34. Quinn
34
quinn
I feel like I’ve evolved in my pranks and stunts over the years.
While many of them in school were meant for laughs, more than a few were targeted at people who deserved to have bad shit happen to them.
And no one deserves to have bad shit happen to them more than Bonnie.
“When’s she going to get here?” Porter asks as he paces around the bar.
“She’s going to make us wait,” I say. “You know, make a grand entrance.”
I realize as I say those words that’s the mantra I live by. Note to self: start arriving early to not be like Bonnie.
“Are you sure this is going to work?”
I want to lie and say of course, but even I don’t know if this one is going to go smoothly. There are a lot of moving parts, and most of them hinge on how Bonnie reacts. I’ve only been able to pull off one highly timed, very coordinated prank once in my life—those fireworks were a sight to see—and I don’t know if I can do it again.
“Even if it doesn’t, we have four contingency plans,” Logan reassures him. “Plus, I think I’m going to play an excellent lawyer.”
Did I ask my new brother-in-law to cosplay a lawyer so Bonnie would think everything is on the up-and-up? Yes.
Was Simon jealous that it wasn’t him? Extremely.
But, he had plenty to do in this scheme of mine to work. And in fact, he had one of the biggest roles—get with one of his lawyer friends and draw up the paperwork for both Bonnie and Missy.
Yes, part of my plan was finding and tracking down Missy in seven days.
Unfortunately, as of right now with Bonnie only minutes away, we haven’t been able to track her down.
So it’s on to Plan B. Which is fine. Plan A was boring. This one is a little more…my style.
“I still don’t get why Logan gets to be the lawyer,” Simon pouts. “I can say legal words. ‘Objection!’ ’Cause for dismissal!’ ‘I want the truth!’”
We all just shake our heads. “Because, like I’ve said, we don’t know who Bonnie still talks to in this town. Or what she’s figured out since she’s been here. But what we do know is that she has no clue who Logan is. We just have to hope she hasn’t seen him on a magazine cover.”
Plus, Logan’s checkbook is part of Plan B, C, and E. I love my brother, and he’s not hurting in the money department, but he’s not a billionaire. And Logan was happy to help, and even pay off Bonnie if necessary. I believe his words were, “it makes me feel like I’m part of the family.”
“Okay, here we are,” Ainsley says, scaring me as she sprints into the bar, huffing and puffing as she waves an envelope. “Sorry I’m running late.”
I look at my smartwatch, and yes, Ainsley is running more on my time than her normal twenty minutes early. “You’re fine. She’s not here yet. Is everything okay?”
“What? Yeah. You know. Nashville traffic. A real pain at five o’clock. But I got the papers, so we’re set.”
I look to Porter, then to Logan and Simon. Everyone’s eyes are saying the same: Something’s up with Ainsley.
“You good, sis?” I ask.
“Yeah, why?”
“Um, because you’re jumpy, and late. And your face is beet red, and I don’t think it’s because you were running.”
She waves me off. Literally. She even adds a “psssh” with it.
“No. Seriously. Are you ill? This isn’t normal behavior, and I’m truly worried. You look…”
“Flustered,” Simon finishes my sentence. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, totally fine,” she says in a tone that makes it seem that it’s everything but fine. “Just ran late at the hospital, which means I ran late getting to the lawyer’s office to pick up the papers. Today was a hospital visit from some of the players from the Nashville Fury. When that happens, it’s always chaos.”
I tilt my head, trying to figure out Ainsley’s lie. She’s never told one so I know that something is off, but I can’t figure out what she’s lying about. Lucky for her, Stella comes running into the bar, cell phone waving in the air.
“She just turned down the road,” she says. “ETA two minutes!”
“Okay,” I say, giving everyone last directions. “Ainsley, go put the documents in the office. Stella and Simon, just hide somewhere so she doesn’t see you and…wait…where’s Maeve?”
I turn to Logan, hoping he knows where his wife is.
“She’s on her way,” he says. “Start without her.”
I want to press him more, but I can’t because the front door of The Joint swings open.
Here we go…
“You ready?” I whisper to Porter as we take a seat.
He leans in to kiss my cheek, but also to whisper, “This ends today.”
We give each other reassuring nods as Bonnie confidently walks to our table.
“Well, well, well, I didn’t expect to hear from everyone again so soon,” she says. “I’m glad I was still in town.”
It’s been a week since our first meeting, and one of the biggest question marks in our plans was if Bonnie was going to stay in Rolling Hills or make her way back to Indiana. Luckily, because small town gossip for once was working on our side, we learned that she’d checked into the extended stay just outside of town. And since the manager of said motel is a longtime patron of the bar, we had daily updates on her comings and goings. We were going to try and hold out for a few more days, hoping we could find Missy, but we got word that Bonnie was planning to check out tomorrow, so we had to act fast.
“Thank you for meeting with us.” Logan’s distinct voice draws her attention, and I’m not really sure she noticed he was here until just now.
“Who are you?”
“Porter and Quinn’s lawyer,” he says, making sure he doesn’t need to give a fake name unless he needs to.
“Lawyer? You didn’t say anything about lawyers.”
“I’m doing this out of courtesy,” Logan asks. “We’re just hoping…well, Porter, I’ll let you explain.”
“Explain what?”
Porter and I share a look, and I give him a reassuring nod. The parts we’re playing in this scheme are sad, but that nod? Nothing but in encouragement.
It’s time to end this bitch.
“You were right.”
I know it killed Porter to say that, but it certainly has Bonnie’s attention. “And what was I right about?”
“That we should do everything to keep this out of the courts,” Porter says. “I don’t think either of us really want to drag this on.”
“You’re right, I don’t,” Bonnie says. “So give me Grace and I’m out of your hair.”
“No!” I dramatically yell, throwing my head into the table, remembering a trick from middle school when I learned to fake my own tears to get out of gym class. “You can’t take her!”
“What’s her problem?”
“Her problem is that she loves Grace. And so do I,” Porter says as I fake cry into my arm. “She’s happy here, Bonnie. Really happy. We just want to give her a life, together. Can’t you understand that?”
I give Porter credit, he’s doing his best to play the sympathy card. Unfortunately, we’re realizing that Bonnie is a cold-hearted cunt.
“And I wouldn’t give her a good life?”
“I’m not saying that,” Porter says. Even though she wouldn’t. “I just…she’s finally adjusted here. And Missy wanted us to have her.”
“As I’ve said, Missy didn’t know what she wants, or what she had. There isn’t anything you can do or say that will make me leave town without my granddaughter.”
I smile into my arm before putting my sad face back on. “Nothing? Bonnie, please. There has to be something. We’ll do or give you just about anything to let us keep that little girl.”
If Plan B is going to work, this is the opening. And this has to be the time that Bonnie takes the bait.
“Anything, you say?”
“Yes,” Porter says with a deep sigh. “That’s how much we love her.”
Porter holds my hand tightly, both of our eyes begging Bonnie to say something, anything, that we could do.
In reality, there’s only one thing we want her to say.
“I want money.”
Bingo, bitch.
“Money? We just said we didn’t have money for the courts. Our lawyer is pro bono,” I say, fear laced in my voice. “How could we pay you?”
Her lip curls like she’s a Disney villain. “Sell the bar.”
God, I can lay a good fucking mouse trap…
Porter expertly plays up his shocked face. I rapidly bat my eyelashes like I’m trying to understand what she said.
“The bar?” Porter finally speaks up. “You want the bar?”
She laughs. “Absolutely not. If I had my way, I’d burn this place to the ground. But I think it’s only fair that if you want me to go away, the price is going to be high. I know how much this place is worth. So sell the bar. Give me the money. And I’m out of your life forever.”
I snap my head to Porter, hoping that I seem as devastated and worried as I’m trying to portray. Because on the inside? I’m fist pumping like it’s the two-thousands and I’m on Jersey Shore.
Plan B is officially in full swing.
“Whoa,” Logan speaks up, right on cue. “It could take months to sell. Get it appraised. Actually find a buyer.”
“Exactly,” Bonnie says. “But I think you could get a half a million for it.”
“Mom. This is Rolling Hills. Who’s going to buy?—”
“Half a million, Porter. That’s my price. And I want it today. Or we go to court.”
“Hold up!” I shout. “Where do you think you’re going to find a half a million dollars?”
She shrugs. “Word around town is that your brother is pretty well off, Quinn. Maybe you can ask him for a loan. Or maybe he can buy it like the other buildings in town he has.”
Shit, I didn’t even think of that angle in the plan. But that actually really helps this story. Well done, Bonnie.
“This is highly unusual,” Logan chimes in, doing his best to play the part of a flustered lawyer. “For this to happen, I’ll need to call Simon. Get it approved by him.”
“Take your time,” she says, sitting back and crossing her arms. “I can wait.”
Logan and Porter shared faux-worried looks as they stand up. But just as they’re walking away, Porter turns back to Bonnie. “If I do this. If I sell the bar and give you the money, you’ll give me Grace? You’ll sign over any future claims? She’s mine?”
Bonnie nods. “All yours, son.”
God I love it when a plan comes together.
Porter and Logan walk back to his office, just like Plan B says to, as I turn back to Bonnie.
Now, Plan B has me sitting here, not saying anything. When we were going through the different scenarios, Porter was very insistent on that. The problem is, Bonnie’s looking at me in a way I don’t like, and I might be a new version of Quinn, but I’m still me.
Sorry Porter. I’m going to be asking for forgiveness on this one.
“What are you looking at?”
Bonnie smugly smiles. “He’s going to leave you.”
Well, that I wasn’t expecting. “Excuse me?”
“Porter. He’s just like his daddy,” she says. “And he’s going to leave you just like he left me.”
Now, a bigger person would ignore this. Take the high ground because someone went low.
That’s not my style. I kick at the knees. And I don’t play fair. And I was raised on two-thousands rap and liquor that should have been illegal.
“Bonnie, and I say this with zero respect, but shut the actual fuck up.”
She doesn’t do the fake clutching of her pearls like she did the other day. Instead she just leans closer. “Big words coming from…well…I’ll let you finish my thought.”
I literally laugh out loud. “Really, Bonnie? Weight jokes? That’s all you got? I figured you as a better opponent than that.”
I lean closer, because it’s been a while since I’ve unleashed the chamber, and I’m about to go all in on this woman who tried to rip away my life.
“Listen here you horrible, horrible bitch. First of all, everyone in this town knows you left Frank and Porter, not the other way around like you’re trying to claim. I’m surprised they didn’t throw rocks at you the first day you showed your face here. So that whole ‘he left you’ spiel? Give it up. Just like you did on trying to fix your face.”
“I—”
“Oh, I’m not done yet. Also, do you find it ironic that you left this town to start a new life, ended up in a smaller town in Indiana because that’s all the bus ticket you could afford, before getting married and getting pregnant again? Kind of seems counterproductive.”
“It—”
“Again, I’m not done. Very rude of you to interrupt.” I take a breath, and this time she listens. “I never have to worry about your son cheating on me. And I hope he is like his father. In fact, I know he is. He’s good and kind. Thoughtful and fun. He’s exactly who Frank raised him to be, no thanks to you and your deadbeat ass. And frankly? I think the best thing that ever happened was the day you packed up and left. Good riddance to bad rubbish, you know?”
She tries to open up her mouth again, but I haven’t hit her with the last bit. “And lastly. You’re going to get this check. You’re going to walk out of here. You’re going to leave us forever. I don’t want to see you in this town again. I’m going to make sure no one ever speaks your name. And we’ll sure as hell never think about you. And when you run out of money, because you’re going to, just remember that your choices have cost you everything. You lost your family. You drove everyone away. Your daughter literally went off the grid to get away from you. You’ll never see your grandchild. You’ll never see Porter again. And that’s on you, Bonnie. That’s the bed you’ll lie in every night. And I hope you fucking rot in it.”
She slowly backs away, as do I, as Porter and Logan come back into the room, envelope in hand.
“Simon approved,” Logan says, sitting back down. “He authorized me to pay you your sum, and we’ll take care of the payments between us on the back end.”
Bonnie hangs out her hand. “I need to see it. Make sure you aren’t playing me.”
Logan holds it up, but keeps it out of her reach as Porter hangs his head. “Proof of the check. But you don’t get it until you sign the documents first.”
He pushes the papers toward Bonnie. “I need you to sign these. I quickly drew them up. These say that under no circumstance from here on going forward, that you’ll attempt to gain custody of Grace.”
The three of us watch intently as Bonnie stares at the papers. These are legally binding. The only thing we’re waiting on—and the only thing to fuck Plan B all to hell—is if Bonnie actually reads the contract. Because it doesn’t say a thing about us promising her money for this signature. That way, in case something goes south, she can’t sue us for breach of contract.
All three of us hold our breaths as she grabs the pen and furiously scribbles her name on the line.
That a girl, Bonnie. Stay fucking stupid.
“There!” she says, pushing the contact back to Logan. “Now give me the check.”
Logan starts to hand her the check, and I realize at this point I never asked him if it was a dummy check or if she’s actually about to hold half a million dollars.
“You’re a sucker, just like your father,” she says, the check inches away from her. “Have a good life without your precious bar.”
“Absolutely not! Porter! Stop!”
Every set of eyes whips around to the front door as a young woman marches in.
Wait…is that…
“Missy?”
Bonnie said it, but we were all thinking it.
And with that entrance, Plan B has now shifted into Plan What the Fuck.
“What the hell is going on?” I whisper to Logan, who just smiles.
“We found her early this morning. Maeve went to get her. We didn’t know if we’d make it in time, so we didn’t say anything.”
“Wow,” I whisper, in awe of everything. “This wasn’t on my bingo card.”
I stand in awe as my hiding siblings come out of the woodwork, ready to look and watch whatever’s about to go down.
“Porter. Did you really sign the bar away?”
He looks to Logan, who gives him a subtle nod. Okay, we’re still pretending. “Yeah. I just did.”
“Well, fuck that,” Missy says, now turning her sights to Bonnie. “Really, Mom? This is what you’re doing?”
“Missy, I don’t know what you heard, but I?—”
“Save it,” she snaps. “I’ve been filled in on your stunt. How fucking dare you try and take Grace from Porter. This is what I wanted. But like always, you can’t accept that and think that everyone’s out to get you.”
“You are,” she says. “Taking my grand baby away.”
“Please. How long did it take you to realize I was gone? Oh, that’s right, two weeks. Two weeks, Bonnie, before you texted me to see where I was. Clearly you missed us so much.”
“Oh damn…” Everyone looks at me after the comment. “Oh, come on, y’all were thinking it too.”
Missy turns to Porter. “I hear you have something for me to sign.”
He nods and looks back to Simon, who hands Logan an envelope. “We had these drawn up for when we finally tracked you down. It’s permanently forfeiting your parental rights and stating that you want Grace to be raised under Porter’s care.”
Missy takes the documents and pen, but doesn’t sign yet, instead she shoots daggers at Bonnie. “This is what I wanted. I wanted Porter to raise her. I wanted Grace permanently away from you. And I’m going to make sure that it happens.”
She signs her name on the paper, slamming the pen down. “There. Now you don’t have to sell The Joint.”
“Ha!” Bonnie yells. “You’re too late. I already signed the contract, and it was promising me a half a million to not go for custody. I’d like my check now, please.”
“Actually,” Logan says, ripping the check in half, “our deal is off the table.”
“Excuse me!” Bonnie screams. “What do you mean it’s off the table? I signed a contract. You owe me!”
“Oh you signed a contract,” Porter says, holding it up. “But nowhere on here does it say anything about money being exchanged.”
“But!”
“He’s right,” I say, taking it from Porter. “Just that you promise to never show your face in this town again. But nope, no mention of money. Sorry, Bonnie. Maybe some other time.”
“What? This isn’t legal!” Bonnie yells before pointing to Logan. “You’re not even a lawyer, are you?”
“I’m not,” Logan admits. “But it was very enjoyable to play one today.”
Everyone starts laughing—everyone but Bonnie, that is.
Take that back. Bonnie and Porter.
“You.” She walks around the table, pointing her finger at me. “This has your name all over it.”
“Guilty. But like you said Bonnie, I’m memorable. And I have a feeling you’ll always remember this day. Now, kindly get the fuck out of our bar before I throw your ass out.”
Bonnie turns to Porter. “How dare you do this to me? I’m your mother.”
The bark of a laugh that Porter lets out echoes through the bar. “You haven’t been a mother to me in twenty years, so don’t even try to play that card. And how dare I do that to you? You really are delusional. How about this, Mom? How dare you treat Pops like a piece of shit when he was just trying to build a life for us? How dare you be jealous of something that not only he loved, but brought a town together? You hurt me the day you left. You hurt Pops. He was never the same again, and all because you were jealous of—what? This? How egotistical can you be?”
Porter takes a step forward to her, and as much as I want to step up next to him, I know this is his war. And he’s fighting the battle that’s about to end it.
“For years I didn’t think I wanted a family. I was scared to fall in love, because in my mind, it didn’t last. People leave. You left. If my own mother wouldn’t stay, why would anyone else? You did that to me. But guess what? You lost. You lost your family—every one of them. You lost your grandchild. But I didn’t lose. I won. I’ve found love. I’ve found family. And it’s all despite you. So I want you to leave. I never want to see you again. And I want you to remember this day forever, because it’s the day you lost everything .”
The two stare each other down for another second before Bonnie starts marching toward the door, but not before getting one more look at Porter and Missy.
“You two are both ungrateful brats,” she says.
“Learned from the best, Ma,” Porter says.
“Have a nice life, Bonnie.”
And with that, Bonnie McCoy Higgins turns on her heel, storms out of the bar, and hopefully, out of our lives.