The Christmas Tree Guy (6 page)

“Would you stop? They are fine. Leanne and Charles have them so hopped up on sugar by now that they wouldn’t be able to talk to you in coherent sentences. Relax, okay?”

“You really come here a lot?” Sydnee asked, taking a seat in one of the plush deep purple suede booths to the side of the bar. She sat back to observe the crowd and was silently appreciative the crescent moon shaped booth was somewhat dark and provided a bit of cover. She had to admit the decor was spectacular and she could understand why the place was so popular. It had such a downplayed modern look with the sleek lines of the bar and the contemporary artwork that hung on the walls. The florescent decorative lighting cast off a greenish blue haze, giving the overall lounge a really sexy feel.

“Yes. And I know what you’re thinking. It looks like there are a lot of young people here, but there are a lot of guys our age too.”

“Yeah, they are here to pick up younger women. I wonder if this is where Matt met Cassidy.” Sydnee murmured, surveying the crowd and the various older gentlemen that seemed to be focused only on the younger women in the room. And why wouldn’t they be? The women in the club looked like something out of a magazine. Perfect hair, perfect makeup and perfect perky little young bodies.

“Okay, stop it. We’re not going to waste a wonderful evening thinking about that scumbag and his trollop.”

As the evening continued, they were approached by a few men who offered to buy their drinks and would sit for a while to talk. Sydnee found it interesting they would stay long enough to find out her name, but once she mentioned she had children, they would soon find a reason to excuse themselves and move on to the next woman. She was in no way offended by it at all. She wanted to be honest with any man approaching her that she had children and they came first in her life. She and Sara sat and talked and did their share of people watching, and as the night progressed, Sydnee relaxed. Soon, she excused herself to check her makeup and as she exited the ladies’ room, she looked to her right and noticed a familiar face. The same disarming dimpled face from the tree lot and the elevator at the hospital caught her off guard and she could do nothing but grin. Shyly, she looked away and walked back to her booth.

“Uh oh. What’s that look about?”

“I’m starting to think he really is stalking me.” Sydnee sat down and looked across the room. “This is beginning to get weird. He’s everywhere I go.”

“Who?”

“The Christmas tree guy.” Sydnee answered, using Travis’s description of Quinn.

“He’s here?” Sydnee watched Sara survey the crowd for a chance to catch a glimpse of ‘The Christmas Tree Guy.’ “I’m excited. Now I finally get to meet this little cub and see what he looks like.”

“Stop it. He’s here on a date.” Sydnee was surprisingly nervous, and a little giddy. She couldn’t understand why a complete stranger had this kind of effect on her. Yes, he was handsome, but he was also much too young for her. Why was she constantly thinking about him, and what was going on with running into him everywhere?

“Uh-oh, you snooze, you lose huh? Do I detect a bit of jealousy?”

“No. I told you, he’s younger and he should date females his own age.” Sydnee shook her head, unconsciously wiping the table with her napkin.

“Well, at least you know you having kids wouldn’t run him off like the guys you met earlier tonight.”

“Whatever.”

“I’m just saying.”

###

“So, I was like, how can you be that rude,” McKenzie continued, droning on and on. Somehow Quinn had managed to tune her out as soon as they sat down, and her voice reminded him of the muffled underwater sounds of a motorboat engine. She had talked nonstop from the time he and JJ picked her and Kate up for their double date. Why did he let his cousin get him into these things? McKenzie was beautiful, but she
never
stopped talking. He hadn’t said two words since they sat down and she hadn’t even noticed. He was just about to ask JJ if there was any way they could end the date soon, when he looked up and saw Sydnee cutting through the crowd. Her red satin blouse contrasting with her smooth caramel skin and the black hip hugging skirt made him instantly jealous of the fabric. Lewd and lascivious thoughts ran through his mind at the sight of the ankle wrap black stilettos she wore, accentuating her toned legs. Her sable hair fell straight around her shoulders and he had a sudden urge to splay his fingers through the silky mass. When he looked up, their eyes met and his heart slammed against his chest at the vision of her quickly biting her lower lip before grinning and walking away. His gaze escorted her through the club and back to the table she shared with another woman. Any other girl would’ve noticed him staring, but McKenzie just kept talking.

“Uh, McKenzie, do you want another drink or something?” Quinn interrupted, knowing it was the only way he would get a word in edgewise.

“Oh, no, I’m good.”

“Well, I’ll be right back.” Before she could start up again, Quinn left her to tell JJ and Kate her story. He quickly walked away from the table and headed towards the bar all the while glancing in Sydnee’s direction as he maneuvered through the crowd.

###

“Oh. My. Word. Syd, that’s him isn’t it?” Sydnee followed Sara’s gaze to see a young gorgeous man walking to the bar and she immediately turned away.

“What? Uh, what are you talking about?” Sydnee ducked her head shyly, before taking a deep breath and turning to rest her eyes on the man in question. It was hard for her to resist staring at him and she could tell he knew it by the slick grin plastered on his face. Her face burned and she would have sworn she was going through ‘the change’ by the amount of heat coursing through her body. She quickly turned her attention back to Sara, hoping he would stop boring a hole through her with those unbelievable eyes.

“Oh come on, Syd. That’s him, the guy in the black standing at the bar watching you like a hawk. Good gracious one in heaven, look at those eyes. That’s the Christmas tree guy isn’t it?” Quinn was dressed in a simple black utility shirt with the sleeves rolled up, showing off his muscular arms and a pair of dark denim jeans that fit him perfectly. The stubble on his face was gone and had been replaced with a clean-shaven look, making him appear even younger and yummier than when she first met him. “You didn’t tell me he was that fine.”

Giggling at the silly nickname they dubbed him with, Sydnee released the breath she was holding and glanced back at Quinn, whose intense gaze initiated a parade of chills to high-step across her skin. “That’s him all right.”

“Well, I can say he wasn’t quite what I was expecting. He’s a whole lot hotter. Honey, if you don’t go over there and talk to him, I will. He is magnificent, but he looks familiar.”

“Sara, he’s on a date. Are you crazy?” She paused, looking at her friend.
Please don’t let him be someone Sara dated
. “And what do you mean he looks familiar? Don’t tell me you went out with him before?” It was definitely a possibility. Sara had a tendency to date a lot. Not that she was promiscuous, she just couldn’t seem to make up her mind. She equated dating to fishing and Sydnee thought back to a conversation she had with Sara before.
“Syd, sometimes you have to reel in a few minnows before you pull in the big bass.”

“Puh-lease, if I had dated him, believe me, you would have known about it. Every nasty, sordid detail. Syd, seriously, he’s not on a date he cares anything about.” Sara continued, peering at Quinn. Sydnee could feel his eyes on her as she struggled to divert her attention elsewhere; failing miserably. Nervously, she rubbed her neck and placed her elbow on the table.

“What are you talking about?”

“Look, he was sitting at that table over there before. You can clearly see he’s on a double date. However, he left the table, and he’s staring at you. He has no interest in the girl he was sitting with. If he was interested, he wouldn’t be at the bar making eyes at you.”

“Whatever, Sara, guys do that kind of thing all the time. You do remember who my ex-husband is, right? They may be out with one woman, but they are scoping out another one. And just how do you know he doesn’t care about the date he’s already on?”

“Oh get real, Syd. I’ve been on enough dates to know when I see someone doing someone else a favor.” Sara paused before continuing with her explanation. “The other guy is trying his hardest to get with the girl he’s with and she’s not really interested, but she’s out with him because he probably has money, or something like that. So, he got your boy there to go on a double date because she probably wouldn’t go out with him without having someone to go out with her friend. You know, like the movie
Good Fellas
, and how the girl wouldn’t go out with Tommy unless Henry went out with her girlfriend?”

“You watch too many movies, and you’re crazy.” Sydnee laughed at the explanation Sara gave her. The woman was unbelievable, but her dating tips and tricks were always a great source of entertainment for Sydnee.

“But I’m right. Go over there and talk to him. You know you want to.” Just the thought of going over to Quinn made Sydnee sweat in places she didn’t want to. He was such a beautiful man and the thought of being in close vicinity of him had her heart racing. She knew he looked good and she was pretty sure he was going to smell even better. The scent of his cologne had lived in her nostrils since the day he’d delivered their Christmas tree and she wasn’t sure she could handle another live whiff of it without wanting to inhale his entire being.

“Sara, I-I can’t do that.”

“Yes, you can, but hey, if you won’t go, I will. No sense in letting something like that go to waste.” Sara started to exit the booth before Sydnee spoke up.

“No, don’t. I’ll go, okay. I’ll go.” Slowly, she slid out of the booth, smoothing her skirt and adjusting her blouse before walking over to the bar where Quinn stood. She could feel her heart beating furiously and she swore he could see it thumping through the thin material of her blouse.

“Are you stalking me?” She swallowed hard and shuddered slightly as his voice somehow reached out and gently stroked her skin, making every hair on her neck stand on end.

“I was about to ask you the same thing. How’s the hand?”

Slowly, he turned his hand over to reveal his scar. “See, I knew you cared. It’s healing. How are your little guys? I guess Charlie’s on the mend? It’s Charlie, right?”

“Yes. Thanks for asking. They are great. It’s almost like he never got hurt.”

“Kids are amazing that way. And how are you?” He flashed his million-dollar smile at her and she felt her knees go weak. Standing so close to him, his cologne infiltrated her nose yet again and she leaned against the bar for support.

“I’m okay, and you?”

“Honestly, I can’t let you stand here and put yourself down like that, when clearly you are so much more than okay. And I’m great now that I’m getting the chance to talk to you.”

“You’re quite the charmer you know that? You are also on a date, I see.” Sydnee looked over his broad shoulders at the table where McKenzie was still droning on to JJ and Kate, and he smirked in the same direction before turning back to her.

“Jealous much?” He raised an eyebrow and she breathed deeply, clasping her hands together and tried desperately to keep them from shaking. Why was she so nervous?
I’m a grown woman. Sydnee get it together.

“No. Observant is all.”

“Ah, well, I guess then, you’re observing I can’t keep my eyes off of you and I would much rather spend time with you than go back to that table.”

“Well, that would be rude of you, and somehow, I just don’t see you as a rude kind of person.” She wasn’t sure she was hearing herself right. As much as he was flirting with her, she was flirting back, and it was shocking how easy it was.

“I appreciate that. It’s nice to know you are interested, care about my well-being and are observant.” His eyes sparkled as he teased her and she could barely contain herself.

Raising her eyebrows at him, she smiled and crossed her arms. “Well, you just know everything about me, don’t you?”

“Not everything, but if we go get coffee, then maybe I’ve got a shot at it.”

“Why?”

“Why not?” he challenged as his eyes flashed underneath his dark lashes. “Sydnee, you are very attractive and that’s something that’s very superficial. Anybody who knows me knows I’m not a superficial kind of guy. So, that’s why I want to know more about you.”

“Okay you can quit with the lines,” she laughed.

“No lines. Just fact. I’m telling you the truth about how I feel. So what do you say?” He was so sure of himself. On any other guy it would have been a complete turn-off to Sydnee, but on Quinn it was the sexiest thing imaginable.

Cocking her head to the side, she hesitated and then reached into her purse. She pulled out her business card and slid it to him. “I’m not sure if I should even entertain this, but you’ve been the most persistent man I think I’ve ever met, and I have to admit I’m a little curious. Why don’t you call me when you aren’t on a date?” She wasn’t sure of anything but how intriguing the man standing in front of her truly was.

“Then I could call you right now.” He said, and she watched his delectable lips curve upward, exposing the one dimple she was quickly becoming enamored with and she swallowed hard, trying to maintain some sense of composure.