CHAPTER 22
Q
uinn let Indy guide her into a crowd of men. She spoke quietly in Quinn’s ear as they
moved. “This is so much more fun than I thought it would be. I’ve met a bunch of guys
who might be potential clients. Some are blowing smoke, but others might come through.
I’m glad I let you talk me into this.”
“You’re welcome.”
She pulled Quinn through to the other side of the crowd until they were alone.
“What’s going on? It’s kind of hard to meet guys if you walk right past all of them.”
“You have no intention of meeting anyone. Plus, one look at you and Ryan, and the
other guys know it’s useless.”
“I’m meeting people. Ryan and I are friends.”
Indy huffed and threw her arms up. “Your idea?”
Quinn nodded.
“Any fool can see the way your face lights up every time you see him. No other man
is interested in trying to compete. You love each other. Admit it and get it over
with.”
“Of course I love him. He’s a great friend.”
“That man is
not
just a friend.”
“I’m afraid you’re wrong this time. I thought about ditching this, but he reminded
me this might be my last chance to find a date before my vacation. Now he’s here to
play wingman, to help me find someone.”
Indy smacked her arm. “How can someone so smart be so utterly clueless? You teach
hundreds of kids a year to understand Shakespeare, but you can’t read Ryan’s body
language.”
“I don’t see what you see.” She left Indy shaking her head and turned toward Ryan,
who still stood alone.
Man, he was so sexy her heart thumped every time she looked at him. More than that,
he was kind in a way that touched her heart. She hadn’t lied to Indy; she loved Ryan.
When his gaze met hers and he smiled his flirtatious grin, she knew she was in love
with him as well. She had been since the beginning of the summer.
Her heart stuttered with the full knowledge of it.
He’d wanted to explore their relationship and he said he wouldn’t back off for good.
Maybe she still had a chance. If she’d learned nothing else this summer, it was that
sometimes winging it worked.
As soon as she stepped next to Ryan, Joe rejoined her. She barely held back the growl.
“I have a new key. Can I try again?”
She held the lock out. His new key didn’t work either. The lock flopped back against
her chest.
“Damn.”
“Go find someone else, Joe. I’m not interested.”
“But . . .”
Ryan stepped closer and her eyes met his. The smoldering look made her knees weak.
His fingers touched her neck just below her ear and slid down the length of the chain
until they reached the lock. Her heart rate jumped a notch and her skin warmed under
his touch. Electric jolts buzzed in her head, blocking out all sound, like the first
time they’d kissed. He plucked the lock and inserted his key. The lock clicked open
and slid from the chain.
Then Ryan broke eye contact and sent Joe a very satisfied grin.
Joe stalked away without a word. Ryan’s gaze returned to hers.
Her mouth was dry and she swallowed hard, not sure how to play this. “You planned
that.”
He smiled. “No, I didn’t. I picked a random key from the bowl.”
“What would you have done if it didn’t work?” She spoke, trying to keep her mind on
the conversation instead of how close his fingers were to her skin.
He shrugged. “I figured he’d walk away when he saw me touching you. I know I would.”
Her skin tingled. “Thank you. You always seem to be rescuing me.”
He still hadn’t stepped back. “Nah, you can handle yourself.”
Not when it comes to you.
Butterflies danced in her stomach. She felt like a fish, flip-flopping on decisions.
Let’s be friends. Let’s have sex. Let’s be friends. What if Indy was wrong? What if
he laughed in her face? But she had to know. It was now or never.
“I think I’m done. Can you give me a ride home?”
He looked startled, and her conviction began to fade. “Unless you want to stay. Then
I’ll call a cab.”
“I’m ready to go.” He took the lock and key back to Mary.
She waved Indy over. “You’re right. This is a waste of my time. Plus, Joe is here.
I’m leaving.”
“Alone?”
“No, Ryan’s going to give me a ride.”
“It’s about time.”
“I hope you’re right and I don’t end up making a fool out of myself.”
“I’m not wrong. It’s up to the two of you to be honest. I can’t control that.” She
looked over Quinn’s shoulder. “Here comes lover boy now.”
“Please don’t call him that. Are you going to be okay here by yourself?”
“I’m not by myself. Even if I get bored with all of the strangers, both Colin and
Griffin are here. Maybe I’ll try to work my magic on Griffin to convince him that
he should be looking for a house now. With me as his agent, of course.”
“Ready?” Ryan asked.
“Yeah,” Quinn answered.
“Stay out of trouble,” Indy said, and wiggled her fingers at the two of them before
inserting herself back into the crowd.
Ryan laced his fingers through hers.
She loved the feel of his strong hand in hers. It felt natural. She prayed that talking
with him wouldn’t scare him off.
They waved to Mary on their way out. Quinn thought her butterflies would return, but
her stomach was calm. Peace settled on her and it felt good.
She didn’t know where to start, so she tried casual conversation. “Mary must be thrilled.
Another event she planned looks like it’s a success.”
“Yeah, pretty soon she’ll be asking for a raise.”
He seemed stiff behind the wheel, and his usual talkative self was nowhere to be found.
She didn’t know if she could follow through. “So, did you have any luck unlocking
locks tonight? I mean, besides mine.”
He glanced at her quickly. “I didn’t even try.”
Was that because he didn’t want to or because he was busy playing wingman? Either
way, it was enough encouragement for her to go on.
She blurted, “I’ve decided not to have a baby.”
“What?” His question came out loud.
“Having dinner with your family tonight was an eye-opening experience.”
“Having dinner with my family freaked you out so much you don’t want to be a mom anymore?
It usually takes more than one meal for us to scare people.” His easy smile returned.
“No, your family’s great. The thing is, I can’t give a baby that. I can’t be a family
by myself. Not like yours.”
“Who said you had to be like my crazy family? Family is whatever you want it to be.”
“I know that in my head.” She paused because sadness crushed her with the thought.
Tears pricked the back of her eyes. “But in my heart, I won’t really be happy. You
were right. I want the whole package. And the odds of that happening look pretty slim.”
Saying the words out loud stung as much as the tears she held back.
He didn’t respond, but he moved one hand from the steering wheel and took hers again.
They lapsed into silence and she took comfort from his hand. She’d given him an opening;
put it out there that she couldn’t find the right guy. If he was interested, wouldn’t
he have offered himself again?
Doubt crept back into her head. Maybe he had given up even though he’d said he wouldn’t.
Maybe he was looking forward to summer being over so he wouldn’t have to deal with
her stupid list anymore. Maybe he’d moved on.
God, she hated maybes.
Before long, he pulled into her lot and parked. If he planned to drop her off, he
would’ve pulled up in front. Expecting to come in was a good sign, right?
But he didn’t move. He just stared out the windshield.
She popped her door open.
Without looking at her, he asked, “What’s your plan after you get back from vacation?”
“I’m not sure. Indy’s looking into selling my loft. I’m considering moving back home.”
“What?” He spun to face her, his eyes wide with shock.
Ryan realized that he’d practically yelled the question at her again, but he couldn’t
hear himself over the roar in his ears. He swung his door open and jumped out, giving
himself time to focus as he rounded the car. She was leaving. Of all people, how could
Colin
have been right?
When he got to the passenger door, Quinn stared at him, probably confused because
he kept yelling at her.
“Sorry. That came out louder than I planned, but you took me by surprise. Why would
you move?” He pushed her door closed and walked beside her toward the building.
“Things here aren’t working out the way I planned. I’m still living in the loft I
bought with my ex-husband. I can’t find a decent date to save my life, even with your
help. I don’t have anything to keep me here.”
Her words shot through his heart, and he felt light-headed. He never really thought
he’d lose her. Suddenly his life was falling apart. Maggie, his family, and now Quinn.
He’d become unnecessary.
She wouldn’t have failed if I hadn’t sabotaged her efforts. But she never would’ve
been looking for a date if I’d told her I loved her.
“What about your job?” he managed to ask.
“That’s what’s always grounded me here. I love teaching, but even there I feel like
I’ve been stuck and there’s no movement. No change, even though I tried.”
Inside her building, she pointed to the stairs with raised eyebrows.
“I’m okay with the elevator.” They entered the rickety box, and this time he sent
up a little prayer that it would get stuck. That he could hold on to her a while longer.
Of course, not even that worked, and they sped directly to her floor.
At her door, he finally asked the question he needed the answer to most: “What about
me?”
She pushed her door open but didn’t walk through. “What about you?”
“I’m in Chicago. So is Indy. And Kate.”
She leaned against the doorjamb. “Kate has her own life and family. Indy’s always
been fine on her own.”
She stared into his eyes and he waited, willing her to be honest. The pulse on her
neck throbbed.
“You.” The word was little more than a whisper. “You have your family and your bars.”
“But I wouldn’t have you. It wouldn’t be the same.” He stepped closer. His fingers
angled her jaw up, and he brought his lips to hers.
He let the kiss do what his words couldn’t. Tenderly, his lips sought the warmth of
her mouth. His tongue sought answers. He found comfort in her taste.
He pulled back slowly, and her eyes fluttered open.
“What the hell was that?”
“I had to check.”
“Check what? That my lips still work?”
“I wanted to make sure I hadn’t imagined it.” In that moment he knew that Quinn loved
him every bit as much as he loved her.
She stared into his navy eyes, knowing he felt the same spark she did. She pushed
away from him when what she wanted was to wrap herself around him. She’d planned to
take a chance and tell him how she felt, but he was taking charge again. Frustration
propelled her into her living room.
“Don’t go.”
She stopped. These were the words she’d hoped for. Don’t go on a date. Don’t go online
to find a man. Don’t go to a lock-and-key party.
Don’t go.
“Why?” She spun to look at him. But she knew why. She was always leaving, running
away from anything difficult.
“Because I love you. And I know you love me too.”
She closed her eyes and savored the words, hoping she hadn’t imagined them. She chuckled.
“I wanted to leave the bar so I could tell you I wanted to give us a chance. I thought
I would have to convince you since I’ve pushed you away all summer. You’re making
this too easy.”
“I can’t promise to always make things easy, but I’ll try.” His hand cradled her cheek.
“My family is . . .”
Her eyes reopened and locked on his to find them filled with worry. “Great.”
“They’re demanding. And intrusive. And . . .”
“And you love them. I get it. I’m more than okay with it.”
“You might think differently once you’re an O’Leary.”
Huh? “Was that your idea of a proposal?”
He slid his arms around her waist and led her farther into the living room, kicking
the door shut behind him. “No, I’m just stating the inevitable. I figured we’d start
with a vacation to New Orleans.”