Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
T he drive back to Carolina Cove Easter Sunday morning came at a cost. First it cost them the bubble and the protective safety of it. Then it cost them their privacy when Elias had to stop for gas, and people openly stared. And stared. Phones were raised. Comments made. Axel and a new guard, one Quinley hadn’t met before, were forced from their vehicle to hold the gawking crowd back as Elias quickly filled the tank and got back inside.
Her phone rang immediately after they’d gotten back on the road. Rhys called, but she refused to pick up, knowing he undoubtedly wanted her to ride back with Axel and separate from Elias.
It was probably wise. Smart. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it when their time together seemed so precious and would end too soon.
Hours. They had mere hours left until she’d go to Ana’s to stay until the rental was ready for her to move into tomorrow, and Elias would—go back to his life and distance himself from the drama that came from knowing her.
The last of their time at the cabin had flown by with strategy sessions. They were both business-minded individuals, and Quinley, the faster typist, had commandeered Elias’s computer to take notes on their various projects. They’d stayed up late that night after their waterfall declarations, too wound up and excited to sleep as they tried to pull together the starts of business plans she’d saved and sent to herself.
It was a great night. They’d laughed and talked and eaten. Elias made just as many suggestions for her company as she did his, and they were good suggestions, supportive and complimentary to her goals.
“I wasn’t expecting that. The reason I stopped there was because it looked like a quiet place to fuel up,” Elias said.
She nodded her understanding, afraid that was just a small sampling of what Elias would face once they returned to Carolina Cove. Well aware they’d had far, far too many cameras photographing them or recording them still together after a week.
She knew how it looked. What people would think. Not just her parents and Rhys but everyone. And even though she told herself she didn’t care about the gossip—to let them say whatever they liked—she still dreaded the fallout.
Quinley pulled the ball cap lower over her face and turned so that her back was wedged between the door and the seat, her face not visible to passersby.
It made for an uncomfortable trip, and the closer they got to home, the quieter the cab became. They hadn’t spoken in nearly three hours by the time Elias drove down Ana’s street and was waved in by the guards posted at the end of her driveway.
People shouted at them, but with her head tucked into her knees and arms doubled to hide her face, she wasn’t sure if the shouts were from reporters or regular people or what.
Elias muttered something and pulled off the driveway into the yard, angling the Jeep so that she could get out and onto Ana’s porch with the vehicle blocking her. The shouts rose in volume, and cameras flashed loudly when she opened her door.
It was the weekend. A Sunday. A holiday. Didn’t people have better things to do?
“I’m sorry,” she said to Elias, staring at him and wishing she’d broken her rule about not kissing him again before they’d left the cabin. A kiss of…thanks and apology and sorrow that his life might never be the same because of her. “Let me know when you get home safe. Please,” she added.
Elias nodded but said nothing, so she left her bag for the second bodyguard to grab for her since he now waited next to Axel, and left the truck. Axel’s hand found her elbow, and then he fell into place behind her as she hurried up the steps into the house and Ana’s waiting arms.
Quinley had Ana to comfort her even though she should be the one comforting her best friend. She had protection from anyone intent on doing her harm or who was overly curious.
She hated that Elias had to go home alone, face the mess of helping her alone , just like he’d been alone as a sick child.
Ana shoved her back after a very long, very tight hug.
“I’m going to throttle you.”
Quinley blinked back the sting of tears and nodded. “Have at it. I deserve it. I’m sorry I ruined your Easter. Are your parents upset?”
“No, they understand. It’s fine. No worries there.”
Ana’s gaze softened, and she turned to Cole. Quinley caught the look the two exchanged before he cleared his throat.
“I’m going to Elias’s house in case he needs security. Let me know what you decide,” he said to Ana.
Quinley watched as Cole headed out the door and past the guards now standing outside on the porch. Axel and whatever-his-name-was didn’t go to the road to join the others but would stay within feet of her until things settled. “Decide about what?”
“Dinner with his family.”
Quinley winced. “I’m sorry. You should go.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Ana said. “Come on. Sit down. What happens now?” Ana gently shoved Quinley toward the seat Quinley preferred when visiting. “I made coffee. I figured you could use a cup after wading through that.”
Quinley nodded. “Thank you. Has it been that way all week?”
“It had thinned out a lot,” Ana said, raising her voice as she walked to retrieve two mugs from a cabinet in the kitchen. “But something kicked in today, and the numbers surged again, like they knew you were coming.”
“We were seen,” Quinley said. “Elias had to stop for gas on the way, and…we were seen together. At a gas station and during the drive home.”
“Social media makes hiding difficult.”
“You’ve got that right,” Quinley said.
Ana fixed the coffee the way she knew Quinley liked it and handed it over upon her return.
“Why not ride back to town with the guards? Wouldn’t that have been better?”
Quinley sipped the hot brew with a hint of chocolate and more than a little cream and reveled in the taste. “Probably. I guess I thought things would be better now after I released the statement. Hoped it would be anyway.”
“Quinley…what happened?”
Ana took the couch, curling up in the corner closest to where Quinley sat. The blinds were closed despite the beautiful midday sun shining outside, to shut out the risk of cameras. She’d done this. Forced her best friend to hide away in the dark. “First, how’s Ben? With all of this? Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. There have been a few things said at school, but he held his temper. Since he didn’t react, the kids let it go.”
Quinley exhaled. Ben’s temper had been an issue for a while, but Cole’s influence had done wonders for the kid. Ana’s son had blossomed having a male role model, and the Blackwell brothers, not necessarily Elias but Dawson, Alex, Brooks and Gage, had taken the kid under their wings and were teaching him the art of being a man.
The thought made her picture Elias with a child, and she faltered when that image morphed into Elias as a boy, scared and lost after losing his parents. Sick, too. His brothers had been there for him in the best way they knew how, but they had all suffered. They’d grieved and been forced to make ends meet at such young ages. It made Quinley admire them all the more. Even while she hated the thought of Elias struggling so badly on his own.
Facts that needed to be noted and made to be part of Elias’s advertising for his restaurant, she mused distractedly.
She blinked away the thought and shifted her gaze to Ana’s to find her best friend studying her with sharp intensity. Her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry. I should’ve talked to you months ago. And I’m sorry for asking you to return the ring. That was awful of me. Please forgive me.”
“You know you’re forgiven. Just—tell me why .”
“You and Cole,” she said simply, taking the easy way out. “I…saw how you are together and realized something was missing. I mean, Rhys and I were okay—we were—but you know it wasn’t perfect.”
“No relationship is perfect, Quinnie.”
“I know, but I thought I could be happy with what we had. I…I thought I could be content because my relationship with Rhys was certainly more than my parents have. Rhys and I had more together than I’d ever felt with guys I’ve dated in the past, too. But then…I knew.”
“The day of the wedding,” Ana said softly. “That’s why you sent me away isn’t it? To get the sodas?”
“Not really. I mean, I did feel sick, and I wanted the soda, but I thought some time alone would allow me to pull myself together. But then…I kind of lost my mind for a bit.”
“I’ll say you did.” Ana breathed softly. “Quinley, promise me you won’t ever do something so stupid again. You could’ve died.”
She lifted her gaze and met Ana’s. “I’ve already promised Elias, but—I won’t do it again.”
Ana’s expression stilled as she frowned, her gaze taking on a curious stare.
“Speaking of Elias… You spent a week with him.”
“I did,” she said before taking a sip of her coffee. It had cooled to the perfect temp, and she gulped down another. “He’s a nice guy.”
“Yes, he is.”
The hard warning note in Ana’s voice was unmistakable. “We’re just friends, Ana.”
“And that’s why Rhys stopped into my boutique yesterday to ask me how long you’ve been kissing Elias?”
Quinley choked a bit on her coffee and set the mug aside. “It’s not like that.”
“What’s it like then?”
Oh, when Ana got all mama bear, she really didn’t hide it. “Elias and I disagree on food,” she explained. “He didn’t like me eating junk food, and we got into it, and that led to him chasing me, and when he caught me—I kissed him.”
“Why?”
“Why? Have you seen Elias?”
“Have you seen your ex-fiancé?” Ana countered, giving her a pointed glare.
Quinley waved a hand. “I was…teasing Elias. He’s so uptight and stern and all about control, and I wanted him to let loose a little.”
“By kissing him?”
“That, and by having fun. It was just a kiss, but we were racing around the cabin, and when Elias tackled me to the couch, I must’ve screamed loud enough the guards heard, and they came bursting through the door. I asked Axel not to mention it to Rhys because I knew it would hurt him but… Obviously he did.”
“So you’re just friends? There’s nothing going on between you and Elias? Did you…hook up?”
“No,” Quinley said, glad she was able to speak true. “We kissed . That’s it. Elias was a perfect gentleman. He…helped me as I processed things, and I will always be grateful for that.”
Ana finished her coffee and set the cup aside. “Rhys wants to see you. Today. He said as soon as you got back.”
Quinley hugged her arms around her front and squeezed. “That was another reason not to ride with the guards. I knew they’d take me straight to him and not bring me here first.”
“Have you spoken with your parents?”
“No, I need to do that, too. I’m starting my own company, by the way. Elias helped me see that I’m ready to make some more changes in my life. Rhys and…my job. I don’t want to work for my father anymore.”
“I’ve been telling you that for years.”
“Yeah, well, now’s the turning point, and I’m finally ready.” Quinley shoved herself to her feet, moving to where Ana sat.
Quinley leaned over the chair and hugged her best friend. “I’m sorry, and I thank you for everything you’ve done for me and endured this last week, and I love you.”
“I love you more,” Ana said, wrapping her arms around Quinley.
They stayed like that for a minute or so, just hugging. “I should go see Rhys.”
“You should.”
“Maybe tomorrow.”
“Quinley.”
“Fine, I’ll go today,” she countered with an eye roll as she straightened. “Maybe I’ll call my parents, too. See if they’re back in town. I wonder if my father will fire me first, or if I’ll quit first? That’d be something for the tabloids, wouldn’t it?”