Someone clamped on to Quinton’s left bicep and dug in. He turned, ready to shake off the lobster, only to find a beautiful blonde woman smiling sweetly—as if she didn’t know she was separating his muscle from the bone.
“I think they have the right idea,” she purred.
Something in her voice triggered a memory. A late-night party when he’d been mistaken for Tito. “Tiffany?”
She trilled a laugh that grated down his spine. “Who else?”
Who else indeed. He glanced around. “Where’s Tito?”
A cloud of annoyance passed over her face. “He’s old news.”
“But you were pregnant with his baby.” Too late, Quinton realized he should have run that through his filter—and then tossed it out of his head instead of letting it tumble out of his mouth like a pile of garbage.
“A misunderstanding.”
This time, he was able to keep hishow is a baby a misunderstanding?exclamation to himself. He would have liked clarification on that statement, though. Was the misunderstanding who the baby’s father was, or was it the fact that there wasn’t a baby? He couldn’t come up with anything to say that his filter—thankfully on high alert—would allow into the conversation.
Tiffany lay against him as if he were a vertical Vispring St. James King Mattress from Bloomingdale’s. “Tito wasn’t the one for me. To tell you the truth …” She dropped her eyes, letting her unnaturally thick lashes brush her cheeks for a moment. “I always had a crush on you.”
“Uh …” Filter alert. Filter alert. Nothing he thought could get past his brain. He glanced around for the nearest exit and prayed for divine intervention. Judging by her assertiveness, it would take the hand of God to pry this woman off of him, and he was too much of a gentleman to embarrass her in front of her former classmates. He’d have to smile through the dance and then fake an excuse to leave.
Except he couldn’t leave, not until he found Ginny.
Chapter Five
Ginny
The wood flooring, temporarily laid over the concrete, added a touch of class and a dash of elegance to the greenhouse. The stunning glass sculptures overhead were lit up with soft lights, making Ginny feel like she was underwater, observing the beauty. Unlike being underwater, there were sounds interrupting her peaceful observation of Quinton as he danced with a rather possessive partner.
Quinn cut a nice figure in his expensive suit. His body had filled out. Not in the same way as the frat guys a few tables over. They had beer bellies and barrel chests. Quinton was trim, with broad shoulders and a slim waist. Not bad for a computer geek. In fact, he didn’t look like a computer geek at all. He looked like the type of guy who went hiking in Peru or paddle boarding around icebergs in the Arctic. It was the type of body that could make her dreams come true.
Wait … that didn’t sound right. Quinton was herfriend, her best friend. The one she used for the best friend security questions. It didn’t matter that they hadn’t spoken in ten years—the connection was still there.
At least, it was there on her end. She took a steadying breath. At some point she would need to walk over there and see if he still thought of her in the same vein.
“Hey.” Jessica, her roommate for junior and senior year, handed her a squat glass of water. “Wanna take bets on which of them has a keg in his trunk?” She tipped her head towards the set of tables that were steadily growing rowdier. Jeff and Mel were tossing quarters into a cup and taking shots when they missed.
“Aren’t we a bit old for drinking games?” Ginny turned her back so they wouldn’t notice her. She’d run with that crowd for a while, until she found Quinton and his brother Ben. Ben graduated, and then it was just Quinton.
Jessica was one of the few people Ginny had kept in touch with. They talked at least once a month, and Ginny had sent a wedding gift from Japan and two baby layettes from Italy as Jessica’s family grew. Her husband was back in California with the kids, giving Jessica a much-needed break and a chance to catch up with her roommate in person.
“You look stunning, by the way.” Ginny pointed to Jessica’s aqua gown.
Jessica made a face and pressed her hand to her belly. “I look like I’ve had two babies.”
“Exactly—stunning.” She lifted her glass in salute. “You created two whole people. That’s an accomplishment.”
“Don’t give me too much credit. One of them isn’t potty trained yet,” Jessica joked.
Ginny laughed lightly. One day she’d get there, have a couple kids of her own, stress about things like potty training and homework assignments. It sounded heavenly. Especially the way Jessica did it—with the man of her dreams at her side.
While Ginny was dreaming of babies and falling in love, Jessica’s attention had gone back to the dance floor. Shetsked. “Some things never change.”
Ginny followed her gaze to Quinton. “What do you mean?” He wasn’t ever fast with the ladies, and he never made a scene, if that’s what she was thinking. Still, men change. Maybe Jessica knew something she didn’t about Quinton.
“Tiffany over there manhandling Quinton.”
Ginny’s jaw dropped. “That’sTiffany?” She snapped her lips closed and took a closer look. Quinn’s back was to them, so it was hard to see the woman on the other side. They weren’t spinning in slow circles, just sort of swaying as she groped him.
