“Yes, of course. I booked that months ago when I made arrangement to attend the conference. And thank you, Margo. That’s more than I could ask for.” She cocked her head, studying the woman. Piper could admit she didn’t know a lot about Margo, even though they worked side-by-side for a year. That was a shame, Piper realized. “I’m going to miss you when you’re gone.” The words slipped out before Piper could stop them.
Margo’s eyes went wide. “Okay, when you get back from this convention, you’re taking a vacation.”
Piper exploded in laughter. A vacation. Yeah. Right.
“I mean it. There’s something different about you.”
“As in different bad?” Piper asked, her voice cracking.
“No. Not at all. Something good. I’m not sure what’s caused this change in you, boss, but it’s good to see a different side of you.” She winked. The woman actually winked at Piper. And Piper didn’t feel the least bit uncomfortable by it. Which, again, was odd.
“I better go make that phone call.” Piper skittered to the doorway.
“Want me to finish him?” Margo called out, referring to Mr. Monroe.
“Oh, yes, thank you.”
Margo grinned, the strange twinkle in her eye evident. “I’ll take care of my end of your chores as soon as I get done. You get packed.”
Piper gave her a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am.”
Margo’s bubbling laughter followed her all the way up the stairs. She stopped at the top, sliding her jacket back on over her pink tank top, and stepped into the foyer. Quinn’s lean frame stood by the front door, his light hair shining under the afternoon light sprinkling in through the lace curtains. Casual, yet sexy, in black trousers and a button-up white shirt. Piper’s heart did a little flip in her chest.
“Hey,” she squeaked out.
He crossed over to her, eyes gleaming, and placed a pliant kiss on her too-eager lips. “Thought you might like to have lunch.”
Piper glanced at the clock on the wall. It was that late already? She could have sworn she’d only been working for maybe an hour or so. Where had the time gone? Oh, yeah…wandering thoughts had sucked up every minute.
“I’d love to, but I can’t.”
His brow creased, his gaze flicking to Jessica’s empty desk. “Too busy because your secretary is out?”
“No, no. Nothing like that. See that sign there?” She pointed to a crafty little sign she’d created when she realized Jessica was going to be out so long. Piper hadn’t had time to hire a temporary replacement; after all, no one could replace Jessica. And she certainly didn’t have time to sit behind the desk herself all day. So she kept her phone on constant forward to her cell and left a little sign with a clever little bell.
“Ring if you need service?” The humor in Quinn’s voice made Piper grin. “I’d like to have some service.”
Her grin spread at his husky tone. Her face grew warm and so did a million other places on her body. And with only a few words.
She poked him gently in the ribs, making herself concentrate on what she really needed to do. “The sign works. And while I’d be happy to service you, Mr. Oliver, I’m afraid I can’t today. I’ve got to pack and get ready for a convention this weekend I forgot all about.”
“The one you talked about with Grandpa? I thought that wasn’t for several more weeks.”
Piper grimaced. “I thought it was,” she answered, annoyed with herself. “Cheese and crackers, I’m going to make a mess of it. I’ll still do what I promised him, but I’m in no way or shape prepared. Do you think you could call George and let him know I got the date wrong? Do you think he could gather up the information before I leave on Friday? Goodness, will he even want to go on such short notice? I mean, we’d talked about me doing the presentation, and him being there only to answer questions, or maybe he doesn’t need to go at all, which is fine…”
His hands fell on her shoulders, massaging deeply, thoroughly, all while he looked her in the eye. The tension slid right out of her body. “This is sooner than planned, yes,” he said, pulling her closer. His kissed the tip of her nose. “Don’t worry, though, we’ll get it covered. I’m going.”
Piper stiffened. “What?”
“Grandpa asked me to go after you two had your little powwow with the foundation people. He thought that out of all us that I’d be the best one to win over the crowd.” The corner of his mouth curled up.
He could win over a crowd, all right. Heck, he could stop traffic if he really wanted to. “Oh, well. The convention is a week long. Surely you don’t want to stay that whole time? I don’t know when I’ll be able to get a break-out session or something for you to talk at.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make time. I’m due for some vacation anyway; this will be good for us.”
Piper inwardly cringed at his use of the word us. He made it sound so official. So permanent.
“Are you sure? Because I think I can handle it alone,” she said, trying her best to cover the unease in her voice.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Okay, then. You’ll have to stay at a different hotel than the one that’s hosting the convention. I believe it’s booked solid.”
The grip on her shoulders tightened. “Why? I’ll stay with you.”
Stay with her? For an entire week? That was a whole lot of nights and days. Was he crazy?
“You might not be able to get a flight,” she said quickly. “Such short notice and all.”
His answering frown made her stomach lurch. “I’m a pilot, Piper. Perfectly capable of flying my plane to wherever we need to go.”
Now her stomach was in her throat. “Your little plane can fly all the way to Vegas?”
“The convention is in Las Vegas? Seriously?” His chest rumbled with a laugh.
“Why is that funny?”
He shrugged, dropping his hands from her shoulders. There it was again, that sting of loss.
“Vegas isn’t a place people think about when thinking about death, I guess. It’s an upbeat place with a hell of a nightlife, I’ve heard. It’s weird to me.”
She crossed her arms. “So funeral directors can’t have fun, then?”
His grin was swift. “I didn’t say that. Knowing you, it’s surprising, that’s all.”
She couldn’t be upset with his conclusion. He was right. She was different. Her breed was different as well.
“To answer your question, yes, my little plane can make it to Vegas…with a few stops in between.”
“Oh. I’d rather you didn’t do that.”
“Go with you?”
“Fly yourself, I mean. I’ll find you a flight. With me.” Since he seemed pretty bent on going no matter what she threw at him, she might as well make the effort. And if they were going to die in the fiery inferno of a metal death trap, they might as well do it together. “It’s safer that way, I think.”
He nodded, grinning. “If you say so.”
“So can you pull everything together with George? Then we can plan what we’re going to do on the trip over? I haven’t called the convention people yet to see if there’s a speaking slot open. I hope there is. If there’s not, maybe we can work something out with a booth, maybe. Or possibly we can stand in the lobby and harass people as they walk by. Goodness, I wish I had more time.”
His finger came up to her lips. “You’re babbling. It’ll be fine.” He replaced his finger with his lips.
Piper drew him in, wanting, needing his heat, his passion, to settle her all-over-the-place nerves. It didn’t matter that he was part of the problem.
“Fine,” he whispered. “I’m sorry we can’t have lunch, but can I see you tonight?”
Piper licked her lips, savoring his taste. “If no one needs my services.”
“I’ll cross my fingers that I’m the only one who needs them tonight.” With a quick peck, he was out the door, and Piper was sliding down into Jessica’s empty seat.
Each time she saw Quinn, she didn’t want him to
go. And every time he did, an empty ache settled in her chest, making her agitated and gloomy. And yet, she knew that the more time she spent with him, the more trouble she was brewing for herself. Next week was going to be the longest one of her life.
<<<<>>>>>
Quinn strode into his grandpa’s house after his day of work, a little tired, but anticipating getting to see Piper again that evening. She hadn’t called yet to say that someone else required her services, but he was trying not to get his hopes up. After all, it was Wednesday and she hadn’t been able to pull herself away from work since she’d left his bed on Sunday. He missed her.
“Grandpa?” Quinn called out as he walked across the hardwood floor in the foyer.
“Back here,” George called out.
Quinn ducked through the living room, wound around the dining room, and made his way to the back porch off the kitchen. He found his grandpa leaning over wild roses vining up the roof columns.
“Still thinking about cutting them down?” asked Quinn as the screen door slammed behind him.
Sweat beaded down George’s face. “Nah. Thought about clipping off all the heads, though.” A wide grin split his wrinkled face. “You think the neighbors would find that odd?”
Quinn belted a laugh. “No doubt, but Grandma would have approved.”
George looked up to the blue sky. “That she would.” He clipped off a few buds. “Have you talked to your dad today?”
“No, why? Something wrong?”
“Heavens, no. He’s on cloud nine, actually.”
“Find someone to boss around, did he?”
He severed a few more red roses and laughed. “That would make his day now that you three boys are all grown up, but no. Delaney called.”
“Then I guess Del isn’t in trouble like KC and I thought?”
“Nope. Actually, he was granted a bump up in the ranks.”
Quinn’s jaw dropped. “No. Really?”
A proud smile slowly grew on George’s face. “Major Oliver.”
“Wow.” Quinn’s heart swelled. His troublemaking brother was finally getting into his groove. Quinn never thought his youngest brother would make a life out of the Air Force. This news changed everything. “Dad must be over the moon.”
“He is. Taking a trip up to the base this weekend for official congratulations.” He trimmed a few more blossoms. “There.” He stood back, admiring his work. The bush was now completely bare, save on single blood-red bloom on the very top.
“Grandma would be proud,” Quinn commented.
“Indeed.” George hobbled to the steps, his back hunched from the work, or the heat, Quinn couldn’t really tell.
Quinn wiped the sweat that had formed on his forehead. “You really should limit your time in this heat, Grandpa.”
“I’ll limit my time doing whatever I please when I’m dead.” He swiped at Quinn’s hand trying to help him up the steps. “Then I won’t have to worry about the heat or these old bones. Until then, a man should do whatever he wants.”
At that, Quinn stepped back and allowed his grandpa to trudge up the few porch steps himself. He strode past Quinn and into the house. Quinn followed with a chuckle.
“Want some lemonade? Dinner?” Grandpa asked, making his way to the fridge.
“No, thanks. I’m meeting Piper later.” Hopefully. Quinn glanced at his watch. It was six and Piper hadn’t called.
“How’re things going with you and the beautiful mortician?”
Quinn rolled his eyes. “Rather well, I’d say. Which brings me to why I’m here. You remember when you talked to her about arranging to introduce the foundation to her next Funeral Convention?”
George pulled out a jug of lemonade and poured himself a glass. After taking a long drink, he answered. “Yeah. The next one is in a few weeks.”
“Piper got the dates mixed up. It’s this weekend.”
Grandpa didn’t flinch or show any reaction that would make him looked surprised. He simply set his now empty glass on the table and wandered through the archway into the dining room.
“Well, then,” he huffed, dragging out some booklets and files from the cabinet in the corner. “That doesn’t give me much time, but I think I can pull the information together.” He scribbled something down on a steno notebook. “When are you leaving?”
“Friday. Not sure what time. Piper wants me to fly with her so we might have to rebook her flight. I imagine pretty early, though.”
“So I’ve got twenty-four hours, then?”
His lip quirked. “Thirty-six. Maybe.”
George nodded, jotting down a few more things. “I need to call the press and see if they can get the brochures printed. I finalized the print last week. I think Tom was working on a display of some sort and some survivor stories. Those would help, you think?”
Quinn nodded, leaning comfortably against the door frame as he watched his grandpa bustle around the room, collecting various packets and pieces of paper, all the while noting things down and jabbering. “Sounds good.”
George stopped short. “Uh, you think you’ll be okay on such short notice, Macy? I mean, you know a lot about the foundation.”
Quinn withheld an amused groan. Of course he knew a lot about the foundation. He and all his brothers helped whenever they weren’t doing their regular jobs. “I’ve got it covered, Grandpa.”
“That’s my boy. Now, where did I put those medals?”
“What medals?”
“Oh! I know.” George bustled out of the room and came back in slightly out of breath.
“Here they are.” He popped open the lid of the box and reached in. When his hand came out, a glittering red medal dangled between his fingers.
“What’s that?”
He held it up to Quinn who examined it. Etched into the painted brass was the phrase: Until Next Time.
“They’re for the surviving spouse,” George said quietly.
“That’s touching.” His finger brushed over the intricate font, his thoughts instantly sliding to Maddie and then bouncing to Piper. Two different women, two different kinds of love, one person he was forced to live without, and the other, he suddenly didn’t know if he could. His phone buzzed, shattering his thoughts. He dug the phone out of his pocket. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s Piper.”
Breathing was suddenly easier for him. His eyes stayed focused on the words on the medal.
“Is your schedule all clear?” he asked, mentally keeping his fingers crossed.
“I’m sorry, Quinn. There was an accident on the freeway earlier this morning. Families started calling a while ago.”
“Okay, well then, how about—”
“I’ve got to go,” her voice was hurried. “I’ll call you as soon as I’m free.”
The line went dead. Quinn stared at his phone.
“Bad news?” Grandpa’s voice drew his eyes up.
Trying his best to keep his disappointment from his voice, he answered. “Guess I’m free tonight, after all. That dinner offer still good?”
George’s face lit with a smile. “Of course. Then we’ll have time to go over all the details for this thing and make some phone calls. It’ll go faster with the two of us.”
“Sounds like my night got busy.” Which was good, because if he’d had to sit at home—alone—and think about wanting to hear Piper’s voice, see her smile, he might go crazy. “Let’s get started.”
Chapter Eighteen
Piper rushed around her office, completing a list of what-ifs for Margo. What if the embalming machine got clogged up again? What if the flower orders got messed up for Saturday’s service? What if the temporary hearse-driver came in with a hangover like the time when she’d had to have that emergency root canal? Okay, that hearse driver hadn’t been hung-over, technically, but she needed to be prepared for anything. She’d never left anyone alone to operate the funeral home. There had always been two people here before. Always.
The old grandfather clock in the hall
struck four a.m. She’d been at this all night, and Quinn was due any minute to head to the airport. Her eyelids drooped as she finished the last of her list. And this, Friday morning, would be the first time she’d really get to see him since the past Sunday. Five whole days.
And while she knew it was healthy—for their sex-only relationship—not to spend every second with each other, she couldn’t get this wretched feeling out of the pit of her stomach. Any minute now he would stride through her door, certainly taking her breath away. Just like he did every other time he waltzed into a room.
With quick steps, she gathered her belongings and dropped them by the door, taking a minute to forward the phone to Margo. Margo finally picked up after the fifth ring.
“Uh, yeah?” Margo’s groggy voice sounded terrible.
Piper cringed. “I hope you will be answering the phone with a little more finesse now that the funeral line is forwarded to you.”
“Oh. Hello. Yes, of course.” Margo seemed suddenly awake and alert. “Sorry, I forgot you were calling so early. From here on out, total professional. Got it. Sorry.”
“I believe that. It’s all you, Margo,” Piper said. “Call if you need anything. I mean anything. Oh, and good luck.”
She hung up and glanced at the clock: 4:05. A knock made her heart darn near leap right out of her chest. With a calming breath, she swung open the door. Her pulse kicked up a notch. Even at four in the morning he looked wonderful. Eyes bright, clothes neat and pressed, hair perfectly tussled. Her fingers itched to touch it.
The corner of his mouth lifted. “Good morning, Piper.” He crossed the threshold, curling his arms around her back, pulling her close, and tilting her head up to meet his. “I’ve missed you.”
Until Next Time Page 21