The Talk of the Town

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Because he had no good reason to get out of it, Quinton attended the special Business Guild luncheon on Sunday afternoon. The point of the meeting was to give Khris and his crew from Travel Magazine one grand goodbye after they finished their official review on Friday. Quinton could have skipped the entire thing, but the school district asked him to be there. That and Halle had agreed to back him up if Khris tried to get slick.

The memory of that offer had made him smile. He liked her being willing to defend him, even if he didn’t need it. He’d made his thoughts clear to Khris earlier that week. He and Halle didn’t arrive together. The town gossips had moved on from the startling discovery of him being Shania’s dad once the magazine reps had come to town, but arriving together would get things started again now that there wasn’t a need to put their best foot forward.

The farewell luncheon was at Tracey’s Get Fresh Inn. It was a sunny day with mild weather that was perfect to enjoy the grounds and the nearby pond. Picnic tables were set up on the lawn where she hosted weddings. Her cook, Shirley, had brought in all the help to prepare a Southern Sunday dinner complete with fried chicken, mac and cheese, cornbread and all the fixin’s.

He walked onto the lawn and immediately spotted Brian on the edge of the crowd. He made his way to his friend.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Quinton said.

Brian clapped hands with Quinton before looking back at the gathering crowd. “Tracey is loaning out some of the shrubs from my nursery for the event. I want to make sure everything looks good.”

“You’re caught up in the best-small-town thing, too, huh?” Quinton asked.

Brian gave a lopsided grin and shrugged. “Hey, if my nursery even gets a mention in this article, I’ll take it. I’ve got some people from Augusta coming here to buy from me, but if I can get people from other areas to visit my nursery, too, I’m not going to complain.”

“I hear that. Tracey loans from you a lot?”

Brian nodded then frowned. “For her big events. I gave her a deal, but she talked me down even more. That woman is stubborn as hell.”

Quinton chuckled. “You’ve got to be stubborn sometimes to start your own business. You know that.”

He shook his head. “Yeah, but she’s stubborn about the wrong things.” His scowl deepened before he nodded toward the crowd. “Her husband is here.”

Quinton looked in the direction Brian indicated. He recognized the guy from around town but didn’t know Bernard well. “I don’t ever see him a lot.”

“Because he’s always running around in Augusta. That guy is trifling as hell.”

Quinton looked at Brian. “That’s Tracey’s problem. Not yours.”

Brian sighed and nodded. “I know. Still, I knew Tracey in high school. I don’t like seeing him treat her like that.”

“Still, not your place. Don’t get involved in other people’s relationships. Never ends well.”

“You right. Don’t mean I have to like the mutherfucker.”

Quinton chuckled. “I agree with that.” His eyes scanned the crowd and landed on Halle. Damn, she looked good in a dark orange sweater dress that clung to her curves. All he wanted to do was peel the damn thing off her and get lost in her body.

“I’m going to ignore what you just said and get all up in your relationship. What’s really going on with you and Halle?”

Quinton blinked and looked back at his friend. “Huh?”

Brian shook his head. “That huh and look on your face tells me all I need to know. You hit.”

“None of your business,” Quinton said firmly. He and Halle had made headway in their relationship. They were able to talk through most of their disagreements, but he wasn’t ready to let a lot of people in on what he was building with her.

Brain nodded. “You hit.” He raised a hand when Quinton glared. “You know me. I’m not going to tell no one your business. I guess you made up your mind to go for it.”

“I did.” No need to deny that much. Brian knew how he felt about Halle. “I think she’s coming closer to making up her mind. She’s worried about Shania. I am, too. Do you really think she’ll be upset if we get together?”

Brain shrugged. “The hell if I know. I’m not an expert on teenage girls by any means. I’d think she’d want her parents together, but kids these days are different. Either way, you’ll figure it out.”

“We’ve got to.” Because Quinton didn’t have any plans to let her go.

They made their way from the edge of the crowd and joined the others settling in around the tables. The mayor and her sister, Mattie, sat next to Dr. Watts and Cheryl Green from the booster club. He was going to avoid that table. No need to hang out with co-workers outside of work. Bookshop owners Patricia and Van sat with Jackson Bowman, who’d opened an art gallery on Main Street, and Carolyn Jones, who owned Sweet Treats bakery. He waved at Joanne Wilson and her boyfriend Khalil, Tracey’s younger brother. All in all, most of the business owners in the town were there, including Robin Baker, the owner/editor of the Peachtree Cove Gazette. He was sure she’d find a way to find some scandal in what had been an otherwise good week with the editors in town.

Quinton met Khris’s gaze and didn’t feel the rolling sickness in his stomach anymore. He’d said what he needed to say. Doing that had allowed him finally to close the door on that connection. Khris was an asshole who’d tried to ruin his life, but he hadn’t succeeded. Quinton’s life was doing just fine. He wouldn’t give Khris another thought once this day ended.

The luncheon started and Quinton slid into a chair next to Halle before someone else could snag it. He didn’t care if others noticed his eagerness to be next to her. He wasn’t ashamed, and if anyone asked then he’d say it was so they could talk about Shania.

The mayor stood and waved her hands for everyone to quiet down. “Before we get started,” Miriam said, “I just want to thank everyone for joining us today for this farewell luncheon with our guests from Travel Magazine. We appreciate you considering Peachtree Cove as one of the best small towns. No matter what your choice is, I hope you walk away feeling our sincere hospitality and gratitude to have any recognition of our town. Turning Peachtree Cove around wasn’t just an effort on my part, but of many of the people you see sitting around this table. Our citizens are what makes us great, and as your mayor, please know that I appreciate everything that you all do for Peachtree Cove.”

A round of applause came from the crowd. The pastor of Mount Grove A.M.E. church stood to give the blessing. Once everyone started eating and conversation flowed, Quinton leaned into Halle.

“Can I see you tonight?”

Halle glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “See me to what?”

He suppressed a grin before saying in a low voice that wouldn’t carry, “I’d like to see you doing what you did the other night on the phone.”

She glanced around before straightening her shoulders. “Oh really?” She used her principal’s voice, but he noticed the twist of her full lips.

“Wouldn’t you like to get an up-close and personal view of my talents as well?”

She turned and met his eye. “I think I’d like that.”

His stomach clenched as desire rushed to his groin. This woman did wild things to him. “So, can I see you tonight?”

“Luckily, Shania is at her cousin’s house. They plan to have a sleepover and then go to school tomorrow.”

“A sleepover on a Sunday?”

She nodded and sighed. “She’s still upset about the sneakers. I’d rather her hang out at Kayla’s where I know what she’s up to than watch her sulk around the house.”

“We can give her back the sneakers,” Quinton said.

“Not while she’s in the middle of a pity party. She understands why I took them. She just wants to be upset. She can get the shoes at Christmas like I planned.”

Quinton leaned back. “You still want to wait until Christmas?”

She nodded. “I do.”

“I’m sorry my parents got them before you could.”

She shook her head and looked away. “We talked about it. It’s no big deal.”

He had a feeling it was a big deal. He understood even more so why she was so upset about the gift. “You’re still calling the shots on this. We’re not trying to take over.”

“I know that.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s just going to take a while for the independent side of me to accept that I have help with Shania.”

“You’re accepting our help?”

She lifted her glass of tea. “Maybe just a little.”

The small admission made his chest swell. He’d hoped she wouldn’t pull back after admitting they were becoming a family and she hadn’t. He hadn’t been this happy in a long damn time.

Someone across the table called his name and asked about his thoughts on the upcoming game with Peach Ridge High. Quinton suppressed his frustration with once again being asked about the non-division school. He’d much rather focus on the fact that they were four and one in their division versus the petty rivalry. But Quinton pasted on a smile and joined the conversation.

The luncheon ended after another round of speeches and thanks from the various members of the Business Guild. Khris stood and thanked the town for the hospitality the town had shown to him and his colleagues. Quinton slid his shades on to hide his eye roll. There was nothing slightly appreciative or humble about Khris.

He leaned to Halle after the back patting and congratulations were done. “Your place at six or seven?”

Her eyes met his and the eagerness there made him want to pull her in and kiss her regardless of who watched. “Six and don’t be late.”

“Oh believe me, I won’t.” He quickly got up and tried to escape. Several people stopped him for conversation, but finally Quinton made it to the front of the bed-and-breakfast.

“Quinton! Hold up.”

Quinton turned at the sound of his name then immediately wished he’d kept going. “I thought we were done, Khris.”

Khris jogged the last few steps toward him. “I know you don’t want to talk to me.”

“No, I don’t.”

Khris’s fake smile was gone, and a serious expression covered his face. “But we need to.”

“There’s nothing left for us to say.”

Khris lifted a brow. “Talk to your parents and get the whole story.”

That stopped Quinton. He was glad his shades might hide some of the surprise he felt. “What whole story?”

Khris’s smirk returned, but even though he typically looked self-satisfied whenever he’d given Quinton that smirk as a kid, today he looked like he was annoyed to have to deal with this. “Talk to them, then call me.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Khris took a few steps back. “I’ll wait for your call.” He turned and hurried back to the crowd breaking up.

Quinton frowned, watching him. Annoyed that he was once again playing games. There was no story to tell. Khris was an asshole who’d tormented him his entire childhood. No way was he going to fall for his games now.

He walked toward the line of cars where he’d parked his truck. Noticed a couple and stopped in his tracks. “What the hell?”

“What the fuck!” Tracey’s voice came from the porch.

Quinton looked at Tracey’s husband wrapped up in the arms of another woman. Quinton pulled off his glasses. He couldn’t be sure, but he’d swear that was Monique, the woman who worked the desk at the inn. Tracey ran off the porch toward her husband and employee before the thought finished taking shape. Her arms rose and fire in her eyes. Bernard pushed the woman behind him, grabbed Tracey’s flying fists before she could hit either of them. Quinton closed his eyes and cursed. So much for a successful Best Small Town farewell luncheon.