The Last Thing (19 page)

“This is too much for me. We need to slow down. I’m not
saying I don’t want to be with you, but I need some time to sort out my
feelings. No more sex either. Can we possibly hang around the house today? Just
relax and lay in bed?” 

I didn’t want to look at houses with him.

His face crinkled up in a sexy smile, even though he must
have been disappointed.  “Sure, Quinn. Take all the time you need.”

Chase

After opening the passenger side door, I stepped back so
Quinn could enjoy the stunning view of the boardwalk. Sounds of the crowd and
music floated through the air.  The two of us were going to spend the entire
day getting to know each other.

“I can’t believe you’ve never been to Venice Beach!” I
exclaimed. She pulled a pair of dark sunglasses down over her eyes and
shrugged.

“I never cared to do the whole tourist thing. I was here for
different reasons.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun in the process. “

“And you’re sure no one will recognize you?”

“Positive.” One finger went up to point at my dark colored
sunglasses.

I tugged at her hand to lead her to the boardwalk but her
feet stayed planted firmly to the ground.

“I don’t think I can do this,” she said in a panicked voice.
She had issues with crowds, but that was the whole reason I suggested we spend
the day at the beach.  For her to get over her anxiety, I wanted her to
experience all California had to offer.

“Come on, you don’t need to feel ashamed if you’re having
fun. This is my last day in town, and I want to spend it with you…here.”

My hands cupped her chin gently before leaning in and placing
a kiss on her lips.

 So soft. So sweet.

“Trust me,” I told her. “You’ll have lots of fun. Forget
about everything that worries you. This is one of my favorite places to surf in
Cali.”

She boldly took a few steps forward, each step bringing her
closer to me.

That’s it. Soon you’ll be okay. I can do this. I can help her
get better.

Within a few minutes, we were strolling among the crowd. The
energy of the street performers leaked onto everyone who passed them. People
clapped along with the drums and dancers. I snuck a peek at Quinn; sure enough,
she had a smile on her face.  I pulled her into a group of people, huddled
around a man playing a keyboard. The song’s tempo was fast and upbeat and when
it was over, I threw a few dollars into the tip jar.

“Are you okay?” It worried me that her breathing was heavy,
but she assured me with a smile.

“This is breathtaking. I can’t believe people play right here
on the beach.”

“What part of the world are you from again?” I teased.

“Tennessee. We didn’t even have a mall where I grew up, much
less anything like this.”

We walked away from the musician and admired a few jewelry
vendors. I wanted to buy her something, but she wouldn’t accept it. She wouldn’t
depend on me for anything. Her independence was a wonderful trait, but I wanted
to take care of her. I only wished she’d let me. I pulled her towards a small
corner building.

“Let’s go in here.”

She nodded as we ducked through the beaded curtain and into a
dimly lit room. Candles flickered from all around, and  it stunk of strawberry
incense.

“Hello?” I called out.  A woman in gypsy attire entered from
the back room. She waved her hands in the air, making dozens of gold bangles on
her wrists jingle. Even under all that makeup, I could tell she wasn’t much
older than me.

“Who do we have here?”

“I’m Chase, and this is Quinn. We’re hoping you could help us
out.”

Quinn squeezed my hand tightly in excitement.

“Oh, yes. I’ve been expecting you. Right this way!” she said
in an noticeably fake foreign accent. She motioned toward a small wooden table.

Quinn leaned in close. “What are we doing here?

“It’s just for fun. Relax.”

 Barrett had told me about this gypsy and how he swore by her
fortunes. I didn’t believe in this type of stuff, and I doubted Quinn did, but
I wanted her to have some relaxing fun.

The woman sat down in front of us and waved her hands over a
deck of cards. “I am Madam Drina. Something brings you here? Yes, you wish to
see your child’s future?”

Quinn placed her hands over her small bump and shook her
head.

 “How
about a tarot card reading?” I asked.

Quinn
shrugged. “Sure.”

Madame
Drina’s red lips widened, and she picked up a deck of cards. She handed them to
me to shuffle and cut. The cards felt old and worn in my hands. When I handed
them back to her, she began to lay each one out on the table. She held out a
card with a picture of an upside down man on it.

“This
is…The Hanged Man... in time you will have a decision to make, something to
give up? Self-sacrifice? Not to worry. Not to worry. Everything will turn out
okay.”

That
was pretty vague. Everyone had to make decisions.

 “What
about me?” Quinn piped up. Madame Drina handed her the same cards to shuffle
and laid them out again. She studied the card for a moment.

“Oh,
you have The Star.  You’ll have a period of fortune and good luck. If you are
considering any changes, go for it.”

Quinn
caught my eye and gave me a small smile.

“What
about love?” she asked.

“Ah.
Love….yes. I see your future with a… light-haired man. That’s all I see.”

My
smile disappeared, while Quinn began laughing.

“Light-haired?
Really?” I leaned forward and glared at Madame Drina.

“I
only see what I see. I do not control the future.”

Quinn
continued to laugh which made me even more mad.

“Thank
you, Madame Drina.” I stood up sharply and pulled out my wallet to pay her.

 “Follow
me,” I whispered to Quinn as we walked out.

“Again?”
she exclaimed.

She followed beside me past small venues and the skate park
to a quieter part of the boardwalk.  We left the crowd behind us and continued toward
Barrett’s beachfront condo. Barrett never stayed there, but he’d given me a key
in case I ever wanted to stop by after surfing.

Shit. I’ve taken too many girls both here and to Barrett’s
place…It doesn’t matter. Quinn is different.

“Where are you taking me?”

“You’ll see.”

“That fortune teller was a little odd. I can’t wait to meet
my light-haired lover.”

I mumbled under my breath. “Shut-up.” 

“Oh come on. I have no blond male lover.”

I pointed to the water as we neared the secluded strip in
front of the beach house. “We’re gonna hang out here.”

 “I don’t want to go down there.”

“It’s fun. Come on. We can get changed inside.” I pointed
toward the house. 

She struggled against me, but I needed to show her that she’d
be safe with me.

“I don’t like…the water.”

“You take a bath. It’s the same thing.”

“No. That’s completely different.”

“Please?” I pulled my shirt up over my head. She placed her
hands in front of her body protectively. Her long sundress flowed in the wind.

“Fine, but I’m not getting in the water.”

“Let’s relax and have fun. I promise nothing will hurt you.” 
Taking the key out of my pocket, I jogged up towards the back door of Barrett’s
home. When I made it to the top of the stairs, I held the door open. Quinn was
only a few moments behind me.  I gave her a grand hand gesture as if to say
‘after you’.  She walked in with a smile, and I shut the door behind us.

“Oh my goodness. Is this your place?” she asked me. Her eyes
traveled around in amazement as her bag dropped on the mahogany floor.

“No. This is one of Barrett’s many homes. He gave me a key. I
think it used to belong to his parents or something. He spends a lot of time
here, surfing.”

Her nostrils flared at the sound of Barrett’s name. A small
chuckle escaped from between my lips.

“Don’t like Barrett?”

“How can you stand the guy? He’s obnoxious and rude. Plus he
treats Ginger like garbage.”

“I don’t know. He was always fun to go out with. We aren’t
best buds or anything. He’s kinda closed up. Never gets personal. I’ve known
him for almost a year, but know nothing about him. Anyway, he keeps a few
swimsuits in the bedroom. Go change and we can go out to the water.”

I said it so nonchalantly that I thought she’d comply.
Instead, she shrieked.

“Are you kidding me? I can’t wear a swimsuit!”

“Why not?”

She pushed her dress tightly against her abdomen. Her small
bump was a little more obvious now. I could hardly see it underneath all that
fabric.

“So? No one can tell.”

“Uh, no one can tell now, but you just wait until I’m in one
of those skimpy things Ginger calls a suit.”

“They aren’t Ginger’s suits. Barrett keeps them for company.”

“That’s gross. So this is his cheating house then?”

“I don’t know who he keeps them for, but they are new.”

“Does Ginger know about this place?”

“Yes. “ I told her. In reality, I had no idea. Probably not.
There was a lot he kept from Ginger. I wasn’t sure why.

“She puts up with it?”

“Just put one on,” I snapped. I didn’t want to fight about
Ginger and Barrett. They had issues and everyone knew it, but it wasn’t any of
our business. She was sure to look spectacular in anything. She stomped back to
the bedroom, and while I waited, I packed a cooler with some bottled waters and
snacks. Healthy snacks. I knew she was eating for two, but she needed to eat
something besides gummy worms. We would hang out on the beach for a few hours
before I took her to back to the boardwalk for a pop-up art gallery.

Quinn came out in a black bikini. She self-consciously put
her hands in front of her body and tugged at the fabric.

“It’s a little tight.”

  She was right. I could definitely see the baby bump now. It
was obvious. Very obvious.

My hand went out to her hard stomach.

“You look beautiful,” I told her. I leaned in to place a kiss
on her collarbone.

“Are you sure that there are no photographers out?”

“Positive.”

“When I was with Ginger they came out of nowhere.”

“They huddle around stores and nightclubs. The storeowner
must have tipped someone off. This is private property.”

“Okay…”

Seeing her bare stomach made everything feel a bit more real.
In a few months, I would be a father. Everything would be vividly different.

“Have you thought about names?”

She crossed her arms in front of her body. “No. I didn’t want
to think about names until I found out what we were having.”

“When will that be?”

“Next month.”

“My mom is going to have a heart attack when she finds out.”

“Mine as well…” she mumbled. We made our way outside to the
beach chairs and sat down.

“You haven’t told your parents?”

“I’ve only talked to my mom once since I moved here. My
father hasn’t been in touch at all. Besides giving me grief and telling me how
disappointed they are, I’m not sure they would even care.”

“I’m sorry.” I wasn’t sure what to say.

“Don’t be. I’m not. They don’t care much for me anyway.”

That was ridiculous. My mom had always been there for me,
supporting me in whatever I did. Where were her parents now? Surely, they had
to care.

“Now come on, I doubt they hate you.”

“Hate is a strong word….blame would be more like it.”

I knew that she felt responsible for her parent’s divorce but
certainly, there had to have been issues before the accident. I made pfsh sound
with my lips.

“Stop being so dramatic, Quinn. Let’s have some fun.”

“I can’t do fun.”

She needed to keep her mind off the negative things.

“Stress isn’t good for the baby, Quinn. I really wish you
would let me help take some of your stress away.”

“How do you know that?” She cocked her head to the side in interest.

“I found an app on my phone, of course!”

She shook her head. “Of course.”

At least her mood lightened.

 “This is a digital app all about pregnancy. It gives me an
update about the baby every morning. It’s growth and things like that.” I
lifted my phone up and turned on the app to show her. “Look, dear. Fifteen
weeks, right? The baby is four inches long and it says you should be noticing
signs of movement.”