Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
QUINN
I’ve seen some of the most beautiful landscapes that could make you smile so big your face hurts, but nothing, and I mean nothing, compared to the smile on my face when I woke up this morning.
Last night was amazing.
Yes, I had this fantasy of walking into the shop, Miles would see me and grin, then walk right up to me and kiss me. Maybe even prop me up on the hood of one of his cars and pick up where we left off.
Gah. I hate how far I let that daydream get.
Especially now.
I feel like such a fool.
I woke up and rushed to the bakery for coffee and muffins. We have a full day of interviews, and I thought, if I’m lucky, we’d spend another night on his porch with just the two of us. After the hood moment, of course.
I was so eager to see him. I had confidence that he would be just as happy to see me when I walked in. I mean, you don’t have the connection we do and not do more with it, right ?
No way.
But none of that happened.
I take a breath and stare at the applicant waiting for Miles to wash up. Miles had asked him to show him how he’d remove the … oh, I don’t remember. I know nothing about cars, but I know that the oil that sprayed, causing Miles to clean it up a few minutes ago, isn’t right.
The kid has no idea how quickly a person's life can change. He could have had a new job today, but one wrong move and now his chances are gone.
“That’s all I have. Thank you,” Miles says.
The kid nods. “Yeah, cool. See you later.”
And he’s gone.
Miles shoves his chair back and heads for the shop door as if the room were on fire.
He’s been like this since the moment Cherry’s dad left.
Short. Distant. Won’t look me in the eyes.
The whole thing made me uncomfortable, too, especially when he mentioned that he looked me up, but I’m not going to let it ruin my entire day. Miles’s behavior though, that might ruin it.
I don't know what happens next for us, but if he keeps this up, the only place I see us going is right back to where we were before our deal.
“We have two more interviews today. What is going on?” I ask when he tries to walk out of the office without talking to me.
“Nothing.”
“Miles.”
“It's nothing, Quinn. Forget it.”
“No, I will not forget it. You don’t get to do the things we did last night and then pretend like it never happened the next day. It’s unacceptable.”
Refusing to look at me, he rubs the back of his neck .
“It wasn’t anything special.”
Oh, hell no.
He’s lying.
“Was it Mr. Pepperton?”
“Drop it, Quinn.”
“No. Talk to me.”
He spins quickly and steps toward me so fast that I instinctively step back.
“Like you talked to me earlier? You said you were fine, and I didn’t push it. Why are you pushing it now?”
“Because,” I start and let myself think over my words for a moment. “Because I wasn’t fine, and I should have told you.”
“Yeah, you should have, but since then, I’ve had time to think about us, and it’s not a smart idea.”
“What?” I ask as he walks out of the room. “What does that mean?”
“I just think it’s better if we keep this exactly as we planned it. If we do anything more, it’ll complicate things.”
I open my mouth to argue that he should have thought about that before last night, but I don't want to be that girl.
Things … happen. People get caught up in the moment more often than we realize. Emotions run high and lust takes over.
Plus, he’s right. It could complicate things.
Ending whatever that was now is for the best.
I give him one firm nod and smile.
“Yeah, we should?—”
“Uncle Miles!” A small voice fills the garage, and a tiny body whips between us, crashing into Miles’s legs, almost taking him down.
The pained expression he wore seconds ago swiftly morphs into pure joy.
“Maximus, my man!” Miles says back, scooping the kid up and giving him a hug that triggers the boy’s deep gut laugh .
“Careful, he just ate his weight in snickerdoodle cookies from B’s.”
A woman with long dark hair and big brown doe eyes approaches us. Miles’s dad is right behind her, which means this must be Ruby.
“Hey, sis,” Miles says, still holding her son as he gives her a side hug. “Dad, it’s nice to see you today.”
“You too,” he says. “Quinn, you look lovely today.” His dad hugs me and then Ruby claps.
“Oh my gosh, you’re Quinn?”
I nod.
Now it’s her turn to wrap me in her arms.
“Sadie has told me so much about you, and I am absolutely loving this for my brother.”
Miles just rolls his eyes. “What are you doing here?” he quickly changes the topic.
His dad clears his throat. “We actually need a favor.”
“Yeah, sure, anything,” Miles says.
This a family thing. I give a small wave and turn for the office.
“Oh, this involves you, Quinn, so can you hang on just a moment before you get back to work?”
Me? How could this involve me?
“Of course.”
“I’m moving back,” Ruby says and smiles. “For good.”
“Seriously?” Miles beams. “Colter finally caved?”
Ruby keeps a smile on her face, but their dad speaks up. “Max, let’s go check out Miles's new house, should we?”
“Did he put in a tire swing?”
“There’s a good chance.”
Max races out the back, his grandfather right behind him.
Miles crosses his arms. “What happened? Did he cheat on you? ”
Ruby shakes her head.
“No, it wasn’t anything like that. We…” She fidgets with her hands as she looks away. “We broke up a few months ago.”
“What? A few months ago? And you didn't tell us?”
“Should I go?” I ask quickly.
Ruby shakes her head.
“It’s a long story, Miles. But everything is fine. Colter is even happy that I’m coming back, and Max will grow up here.”
“Yeah, okay. Sure,” Mile says. The sarcasm in his voice is lethal.
“It’s the truth, but the thing is, I'm moving in with Dad because the school is just down the block. But the last thing I need is him hovering over me right now. I need to be the best mom I can be right now to Max.”
“Maybe you need Dad to hover.”
God, he sounds like my brother.
“What I need is for him to move into the apartment you built him.”
Ah. The part where I come in.
Miles shakes his head. “Quinn is living there. I'm not kicking her out. She’d be go—” He cuts himself off. “I’m not kicking her out.”
“I know,” Ruby says softly, “but I was hoping that since she’s been staying with you anyway, maybe she could just keep doing that.”
She wants me to move in with Miles? I don't need a mirror to know that my eyes are wide as saucers right now.
He just said he wants space, and I’ve been in his house enough times to know that none of his spare rooms are furnished. Where would I sleep?
On the couch?
“I … we …” Miles starts. His face is clear right now that he has no idea how to reply to this request .
“We would love to help,” I say quickly before he starts to sweat.
I step forward and touch his arm so that he knows I’m aware of what this means right now. The hole we are digging just keeps getting deeper.
“When do you need me to move my things?”
“Is today too soon?” she asks with nervous laughter.
I shake my head. “Today is perfect. I even think I’ll have time to clean for you.”
“You don't need to do that.”
“I insist,” I tell her and squeeze Miles's arm a little harder. Is he zoning out right now? What’s his deal?
He looks up quickly. “Yes, yes, Quinn will move in with me, and Dad can be in the apartment, right next door to us, where we will be living and where he can see us anytime he wants.”
Ruby laughs at her brother's awkwardness, while I try not to cringe.
So that’s where his mind is.
Freaking out. Got it.
“It’s his first time living with a girl who isn’t me.” Ruby looks at me. “Give him some slack for being dumb right now.”
At that she slugs his shoulder and walks right by him for the back door.
“It was great meeting you, Quinn!” she shouts over her shoulder as she disappears.
I just stand there next to Miles, who has gone mute.
Obviously, the last thing he wants is for me to move in, and I get it.
“I can go back to my brother’s,” I tell him. “Or my grandmother’s.”
His gaze snaps to mine. “And tell them what? That we broke up? ”
“Or that we are two mature adults who know this is still new and don't want to rush it.”
He shakes his head. “It’ll still lead to questions, and this is a small town.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“You’ll move in with me.”
“Miles, I?—”
“You’re moving in, Quinn. I already told them it was fine. It’ll look weird if we change that now.”
I cross my arms and glare at him. “You seem to be calling a lot of shots lately. I don’t remember making you the boss of this arrangement.”
“That you started.”
“Oh my god. Are we really going back to this? Back to never getting along because you don’t want to get close to me?”
He sighs and rubs a hand over his face.
“No. We aren’t.”
“Then what are we doing?”
“We are getting through the rest of this summer as a fake couple, just like we planned. That’s it.”
Then he walks out the back to join his family, leaving me alone in the shop.
My chest aches at the emotional roller coaster this day has already put me through.
I was fine when I didn’t know Miles and he didn’t care for me.
But now that I know him better, him not caring for me … that hurts.
“I’m so sorry to kick you out so soon,” Mr. Asher says from the chair in the apartment’s living room .
I was just grabbing my last suitcase when he showed up.
“It’s not a problem,” I tell him and look around to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
“Well, it was last-minute, and I told Ruby that we needed to wait, but she had other plans.”
“It’s really fine.”
It really sucks, but that’s for me to worry about and not him.
The sliding door opens and Miles steps through. His eyes find me immediately, and I swear he starts to smile but then quickly changes his mind.
“All settled, Dad?” he asks, grabbing my last suitcase. He’d been over at his house when I bought my first bag over. I left my second bag on his porch so that I didn’t have to face him again so soon.
He must have seen it and made his way over to help.
“I can get it. It’s the last one.”
“It’s okay.”
“I can get it,” I say again in the nicest fuck off way I can in front of his father.
“But you shouldn’t have to.” Miles looks me square in the eye.
“That’s how I raised them, despite the execution of his gesture.” Mr. Asher leans back and glares at his son. “Let’s use a little more kindness and a little less growl next time, yeah?”
I pinch my lips together to hold in my laugh, but it still bubbles in my chest. Miles catches the moment I cough and look away.
“I’ll meet you at the house,” I say quickly and then wave to Mr. Asher. “Good night.”
“Good night, Quinn.”
I close the sliding door behind me and glance over my scheduler to see Miles nodding as Mr. Asher talks .
Is he giving him advice? Is he scolding him for his tone just now?
I was ready to tell Miles off on my own. Once we are out of his father’s earshot, of course.
I sigh as I make my way inside Miles’s home.
This house is a dream, and under any other circumstance, I’d enjoy that I’m moving in, but right now, I’m just flustered.
After his family left earlier, I went back to the office to finish as much work as I could and rescheduled the remaining interviews. Then I went back to get packed and clean the apartment.
Why did Ruby need her dad to move out so suddenly? If my parents had a permanent home, I wouldn’t mind having to live with them, so why didn’t she want to live with their dad? I’m sure there is more to the story, and it’s not my place to ask.
Maybe I could have asked Miles if he and I actually spoke once they left, but we didn’t. We haven’t talked about this at all other than agreeing that I would do it.
I put my hands on my hips and wander down the hallway on the main floor. There is a spare room on the first door to the right. I push the door open to reveal an empty space.
I shake my head.
“What kind of person doesn’t furnish their spare rooms?” I wonder aloud to myself.
“The kind whose only visitors are people who already live in this town and who did furnish it but then built his father an apartment and moved the furniture there.”
Miles. I turn to face him.
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“You did.”
Jesus, we could go rounds with any topic, couldn’t we?
I fold my arms in front of my chest. “I’m not sleeping on the floor or the couch.”
He rolls his eyes as if that’s old news .
“You can sleep in my room.”
“I’m not sleeping in there with you.”
Ignoring me, he turns for the stairs. “I’ll go put fresh sheets on the bed.”
“So, what now? I repulse you again?”
“What?” He stops on the first step.
“I hate you. I like you. Let’s be friends. Just kidding, let’s kiss, let’s take your clothes off. No, wait, bad idea. Let’s hate each other again. I can’t keep up with you,” I snap and move for the kitchen.
“Is that your impression of me?” Miles follows close behind me.
I spin around, causing him to step back.
“Yes. That’s exactly you.”
“Then you must be blind, Quinn.”
“Ha. I’m not blind.”
“Clearly, you are.” He moves for the stairs again.
“Okay, prove me wrong. How is it?”
“Why am I the bad guy?”
“Um, because I was happy to continue what happened last night and you’re the one who decided it was a mistake.”
“I never said that.”
“What you said earlier is pretty much the same thing.”
He shakes his head.
“It’s not.”
“Oh. My. God.” With my hands at the side of my head, I make an explosion gesture. “I can’t keep up. Just say what you’re thinking. A full explanation would be nice.”
“I … will put clean sheets on the bed for you.”
I don’t know why that statement sets me off even more, but it does.
I march up the steps right behind him.
“I can do it myself. Just show me where the sheets are. ”
“I’m going to do it.”
“No, I will.”
“Quinn, stop.”
“No, you stop. If you want things how they always have been, then stop doing nice things for me.”
“I can’t!”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want things to go back to how they were!”
He’s breathing heavily now as he paces behind the bed twice, then sits on the edge.
“Do you really believe that after last night, I don’t want you? Hell, Quinn, I’m trying to push you away to help you. Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be.”
He looks away from me as if it actually hurts him to see me standing in front of him. I take a tentative step toward him, reaching out to cup his cheek and make him look at me.
“Help me how?”
His eyes connect with mine, and his throat bobs as he swallows the lump in his throat. He reaches for my legs, his fingers caressing the back of my thighs for one quick stroke each before he stands quickly. He squeezes my hand twice before he drops it.
“Just trust me,” he says with a little more control and then opens his closet door to pull out some sheets.
I start to take the ones off his bed. “Right now, you’re the only one not making this easy, by not telling me the full story.”
His gaze drifts to mine briefly before he sits on the bed again.
“If Mr. Pepperton can take my career away, he can take yours, too.”
Every word is spoken with defeat, and I didn’t realize how much that would affect me.
I move in front of him again to make sure he hears me loud and clear .
“Whatever Mr. Pepperton does is not on you. His choices will never be your fault.”
“They might be. If we hadn’t decided to do this whole fake dating thing, you wouldn’t even be on his radar, Quinn. Now you’re at the top of the list with me.”
“Do you know this for a fact?”
“No, but his comments this morning didn’t change my mind.”
I let out a big sigh.
“We never should have started this stupid idea.”
He’s right. It’s not the first time we’ve come to this conclusion, but it's the first time we might actually follow through on a breakup plan.
“Well, I guess that means we have only one option.”
“What’s that?”
“We break up before the summer is over.”
He shakes his head.
“I don’t think it’s that easy. For one, Cherry could still try to get to me and Danny to you. That guy is a tool, and it fucking bothers me that he thinks he stands a chance. If we do that, this whole thing will have been for nothing.”
I let a smile touch my lips.
“Don’t worry, Miles. I won’t be running to Danny.”
“Still doesn’t change the fact that they might try.”
“It would be a real dick move to hit on someone mending a broken heart, even if it’s not real.”
I take a breath and step back. Miles watches my every move, his eyes taking me in from my bare legs all the way until he reaches my eyes.
I know I said it wouldn’t be real, but for some reason, this discussion makes it feel the complete opposite.
“How will we do it?” he finally asks.
I say the first thought that comes to mind .
“I think we should do it at the Fourth of July festival in just over two weeks. It’ll be public, and we know everyone will be there for the big fireworks show.”
He nods. Then he goes back to making the bed.
Miles doesn’t speak again while we finish with the sheets, which is just another reminder that this is it.
My first fake relationship has run its course.
And a part of me is wishing that it isn’t fake and that it isn’t going to end so soon.