Chapter 19
Try as she might Quinn could not stop pacing around the bar. The pacing wasn’t near as bad as the pounding in her heart. Rory would be here once the bar opened. A part of Quinn had hoped that Autumn would want to come be with her during this encounter with Rory. But Autumn wouldn’t be here until later. Quinn didn’t blame her. This was her mess to sort out with Rory, not Autumn’s.
The biggest trouble lies in Quinn not knowing if she was ready for this meeting at all. The last time Quinn had seen Rory she was still painfully in love. Her heart had been torn to pieces by Rory’s betrayal, but the love Quinn felt hadn’t yet faded. That had been the hardest part about her breakup with Rory, saying goodbye to someone she wasn’t completely ready to let go of.
Now here she was months later. Quinn had certainly charged forward. She’d bought the bar, and she was dating someone new. Autumn. Everything about Autumn just felt right. The woman was grounded in a way that made Quinn feel safe and secure. She was nothing like Rory. Living with Rory had always been life on freefall. Quinn had never had her feet on the ground with Rory. The woman was a tornado spinningeverything into her own sphere. She’d never been allowed to be her own person with Rory. But Autumn gave her the space to be who she truly was.
Quinn glanced down at her phone. She stamped her feet impatiently as she waited. They hadn’t opened yet, but in true Rory fashion no specific time had been given. Rory had simply said that she was going to try and be there sometime before opening through closing. Rory had tried to tell Quinn she might not be there until after closing, but Quinn had laid down a boundary. She’d told Quinn that after closing she’d be leaving to spend the night with her girlfriend. Rory had been displeased with the restriction, but she’d agreed to come before closing.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you this nervous,” Maddison drawled from the doorway.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been this nervous,” Quinn admitted with a laugh.
“How are you holding up?”
“Oh, you know, I’m getting ready to see the woman who ripped my heart out and stepped on it. Living the dream,” Quinn tried and failed to smile.
Maddison simply stepped forward to wrap her arms around her friend.
“That’s why I’m here.”
Quinn squeezed Madison a little tighter. She allowed herself to take a moment’s pause, gathering herself.
“You can do this. It’s just a talk and necklace exchange.”
“You’re right. I’m just nervous to see her. Last time I saw Rory I was still in love with her.”
“Are you in love with her now?”
“I don’t think so. I mean it’s been months. And this whole thing with the necklace has really pissed me off.”
“Then what’s going on in your mind that’s causing you to worry about your feelings?”
“I guess throughout the end of our relationship I just felt like such an idiot. I was so in love with her that it blinded me to everything else. So, when I think of who I was when we finally broke up, I’m not proud of that person. I feel like I was naive, clinging to someone that clearly wasn’t treating me well.”
“So, you’re not afraid that you’re in love with Rory. You’re afraid that maybe you haven’t learned your lesson. That even after all of this you’ll see her and be drawn in?”
“I guess so.”
“Let me ask you a question. How do you feel about Autumn?”
Quinn felt her face light up. A smile tugged at her mouth, and she couldn’t deny it.
“I love her,” Quinn stated. She’d never felt more sure of anything in her life.
“You’re over Rory. The spell is broken,” Maddison laughed.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because just thinking about her makes your eyes shine differently. You’re over the moon in love with her. You never once had that look on your face with Rory.”
“Thanks, friend. I needed to hear that.”
One of the servers flipped on the open sign. Quinn felt a tangible settling of her nerves. She was in love with Autumn. Rory was in the past. And the sooner she could get her grandmother’s necklace, the sooner Quinn could move on.
“Pour me a drink while we wait,” Madison half-demanded.
Quinn walked to the bar and grabbed two glasses.
