If I wasn’t so good at schooling my emotions, my mouth wouldhave dropped in shock. Was this really Quinn, being . . . nice? What actual hell was I in?
“Nah,” Ash spoke up as he looked at her. “You’re just a bitch.”
“Will you all quit it?” Jett looked at us all. “Fuck me, we all agreed to come to this, can we all remember we’re not fucking animals and be civil. I’d actually like to enjoy my food when it comes.”
The table fell into another silence, but thankfully, my brother stopped groping his girlfriend long enough for the silence to be at least comfortable. I watched Ava out of the corner of my eye. She shifted in her seat as her hand tugged her hair. She looked at Quinn, she looked at Ash, and then her eyes met mine. Very slightly, I shook my head, the message clear:don’t ask. And I didn’t lift my stare until she dropped her head in acknowledgment.
“What did you think of Atticus Dawn?” Ava asked Quinn, and I tuned them out as they spoke about music.
When the food finally arrived, Ash and I attacked ours like the starving men we were. I heard Quinn sigh, and I ignored her silent reprimand about the speed with which I ate my food. Mushroom ravioli in a garlic and herb sauce, with a side of roast chicken displayed artfully across the top. The portion size was lacking.
When we were finished, we watched Ava and Quinn take forever as they made small talk and ate their lasagna at a rate that made snails look speedy. In this, we all agreed, as I noticed Jett was also finished and his fork was idly twirling in his hand. He looked ready to dig into Ava’s plate at the merest hint that he could.
“Is that it?” Ash asked me as he looked at both our plates. “We got food at home?”
“Yeah, we’ll sub out some of what we were supposed to eat tonight for this and fill up on the rest,” I said to him quietly.
“Thank fuck.” My cousin tilted his head back to look at the ceiling as I waited patiently for the girls to finish their food.
Eventually, they put their forks down. Jett finished Ava’s, andQuinn wordlessly handed her plate to Ash, who finished her food in two bites.
“We done?” I asked impatiently as I felt tiredness roll over me.
“Yeah—”
“Ash, let’s go.” I got out of the booth quickly, my cousin eagerly following behind me. “See you later.” We left without a backward glance. Outside, we exchanged a look and headed to my car.
“He’s gonna be pissed.”
“Yeah? Or maybe he’s justhangry.”
Ash’s laughter was infectious, and grinning, we headed home to eat some actual food.
Chapter 8: Quinn
I swam my laps, enjoying the rhythmic motion of the water as my body sliced through it. Swimming always soothed me, which, considering how I was introduced to the water, should surprise me. However, I think it was the fact that all three of them had, at that time, made me feel safe and secure, so much so that swimming had become a regular exercise for me. I ran every morning and, four times a week, I did my laps.
My hand touched the poolside, and I lifted my head out of the water. Hard blue eyes stared into mine, and I jerked back in surprise.
“Gray?” Looking around, I realized there was only one other person in the pool, and I was, as they say, shit out of luck. He was crouched down at the poolside, like he was ready to pounce.
“We need to talk.”
“About?”
“Queeny, why you being awkward?” His head tilted to the side as he baited me. “You know as well as anyone that your stunt last night was a delaying tactic. It doesn’t wash with me, and it won’t wash with Jett either. He’s determined. You know what he’s like when he decides something.”
Placing my goggles on top of my swimming cap, I stared up at him as I treaded water. “What if I say no?”
“Do you think it’s an option?”
“What about it all being my choice?”
“I’m on your side in this,” he told me quietly. “You seem to forget that.”
“You make it easy to forget when you’re a massive dick all the time,” I snapped back. This whole thing with him looking down on me like this was pissing me off. “Ambushing me in the pool is acheap shot, Gray.” Placing my hands on the tile, I pushed myself up. Strong hands took hold of my upper arms, and effortlessly he lifted me out of the water. Without breaking eye contact, Gray handed me my towel before he dropped my flip-flops beside me.
“How long do you need?”
