Indy laughed. “I remember thinking your list was boring. I had things like skydiving, snorkeling, and having sex in public on my list.”
“You’ve accomplished all that and then some, haven’t you?” Quinn said, both admiring and envying Indy’s adventurous attitude.
“You know it.” Indy took a long sip of her drink. “What made you think of the Someday List?”
Quinn sighed. “Nick came by last night.”
“Looking for a birthday bang, huh? Was he worth it?”
Kate quickly touched her hand. “Please say you’re not thinking of getting back together with him.”
“God, no.”
“Uh-oh. Vulture at eleven o’clock.”
Kate’s warning had Quinn and Indy looking up, but the height of the booth blocked the view.
“At least he’s cute. Rock, paper, scissors?”
Quinn groaned. She always lost this childhood game. “Can’t we flip a coin?”
Indy responded with, “One, two, three, shoot.”
True to form, Quinn lost. Damn. She hated to be the one to turn a guy down. Her toes tapped inside her pumps as anxiety itched at her. She stared at her hands and practiced her response silently.
“Hi, ladies. Enjoying your evening?”
Without looking up, Quinn began, “Sorry. We’re not . . .”
Her eyes wandered up the length of faded jeans and a well-worn rugby shirt, and found his gaze already locked on her. Relief swallowed the anxiety as she smiled up at Ryan. “Oh, hi, it’s you.”
“Hi.” The killer grin bore into her.
Her hands twisted in her lap while she tried to figure out if he’d overheard their conversation.
“Colin?” Indy asked as she studied his face.
Ryan’s shoulders stiffened. “No, Ryan.”
“Oh my God. It is you.” She placed a flat palm on her chest. “Indy. I worked here about eight years ago.”
His brow crinkled as he focused on Indy’s face. “Yeah, I remember now. You used to sing while you worked.”
“It’s been too long. How’s your dad? I’d love to see him.” Indy’s voice rose in excitement.
Just when I thought my day couldn’t get worse. Indy bounced from the booth and wrapped her arms around Ryan in a quick hug, peppering him with questions Quinn could no longer hear. Her heart pounded in her ears. Her stomach plummeted.
Not Ryan. He was hers.
Well, not hers, hers, but this was her place. This was where she came to drink. Her friendship with Ryan, however slight, was hers, not something Indy had handed her. Quinn’s chest tightened and her nails dug into her palms. In one swoop, Indy would take him from her. She could never compete with her sister. His flirtations, however ridiculous, would stop.
And she would miss them.
“Did you have a problem?” he asked, leaning his arm on the back of the booth.
Quinn’s attention snapped back. She schooled her face to hide her embarrassing childish emotions. “No, we’re fine, thanks.”
“Sure? When I asked about your evening, you started to say you’re not . . .”
Heat crawled back up Quinn’s neck. “I was going to say we’re not looking . . . for a man. I thought you were some guy hitting on us.”
“All of you beautiful ladies can’t possibly be taken.”
Indy ran her finger around the rim of her glass. “Well, Kate’s married and I’m involved, but Quinn’s—”
“Not looking.” She poked her toe at Indy’s shin.
Ryan’s denim-blue eyes focused on hers as if she sat alone at the table. She prayed he wouldn’t ask her out again in front of Kate and Indy. That would be mortifying.
“If you need anything, please let me know. Enjoy yourselves.” He nodded to them and left.
Quinn watched him move to the next table before turning to Kate. “You could’ve warned me.”
“Who is he? He didn’t stop at other tables. He made a beeline for us. I’d say he aimed for you after he caught your reflection in the mirror.” Kate pointed at the mirror hanging on the wall across from them.
“I think you’re right, Kate. Looks like Quinn’s got an admirer.” Indy inched closer, waiting for some juicy gossip. “What’s the deal?”
“There is no deal. I come in here on Fridays after work. Ryan and I occasionally talk.”
Kate reached out and put her hand on Quinn’s arm, warm and firm, the diamonds of her wedding band glittering. “Honey, that man is not looking to talk. Mark has only one thing on his mind when he gives me that look.”
“If he’s interested, why not give him a chance?” Indy asked, leaning out from the booth to check out Ryan’s ass. “He hasn’t changed much since I worked here. His dad ran the place with Ryan’s brother Colin. They’re both yummy.”
Quinn should’ve known. How could she possibly keep track of all the places Indy had worked? If she crossed all of them off her list of places to go, there would be few left. Indy’d had more jobs than most. She always bounced around looking for something better, more exciting.
Indy nudged Quinn. “Why not go out with Ryan? He’s obviously into you.”
“He’s pushy and overly friendly and he’s too cute.” He gets under my skin, and you had him first.
Indy snickered. “Oh, yeah, that’s a reason to not like a guy. Charm. A total deal breaker.”
Quinn couldn’t control the eye roll. “I don’t think he’s interested in me in particular. He’s too smooth. It’s like he can have any woman he wants and he knows it.”
“So can Brad Pitt. Doesn’t make him any less attractive.” Indy took a long drink.
“He’s a player. I’ve already gone that route. He’s no better than Nick.” Comparing Ryan with her ex-husband hit a bull’s-eye. Nick had sucked her in easily with his charm, and he had been a mistake. Voicing it out loud made her feelings more real, a more acceptable reason for avoiding Ryan’s advances. Why was she scrambling to find a valid reason?
“You have to admit Nick was fun. I bet Ryan would be too.” Indy wagged her eyebrows as if Quinn didn’t understand.
Quinn huffed.
Kate interrupted. “Anyway, back to Nick. Why did he come to your house?”
“He pretended to want to wish me a happy birthday. Brought me roses, which he should know I hate. He really came by to tell me he got someone pregnant and he didn’t know what to do.”
Indy said, “Figures. It was only a matter of time. Anyone we know?”
“I didn’t ask.” She twirled her glass in front of her. The strawberry slush was nearly melted. “That’s what got me thinking. I’ve been sitting around waiting for life to happen. It’s time for a change. I want a baby.”
Indy shook her head. “I’m not following. You want a baby because Nick’s having one?”
“No. I want a baby because I’ve always wanted a baby. I’m just tired of waiting for it. Nick’s visit was a wake-up call for me. He’s moved on with life, and I’m running on a treadmill. I need to do something different.”
“How the hell do you get from ‘I need to do something different’ to ‘I want a baby’?”
Indy looked angry and Quinn couldn’t figure out why. “I’ve always wanted a baby. I’m ready to have one. I’m not going to wait anymore.”
“So you just decided to get pregnant?”
Quinn rolled her eyes. “Have you ever known me to just decide to do anything? I’ve been researching options. I want this.”
Kate had been suspiciously quiet. Quinn had been counting on her support.
“It’s really hard, Quinn. I’m married and it’s hard. I couldn’t imagine doing it all alone. You’re picturing the fun times. There’s a lot more to it. Babies don’t fit into a tidy, organized path.”
Shit. This wasn’t going the way she’d thought. “I know that. I’m not stupid. I can handle the unexpected.”
Indy choked and almost spewed her drink across the table. After dabbing a napkin against her mouth, she said, “Who are you
kidding? You are the queen of orderly plans. You don’t do anything outside your comfort zone.”
“I’m going to work on that.” Quinn waited and slowly said, “Yeah, summer is coming and I’ll have more free time than I’ll know what to do with. I’m going to use that to figure things out.”
“You’re not teaching?” Indy asked.
“Remember, I told you I refused to teach summer school because Carlson passed me over for the Honors teaching position. He wouldn’t even take my application.” She’d been questioning her rash decision ever since. Maybe it was petty and juvenile, but it had felt good to not be a team player for a minute.
Indy shook her head. Her long blond hair slipped over her shoulder and down the front of her jacket. “I know what you said, but I didn’t think you’d actually follow through. If you have the summer off, I think you need to expand your horizons.”
“Okay . . .” A familiar knot settled in her stomach. Indy with a plan always made her nervous.
“You need to move outside your comfort zone.”
Kate’s eyes lit. “That’s a great idea.”
She pulled a notebook out of her purse. “Okay. Let’s start. This will be fun. Let’s make a list. What’s first?”
Quinn stared into her drink.
“I say we start with my list,” Indy said.
Kate looked at Indy with wide eyes, like a mother telling a child she didn’t need a cookie. “You don’t need a list.”
“I mean Quinn should do the items on my list. Those’ll break you out of your rut.”
Quinn’s face warmed at the thought. She couldn’t do Indy’s list. Especially sex in public. Right now she didn’t even have anyone to have sex with in private.
They sat in silence for a few moments. Quinn added, “It would be fun to take a cake decorating class. It’s something I’ve wanted to try.”
“Oh, yeah, more classes. Really thinking outside the box. Haven’t you done enough school?” Indy’s sarcasm hung around Quinn and threatened to ruin the mood.
Kate wrote down the suggestion. Her sleek, dark ponytail bobbed as she took notes. “Leave her alone, Indy. It’s her list. I’d kill to be able to have time to do anything fun and unusual. What else? How many things are we looking for?”
“I don’t know. How many do you think I can get done in a summer?” Quinn looked at the other two women, hoping for inspiration and getting none. “Maybe we can think about it and make the list next week.”
Indy’s eyes lit. “Good idea. I’ll put a call out to women I know and get some ideas.” She immediately pulled out her phone and began texting.
“Thanks, I think. So we’ll make my entire list next week. Let’s meet at my house,” Quinn offered.
“In the meantime,” Kate interjected, “what are you going to do?”
Indy’s eyes narrowed. “You need to date.”
“Sure, go straight for the easy stuff.” Quinn’s sarcasm was lost on Indy. Her stomach flipped. Dating had not been very fruitful over the last five years.
“How’s this . . . I’ll take public sex off the list if you promise to go on at least five dates over the next two weeks.”
Quinn’s jaw dropped. Of course Indy would name the one thing that would freak her out. Where would she find five men to go out with her? “How am I supposed to do that?”
“Not my problem.” Indy winked. “Try the Internet.”
Kate smiled and joked, “Issuing a challenge like that is kind of low.”
Quinn stared at her sister. Finding five dates would never be difficult for Indy, but for her it was a challenge of huge proportions.
“Look, you said you’re in a rut. This’ll pull you out. Consider me your tow truck.” Indy usually got her own way, and without her Quinn would’ve missed out on a lot of fun. Indy was right. She needed to get back into dating.
“Fine. You win.”
Ryan stood at the opposite end of the bar from Quinn’s booth. Watching in the mirror, he saw a new side of Quinn. She was relaxed. When she’d first come into the bar with a crowd of teachers, she’d hung back from the group, ordered one drink, gulped it down, and left. It was like she had to make an appearance and she did the bare minimum. Now, she’d invited other friends here.
He couldn’t believe he’d almost been busted eavesdropping on her conversation. And, of course, it had to happen right when they got to a good part. He wanted to know if she got laid for her birthday. Judging by the way she looked when she came in, she hadn’t been given a birthday orgasm. He almost wanted to offer to change that, but knew she’d shoot him down.
A slight tap on his arm had him turning to look at his younger brother, who was supposed to be stocking alcohol.
“Who’s the gorgeous blonde?”
“Who?”
Michael hitched his chin up toward the mirror. “The one you’ve been staring at.”
“Oh. That’s Indy, but I was looking at her sister. Short dark hair.”
Michael looked at all three women. “She’s not your usual type.”
“I know.” The concept rubbed at him like a wool sweater.
“Hey, man.” Michael bumped his arm. “I wanted to thank you for the hours here. I really need the extra cash.”
Squeezing in an extra bartender minimized someone else’s hours, but he found a spot for Michael. “Are you going to tell me what you need the money for?”
“No.”
Ryan studied his brother. “Are you in some kind of trouble?”
“Not at all. Don’t worry.”
Easier said than done.
Ryan turned back and looked at the mirror. In the reflection he saw Quinn open her mouth with laughter. He wished he were close enough to hear the sound. She tucked her short sway of dark hair behind her ears, revealing her soft features. Her golden brown eyes found his in the mirror and he smiled.
Just then, perfume wafted up to his nose and Moira wrapped her arms around him, planting a kiss on his cheek.
“What’s that for?” he asked.
“That’s to say thank you for fixing my broken window. My landlord’s an ass.”
“No problem. It’s what brothers are for.”
Over the top of Moira’s head, he glanced back at Quinn. The corners of her lips turned down. He enjoyed a challenge every now and then. Quinn definitely presented a challenge.
About the Author
Shannyn Schroeder is a former high school and middle school English teacher. She holds a BA in English and MAs in Special Education and Gifted Education. After having her third child, she decided to stay at home. She’s since worked as an editor for a couple of e-publishers and currently works as an editor for an education company that publishes online current events assignments. She juggles writing around the kids’ schedules.
In her spare time, Shannyn loves to bake and watches far too much TV, especially cop shows. She started her first book on a dare from her husband and has never looked back. She came to reading romance later than many but lives for the happy ending and writes contemporary romance because she enjoys the adventure of new love.
Readers can visit Shannyn online at www.shannynschroeder.com and follow her on Twitter at @SSchroeder_.
eKENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2013 by Shannyn Schroeder
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
eKensington is a trademark of Kensington Publishing Corp.
ISBN: 978-1-6018-3008-1
First Electronic Edition: July 2013
ISBN-13: 978-1-60183-128-6
ISBN-10: 1-60183-128-5
First Print Edition: July 2013
eder, A Good Time
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