“Who’s he?” Nick asked, tilting his chin toward Ryan.
Quinn inhaled deeply. “Ryan, Nick, my ex. Ryan is a friend. Why are you here?”
“I got fired. I wanna talk.”
“You’re drunk at six in the evening. I don’t need this.”
Nick stumbled past them. He went to the couch and plopped down. “I texted before I
started drinking.”
“You have to go, Nick. I’m on my way out.”
“Aw, come sit with me, Quinn.” He patted the cushion next to him. His eyes were slits,
and his sloppy grin told her he would pass out soon.
“Did you drive here?” She struggled to keep her voice from shaking.
“ ’Course I did.”
“Stupid son of a bitch. Give me the keys.” She held out her hand and swallowed tears.
Nick knew how she felt about drinking and driving. He’d met her father, hadn’t he?
Nick fell over trying to reach into his pocket and laughed.
She shook her head and turned to Ryan. “I’m sorry, but I have to ask for a rain check
for dinner. I can’t let him drive like this.”
“I’ll take him home if you want.”
Quinn assessed his face. He was serious. Why would he offer to take on this mess?
“No, he’s not your problem.”
“He’s not yours either.” He reached out and rubbed his hands up and down her bare
arms.
Before she could respond, a snore sounded behind her. “Unfortunately, since he passed
out on my couch, he is.”
“I’ll stay and help pour him into a cab.”
She shook her head at the offer. “No, you should go. Your evening is still salvageable.
Thank you for a great time.”
“I don’t like this. I don’t trust him.”
“He’s passed out. Even totally sober, he’s mostly harmless.”
“Mostly,” Ryan repeated.
“He spent the majority of our marriage like this. I can handle him. Thanks for the
offer, though.” She didn’t mention that the rest of the time he smelled like other
women’s perfume.
Ryan pulled out his wallet and handed her a card. “Here are my numbers. If you have
any trouble getting rid of him or need anything else, call.”
“Thanks.” She curled the card in her palm, unsure what to do.
“When will I see you again?”
Her heart thumped. “That sounds like this was a date. I thought we’re just friends
hanging out.”
“I guess you’re right.”
About which part? The date or the just friends?
She wanted to ask but feared the answer. She didn’t know which she wanted it to be.
“I might stop by after work on Friday. Maybe I’ll see you then.”
Quinn locked up after Ryan walked out, kicked off her sandals, and walked to the kitchen
to make coffee. She needed to sober Nick up and make sure this didn’t happen again.
She wanted to start fresh this summer and she couldn’t afford to have Nick get in
her way.
The list glared at her from its post on the fridge. She grabbed a pen and placed a
small check next to the first item. Seven more to go. Below her list, a photo caught
her eye. It was a postcard of Buckingham Fountain lit up in colors at night.
Where did this come from?
She turned it over. A simple message read,
“One down.—Ryan.”
Quinn sat at her desk reading a note from the substitute. Nothing dramatic had happened
in her absence. Her mind wandered back to her free day in the sun. With Ryan. She
hadn’t thought about school or her students all day. A small pang of guilt blipped
in her chest.
It was only one day. Get over it. They were fine without me. And walking through the
city on a quiet Monday felt fabulous
.
“That’s a heck of a smile.”
Brian’s voice startled her and she clumsily dropped the papers in her hand. “Hey,
Brian.”
“You received a delivery. I was in the office and offered to bring them up.” From
around the corner he produced a vase full of daisies, dyed in a rainbow of colors.
“Who sent me flowers?”
He set the vase on her desk and handed her the card stuck to a plastic stem.
She read the card aloud,
“Heard you called in sick yesterday. Hope you’re feeling better. Ryan.”
She leaned over and sniffed the flowers.
“Ryan. As in O’Leary’s?” Brian prodded.
“Yes,” she answered, touching the petals of a pink daisy.
“Sounds like a story dying to be told.”
“Not so much. He hung out with me yesterday. It was fun.”
“Which explains the happy glow. I’m glad you took the day.”
“So am I.” To her surprise, she meant it. The bell rang, forcing Brian into the chaos
of the hall.
Quinn moved the vase to the bookcase by the window. She wondered how Ryan knew she
loved daisies. Teens buzzed into the room and questioned her absence. Thoughts of
Ryan and her list were pushed aside.
It wasn’t until on her way home after school that Quinn realized she didn’t have her
phone. Ryan hadn’t given it back to her yesterday. Her brain was clouded from a long
night of futilely trying to wake Nick.
She should head to O’Leary’s to get her phone, but she was tired. If Ryan wasn’t there,
it would be a wasted trip. She had his card at home. She’d call and make arrangements
to pick it up later.
As she rounded the corner of her building, she saw Nick leaning near the door.
God, I don’t need more of this
.
He straightened as she neared. He didn’t look as bad as she felt, and he’d been drunk.
Life wasn’t fair.
“Hi, Quinn.”
“What do you want?”
He stepped closer. “I want to apologize for last night.”
“Fine. Accepted. Good-bye.” She tried to move around him and caught the scent of his
cologne clashing with the stench of stale whiskey. The all-too-familiar mix assaulted
her.
He grabbed her arm. “I am sorry. I was pissed about being fired and I didn’t want
to be alone.”
“You’ve never lacked company.” She wished she’d kept her mouth shut, but old hurts
still burned.
“I wanted to hang out with you. I’ve missed that. But you didn’t answer my text.”
“I was busy.” She forced a calming breath into her lungs.
“Yeah, I saw. Sorry I ruined your date.”
“Ryan is a friend, which is none of your business. You did, however, ruin our dinner
plans.” She tugged her arm free from his grasp.
He leaned back against the building with a smirk. “You may not think it was a date,
but it was to him.”
Her eyes rolled as a sigh escaped. “You don’t know anything about us.”
“No, babe, you’re the one who doesn’t know. A man doesn’t step up to fight unless
he’s protecting his territory.”
“You would think so. Good-bye, Nick.”
“See ya later.”
She put her key in the door and mulled over Nick’s words. Sure, Ryan was attracted
to her, but it had been his idea to be friends. Did she misread his signals? It’s
not like it would be a first. Getting involved with Ryan would be like setting up
a train wreck. She was supposed to be looking for a summer romance. Someone who would
be gone at the end of the summer, before she had a chance to ruin it. Ryan didn’t
fit the bill. At least she didn’t want him to. She liked whatever they had going on
and didn’t want to see it end.
Outside Quinn’s loft, Ryan waited. She was home. Her car was parked in its usual spot
behind the building. As he raised his finger to ring again, Quinn’s irritated voice
crackled out of the speaker.
“What do you want now?”
He glanced quickly around looking for a camera he hadn’t noticed. None. She didn’t
know it was him. “To return your phone.”
“Oh.” The slight syllable was followed by a buzz releasing the lock.
Ryan grinned as he imagined Quinn covering her face when she realized she snapped
at him instead of whoever she thought he was. She left the door open for him, but
he didn’t see her. “Quinn?”
“Up here. I’ll be down in a minute.”
He sat on the couch.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
played on the TV. True to her word, Quinn bounded down the steps and turned into
the kitchen.
“Hey. Thanks for the flowers. They’re beautiful.”
He looked around but didn’t see the flowers.
“I left them in my classroom. They brighten the institutional atmosphere. What made
you pick daisies? They’re my favorite.”
He quickly debated if he should reveal his source and decided against lying. “I asked
Indy.”
“Oh.” She paused as she rattled around the kitchen, putting something on the stove.
“And here I thought you were an incredibly good guesser.”
“Sorry to disappoint.”
She entered the living room and plopped on the couch near him. She was definitely
warming up to him. The worn-thin T-shirt and shorts were far from her teacher clothes.
Stretching her legs out, she rested her bare feet on the coffee table.
“Unexpected flowers are never a disappointment.” Her smile was warm and genuine.
“Who did you think I was?”
“Huh?” Her eyes squinted and crinkled at the corners with the question.
“At the door. You sounded pissed.”
“Sorry. I thought you were Nick. He was outside when I got home.” She leaned back
and a frown tugged the corners of her mouth.
“What did he want?” He didn’t like that her ex found it acceptable to show up unannounced.
“To apologize for last night.” She crossed her arms and stared at the TV.
“When did you finally get him out of here?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t.”
“What do you mean?” He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.
“I tried for hours. Every time I thought I roused him enough, he’d flop back down.
I gave up by midnight.”
She still wouldn’t look at him. She was hiding something.
“Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve come back.” He scooted closer to get her attention.
“It wasn’t your problem.”
Ryan touched her shoulder, drawing her eyes up. “Did he do something to you?”
“No.” She followed her answer with a shake of her head.
He felt the familiar niggle of fear clawing below his anger. Before he pressed the
issue, a kettle whistled in the kitchen.
“I’m getting tea. Do you want some?”
“No, thanks.” He followed her and leaned against the counter while she made her tea.
“He did something to upset you.”
“He irritated me by crawling into my bed.” Her back was to him while she dunked her
tea bag.
Ryan moved without thinking. He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. “What happened?”
His fingers tightened involuntarily and her eyebrows drew together.
“None of your damn business.”
“Oh.” He released her and stepped back. “It’s like that.”
“No, you don’t,” she fired at him. “Don’t you dare toss a judgmental look my way.
Every time I’m at the bar, I see women sliding all over you. I don’t judge you.”
“I don’t fuck every woman I meet.”
“And I didn’t screw Nick. He slept in my bed. I didn’t even realize he was there until
I woke up for work.” She turned toward the living room and added, “Not that you have
any right to question what happens in my bedroom.”
She had him there. He’d agreed to be friends. She didn’t know he planned on having
more. Would he have had the same reaction if it had been another woman? He thought
of his sister, and decided, yes, he would. He followed her back to the couch.
“Look, I thought maybe it wasn’t consensual. You have the right to sleep with whomever
you want.” His stomach burned saying it. He wasn’t all right with the idea.
She sipped her tea. “I know I do, but thanks for your permission.”
“You don’t need to get bitchy. I came here to drop off your phone. Here.” He pulled
it from his pocket and tossed it at the couch.
“Thank you.” She curled both hands around her mug and sighed. “I don’t want to fight
with you. I’m sorry. It was nice of you to send me flowers today. Have a seat. Things
with Nick are complicated.”
“How? You’re divorced, right?”
“We’ve always been friendly. He shows up now and again to check on me. He came by
a few weeks ago because he got some woman pregnant. He needed a friend to talk to.”
She looked sad when she talked about Nick. Was she still hung up on him?