by Anne Harper
Quinn tilted his head to the side.
Then he narrowed his eyes.
“Is that an earbud?”
It was wireless, small, and gray.
Nell nodded, surprised.
“Impressive for a man who hates technology.” She took a tentative step forward, still holding the box out. “It’s Bluetooth and can be used with cell phones. All you have to do is plug the adapter into your phone, call someone, and then you can hear them through this. Without anyone else around you hearing them.”
That tentative step was matched by a probing smile.
Quinn might have been a turtle’s pace slow at a few things Arbor Bay, but he was quick to the finish line on this one.
“You want me to wear that out there with Mrs. McMurray so you can hear what she’s saying.”
She didn’t deny the summation.
“If you put your phone on the table upside down I should still be able to hear her and it won’t be super obvious. You can even cover it up with a napkin or something. Hide it with your glass. I don’t know but I’m sure you can make it work.”
Quinn laughed in disbelief.
“This is ridiculous, Nell. I mean, damn, talk about lack of faith. There’s no way I’m doing this just so you can play spy.”
He turned on his heel, but Nell was fast. She put herself between him and the door with a look of reproach at the ready.
“I’m not trying to spy and it has nothing to do with lack of faith,” she defended. “It’s just, well, when you left earlier you seemed a little nervous, which got me thinking about all of the conversations I’ve had with Mrs. McMurray and heard others have had with her over the years and I figured it was straight up negligence to send you in alone. And on such short notice.” Those dark eyes searched his expression. Then softened. “Heart in Hand isn’t just a job to me. It’s family, and that family is what’s on the line. I— We just wanted to help… Unless you really don’t think you need it?”
Oh, buddy, you need it.
Quinn sighed, defeated.
“In the last ten minutes, we’ve talked about threesomes, mushrooms, and bathing in sweet tea. She’s also decided that the only way she’ll use us for her house is if I can answer all of her questions about you, Tally, and Jones to prove I’m a good person. We haven’t even gotten our food yet.”
Nell’s eyes widened, but she looked more alarmed than surprised.
“Then this sounds like something that can save the day.”
She held the box out to him again.
Just a girl standing across from a boy in a bathroom, asking him to be a part of an early 2000s TV show.
“This can’t end well,” he deadpanned.
“When life gives you lemons, you either accept your fate and drink bitter lemonade or you say screw it and add in some vodka.” Nell shrugged. “This is the vodka option.”
Quinn didn’t say anything for a minute. He was chewing on his thoughts. His shit that could go wrong list. Yet a part of him had already accepted he would follow Nell’s lead.
The vodka option.
He was starting to see that should have been the woman’s personal mantra. One second you were stone-cold sensible, the next you were covered in mud, holding wet sex toys, and planning a scheme next to a urinal, all while being a bit hazy on how you got there.
The Antonella Bennett special.
“And what if she sees that there’s suddenly something in my ear?” He took the box from her, much to her small squeal of delight. “How do I play that, Miss Bond?”
Nell let him put the earbud in and walked backward away from him. She squinted at his ear.
“I mean, it’s not that noticeable. Maybe when you sit down try to angle your chair a little so you can turn your head just a smidge?”
“And if that looks as suspicious as it sounds?”
She rolled her eyes.
“If she asks about it, say that it’s for balance or something. A quick fix for an inner-ear issue. I don’t know, Quinn, I can’t do all of the work. I’ll trust you to lie on that one. Now give me your phone.”
There was no use in arguing further. Quinn was already in it to win it. He let Nell put the adapter on his phone and then call it. As soon as he answered, Nell was a voice in his ear.
“All right, Mr. Hannigan, let’s go see if we can’t make this setup work in real life.”
It was his turn to do a big ole eye roll. He went to the door but paused before his hand went to the handle.
“And where are you going to be during this? Surely you’re not staying in here.”
Nell snorted. “Don’t be silly. Tally is sitting out in a van in the parking lot waiting for me and Jones.” She gave him a quick pat on the chest. “Don’t worry, big guy. With me and you together, Mrs. McMurray won’t stand a chance.”
…
Nell didn’t even have the van door closed behind her before Mrs. McMurray went for blood.
Her blood.
Mrs. McMurray’s voice was soft but clear. Wherever Quinn had the phone, it was a good place.
“I’ve heard Nell is very family-oriented. Can you remind me of their names?”
Quinn was quick to answer.
“She has three older siblings. Leon, Liere, and Olena. Though she prefers to be called Olly. Then there’s the youngest, Mateo. He loves to fish, talk, and is pretty horrible at telling the punch line to jokes when he’s been drinking.”
Nailed it.
“And her parents? Don’t they live in town, too?”
Quinn wasn’t as quick this time.
Nell swooped in. As she answered, Quinn answered with a delay.
“They do,” he said. “Marta and David are their names. You can admit you haven’t met them yet. They’re homebodies.”
There might have been a pause as he listened but Quinn surprisingly made it work. The next several questions became the ball at a tennis match. One that Tally and Jones ended up playing as Mrs. McMurray hit a few of the same questions about them to Quinn.
Luckily, Nell already knew most of the answers.
Yet there was a lightning round that changed their winning streak.
“I heard what happened with Jones and Catherine,” Mrs. McMurray started after a pause that, Nell assumed, was her taking a bite of food. “Are you afraid she’ll use their breakup as ammo against Heart in Hand?”
Quinn stalled.
So did Nell.
She turned around in her seat to look at Jones.
“You and Catherine broke up?”
The day that Quinn had arrived at Heart in Hand, Jones had texted Nell the night before that he might be late because of an epic fight he’d had over the phone with his long-time, long-distant girlfriend Catherine that had kept him up all night. The fact that he and Nell had both been in the same ship with the distance issue had been one of the reasons they’d become fast friends. They could commiserate together on how it often sucked. She’d told him no problem and to do what he needed. That Heart in Hand would be fine if he came in late. It just so happened she’d had to rush to his house to wake him up when the new boss had appeared the very same morning.
But Nell didn’t know they’d broken up.
There was no denying that Mrs. McMurray had found out the truth before she had. It was written all over Jones’s face. He gave her the simple truth with a shrug.
“We couldn’t handle the distance anymore.”
Quinn coughed.
“Are you okay?” Mrs. McMurray asked.
“Yeah. Just swallowed my drink wrong.”
Nell reached out and squeezed Jones’s hand. Then she refocused.
“Tell her that the breakup had to do with distance and even if it didn’t, Catherine would never use her dad’s political pull to hurt Heart in Hand.” She gave Jones a soft smile.
“It’s a damn shame they didn’t work out but Catherine is a good, kind woman.”
Jones returned the smile. Then gave Tally a somewhat exasperated look to fight against her how did you not tell us that you and Catherine broke up expression.
Nell turned back around in her seat as Quinn relayed what she said, word for word.
Mrs. McMurray accepted the answer.
Then went for the women in the van.
“I heard Tallahassee also had a recent breakup, but hers was definitely needed, don’t you think?”
“Yes,” Nell answered in an instant. “Chris was a jerk to her before you moved here but everyone has decided not to like him in town.”
Tally shifted in her seat and leaned over.
“Tell her you don’t believe in asshole cheaters!” Tally yelled.
Quinn coughed again. Nell swatted at her and held the phone farther away. Though she did have to stifle a laugh, especially when Quinn added on to the answer he’d already given.
“I’ve never met the man, but from what I’ve heard, he’s an asshole cheater, pardon the language.”
Mrs. McMurray actually laughed.
Then she was back for more.
And Nell wasn’t ready for it.
“It’s funny how that happens, isn’t it?” Mrs. McMurray started. “Assholes getting dumped makes sense but good people getting together and then splitting up? That’s just the pits.”
Nell’s stomach knotted in anticipation.
It was her turn in the Mrs. McMurray spotlight.
“Normally I have to hear things through the grapevine but the business with Antonella and Greg? That was rather public.” Nell could hear the woman actually tsk. “Do you know that I met her ex-beau Greg before? It was at Arbor Bay’s annual Sailors and Mermaids festival a few years back. He was nice, a little quiet, but she was just so smitten with him. I actually thought they’d be married by now to be honest, especially since I heard she’d already decided to say yes if he asked her.”
Nell thought the line went dead as silence stretched on the other side of the phone. Then she realized it was Mrs. McMurray’s way of fishing for information before she even threw the hook into the water.
Quinn didn’t give her the satisfaction of responding just yet.
She continued after a moment.
“I’ve seen that video of her ranting and raving about not being ‘the one’ for him, but I’ve always suspected there was more to the story. Why else would she be gallivanting around with Wren Blocker so soon after? Maybe Miss Bennett is just another one of those flirty girls who likes to look like the victim.”
It wasn’t a question, so Nell didn’t know how to answer.
At least her mouth didn’t know what to say. Her eyes, however, started to prick at the corners. And her stomach? Ice.
Her life hadn’t gone to plan recently but would it be the reason why Heart in Hand was sold? Was her love life so toxic that it might endanger their only shot at getting some stability for their futures?
Her plan to secure Dweller’s Cove had gone from somewhat fun to downright painful in a flash.
And it wasn’t just because of what was said—she’d already read worse online after the ranting video had gone viral—but who Mrs. McMurray had said it to.
In that moment, Nell finally wondered what Quinn thought of her and Greg. Did he think the same about her?
The silence on the phone, this time, was deafening.
Nell wiped at her eyes.
Get it together, Nell. Just tell him—her—the truth.
She opened her mouth, but what Quinn said next wasn’t him copying her at all.
“You know what, Mrs. McMurray? I don’t think I like you.”
Nell felt her eyes widen. She assumed Mrs. McMurray was having a similar experience.
“Excuse me?”
Quinn’s voice lowered when he responded. There was no denying there was an edge to it. He was done caring about Southern pleasantries.
“I didn’t grow up in a small town and haven’t lived in this small town that long. So I’m not going to pretend anymore that I understand why I have to sit here and listen to you be rude, intrusive, and disrespectful about my employees like it’s normal just because you have a nice house.”
He must have shifted in his seat. Nell imagined him leaning in a bit closer.
“I’ve heard that you enjoy brevity,” he continued, “and you said yourself that you wanted to have a frank conversation, so that’s what I’m going to give you. I know you’re probably already coming up with some scathing review of me and Heart in Hand that you’re just bursting to say, but hold off on that urge. Because this won’t take long. I promise.”
Nell’s mouth fell open. Tally snaked her hand around and pressed the speaker phone icon on her cell. They hadn’t used it before since it was hard for the person on the other end to hear when she spoke, but it was clear to Nell now that Quinn wasn’t taking her talking points anymore.
“When I came to Arbor Bay, I had every intention of not giving a damn about anyone,” he added. “I was going to go to work, do my job, and go back to my house in the woods without one single care in the world about other people outside of my son. But then I met the woman you so easily judge from the safety of your favorite brunch spot and something unexpected happened. Nell forced me to be her friend, and I’ll be damned if it hasn’t made me a better man because of it. She met a damn grumpy guy and saw that he was in danger of being alone and miserable for the rest of his life and reached out time and time again. I don’t understand what I did to deserve her kindness, but right now I can tell you that I’m going to spend every day making sure that I stay worthy of that gift. Which is why I can’t sit here with you any longer while you try to drag her name, Tally’s and Jones’s and even Donavon’s, through the mud.”
He paused, but not long enough to give her room to respond.
“I wasn’t going to bring this up because I was trying to respect everyone’s advice. I also didn’t want to give the impression that I was here to grovel or beg. But the truth is that Donavon is going to sell Heart in Hand and the only way he gives Nell or me the option to buy before opening it up to the public is if we can convince you to be our client.”
Quinn let out a breath of frustration. “So, yeah, I realize saying all of this to you probably hurts our chances but, if you’re as plugged into this town as everyone thinks, then you should already know how much Heart in Hand truly cares about our work. About our properties. About people. So the choice is simple. Do you want someone who actually cares to make sure a place you love is treated with respect and care? Or would you rather take your chances with some uptight company who just wants your money and doesn’t mind you walking all over their employees?”
There was a flurry of sound as Quinn must have stood.
“I might be the new guy, but I’m learning fast that Heart in Hand isn’t just a place where we all work. It’s a family. And it’s a family we’d more than welcome you into if you decide you want to be a part of it in the future.”
There was silence for a moment.
Then the call ended.
The van remained quiet for a moment before Jones spoke.
“You know, I don’t think I’ve said this yet, but I really like the new boss.”
Tally agreed and added on her own thoughts.
But Nell couldn’t hear what they were.
She could barely hear anything over the beating of her racing heart.
Chapter Nineteen
Nell was leaning against a van in the parking lot like the leading lady at the end of an action film.
The breeze had her curls lazing to the side, the space between her curved back and the vehicle was open enough to see the road that ran alongside the parking lot past her, and her arms were crossed over her chest as if she was daring
anyone to try her. Her eyes, dark and searching, gave away nothing but the promise that she wasn’t going to move an inch unless she wanted to move. From the van or in general.
She was a damn sight, that was for sure.
One that, for the first time since meeting her on Valentine’s Day, intimidated Quinn. It didn’t help that he’d just stepped in it, in a very big way.
You took her half of a year working on Mrs. McMurray and the distinct possibility of running the future of Heart in Hand and threw it all away. All because you got angry.
Quinn had meant what he said, but the regret of when he’d said it, and how, was starting to break through. It wasn’t just Nell he’d let down. He’d let down all of Heart in Hand.
Donavon wouldn’t give him or Nell the option to buy after that talking to he’d given one of the most prominent women in town and, with a new owner, there was no way they’d keep the team on. At least not after the press both he and Nell had gotten in the last month.
And this job wasn’t just for him. It was for his son, too.
He should have kept his cool.
He should have played the part.
Instead he’d ruined it all.
Now it was time to face the music.
“Wow. You like yelling at old ladies now, too?”
Quinn saw Nell’s eyebrow rise in question as the new voice came up from behind. Well, not exactly new.
Keith McHaulty was wearing a cheap suit and sneering.
“I’m surprised you didn’t sucker punch her,” he added.
A woman in a nice dress was standing at the door behind him. She must be Patricia, his girlfriend.
Bless her heart, as Nell and Tally would say.
Quinn let out a long, loud sigh. He wondered how he’d missed seeing the couple inside. Then again, he’d been particularly focused on the mission at hand.
Wooing Mrs. McMurray.
You know, the bit he was supposed to do instead of insulting her.