* * *
“So what damning information was in that folder anyway?” I asked as Quinn and I strolled hand in hand along the beach walk. We took it slow because, despite his changed attitude, Quinn was still a man recovering.
“It was filled with empty pages.”
I stopped, staring. “What?”
“I was bluffing, Jess. I haven’t been playing poker with my dad since I was two for nothing.”
“Oh, my god. You got so lucky.” I laughed.
“No,wegot so lucky.”
“He’s not going to be a dad to Noah, is he?”
“Probably not much of one. Do you care?”
“No. I’d prefer him out of my life, but Noah loves him so I think we did the right thing by throwing him a bone. I will say, however, it would be nice if he could take over some of the principal’s visits.”
“Uh-oh. Was there another one?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I didn’t want to bother you with it because you were all smelly and sad.”
“So kind of you. What happened?”
“Um, let’s just say Noah aced his science experiment.”
“That’s good. Isn’t it?”
I cringed. “Wellll… not exactly. He brought bags of powdered instant mashed potatoes to school and scattered them all over the grass just before the sprinklers came on. I don’t think I have to tell you what happened next.”
“Oh, shit.” Quinn grinned. “It must have been like Thanksgiving on that lawn.”
“Oh yes, it surely was. And guess who got marched into the principal’s office,again.”
“Hmm… I’m going to go out on a limb here and say you.”
“Ding, ding, ding! Mother of the Year right here, baby!”
Quinn laughed, the raspiness warning me he was out of breath.
“Here,” I said, pointing to a bench. “Let’s take a break.”
We sat and watched the waves roll in. What a difference a day made. This time yesterday, hope had been slowly fading, and now our lungs were filling with fresh ocean air.
“I called Andrea this morning,” he said.
I looked over, again stunned. “My goodness. Where did you find the time?”
“She’s accepted my offer to buy her soon-to-be ex-husband out of Angel Line Tours—in exchange for fifty percent of the company going to you.”
Thank god I was sitting because I probably would have fallen over from hearing that news. “Me? Why?”
“Because this is your family business as much as it’s hers. And this way, she can still partially own… and run… her grandfather’s company. Oh, and as part of the deal, your dad can go back to the workplace he loves—under his daughters’ supervision.”
“Quinn…” I was still too stunned to process everything. “It’s like everything stays the same, but it’s all different. I don’t know what to say. How can I ever thank you?”
“I accept sexual favors.”
