Chapter 5 – QUINN #2
“Wait!” Braelyn sips the end of her margarita before getting up to refill it from the pitcher. “Explain that.”
“I was headed to the bathroom, and he intercepted me.” I hold out my glass to her, and she refills it with lime-green goodness.
“What does ‘intercepted’ mean?” Forest asks from his chair.
His eyes are closed, and his hands are interlocked behind his head, his tattooed arms and muscular chest on full display.
We sort of forgot he was there. He’s been so quiet.
The last few years have changed Forest a bit.
Some of it for the better, like his sobriety. Some of it for the darker.
“You want to hear this?”
He shrugs without opening his eyes. “Sure. Why not?”
Okay then.
“He stopped me at the bathroom. He made it so we got there at the same time, and after going back and forth on who won and should go first, he admitted he saw me walk out on my date and wanted to meet me.”
“At the bathroom? Did he fuck you in the stall?”
“Quiet, Forest,” Sky gripes. “You’re ruining the story with your male interjections.”
“Apologies. I’ll be quiet and listen.”
Braelyn licks the salt on her glass. “I love that he did that to meet you. Then what?”
“Then he asked me to have dinner and a drink with him, and I did.”
“Who is he?” Hayes questions. “I mean, you’re obviously still talking with him, so why are we having to dig this out of you?”
“I thought you weren’t listening!”
He grunts. “Obviously I’m listening. It’s like you don’t even know me. Answer the question.”
I lean back on the chaise and close my eyes for a moment.
I have been keeping a secret. Almost afraid he won’t be real if I talk about him.
“He’s… I don’t know. He’s older and not local.
He’s moving here or so he claims. We’re not telling each other anything real.
Not our ages or actual jobs or even our last names. ”
“You slept with him.” That’s Forest.
“Yep.”
“Oh!” Skylar and Braelyn jump up at the same time. She points at Brae. “Ha. Jinx.” Then they both retake their seats, but are now sitting on the edge of the chaise so they can drill me better. “Tell us everything! Was he good? Was he a giver?”
I sigh and chug down half of my refill.
“Oh my god!” That’s Brae. “He totally was. You like him. You never like anyone. In fact, you go out of your way not to like anyone.”
I stare at the ice clinking in my glass. Is that true? Do I go out of my way not to like anyone? I mean, I go out of my way not to date or get attached, but it’s not as though I’m against something organic happening. Is that what this is?
“I like him,” I admit, even if it somewhat pains me to.
“I don’t know much about him other than weird factoids like he loves to ski but can’t snowboard, and he’s been to Europe a few times for work but hasn’t seen much of the sights.
He has a grown son from a bad relationship dating back to when he was a teen, but despite his attempts, he doesn’t have much of a relationship with him.
He loves sports, particularly football, but doesn’t know I have any relationship to players.
” I point at my brother’s back. “He knows I’m a doctor, but not what specialty.
His favorite color is light blue, the same as mine.
He likes to cook but can’t bake to save his life.
I don’t know. We text almost every day and it’s about random stuff. ”
“That sounds… kinda great.” Hayes smiles at me. “I mean, you’re getting to know someone on a real level, right? Not the résumé but the personality.”
“Yes. That.” I sit up. “That’s what it is. It’s who we are not what we are. I’ve never had that. It’s always been about what I am: the doctor, the Reyes. I’m just Quinn to him. And he likes me as I am.”
“He likes you as you are,” Braelyn repeats. “I love that so much.”
“Hey! I like you exactly as you are.” Roman is just short of indignant.
“Yes, but you’re my guy. My person. Not everyone likes us as we are. It’s why it’s so difficult to find our people in this world.”
“I like Skylar as she is,” Aston states, because clearly everyone is back except Crew, who is still at the grill, singing loudly to himself so he doesn’t have to hear me because he thinks I’m only talking about sex. “I wouldn’t change anything.”
“You’re showing off,” she quips, but he’s adamant.
“No really.” He runs his fingers through her hair. “I wouldn’t. To me, you’re perfect.”
My chest flutters for my best friend, who smiles with hearts in her eyes. She leans in and kisses him. It’s nothing short of what both she and Braelyn deserve. Of what we all deserve, regardless of our baggage.
“In any event, it’s new, and I’m not talking about it because it’s new and I don’t want to build it up too much or ruin something before it can be anything.”
“I think that’s fair.”
“Thank you, Forest.” I mock bow at him. “I agree.”
“Crew, your sister likes a guy.”
I chuck a glob of wet salt at Hayes, who jumps back and laughs.
“Hey! Sorry I’m late.” Micha, Skylar’s older brother and Aston’s best friend, joins us and hands Roman a bottle of tequila. “I had to finalize paperwork with Doctors Without Borders.”
“Does this mean you’re staying?” Aston asks.
Micha gives a wan smile. “It does. Not sure how I feel about it right now, but I want to be here, at least for a while during Sky’s pregnancy and after the baby is born.”
“Eeep!” Skylar squeals and claps her hands. “I’m so happy. But what will you do for work? Or are you just going to take it easy and live your bachelor life?”
He rolls his eyes at his sister. “I don’t think taking it easy is in my blood. I actually spoke to Jack about a job.”
All of us gasp. Jack Kincaid is the chief of the ER at my hospital. His wife is Wren Fritz, and is cousins with half the people here, including Forest, Roman, and Skylar.
“So you’re going to be working with me in my ER?” Brae presses.
He shrugs. “Looks like it. I have a meeting there tomorrow. I’ll likely be per diem instead of full-time staff.”
“Wow! That’s a huge change, but it’ll be cool to work with you.” I sit up and give him a fist pound.
“Yeah. Thanks. It’ll be different, but I’m looking forward to it, and this way I get to be an uncle.”
Aston gets up and gives him a hug. “It means so much to have you here and part of this.” The guys go over to the grill, talking all things Micha’s job, but I also catch stuff from Crew about our dad stepping away as coach of the Rebels to become the GM, and who they hired as the new head coach.
I tune it out. I hardly ever listen to details about the team. I don’t like being involved in the politics of it. I’m a fan of my brothers and my father, and that’s as far as that goes for me. Who they hire to be a coach doesn’t matter unless he sucks for my family.
“Okay, now that the men are busy, tell us more about the guy. All the details you held back.” Braelyn sits beside me, and Skylar sits up, both of them leaning in with the gleam of gossip all over them. No getting away from this now.