Just Maybe (Home In You Book 3)

by Crystal Walton

  “What’s that?”

  “Business.” She motioned to his phone. “Our girl’s always been so driven. Once she was fixin’ to do something, we knew to clear the way. And ooh-wee, that girl got madder than a wet hen when things didn’t go according to plan.” Her hand stalled, her chuckle tapering. “I suppose that kind of drive will take you places.”

  He peered out the window again. “Why’d she be interested in nannying, then?” The question slipped out before he could stop it. It was one thing to have questions. It was another to meddle. He didn’t want to interfere with her family’s shot at reconnecting with her today.

  “Nannying?” Mrs. Thompson fumbled with a handful of spoons. In a quick recovery, she resumed her task. “Well, she’s always loved children. They seem to take to her more than other people.”

  Cooper glanced at Quinn and Brayden again. “So I’ve noticed.”

  She flipped the lid over each tub and peered through the window as well. “I reckon it fills a void for her. Makes her happy.” With a sad smile, she patted Cooper’s hand. “Be a doll and bring this tray out to the gang, won’t you?”

  The screen door opened behind him.

  “Better watch out,” Quinn said. “Mama can talk your ear off if you’re not careful.” From the look on her face, she was worried about what that talk consisted of.

  Mrs. Thompson waved a dish rag at her. “Phooey. We were having a lovely chat. Weren’t we, honey?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Her mom strolled toward Quinn. “Don’t worry, sugar, I’m not stealing him from you.” She winked. “Yet.”

  “Mama.”

  “Oh, lighten up. My sight may not be what it used to, but I can still see when a man’s heart is already taken. A little teasing isn’t gonna change that.”

  Quinn swatted her mom’s hand away when she reached for what looked like an inappropriate part of Quinn’s shirt. Cooper wasn’t about to ask.

  “Cut those lights off when you come back out,” her mom called.

  The door closed behind Mrs. Thompson, and Quinn’s gaze automatically found a stain on the floor to fixate on. “Sorry about that. All of it, really. I plan to set them straight about us today, so don’t worry. You won’t have to deal with this much longer.”

  He stopped in front of her with the tray of ice cream between them. “Take your time. I’m doing just fine.”

  Still avoiding eye contact, she pulled in her bottom lip and played with a strand of her hair.

  At least, he was doing fine a moment ago. She killed him when she looked that cute without even realizing it.

  He cleared his throat. “This ice cream, on the other hand, isn’t gonna make it much longer.”

  Quinn looked at the fast-approaching soupy ice cream and opened the door. “Right. Sorry.”

  Mrs. Thompson flagged them over. “Sugar, we were just talking about that old dance you and Dad used to do at all the cookouts each summer. ’Member?”

  Quinn dipped a napkin in her water, took Brayden from Loraine, and wiped his red-stained mouth. “That was eons ago.”

  “But wouldn’t it be so fun to do it again?” She squeezed her husband’s shoulders from behind him.

  Quinn’s napkin dropped to the ground and started to blow away. She caught it with her foot, her voice apparently not as fast on catching up. “No one wants to see that dance, Mama.”

  “I don’t know,” Cooper said. “I’m intrigued.”

  She cut him an I-hate-you glare. “We don’t have the tape anymore.”

  “You mean, this song?” Ginny held up her phone, a country tune bellowing from the speaker.

  Mrs. Thompson practically cheered. “I’ll go get the boots and hat.”

  “What?” Quinn whirled around to her mom already hurrying to the back steps. “Mama, no—” But the door had already swung behind her.

  Cooper had no idea what this dance was all about, but one thing was for sure. If it involved Quinn wearing a cowgirl hat, he was dying to find out.

  Chapter Ten

  Dance

  “Great.” Quinn held Brayden out to Cooper. “I hope you know you’re in for it later.”

  “Can’t wait.”

  She dipped her fingertips in her water and flicked drops at his face.

  When her mom came out brandishing a dusty off-white cowgirl hat and a pair of equally faded leather boots, his chuckle morphed into outright laughter.

  “You’re lucky you’re holding Brayden right now.” Quinn made a face at him while begrudgingly taking the gear Mrs. Thompson presented her like a prized family heirloom.

  Chase flicked the tip of her hat. “Don’t act like you don’t love being the center of attention.”

  “You know these boots have spurs, right?”

  Cooper joined in her brother’s amusement until Mrs. Thompson struggled to help her husband up from his chair. Nurse Murphy intervened and led him to the front of the table where Quinn stood looking more helpless than nervous.

  Something in him flinched. He’d wanted to prove her wrong about coming here today. To show her family was family, and if she gave it half a chance, she might even have a little fun. But now that he’d seen glimpses into why she’d left to begin with, he felt more like a heel than a hero.

  “It’s your dance, George. Remember?” Mrs. Thompson looked to Nurse Murphy, who gave him a gentle nod of assurance.

  He took Quinn’s hand as the music began, but he might as well have been sleepwalking, each movement slow and unfamiliar. The pain on Quinn’s face deepened the longer the song dragged on until Cooper couldn’t bear it any longer. He held Brayden out to Chase, about to rescue her, when something shifted in her dad’s countenance.

  He grasped her hand tighter, the motions more fluid, more certain. A step at a time, life seemed to surge back to his vacant eyes, and Quinn was no longer leading. He was.

  As the song waned, he stopped shuffling in the grass and cupped both her cheeks as though seeing her for the first time. “My baby girl.” A sheen coated his eyes. “You’re home.”

  “Yeah, Daddy.” Her chin trembled. “I’m home.”

  He curled her into the kind of hug Cooper missed from his own dad. The ones that let you know everything was going to be okay.

  All-out tears overtook her mom’s cheeks, while Loraine covered her chest.

  Brayden dragged a plastic spoon over the table and threw it on the ground, fussing. Thankful for the opportune interruption, Cooper rose and walked Brayden along the opposite end of the yard. Sometimes the pain of missing Dad caught him in the gut without warning.

  He turned and almost smacked right into Quinn’s father. He set her hand in his. “It’s only fair you get a dance too, young man.”

  Cooper looked from the awkward tension in Quinn’s eyes back to her dad. “Oh, sir, I appreciate that.” He lifted Brayden up. “But I’m on baby duty.”

  “Nonsense.” Mrs. Thompson came over, arms outstretched. “I’ve been itching all night for dibs on this cutie. Come to Nanna,” she said to Brayden before waving them off. “You two go on. Have some fun.”

  Ginny must’ve turned up the music on her phone. Even the fireflies seemed to be urging them to join their dance floor.

  “Scared I might out dance you, partner?” The playfulness in Quinn’s tone lured Cooper’s gaze to an even more impish grin. She was in for it now.

  He stole her hat and swept her into his arms. “Ask me again when we’re done.”

  Head back, hair flowing in the wind, she laughed with a melody that topped any song. His stomach tightened. It was a good thing he wasn’t sticking around Lake Gaston. ’Cause if he wasn’t careful, he could fall for a girl like Quinn Thompson.

  “How’d you know Ginny would want to come over to the lake?”

  Where’d that come from? He leaned back slightly to read her expression, then shrugged. “The chance for a suntan before her party? Especially with a boy to get dolled up for? Made sense.”

  Her feet stalled. “S
hould I be scared or impressed that you think like a girl?”

  He chuckled. “I have a niece.”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “I lived with my brother for a while last year. Took Maddie paddle boarding a lot. We got close.”

  “So, you—”

  “Look at you two.” Her dad approached again with a glint of awareness still in his eyes. He patted Cooper’s back. “I’ve been waiting a long time to see my Quinn in love.”

  She dropped Cooper’s hand, her face falling with it. “Daddy.”

  “What? There’s nothing wrong with a father wanting to see his little girl happy and taken care of.”

  A silent fury Cooper didn’t fully understand ransacked Quinn’s embarrassed expression, all while her dad’s continued to brim with affection anyone would be blind to miss.

  He nodded at Cooper. “Forgive an old man’s sentiment. I won’t interrupt you two again.” After a pat to each of their shoulders, he turned back toward the picnic table.

  Cooper drew Quinn into a dancing hold again to give her a chance to calm down, if nothing else.

  Behind them, her dad sat Brayden on the grass in front of Loraine and led her mom up from a wicker chair into their own dance. Cheek to cheek, they swayed in a world that, for the moment, clearly belonged only to them.

  His stomach tensed. “You can’t tell them, Quinn.”

  “What?” She leaned back.

  “Your parents. This—us—it obviously means a lot to them. What’s it going to hurt to play along?”

  Her features hardened. “They can’t let their happiness ride on whether or not I get married. I have . . . other things that make me a success on my own.” She glued her focus to her Converse sneakers as if they held the answers to life’s great mysteries. “Once I get past one more hurdle, it’ll finally put me in a position he can be proud of me for.”

  Did she not see the way her dad looked at her? Cooper lifted her chin. “I think he already is.”

  A tear as stubborn as she was hung to her bottom lashes, refusing to escape.

  He brushed her bangs over to her ear. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t tell them. Just not today.”

  Quinn glanced behind her and back without answering, a dozen emotions still churning in her brown eyes. She needed to get her mind off things. To be honest, he did too.

  He twirled her around, drew her in, and dipped her like a professional dancer.

  Angled downward, she raised a brow at him. “Going for a trophy?”

  “If our fan club over there has anything to say about it, I think I just won it.” He lifted her upright and motioned to the faces following their every move from the opposite end of the yard.

  Sass returned to her eyes as she stepped out of his hold. “Don’t be so sure. They’re a tougher crowd than you think.”

  “Then I guess I better find another way to impress them.” He took her hat off, nestled it onto her head, and curved her hair around her ear. “They want to know you’re with someone charming, gentlemanly.”

  “Mm.” She nodded, evidently placating him. “Well, you are a good actor.”

  “Who said I’m acting?” He countered her raised brow with a steady gaze. “In fact, I think they’d be pretty disappointed if I didn’t kiss you right now.”

  “Is that right?” She stood her ground, but the slightest flutter on her neck told him the distraction was working.

  “Mm,” he mimicked, edging closer. “Question is, would you be?”

  She set a hand to his chest. “Ask me again when we’re done.”

  Despite the tease in her voice at using his own lines on him, his heart rate picked up. A breeze blew through her hair, tangling him in an aroma of flowers and summer and things able to bring him to his knees.

  Her fingertips reached for his collar, her eyes never leaving his. Her alluring expression nearly consumed him until a laugh breached the tiny space between them. “Sorry, that was totally lame, wasn’t it?” She tugged her hat down. “I don’t know how to play the smooth card like you do. I’m too much of a dork.”

  “No, uh . . .” Cooper ran a knuckle along his jawbone. “That was, um, really good, actually.”

  “Yeah?”

  Recovering, he slid his fingers in her hair, his grin to the side. “Yeah.” With his lips to her ear, he whispered, “But you should probably keep practicing.”

  Her breath fluttered when he grazed a kiss to her cheek.

  He leaned back, winked, and started toward her family, who were still watching them like they were about to bust out popcorn. Halfway there, an acorn nailed him dead in the back of the head. He swung around toward an overly satisfied grin.

  “Good thing my arm doesn’t need any more practice.”

  He lit up in laughter. Yep, he could definitely fall for Quinn Thompson if he wasn’t careful.

  At the table, Quinn picked Brayden up from the grass.

  A yelp drew all their glances toward her dad almost falling off the back steps, her mom and Nurse Murphy on either side of him. Cooper and Chase reached them in a second.

  “I’m all right.” Mr. Thompson waved them all away.

  “It’s that faulty step there.” Quinn’s mom pointed to a splintered section of the wood. “Been meaning to fix it for ages.”

  Cooper squatted to examine it. The old stairs had rotted in several places. It was a wonder they hadn’t fallen through yet. “I’ll be happy to come mend that this week. Won’t take long.”

  “Well, that’s mighty sweet of you, dear. A man who knows how to work with his hands is definitely a keeper.” Beaming, she sent two more conspicuous winks at Quinn.

  She massaged her forehead. “We should really get going. Thanks for lunch, Mama.”

  “Glad you could come, sugar.” She kissed Quinn’s cheek. “Drive safe, now.”

  “Safely,” she muttered under her breath as she turned.

  Though her mom probably missed it, Cooper couldn’t help chuckling at the involuntary shuddering Quinn failed to hide.

  After saying the rest of their goodbyes and ensuring her dad got in the house okay, they went through the back gate to his SUV. He buckled Brayden in his car seat. If he was anywhere near as tuckered out as he looked, he’d be asleep before they left the driveway. The sight of him compressed around Cooper’s chest again. He brushed Brayden’s slightly damp hair to one side and kissed his head.

  Turning, he caught a smile fixed on him that seemed to brighten and then dim with thoughts he’d pay to hear. “What?”

  Quinn lifted a nonchalant shoulder. “Nothing. You’re just getting really good with him. It’s sweet to watch.”

  His face fell. Sweet maybe, but not enough. Thankfully, his cell interrupted them and cut off a conversation that would end up going nowhere. Cooper heaved a sigh at Drew’s name on the screen. On to another conversation he didn’t want to have.

  He turned and answered. “Sorry I couldn’t take your call earlier, hoss. What’s up?”

  “I hope you have a guest room ready.”

  “Why?”

  Audible anticipation pulsed through the phone line. “’Cause we’re coming for a visit.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Walls

  Under the lamplight on his dock, Cooper scooted the two-by-four he’d just cut against the previous board until their edges were flush. He sat back on his heels and pushed his hair off his forehead with his arm.

  What was Drew thinking, springing a visit on him like this? He didn’t have time to listen to whatever lecture was bound to be the reason his brother was coming. He had a deadline approaching whether anyone wanted it to or not. An in-person argument wasn’t going to change that.

  Cooper withdrew his hammer from his tool belt and drove a nail through the wood with more force than necessary. The blunt echo shuddered across the still water and disappeared in the rustle of tree branches waving in the wind.

  A creak from the boards closest to his yard brought Quinn into focus, walking barefoot across the pla
nks. She pointed the baby monitor behind her. “He conked right out.”

  “He had a long day.”

  “Didn’t we all,” she mumbled. Sitting on the bench at the end of the pier, she set the monitor beside her and lifted one of the boards he’d propped against the seat. “Nothing like the smell of cedar.” She twisted it on its edge in slow, mindless circles.

  Going to her parents’ had been more taxing on her than he’d expected. But he’d caught glimpses of a homesick girl tonight. One who wasn’t willing to admit she missed parts of what she’d left behind. How could he help her lower those walls?

  Above them, a clear dark sky showcased the stars in the kind of summer night stories were written about. He’d sat out on this lake hundreds of times since he moved in, admiring the serenity in every season. But something about seeing Quinn in the lamplight against a backdrop that’d been home for him this last year made it the kind of story he wished wouldn’t end.

  She ran her fingers along the smooth grains he’d sanded before she’d come out. “Chase and I used to race to Dad’s workshop whenever he was in there, so eager to help him.” A sad laugh tugged at her lips. “I’m sure he had to go back and fix everything we messed up, but he never said anything about it. Never complained. He always seemed happy to have us nearby.” She set the wood aside. “Even made us feel like we’d helped make something special.”

  A wistful gaze gravitated across the shore and into memories he could almost feel from here. Truth be told, they could’ve been his own memories. Their fathers sounded very similar.

  An unbidden lump built in his throat. Forcing it down, Cooper checked the time on his phone and unbuckled his tool belt. It was too late to be out here making noise. But he’d been doing what he did best—pushing limits.

  He stood and gathered the rest of the boards into a pile. “You two seem close.”

  “We were.”

  Cooper didn’t miss the ache in those words. “Until the dementia?” No one had labeled her father’s illness, but it wasn’t too hard to guess.

  Another splintered look passed her eyes. “It started out with little things at first. Forgetting where he’d left something, missing appointments. But then . . .” Her voice trailed into the wind, taking his heart with it.