Like a Boss (Accidentally Viral)

by Anne Harper

With pleasure.

  There was no host asking about pictures or an abrupt end on his part.

  There was just him and Nell next to the water.

  It was longer than the kiss on Valentine’s Day, though it still had to end.

  Someone cleared their throat behind them.

  Nell broke their kiss with a laugh. Quinn turned around, his expression no doubt matching the couple standing a few feet away.

  He hadn’t met the Keplings but had a feeling he was staring at them.

  “Oh my gosh, how embarrassing,” Nell exclaimed, not missing a beat. She stepped out of Quinn’s arms but put her hand on his chest with feeling. “I’m so sorry you had to catch us like that. You must be the people who are renting the cabin. We knocked but weren’t sure if it was vacant or not.”

  Mr. Kepling, a short man with wide eyes that held nothing but confusion, nodded.

  “Yeah, we’re renting it. Who are you?”

  Quinn wasn’t a man who usually shied away from the truth. His parents hadn’t raised him to lie, and he was trying to teach his son the importance of accountability. Yet he stood solid and still as Nell took over. Something he was grateful for, considering he had no idea what game she was playing.

  “Sorry for the intrusion.” She dove back in. Her voice was high and flighty, à la a stereotypical valley girl. She patted his chest twice. “I’m Liere and this is my husband, John.”

  As she said it, Mr. and Mrs. Kepling looked between them, meaning Quinn didn’t have a second to be surprised. He smiled like a kid instead. Nell kept going like it was her job.

  Which, as her boss, he had on special authority it wasn’t.

  “See, it’s our anniversary, and John here is one of those really sentimental types. He thought it would be nice to stop by and visit the place where he proposed, since we were driving through Arbor Bay on the way home.” Nell gave him a long, theatrical look. Then she nearly sighed out a lung. “I told him I didn’t want to chance running into anyone renting, but he’s nothing but a big ole softy and thought we should at least try.”

  For lies, it wasn’t a bad one. In fact, Quinn became a bit worried at how easy the tale had been to spin.

  And also proud.

  It made him want to help.

  Quinn put his hand over the one on his chest. He slid his left hand into his pocket to hide the fact that he wasn’t wearing a ring. He smiled wide.

  “I like remembering where the beginning of the best part of my life started.”

  For a moment, the Keplings didn’t say a word. Had they seen him and Nell running through the backyard to the dock? Or, worse, had they seen Nell kick the crab trap off the deck with something in it?

  Quinn could barely believe the situation they were in, and he had been there through all of it. He could only imagine how it might look out of context.

  How had Quinn gone from needing to keep his distance from Nell to this?

  Mrs. Kepling was the first to speak. When she smiled and her husband mimicked it, Quinn had to make sure he wasn’t obvious with showing how relieved he was.

  “Well, that’s just the sweetest thing,” Mrs. Kepling said. She seemed to genuinely mean it. “Don’t you two worry about bothering us. We’re going to lunch, but I forgot my phone, so we’re headed right back out. You two feel free to stay here as long as you like.”

  Nell rested her head against Quinn’s arm. There was nothing but Southern honey in her voice. “You are the sweetest. Thank you both.”

  “Yeah, thank you. We won’t stay long,” Quinn added.

  The Keplings left after another round of smiling and goodbyes. Quinn and Nell turned back to the water. He put his arm around her shoulder for effect, and neither of them spoke until the sound of two car doors shutting cut through the mid-morning air.

  “Well, this is going to be awkward.”

  “Not if we don’t make a big deal out of it,” Quinn pointed out. “We did what we had to do. Even though it was right out of some kind of modern I Love Lucy episode.”

  Nell, however, shook her head and stepped out of his embrace. She pointed to the water.

  More specifically, the spot where the crab trap had fallen.

  “I have to either replace all of those sex toys or tell their owners that they were lost to the bay.” She sighed. “And I swear, if Keith McHaulty gets wind of the former, he’s going to have a field day. ‘Antonella Bennett might not be the one but she sure knows how to have fun.’”

  “Keith will have to go through me again if he wants to mess with you. Sex toys or not.” Nell turned her gaze on him, a smile playing on lips that had turned a shade darker since their kiss.

  “When you said you wanted to be friends, I guess this wasn’t what you were expecting.”

  Quinn snorted.

  “Since the day I met you, I can say with absolute confidence that you, Antonella Bennett, are nothing like I was expecting.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Nell and Quinn walked into Heart in Hand with a garbage bag of wet sex toys and a lot of unsaid words between them. Sure, they’d talked in the car ride back from Greywater Cabin, but it had been a more general holy shit what a ride conversation than a targeted attack on the one thing Nell really wanted to focus on.

  The kiss.

  Their second kiss.

  She’d initiated it to create a lie on the fly but boy oh boy had she straight-up forgotten what was happening as soon as her lips hit his.

  Warm and strong and soft. All at once.

  And when Quinn Once-A-Loner Hannigan had kissed back?

  Gobsmacked.

  That was the word that came to mind. That’s how she’d felt during their lip-lock.

  Gob. Smacked.

  She’d already had the pleasure of kissing him once, but this time around, it had felt different. Holy H-E-double-hockey-sticks kind of different. Mostly because they’d gotten to know each other, she was sure, but partly because she’d managed to fantasize about him a lot in between their first meeting and where they were now.

  Dreaming about kissing someone and then doing it afterward?

  Well, that was a whole new sack of potatoes.

  It was like she had been stranded on a life raft in the center of the ocean, dehydrated and defeated. Then, just like that, the clouds had parted and a cold bottle of fresh water had descended from the heavens, a string quartet playing in the background and fireworks readying on the horizon.

  Suddenly her thirst was quenched.

  And then, just as quickly, she wanted more.

  Surprise to start, pleasure during, and then desire left in its wake.

  Had the Keplings not pulled her back to reality—that reality being Heart in Hand’s reputation and their jobs in jeopardy—Nell would have kept drinking that fresh water, the ocean around them be damned.

  But for every feeling Nell had had at their most recent kiss, there had been questions mirrored back at her.

  Had Quinn returned her kiss because he’d picked up on her bad plan and was also trying to play along? Or had he kissed back because he’d wanted to?

  Why did any of it matter? It shouldn’t. It couldn’t.

  That was what they didn’t talk about on the way back to Heart in Hand.

  And it was slowly killing Nell to keep her priorities in check. She had a job she loved and a life that had only been made messier by dealing with men.

  She needed to let the idea of anything other than Friend or Boss Quinn go. Kiss or not.

  “Tally and Jones must still be at the food truck festival,” Nell forced herself to say instead of everything else she was itching to let loose. Quinn shook the garbage bag. Luckily he’d had another one handy in his rental car. Nell was starting to think that was a smart precaution to take, considering they’d gone through two in the last few days.

  �
�It’s probably a good thing we don’t see them just yet,” he said. “I think it might be for the best if we limit who we tell about this whole ordeal to the two of us. We don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea about this place. We definitely don’t want this getting back to Donavon.”

  He gave her what she assumed he assumed was a sensible and polite smile. A fleeting look you’d give an acquaintance. Enough attention so you didn’t feel forgotten but not enough heft to leave the impression that you were in the top five things that were important for the day. One that created distance between the person who was doing it and the person it was meant to reach.

  Nell didn’t like how formal it felt.

  How detached it was.

  To her, she was still on that life raft in the middle of the ocean, the only difference now being that Quinn was next to her in it.

  He was wearing earplugs while she had a megaphone. And the filter between her brain and her mouth?

  It was on the fritz.

  Nell followed him back to his office, knowing she was about to become 1,000 percent blurt-y.

  “Speaking of wrong ideas, why don’t we go talk about all the bad ones I’ve had in the last month? Starting with the rant in the restaurant and rounding it out with my plan of breaking and entering.”

  Quinn moved to his desk and dropped the garbage bag off next to it with a slightly unsettling thunk. “What do you mean?” he asked lightly.

  Nell did a little shoulder shake. An anxiousness and awkwardness fusing together in a little shimmy.

  “Maybe we can grab some dinner tonight. Or a drink. Lord knows we probably could use one after today. I mean, honestly, I probably could still use one after chasing Wiggly the Pig down last weekend.”

  Quinn’s expression went blank.

  “You mean like go out as a group?”

  Nell took an uncertain step forward. She wished her mouth would hush, but that kiss had scrambled her brain. It was all she could do to nod.

  “Yeah. A group thing. You know, to keep this party going. You bring your red flags, I’ll bring mine, and the gang will bring the rest.” She grinned, hoping Quinn hadn’t noticed the absolute swerve she’d just pulled. You know, before she’d almost asked him out on something that was suspiciously like a date. “Just a friendly group hang.”

  B for Effort, Nell. B for Effort.

  Quinn’s brow furrowed. He opened his mouth to say something. Then he shut it like she had the crab trap lid.

  “I already have plans tonight,” he said, sounding suspiciously rehearsed. “Maybe we can all go out later instead.”

  Nell nodded. She could feel the heat of a blush start to pulse up her neck.

  She’d almost asked Quinn out on a date seconds after reminding herself that she wanted to stay single for a long while.

  Still, after she’d been turned down for a group hangout, there she was feeling the sting of rejection.

  “Of course.” Nell did a weird backward slide toward the door, never breaking eye contact. What was it with her and her sudden dance moves? “I’ll talk to them when they get back.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Quinn sat down in his chair and looked at his phone, unperturbed at the feeble attempt to connect. For him, it looked like just another workday again.

  Nell went from feeling stung to grumpy in a second flat.

  One minute Quinn was laughing with her, protecting her honor, and coming to her rescue. In the next he shut down and couldn’t be bothered, hiding from her behind invisible walls that seemed to be controlled by a very sensitive button.

  It shouldn’t have mattered.

  Yet there it was again, feeling like it mattered a whole lot.

  When she was back at her desk, Nell shook out her shoulders, took a deep breath, and tried to convince herself that she’d just been caught up in the moment. Or, really, several.

  This is why you gave up men. You’d have better luck with the box of sex toys.

  Tally came into Heart in Hand like a tornado. She made a path from the front door to the break room with chaotic precision. To say she was excited about something was an understatement. The woman was half squeal when she spoke.

  “You did not tell me that you went out with Wren Blocker this weekend!”

  Nell paused the burrito she’d just heated up in the microwave midair.

  “Why, hello there, Tally. And how was your lunch?” she deadpanned. Her mood was still a bit on the grumpy side. If there was ever a way to passive aggressively heat up burritos in the break room then Nell and Quinn had done that no more than ten minutes ago.

  Tally plopped down in the dining chair across from her.

  “Sorry but I’m going to need an answer on this one.”

  “You didn’t actually ask a question,” Nell had to point out. “But, just to be clear, I didn’t go out with him.”

  Tally crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn’t buying what Nell was selling.

  “We ran into Ms. Peggy at the park and she said she saw you and Wren at the Silver Slipper sitting at a table together on Saturday. You all dolled up and Wren in a suit. If that’s not a date, then please tell me what is.”

  Her voice rose to a louder volume. Nell hurried to try and bring her back down before she went into foghorn territory. She used her burrito to point.

  “All right, all right. Calm down. The last thing I need is another story about me going around town.”

  Tally wiggled her eyebrows.

  “So it’s true then. You went out on a date with Wren!”

  Nell sighed.

  “Yes, I was there with Wren—”

  “And I heard you also left with him,” Tally interrupted with a little too much glee.

  “And I left with him,” Nell repeated. “But it wasn’t a date. At least not one we were aware of at the time.”

  She explained the Liere trap, but Tally was shaking her head before Nell could even finish.

  “Okay, so you didn’t initiate the date, but from what Ms. Peggy heard, Wren enjoyed it. She said he was saying good things about you at the café yesterday.”

  Nell had a hard time believing that. He’d been friendly, sure, but it wasn’t like Wren had made any attempt to see her again.

  “Nell, I just have to say that even though we’re relatively fresh out of long-term relationships, I still think you should call that man up and ask him on another date. A real one. I’ve met Wren before. He’s a good egg and you could use one of those after the whole rant and Keith thing.” Tally smirked, something that was rare for the woman. “And he’s so dang handsome. I mean, you did see him, right? You two could be the next Arbor Bay power couple!”

  There she went with squealing again. Nell put the burrito down on her plate in defeat.

  “Wren seems like a nice guy, but that wasn’t a real date.”

  “Then make a real one.” Tally was unperturbed. She went for the kill with an argument that Nell didn’t see coming. “Your mom’s big birthday party is coming up, right? You told me just last week about how all your siblings are bringing someone. Everyone but you. Wren already works with Liere, so why not invite him as your platonic plus one? It’ll be kind of like a soft date. See if he jives with you and the rest of your family in a non-romantic setting. If he doesn’t, then friends it is. But if he does and you have a good time?”

  She did the eyebrow wiggle again.

  Nell swatted at her. Tally was also rarely this hyper.

  “Why are you all of a sudden pestering me about dating? Who are you and what have you done with the woman who agreed that we’re taking a break on all men?”

  Tally rolled her eyes.

  “Because, for one, dating a guy like Wren Blocker would definitely keep the gossip in your favor. Not even Keith McHaulty could mess with him, he’s just that squeaky clean.”

 
Nell thought about Quinn and his promise that the same man would have to go through him if he wanted to mess with her again. She snorted.

  “Despite what everyone seems to think, I am capable of fighting my own battles, thank you. Well, in theory,” she added after a slight pause to think about it. “I suppose I’ve dropped the ball a bit on good self-defense lately.”

  “For two, I could live vicariously through you.” Tally pointed to herself to emphasize. “Because I need a win, Antonella Bennett, and that man is a win.”

  There was no stopping Nell from laughing at that. She reached out and patted her friend’s hand. “How about we both live vicariously through someone else instead? It would probably be a lot less stressful.”

  Tally’s enthusiasm dialed back a bit. Nell reached for her burrito again.

  Then the rest of Heart in Hand came in.

  Jones looked between them but Quinn, who was following with his empty lunch plate, didn’t meet her gaze.

  “What are you two in here almost yelling about?” Jones asked. He swung into the chair next to Nell. “Wait, let me guess. Tally here, who promised she’d mind her own beeswax in the car, decided to ask you about your date last weekend anyways.”

  Quinn’s back was turned toward them, but Nell could have sworn he tensed.

  “I couldn’t help it,” Tally defended. “It’s Wren we’re talking about here. I had a crush on him for weeks before I started dating Justin, and that was after only one short conversation.”

  That was news to Nell. How had she not run into the man before the past weekend?

  “Then why don’t you ask him out? You’re single now.”

  Tally shook her head.

  “Because I’m not the one who already went out with him, thank you very much. You’ve already tapped the keg, so to speak.”

  Nell groaned. How many times did she have to explain her lack of love life to people? Her lack of love life by choice.

  “You know, my cousin lives on the same street as he does. He also thinks he’s a solid guy,” Jones added in. “A little bit of a workaholic, but that’s most people these days. You gotta hustle a little if you want to eventually ball a lot.”