“Quinn?” Jess’s fake smile was as big and animated as mine now. “What’s going on?”
My voice was warped by the sheer wattage of my grin. “It seems we’ve become the number one target of your buddies.”
“My buddies, you say?” she asked, flashing me that counterfeit smile.
“Yes, the super-duper fun paparazzi.” I raised my arms in the air and did a little jiggy dance, bringing down the roof. “Isn’t that the best news ever, Jess?”
“Wah-hooey-woo!” Noah pumped his fists right along with me.
“Wah-hooey-woo!” I mimicked. “Come on, Jess. Isn’t this sooo fun?”
She laughed, shaking her head. “My god. What have I gotten myself into?”
“Strap in, you lucky lady, you,” I hollered. “You’re going for a ride.”
22
Jess: Play for Me
What happened to my conflict? What happened to protecting Noah at all costs? What happened to my dignity? I’d let Quinn stroll back into my life, and now he basically ruled it. Maybe if he wasn’t so hot. Or so fun. Or so hot. Oh, I already mentioned that one. But it was true. If I’d thought Quinn was female catnip before, he was a hardcore heroin overdose for me now. It was like, Noah who? All I could think when I looked at my child was ‘Is it your bedtime yet?’ Make no mistake, once that kid was tucked away for the night, Quinn would be on his back. Or me on mine. Oh, god! What was I saying?
I needed to beat myself with a Swiffer mop for even thinking about moving this thing with Quinn forward.Noah comes first.Yes, of course he did. Noah. Yep, he was just the best…love the kid… but, okay, just hear me out. What if Quinn stayed? What if we fell madly in love, got married, and popped out a few more McKallisters for his clan? He would then be a permanent fixture in Noah’s life and not just his mom’s ultimate fantasy. Well, then I’d be putting Noah first. What a fabulous mom I’d be. I mean, just look at those two. I smiled to myself as I eavesdropped on their conversation from the kitchen where I was cutting up Noah’s nighttime snack.
“I saw you onNext in Line.”
“Ah, man.” Quinn sighed. “Gotta tell ya, Noah, not my finest moment.”
“Mom said it was the best song she’s ever heard. She plays it a lot.”
“Does she?” He looked my way, but I quickly averted my gaze because of… the eavesdropping and all.
Noah continued with his twenty questions. “Do you play in concerts?”
“Not like full-on concerts yet, but I might have a tour coming up in September. Still trying to figure it all out. But it won’t be an arena tour or anything.”
Quinn’s explanation went straight over Noah’s head, but that didn’t stop his follow-up question. “Why not?”
“Why not? Because I’m still like a baby fish getting eaten by the big fish.”
“When will you be a big fish?”
“That’s a good question. I have to prove myself first.”
“How do you do that?”
“I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”
“When you’re a big fish, are you going to eat the little ones?”
Quinn laughed. “I haven’t decided yet. Probably. Would you?”
“Yeah. Probably,” Noah agreed.
“Why?”
“Because I like to eat fish.”
Quinn dropped back in his chair laughing. “Little dude, I’m not sure if we’re talking about the same thing.”
