QUINN
“What have you been up to, sis?”
Quinn looked up at her brother, who was laying the table for dinner. She was playing Jenga with Lila and Tommy, and they were both intensely fixated on the wobbly tower in the middle of the dining table. Lila’s tongue was sticking out of her mouth while she decided which piece to pull out, and she went into a sulking fit when her brother blew on it.
“Nothing much,” Quinn answered.
“Oh? You just seem to be in a good mood.” Rob turned to the kids. “Tommy, stop winding her up.”
“What do you mean?” Quinn smiled. “I’m always in a good mood!” She focused on the game and tried to hide her smirk. She’d been in a dreamy state after leaving Riley this morning, and she’d had trouble concentrating at work.
“I don’t know. You’ve got this goofy look on your face, like you’re feeling exceptionally smug or something.”
“No, nothing to report. I just like playing Jenga with these two.” Quinn had no intention of telling her brother about last night. It wasn’t his business, and she had no idea where it would lead with Riley. They hadn’t spoken or messaged today, and that made her restless. She’d never been one for actively chasing women, but right now, it wasn’t easy to refrain from contacting her, and Quinn had put her phone in her coat pocket so she wouldn’t check it every two minutes.
“Right.” Rob regarded her for a moment before continuing with the task at hand. “I just want to say one thing. Riley’s an angel. I can’t believe she’s letting us have all of Grandpa’s stuff from the basement, including the wines. She didn’t have to do that.”
“Yeah, I love her,” Mary, who was cooking, chipped in. “Can you please bring her over for dinner? I was going to ask for her number, but I forgot after all the wine we had.” She rubbed her temple. “God, my head still hurts thinking about it. It’s been a while since I’ve had a late night.”
“I hope Rob drove back?”
“Yeah, it was his turn, so I thought I’d make the most of it. Anyway, don’t forget to ask her along next time.”
“Sure.” Quinn attempted to sound indifferent, but she really liked the idea of coming here with Riley and having dinner with all of her favorite people.
Rob put cutlery next to the plates, then searched for napkins in a drawer. “To be honest, we could do with the wine money. It’s been a squeeze these last few months, as the office hasn’t been able to give me overtime.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Quinn asked. “I could always help you out. It’s not like I have a mortgage or children to provide for.”
“Nah. That’s very sweet of you, but the wine auction will really help. I’m curious what the collection will be valued at.”
“Mom found someone to come in on Friday to check it out,” Quinn said. “I have to work, but Riley’s letting her in, and you can join them if you want.”
“I have to work too.” Rob paused. “Mom and Riley together. Imagine that. I bet Mom will enjoy her chance to have some alone time with her. As she said, you two seem pretty close.”
“We are. We’re good friends.”
“Dad, be careful!” Lila yelled when her father’s hand came a little too close to the tower for her liking. “You’re going to ruin the game!”
“Sorry, sweetheart.” Rob held up his hands and chuckled. “Dinner’s almost ready, though, so you’ll have to hurry up.”
“But we’re not finished yet,” Tommy protested, carefully pulling out one of the wooden pieces. At that, the tower collapsed over the table, and Rob shrugged.
“You’re finishednow, son. Go wash your hands. You can play more later.”
The sulking and protesting that followed made Quinn, Rob, and Mary laugh as Quinn helped plate the food.
“So…good friends, huh?” Mary said when Tommy and Lila had gone to the bathroom. “From what I witnessed, it seemed like you might be a bit more than that.” She winked at Quinn and continued in a teasing tone, “Just the looks and the little casual touches—I was wondering how casual they were.”
Quinn felt her cheeks heat, but she kept her cool. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she mumbled.
“Oh, come on, Quinn. I’ve known you longer than I’ve known Rob, and I’ve never seen you like that around someone. You’re so crushing on her.” Mary drew out her words as she met Quinn’s eyes. “And I have a feeling she’s into you too. I mean, she told me she’d been married to a man and all, but you know my intuition never lets me down, and I got the same vibe from her. Also, I’m aware of your track record with straight women.”
“I wish everyone would stop mentioning that.”
Mary patted her arm and laughed. “Babe, in a small community like Mystic, there’s no way you can escape from gossip after bad behavior.”
“It wasn’t that bad with Rebecca. It was all onherterms,” Quinn said in her defense, even though she’d fully embraced the blame for it. She let out a deep sigh as she poured water for everyone. “Besides, there’s nothing to gossip about.”
