“What M and I had was brief and then it ended before Quinn and Ieven started dating. I thought we were both clear on that, but I was wrong.”And even in her anger, part of her felt terrible about that.
“Yeah, okay.”
She blew out a breath. “I’m sorry she misunderstood, and I’m evensorrier you and Daniella got caught up in the mess.”
“Caught up?” He stuck out his hands with exasperation. “I’m justfinding out about it today.”
“Do you want to know more?” Not that she wanted to talk about it.But it wouldn’t be fair to let him be the only one in the dark.
Just as quickly as his hackles were raised, he slumped hisshoulders in seeming defeat. “Is it really over? There’s no chance you’regetting back together?”
She shook her head. “No chance.”
“Then I don’t think I do. Is that okay?” The worried look on hisface made her want to hug him.
“Completely okay. I think it would be for the best if we couldput it all behind us.”
“Yeah.” This yeah had more feeling than the first.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded, then rolled his eyes. “Better than Daniella,apparently.”
Ugh. That was the truth. “She’ll be okay. Eventually.”
“I’ll go try to find her.”
He’d probably have better luck than she would at this point.“That would be great. And I really am sorry for this, for keeping it from you.”
He crossed the room and gave her a hug. “You’re a grownup, Mom.You don’t have to tell your kids everything.”
And just like that, he made everything a tiny bit better. “Thankyou.”
“Maybe go find Quinn, though. She looked kind of freaked lasttime I saw her.”
A whole new wave of panic swept through her. “I will. I just needone second to pull myself together.”
He hugged her again, then he was gone. She covered her face withher hands for a second and tried to take the kind of slow, deep breaths thatwere supposed to be calming. How much had Quinn seen? Heard? As much as part ofher didn’t want to know, to face it, she needed to find out. Maybe moreimportantly, she needed to explain. And there was only one way to do it.
* * *
Every instinct in Quinn’s body told her to flee, but her feetremained rooted to the floor. Like an accident on the side of the road, shecouldn’t tear her eyes away. Not from Mel when she emerged from the room. Notfrom Daniella and Cal when they followed and looked at her with somethingresembling disdain and pity, respectively.
Part of her wanted to go to Amanda. Whether to have it out orreassure, she didn’t know. But she remained fixed in the kitchen. Waiting.
After a long moment, Amanda came out. She looked exhausted and,maybe, defeated. Quinn’s heart broke a little more, for completely differentreasons than before.
When Amanda caught sight of her, she came to an abrupt stop. “Howmuch of that did you hear?”
Quinn blew out a breath. “Enough.”
Amanda winced.
“I heard raised voices and I was worried.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Quinn nodded without being sure why. No, that wasn’t true. Shehad no doubt Amanda did feel sorry. What she was sorry for was another matter.Quinn couldn’t even begin to settle on what, exactly, Amanda was regretting.She had even less of an idea about her own feelings.
“I wanted to find you, to talk, after Mel pulled that stunt withthe sheeter.”
She thought about her own gift to Amanda and laughed. It soundedhollow and brittle in her own ears. “Quite the statement.”
“It was presumptuous and extravagant and—”
She lifted her hand and Amanda stopped speaking. “You don’t needto downplay it for my benefit.”
Amanda shook her head. “I’m not. The whole thing made meuncomfortable, but I didn’t want to cause a scene.”
Even as her heart wrenched, she understood. “I think I shouldgo.”
Amanda’s expression was pained. “Please don’t.”
“I’m not saying we can’t talk, but you still have a bakery fullof guests and I’m sure people are looking for you.” And there was the matter ofnot trusting herself to have a rational conversation.
“I don’t want to leave things like this.”
“I think we have to. Go take care of what you need to take careof.” To think she’d been on the verge of telling Amanda she was in love withher.
“Are you sure?”
She wasn’t sure of much at this point, save the pressing need togo hole up far, far away from this moment. “I’m sure.”
“Tonight, maybe? After all this is over?”
Quinn nodded, relieved but also a bit devastated Amanda was soquick to agree. “Of course.”
“I really am sorry.”
Again, the apology offered little in the way of clarity orreassurance. “Me, too.”
Amanda looked at her with confusion but didn’t press. Instead,she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “Thank you.”
She strode out of the room with purpose, leaving Quinn standingthere all alone. Despite the wish to escape, she lingered. Memories of being inthat exact spot—during the initial walk-through, during construction, withAmanda that very morning—played through her mind. She’d gone from being unsureabout ever falling in love again to setting herself up for another brokenheart. The irony of both playing out in a few short months made her ache.
“Quinn?”
She turned at the sound of Cal’s voice. “Hey.”
Cal looked at his feet, then back at her. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Thanks.” He didn’t need to hear the voices and questionsswirling around her brain. And to be honest, the fact that he thought abouther, came and checked on her, helped in quieting those voices.
“You’re not going to break up with my mom, are you? Because ofthis?”
It still caught her how much people his age could sound liketotal grownups one second and little kids the next. “I wasn’t planning to, butI’m not sure where it leaves us.”
She desperately wanted to ask if he’d prefer his parents get backtogether, but she wouldn’t do that to him. Not because he wasn’t mature enoughto have a meaningful answer, but because it was an unfair question in the firstplace.
“Good.” He looked at his feet again and Quinn couldn’t decide ifthere was something else he wanted to say or if he didn’t know how to leave theconversation gracefully.
