by Ryan Michele
Therefore, it was small talk and nothing that took my mind off of Quinn.
I survived the rest of the lunch without pissing him off anymore, and when I returned to work, I got news that did not help me at all with my goal to win Quinn.
New York called. They loved all my ideas and wanted to move forward but the big guys, the money backers for the project, wanted to meet. Problem was they were in Japan and wanted me there at their home office.
I would be flying out the next morning.
I had just unpacked my suitcase the night before and was already shoving shit back in it. I needed a new job. One that kept me home so I could take Quinn out on a date. I had avoided calling her long enough. I needed to hear her voice.
I got into bed and grabbed my cell off the nightstand. I scrolled through my contacts and stopped over her name. Her smile popped into my head. Fuck, I had missed her. She had me in knots and didn’t even know it.
She answered on the fourth ring. “Hello?” Her voice was low and raspy. It was sexy as hell.
“Were you asleep?”
“Almost.”
“Did you get your flowers?”
“I did. They’re gorgeous. You didn’t have to.”
“Yeah, I did. I meant to call, but timing never lined up.” Fuck, I was lame.
“I received your gift. Thanks for replacing my undies.”
“Did you like them?”
“Yeah. You know I love pink and black together.”
“Wish I could see you in them.”
“Maybe I’m wearing them now.”
I started getting hard at the thought. “Damn, babe. Tell me, what are you doing while wearing them?”
“Conner,” she hissed. “Even if I were, I wouldn’t tell you.”
Yeah, I’d screwed up. Timing never lined up. Seriously, Conner?
I switched gears. “I leave for Japan tomorrow and wanted to hear your voice before I left.”
She said nothing for a long moment, and I thought she hung up on me. “Quinn?”
“I’m here. Be safe on your trip. I need to go, Conner.”
“I…” But she cut off the phone.
Yeah. I majorly screwed up and now going to Japan, I couldn’t go to her and talk it out. When I got home I would.
15
Quinn
Listen, smile, agree … then do whatever you were gonna do in the first place.
I pinned my hair back from my face and applied mascara. Today would have been the perfect opportunity to fake an illness, but as Drew’s sister I had a duty to fulfill. This meant no skipping out on attending Rebecca’s stupid bridal shower.
My only saving grace was my mother would be in attendance. She wasn’t a fan of Rebecca’s either, but she would never voice that aloud because she wouldn’t want to alienate Drew.
No, our mother would dote on Rebecca and treat her like the princess Rebecca believed herself to be.
Finishing my makeup, I removed the pin and let my hair down. Giving it a toss with my fingers and adding some finishing wax, this was as good as it was going to get.
My light blue wrap dress went great with my new wedge sandals. Snagging my earrings from my dresser, I moved to the living room to make sure I had everything I needed before I went to pick my mother up. Purse. Check. Phone. Check. Lip gloss. Check and check.
My mother wanted to drive, but I insisted on having a way out if I needed it.
Gifts! I loaded the boxes in my trunk. I had bought Rebecca some massage oils online from the place we did the tantric massages in Las Vegas along with some pretty lingerie, monogrammed robes that said Mr. and Mrs. Landis on them, and mood setting candles. I hated Rebecca but loved my brother, and I’d be damned if she would say I gave them a crap gift for the rest of my existence. I spent more than I wanted to, but it was what it was.
Setting out, my mom was waiting on me when I pulled up. Popping the trunk, she put gifts in and slid into the passenger seat. “You look nice today, sweetheart.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I said, leaning over the console and giving her a hug.
The drive to Rebecca’s parents’ home wasn’t far, and thankfully that left little time to dive into my trip to Vegas.
The shower was being held in her parents’ backyard under a big white tent. Bonus, there was an open bar. “I do hope you will be on your best behavior today,” Mom said as we pulled into the long driveway.
I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. “Of course.”
“Now you know it isn’t for us to meddle in Drew’s love life. He has chosen Rebecca to be his partner, and we have to respect that,” she reminded me unnecessarily.
“I know that.”
“Well, your father and I have been together forty-one years. I think I know a little something about relationships.” I gave her a smile, but I wasn’t in the mood for one of her lectures. “Now we just need to find you a husband.”
And boom, there it was. Just once it would be nice if my mother would lay off the marriage shit.
“I don’t need a man to be happy.”
“Everyone needs someone to share their day with.” I wasn’t about to tell her I had been talking to Conner Davenport. It had been days since we talked last. I knew he was in Japan, but I had no idea where we stood or if or when we’d have a date. Maybe Conner only wanted sex. It wouldn’t be surprising for a man with his track record. Everything with that man was confusing.
A valet driver took my keys, and another guy carried our gifts in for us.
Here goes.
As soon as we stepped under the tent a server greeted us with mimosas. I eagerly accepted mine, hoping he went a little heavy on the champagne.
My mother wandered off to greet Rebecca’s mother, Gwendolyn.
I had no desire to mingle, feeling awkward and out of place amongst Becky and her gang.
In Vegas I had Conner as a buffer. Here I was on my own, and there were so many snotty bitches in attendance I’d be lucky to get out of here without saying something. The lot included her giggling sorority sisters in the far corner who tried and failed to make it seem as if they weren’t talking about everyone in attendance. Who the hell needed friends like those?
“Quinn, don’t you look darling in that dress,” Rebecca said sweetly, only because we were in close proximity to our mothers.
“As do you.” I returned her fake smile, taking a drink as our mothers approached.
“Drew had lunch with Conner last week. How are things between you?” Good ol’ Becky threw down the bomb. She really was a bitch.
“Yes, you two looked so cozy in Vegas,” Paula tacked on, sidling up to us. Great, and the sad thing was I actually thought Paula was okay. Not today, thank you.
“Conner?” My mother butted in. Oh great. I did not want to attempt to explain the nature of whatever I was doing with Conner. She would make a big deal out of nothing. Hence why I kept my mouth shut.
“Davenport.” Rebecca smirked and confirmed she had set me up. She thought our relationship was a farce, which it was, but screw her. The spiteful bitch wanted to embarrass me in front of everyone by calling me out. Not happening.
“Yes, Mom. Conner Davenport. He was my date for Las Vegas.”
“Date? I thought he was your boyfriend.” Rebecca’s eyes narrowed on me, her voice dripping with venom. My temper rose.
“It’s still new, and he’s out of town right now. Japan to be exact.”
“Why am I only hearing about this now? You know how much I adore Conner,” Mom started in, but I cut her off, not wanting this discussion here of all places.
“Because it’s new, and we haven’t exactly gone public yet. I didn’t want to overshadow Rebecca. It is her day, after all.” Yeah, the words were laced in hate, but whatever.
“Fair enough,” Paula said, saving face for me. Maybe she was okay, after all. With the wink she gave me, I thought yes, she was okay.
My mom leaned in and whispered, “I want to hear everything later on the drive home.”
Not hungry, I saw an out with the food and moved that way. I loaded up my small plate with fruit and dip and found a seat next to Rebecca’s Aunt Gertrude who was old and hard on hearing, making her the perfect companion. She didn’t talk much and since she couldn’t hear, a smile went a long way with her.
Rebecca stood in the center of the tent as all attention went to her. “Thank you all for coming. And for all the I’m sure what will be fabulous gifts. Be sure to leave me a message on the board next to the gift table so Andrew and I can cherish it.” I glanced over and saw a ridiculous photo of her and my brother in matching outfits, both smiling like loons. It was their engagement photo Rebecca insisted on for the wedding announcements section of the newspaper. “We’re going to play some fun games and award prizes to the winners. So eat, drink, and chat amongst yourselves.”
No thank you. Quiet was good for me.
The first game, there was a box filled with household items one might find in a junk drawer. Everyone had a few seconds to glance at the contents of the box. Once the box made its rounds, we had three minutes to write down as many items as we could remember from the box. It was a silly game, but I played along. One of Rebecca’s friends won.
The next game was seeing how many words we could make out of Rebecca and my brother’s names. While I played along, I tried not to vomit finally coming up with Brace Drew. I kept my mouth shut when they asked for everyone’s answers.
The third game was ‘pass the present’. It was a cute game where love songs were played as the present was passed around the group. When the music stopped whoever was holding the gift opened it.
Everyone had a good embarrassing giggle when Rebecca’s mother’s best friend Joy opened it. The gift was a vibrator. Rebecca was mortified and giving Laura dirty looks.
The time for cake had come and for some ungodly reason I was volunteered to take Rebecca her slice. Yes, this was bad.
I’d bent down to slide the plate in front of her, and my arm caught on her wine glass. Before I could catch it, the glass tipped over, and red wine spilled all over the lap of her white dress.
“Oh. My. God.” Her hands flew up. “You did that on purpose!”
That pissed me off. “What? No. I didn’t. It was an accident.”
“You don’t want me to marry Andrew. You hate me.” She put on a dramatic scene with crocodile tears, wanting me to look bad and her to be the victim. She was right, though. I didn’t want my brother to marry her, but I wasn’t so low that I would sabotage her party. Come on.
“Becky, I love my brother, and he loves you. Therefore, that makes us family. I’m sorry I ruined your dress.” The apology was painful, but I only said it because my mother was watching.
“Whatever,” she huffed toward the house to change.
I really wanted to skip out but knew my mother would want to stay at least until her gift had been opened. I wanted a shot of whiskey or tequila, but I had to drive. Mom should’ve driven.
It didn’t take Rebecca long to change, and eventually the whispers and stares shifted from me and everyone’s attention was back on her. She took a seat in the middle of the tent.
“Quinn,” she called out. My mom elbowed me to get my attention and nodded to Rebecca.
“Yeah.”
Rebecca’s eyes narrowed before she cleared the venom in her voice, surely not wanting my mom to hear. “Can you come write down all the gifts so I can send thank you cards?”
That bitch. No, I couldn’t just sit here and get through this damn train wreck. No, I had to pay attention enough to write shit down.
And the worst part, no wasn’t an option.
“Sure.” Rising from my seat, I joined Rebecca, but sat off to the side. It was close enough.
The other members of the bridal party assisted her while she unwrapped and opened all of her gifts. She received a lot of skimpy lingerie and personalized towels and such.
My mother had put a lot of thought into her gift. She made Rebecca a photo album that had photos of my brother and our family in one section detailing our family tree, and the second section had Rebecca’s photos and family. The third section was reserved for when they started their family. The thought of my brother having children with her made me sad, and I was ready to get out of there.
Rebecca flipped through it, not really looking at the pages when she did. As Rebecca hugged my mom and thanked her for the gift, a small tear fell down my cheek.
This woman didn’t deserve my brother, and it broke my heart to sit back and watch.
After dropping my mom at home and dodging her questions about Conner, which was painfully hard because she kept probing, I went home happy to have a break. Kicking my shoes off, I fell to my bed.
Conner said he wouldn’t be able to call, and I wasn’t sure when he’d be back in town.
But Carrie had called yesterday and casually mentioned they had dinner with their parents the night before, and I felt perturbed. I hadn’t called him either, but I thought once he returned, he’d want to talk about what happened. I guessed not.
The man was giving me mixed signals, and I was over it.
I had just gotten in from work the next day when my cell phone rang. Rebecca’s number was the last I expected to see flashing on my screen, and I answered it as if snakes were going to come out and bite me.
“Quinn, I need a favor, and before you say no, you owe me after spilling wine on me,” she said without a greeting.
“Yeah, sure. What is it?” I knew it was easier to just agree with her and go along with whatever it was. I only hoped I wouldn’t regret it.
“Tomorrow is the final cake testing for the wedding. I need you to be there with Drew. I have a spa appointment, and I can’t miss it. Their next opening is in two months, and I need it before the wedding.” The fact that Rebecca was passing this off to me was alarming. She had been such a control freak when it came to every detail, but who was I to argue with her? Maybe I could use this as an opportunity to really talk to my brother about this wedding. Not that he’d listen, but hell, I had to try at least.
“Sure. Text me the address and time.”
“Great. Thanks, Quinn.”
“No problem.” I let out a sigh when the call ended. At least I could spend some time with my brother. There was always a positive somewhere. And, hello—cake!
16
Conner
How do I like my eggs? In a cake.
“Mr. Davenport, you have an urgent call from Andrew Landis on line one.”
“Thanks. Put him through.” I picked the phone up from the receiver. “Hey, Drew. Everything okay?”
“Conner, thank God I caught you, man. I need a huge favor. I’m buried at work, and today is the final cake testing for the wedding. Rebecca will have my balls, but you know what I like. Can you go so we don’t have to reschedule? I’d owe you big time.”
“Rebecca hates me. She’s going to get in a snit.” The last person she wanted to have cake with would be me. She didn’t even want me in her wedding party. Why would she want me to eat cake? Hell, if she had her way, she’d cut me from his life completely. I wasn’t blind to the way she felt about me. I also wasn’t blind to how Drew was allowing it to happen either. If he hadn’t been my best friend for the past couple decades, I would seriously tell him to fuck off. Yet, with Drew I couldn’t.
“Please. Just do this one thing. I swear I wouldn’t ask, but I have no one else I can count on. You know me, so I need this before I end up with carrot cake for my wedding cake or some crazy raspberry filling, and you know I have never liked berry anything, dammit.”
I sighed deeply over the line, not wanting to spend any kind of time with good old Becky. “Fine, text me the information, and I’ll make it work.”
“You’re a
life saver.” The relief in his voice was evident, confirming to me I made the right decision.
“Nah, I’m a wedding saver.” I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
The call ended, and I placed the phone on the receiver and waited for his text to come through on my cell.
The last thing I wanted to do was meet Rebecca to test cake samples for the wedding, but Drew was my best friend, and he needed me.
Maybe I could use the opportunity to put the bitch in her place when it came to Quinn. The way she treated her in Las Vegas was still under my skin, and with this woman joining their family, she needed to treat Quinn better.
I grabbed my keys and told my secretary I would be out for a few hours. I deserved an afternoon off, even it was for this. I had closed a huge deal while in Japan, racking up work that would keep us busy for a while. It was Friday, and it had been a long damn week. My face probably gave that away for me considering how exhausted I felt.
I was the first to arrive to the appointment, being a few minutes early. The nice hostess sat me at a private table in the tasting room at the bakery.
Glancing around the wall, there were numerous black and white photos of previous clients, all appearing happy for their big day. Maybe it was me not liking his fiancée, but I couldn’t imagine seeing a photograph of Drew and Rebecca amongst them. They just didn’t fit, and it was a bit off-putting.
The bell on the front door chimed, and I heard her voice before I saw her. Goose bumps rose on my arms.
“Hi, I’m Quinn Landis, my future sister-in-law asked me to come in her place for a cake testing.”
My heart leapt to my throat. I hadn’t talked to Quinn since I had returned from Japan. I was so busy wrapping the job up that my mind was elsewhere.
She probably thought I was the world’s biggest jackass. I felt like it. That was twice now. Twice I hadn’t contacted her. Something told me this wasn’t going to be pretty. And I’d deserve it all.