“You’re trying to throw your new money around. And where exactly did you get it, anyway? How can you afford to expand the restaurant and hire a nannyanda caregiver?”
“I won the lottery.” He tried to wave me off again. “Quinn, where the money came from doesn’t matter, anyway. All that should matter is the fact that I’m trying to share my new wealth with you!”
I eyed him for a moment, scoffing. He couldn’t honestly think I’d believe that. “Thank you, Marlon,” I muttered. “I appreciate you thinking of me, but to be honest… I don’t want to shareanythingwith you anymore.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that… I’ve moved on from our relationship and I hope you will too. I’m not in love with you anymore, and to be perfectly honest, I’ve met someone else.”
He let out a loud laugh, a bitter smile cracking on his face. “Let me guess… It’s Jasper King, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. “Wait a minute.” My body went rigid as I thought it over for a moment. “Wereyouthe one who reported that Jasper was at my home?!”
His jaw tightened, and he kept his mouth shut, looking away from me.
My mouth fell open as I realized that I was right. No wonder he was suddenly oh-so rich. He’d been the one to report Jasper’s whereabouts to the police!
“You’re unbelievable!”
“Quinn–”
“Leave!” I shouted. “I don’t want to see you lingering around my building again!”
He shook his head, letting out a bitter chuckle as he stepped closer to me. He glared down at me as if trying to intimidate me, but I wasn’t backing down. He was nothing but a coward and webothknew it.
“You’re going to regret turning me down sooner or later, Quinn.” He glowered. “What, do you think that you and Jasper are going to skip off into the sunset together? You think he’s going to sweep you right off your feet as if you’re some princess in a fairytale?”
“You sure seem to be trying to.”
“Well, he won’t. If you’re hoping for a happy ending withthe King, you might as well give it up. It will never happen. No man wants to deal with all the baggage you come along with,” he spat before turning on his heel.
I remained glued to my spot, watching in disbelief as he stormed down the hallway and disappeared down the stairs. It wasn’t until I was sure that he was out of the building that I managed to find my way inside my apartment.
Jasper
“Isn’t this amazing?” Eddie grinned.
His voice shook me out of my reverie, and I glanced at him before allowing my eyes to roam for a few moments. He’d insisted we have lunch at some fancy new French restaurant. It was a nice place with extravagant decor. Crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, renaissance art painted on the walls and windows, tables dressed in fancy tablecloths with rose-shaped wine glasses trimmed with gold sitting atop. Soft classical music played quietly, hardly audible above the murmurs of other attendees and the clattering of utensils against dishes. I had ordered the Croque Monsieur while Eddie had ordered the Quenelles de Brochet.
The food was good, but not the best I’d ever tasted. The restaurant was grand, and only made me realize just how much I enjoyed restaurants with a homier feel. The tables were spread far apart, no one talking to anyone that wasn’t seated with them. Everyone was dressed in expensive suits and luxurious dresses, perfect postures and pristine table manners.
It was nothing like SharpEats, where the sound of loud laughter shared amongst strangers who spoke as if they’d been good friends for years livened up the atmosphere, and where people stopped by for a good, warm meal, dirtied up after a hard day of work or a successful soccer game, or a long day at school, and no one judged them for it.
I sighed, trying not to think about it. “Yeah, it’s a nice restaurant, I guess.”
“No!” Eddie laughed loudly, as if I’d made the funniest joke in the world. “I meanthis. This as inyoubeing back to good health! This as in you being able to sit here in a public setting without feeling out of place. No caretaker, no wheelchair–you walked into this place all on your own! Isn’t that amazing?”
I cracked a smile, poking my fork into my food. “It is pretty amazing.”
That didn’t even begin to describe it. A few years ago, I was so sure that my life would never be the same because of my illness, and now I was starting to regain some sense of normalcy. And it was all because of my Quinn.
My smile faltered as I thought about her and everything that she had done for me. If it wasn’t for her support and encouragement, along with the magical healing abilities that she swore she didn’t have, but Iknewshe had, I never would have come this far.
“So, I was thinking.” Eddie wore a smile that I knew meant that he was up to no good. “Why don’t we go to Ibiza? We could spend the weekend there, and it’d be just like the good ole days! We could hit up a couple nightclubs, eat our weight in all the best seafood at Es Boldado, and best of all, chase some tail on the beach.” He wiggled his brows. “What do you say?”
I always enjoyed our trips to Ibiza. It was one of my favorite vacation spots, and Eddie and I had made a lot of great memories there, but I wasn’t sure the nightclubs and nude beaches were exactly my scene anymore, and I didn’t have any interest in chasing tail. The only woman I wanted was right here in Danforth Village.
