to. If she was going
to spend this year pregnant, staying at Jones would make her life easier. She could
teach her lesson plans without effort. After this year, though, she’d need a change.
She stood and offered Carlson a tight smile. “I understand. I’ll see you later.”
With one confrontation behind her, she drove to O’Leary’s, determined not to lose
her resolve. When she walked in, she waited to get Mary’s attention at the bar.
The woman was typing madly on a laptop, checking notes on a legal pad, and frowning.
Ryan’s car was parked in back, but she didn’t see him. The bar was quiet, except for
two old men watching a Sox game at the corner of the bar.
Mary looked up. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting. What can I get for you?”
“I’m looking for Ryan.”
“Quinn, right?”
She nodded.
“He’ll be down in a few minutes. He ran upstairs to change before going to Twilight.”
Upstairs? Mary went back to the computer with a frown.
“Is it as bad as you look?”
Mary sighed. “I’m trying to design a flyer for our next singles event. We’re doing
it at Twilight, so I need something nicer, more elegant.”
“Can I take a look?”
Mary shrugged and turned the computer.
Quinn read. “What’s a lock-and-key party?”
“All the women get a lock when they arrive. Men get keys. Everyone wanders around,
getting to know the other participants, and tries to find a match.”
“Sounds kind of sexist. Reminiscent of chastity belts.”
A frown creased Mary’s face again. “I hadn’t thought of that. I thought it would be
a fun way to network and meet people. There are multiple sets, so one guy could open
a few locks.”
“I didn’t mean to offend you. It sounds like fun. Pressure free, unlike speed dating,
where you have such a short time to make an impression and make a judgment.”
Quinn fiddled with the layout and design of the flyer. She dragged clip art and changed
the font. “How’s that?”
Mary pulled the computer back to face her. “Wow. That’s what I was looking for. I’ve
been playing with this for an hour.”
“Glad to help.”
“Do you know anyone who might be interested in coming?”
Quinn nodded. She didn’t know why. She supposed it was because she liked Mary. “Add
me and my sister, Indy, too. I’ll drag her along.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Mary’s face, like she hadn’t expected Quinn to join.
“Same last name?”
“Yep.”
The back door slammed. The hall was too dark to see anything, but Quinn knew it was
Ryan. She knew the feel of his eyes on her.
He walked into the light while tucking his tailored black shirt into his pants. His
hair, usually scruffy, looked styled, as if he actually used a comb. This was the
sleek Ryan. A smile brightened his face and she saw nothing but her friend, slick
or not.
“Hi.” He walked around the bar and waved at the men watching TV.
“Looking uppity there, boy. You’re not instituting a dress code here, are you?”
“Don’t worry, Pete. I’ll never expect you to wear anything but what you do every day.
I know better than to try to class up this place.”
“Good. Your daddy’d be rolling in his grave if you did.”
Quinn heard the affection in their voices. She wondered how long the two men had been
coming into the bar.
Ryan reached her, slid a hand around her lower back, and kissed the top of her head.
Between the genuinely sweet gesture and his scent, her determination began to dissolve.
No, I’m doing this.
She stiffened under his touch. “Do you have time to talk? Privately?”
“Sure. Let’s go to my office.” He tapped the bar. “I’ll be in back, Mary.”
Quinn led the way, trying to put distance between them. In his office, she chose a
stiff-backed chair over the couch, so he’d be limited as to how close he could get.
“I’m glad you stopped by.” The door closed with a quiet click. “About last night.”
She held up a hand to stop him. “I got your message. I appreciate the warning. I guess
I owe you again.”
He sat in the chair beside her, their knees almost touching. “I’ll add it to your
tab.”
She forced a tight smile and scooted farther back in the chair. She held her hands
on her knees, but she wanted to tangle them in his perfectly styled hair. “I’m not
mad about last night, but I have been thinking.”