More Than This

by Shannyn Schroeder

  He wandered into the kitchen and stopped in front of the refrigerator. A neatly typed list stared at him. It drew his attention amidst the colorful artwork. The first item was “Play hooky.” He read through the rest.

  Blood rushed southward as he got to the bottom of the list. The passion of the kiss they’d shared closed over him. The sudden realization that she’d seek another man to accomplish these tasks hit him. Like ice water dumped on his head, Ryan’s warm thoughts were doused.

  Indy knew about this. Hell, she created it, yet she sent me over here anyway.

  Ryan left the kitchen and returned to his place on the couch. Reading the list invaded Quinn’s privacy. He probably shouldn’t have read it. He’d come here today as a friend, but he’d use all the ammunition he could get his hands on.

  Quinn’s bounding down the metal steps caught his attention. The sight of her pushed aside all thoughts of friendship. A bright blue Cubs T-shirt was tucked into the waistband of tight jeans. The teacher had become the girl next door. She had her damp hair tucked behind her ears. His gaze wandered to her feet. Unfortunately, she wore black canvas sneakers.

  “Ready?” she asked.

  “Whenever you are.”

  “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

  “Maybe.” He opened his arms for her to lead the way. As she walked by, he caught the scent of her perfume. It wasn’t the same soft scent he’d smelled before. It was darker and more enticing. Remaining friends without benefits might be more difficult than anticipated.

  Quinn paused before heading to the door and pushed a plastic container of cookies at him. “Before we go, I have something for you. Here.”

  “What’s this?”

  “Cookies from Saturday. You told me to save you some.”

  He took one of the cookies and sank his teeth in. Her breath locked in her chest, waiting for his reaction.

  A groan sounded from deep in his throat. “These are amazing. How do you keep from eating them all at once?”

  Ignoring the pleasurable sound and what it did to her insides, she answered, “Self-control. Everything in moderation.”

  “I’m not good at either of those,” he said, biting into a second cookie. His look said he was referring to more than eating cookies. He returned the lid to the container. “I better leave these here or I’ll eat them all.”

  Quinn walked to the elevator and pressed the button. Being alone with Ryan made her nervous. Friends or not, they’d shared a memorable kiss. Every time she looked at his face, she thought of his mouth on hers. She reminded herself he probably kissed a different woman every night.

  “We could take the stairs,” Ryan said.

  “Are you claustrophobic?” The elevator dinged and Quinn stepped in.

  “No. I don’t trust this particular elevator. It’s so old it might collapse at any moment.”

  “I take it all the time. It’s fine.” She pressed one and the elevator lurched. As they rattled past the third floor, she added, “It only gets stuck on three a couple of times a month.”

  “Are you serious?”

  Quinn laughed. “Unfortunately, yes. But it doesn’t last long.”

  They exited the elevator and the building. Quinn looked up and down the street for Ryan’s SUV. “Are you driving or am I?”

  “Neither. We’ll walk; take the bus if we need to.”

  “To where?”

  “Today, we’re tourists.” He paused. “I know, you’ve lived here for years and you know everything the city has to offer.”

  He laid his hand on the small of her back to guide her down the street. It didn’t make her flinch or cringe. She didn’t even want to step away. His warmth crept pleasantly up her spine, and she hated that she enjoyed it.

  He continued, “But when was the last time you looked at the city? Really looked.”

  When had she? Ten, twelve years ago when she moved here? She’d always thought she’d re-explore with her husband and kids. Day trips into the city from their quiet suburban home. How had she lost so many years?

  “See?” Ryan broke her thoughts. “You don’t even remember, do you? The city is always changing, evolving. Every time I do this, I discover something new.”

  She stopped. She slid her sunglasses off her face. “Do you pretend to be a tourist often?”

  “Not often. I used to once a year. It’s been a few since I did it last.”

  He too seemed lost in thought for a moment. She wondered if he had regrets as well. “So where did you get the idea to play tourist?”

  “My dad. I think he came up with it as a way for us to hang out together. When I was a teenager, we’d do it three or four times a year. I got to play hooky to hang out.”

  “Sounds like fun.” She heard the pleasure in his voice and part of her envied the relationship he’d had with his father.

  “What about you?” he asked over the rumble of a bus and the traffic they encountered as they arrived at the busy intersection.

  She wrinkled her nose at the black exhaust. “What about me?” “What fun stuff did you do with your dad? Or mom?”

  “We were never the kind of family who did stuff together.” She paused. “But one of my favorite childhood memories was when my dad took me to Wrigley Field.”

  Ryan’s hand closed gently over her elbow as they crossed another street, dodging cabs. Quinn enjoyed the warmth of his touch. His sunglasses obscured his eyes, and she wanted to see the shade of blue they’d be out here in the sun.

  “Tell me about Wrigley.”

  “It was spur of the moment, which made it extra special because Dad planned everything. The Cubs were having a phenomenal season. Ryne Sandberg played second. Rick Sutcliffe with his walrus mustache pitched. And Mark Grace played first base. I had a crush on him.”

  “You remember the players?”

  “Not all of them, but I watched a lot of baseball that year. Everyone thought they’d go to the World Series.” It was long before the drinking started. Mom was still alive, keeping Dad happy. It felt like a lifetime ago.

  Ryan snickered.

  “What?”

  “I’ve never been much of a baseball fan, but everyone knows the Cubs won’t ever go to the World Series.”

  “Nonbeliever.” She took a deep breath and felt the sun warm her face. “My dad was sure they’d go all the way. He wanted to be part of it. So we drove up here and went to the game. I’d hoped it was going to be a night game since it was so new back then. Unfortunately, those tickets were harder to get.”

  They walked in silence for the next block. She didn’t know why she’d shared one of her most treasured memories with Ryan. She rarely spoke of her childhood. So much of it was overshadowed by the mess her family had become.

  “Where do you want to go?”

  She shrugged. “You’re the expert. You pick.”

  “You’re probably a museum girl. So let’s do something different. Have you been to the bean?”

  “The bean?”

  “The big silver sculpture thing shaped like a bean.”

  “You mean Cloud Gate. No, I haven’t been there. I’ve seen pictures of it.”

  “Let’s start there. It’s a beautiful day.”

  Her phone rang. She stopped to dig through her purse. When she produced the phone, Ryan grabbed it. “Hey.”

  He opened the phone. “Hi, Indy. Yes, we’re fine. She won’t have access to her phone until later. Uh-huh. You too.” He closed the phone and slid it into his back pocket.

  “Give me my phone.”

  “No.”

  “What do you mean, no? What if school calls?” The thought sent nervous flutters through her stomach.

  “That’s why you can’t have it. Today is about having fun. If you let your job interrupt, it won’t be fun.”

  “If I’m worried about missing a call, I won’t have fun either.”

  “Don’t worry. I didn’t turn it off. Think of me as your personal screener.” That grin again. The one that pro
mised fun.

  Quinn huffed but continued walking. Taking a day off required a lot of effort. Looking at Ryan, though, she decided there were worse people to spend a day with.

  When they got to Cloud Gate, quite a few people were milling around. As she skirted the edges of the small crowd to get closer to the hunk of metal, Ryan brushed past her to hurry her along. She touched the cool metal and Ryan put his face close and stuck his tongue out. His reflection, distorted in the curved metal, made her smile.

  “Come on. Make a face.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Fine. Go spin in a circle under it. I’ve heard it’s like being drunk.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “Maybe, but it’ll be fun.” He tugged her under the arch and they spun.

  He was right. It was fun. She laughed so hard at her dizziness, her sides ached.

  CHAPTER 5

  After wandering around the bean, they walked through the gardens and made their way over to Crown Fountain. Quinn’s face lit up when she saw the fountain spouting water over the backdrop of faces.

  “Wow. I’ve never seen this either. How cool.” The faces on the backdrop changed and shifted. Quinn walked closer. She giggled as a little girl, maybe four years old, scurried past and ran under the flowing water.

  The girl squealed in delight. Quinn’s head tilted back and she laughed loud. The sound was exactly what Ryan had been waiting to hear. Without thinking, he grabbed her hand and pulled Quinn under the stream of water. Her shriek was every bit as loud as the girl’s.

  “I can’t believe you just did that.” She pushed her wet hair off her forehead and narrowed her eyes at his dry body. He’d managed to swing her under the water while keeping himself out of it.

  “I thought you’d like it.” His eyes wandered down the front of her shirt, which was half wet. Her nipples protruded from the shirt, and he realized the water was colder than he thought it’d be.

  She had a sudden gleam in her eye and he knew she wanted revenge. He backed away from the fountain. She didn’t have the strength to pull him, but he didn’t want to be tackled either. Her footsteps were slow and deliberate as she stalked him.

  “Come on now, Quinn. You don’t want to do this.”

  “Oh, yes, I do.”

  He grinned, hoping to distract her. “Let’s make a deal.”

  “For what?”

  “What do you want?”

  “A dry shirt.”

  He considered his options. “You got it.” He whipped his shirt off and held it out.

  Her mouth gaped. “You’re nuts. What am I supposed to do with that?”

  “Put it on.”

  “Then your shirt will be as wet as mine. And you’ll still be walking around . . .”

  Her voice trailed off as she studied him. She didn’t hide her appraisal of him and he didn’t hide his smirk. “We’ll find a place for you to change.”

  Hours later, they’d finished their walk through Millennium Park, consumed a completely unsatisfying lunch from a hot dog vendor on the street, and toured around Buckingham Fountain. After waiting for Quinn to put on her now-dry Cubs shirt, Ryan had a thought. “Let’s go to Wrigley Field.”

  “Why?”

  “Why not? We can walk over to Clark and hop the bus. We’ll be there in no time.”

  “We don’t know if there’s a game. Even if there is, the chances of getting tickets are slim.”

  “So what? Let’s go.” He tugged her hand to turn her toward Clark. Her hand was smooth and he interlocked his fingers with hers. Her fingers stiffened momentarily, but she didn’t pull away. His thumb rubbed the back of her hand. The tension melted. She was warming to his touch.

  The afternoon bus was empty and they both slid into the graffiti-ridden, orange plastic molded seats. Quinn sat next to the window and he stretched his arm along the seat behind her head. He leaned over to make a remark about something outside, all of which disappeared like smoke when he smelled her hair. It wasn’t flowery and overpowering, but slightly fruity and sweet. He wanted to bury his face in it. Instead, he allowed his fingers to brush over the silky strands.

  Her back stiffened at the touch. She shifted to turn to him.

  “Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.”

  She smiled at the apology. “You said you had self-control issues.”

  “If I didn’t have those issues, you wouldn’t be having fun today.” He straightened a bit. “You are having fun, right?”

  “Are you kidding? This is the most fun I’ve had in years.”

  He released the breath he’d held. She was so reserved, he’d half-expected a polite, “I’m having a nice day.” There was something sweet in her that she tried to hide, so he wasn’t quite sure how to read her.

  “We’re almost at our stop.” He stood and pulled the cord to signal they were getting off.

  Quinn stood and the bus jolted to a stop. She pushed into him and he grabbed her hips to steady her. She shook her head. “Sorry. I’m out of practice. I haven’t taken the CTA since college.”

  “No problem.” Except his hands didn’t want to leave her curvy hips. They longed to stay and explore.

  “Hey, you gettin’ off?”

  Ryan turned to the driver. “Yeah, have a good day.”

  Quinn stepped off behind him, seemingly oblivious to his desire. They crossed the street and found all the ticket windows closed. No game.

  “Well, it was worth a shot.” He shrugged. “What do you want to do now?”

  Quinn looked at her watch. He placed his hand on her wrist. “For today, time is irrelevant.”

  She tilted her head. “Don’t you have a business to run?”

  “I’m so good, it runs itself.” Her raised eyebrows made him continue. “I have a great manager who can handle everything without me.” As if to defy him, his cell phone rang. He pulled it from his back pocket. Moira, whom he’d already ignored twice. “I need to take this.”

  He left Quinn staring at the stadium while he answered. “Hi, Moira. What do you want?”

  “Mom wants to know if you’ve talked to Colin.”

  “We all had dinner together on Saturday. We spoke.” He shoved his hand into his pocket. Quinn stood three feet away, arms crossed.

  “Not stupid reminiscent crap.”

  “I talked to him. I didn’t throw him out of the house.”

  “Like Mom would let you.” She sighed into the phone. “Look, I’m calling because it’s breaking her heart to watch the two of you. You used to be so close.”

  That was before.

  “Come by next weekend. We’ll try dinner again.”

  “I’ll stop by, but I don’t know if I’ll stay for dinner.” He closed his phone and realized he just offered to give up yet another weekend for his family. He turned back to Quinn. “Where were we?”

  “I was saying you’ve adequately fulfilled your babysitting duties. We can go home. I don’t expect you to give up your whole day.” She tapped the face of her watch.

  He covered the watch again and then slid his hand from her wrist to her palm. She looked at their interlocked fingers like it was the first time she noticed his touch. “I’ve enjoyed spending my day with you. I gave up a day in my stuffy office shuffling paperwork.”

  “I’ve had fun too. Thank you.”

  He pulled her arm to bring her closer. “If you want to thank me, let me take you out to dinner. For a real meal, not a hot dog on a corner.” He saw the debate behind her narrowed eyes.

  “Fine. You win.”

  “Good. We’ll go back to your place so you can change and then we’ll drive to my place. I’ll make reservations on the way.” They began walking to the bus stop.

  “Tonight? You want to go out now?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “We spent the whole day together. I’d think you’d need a break from me.”

  “Then you’d have time to change your mind. Do you have any preference for dinner?”

  “No.�
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  Her phone bleeped in his pocket. He pulled it out. A text message from Nick. Indy had warned him about the ex.

  She released his hand and held out hers for the phone. “Who is it?”

  “Nick.” Ryan tucked it back in his pocket.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Screening your calls like I told you I would. He doesn’t seem important enough to warrant the interruption.”

  She crossed her arms and stood silently until a garbage truck rumbled and clattered past. When the traffic noise returned to normal, she said, “I think I should decide who’s important.”

  “You did. If he was important, he wouldn’t be your ex.”

  She pressed her lips together.

  The southbound bus squealed as it stopped and the doors thunked open. Quinn stepped up and fumbled with her wallet. Ryan reached around and slid money in for both their fares.

  “Thanks.” She took a seat near the back and he followed.

  They rode in silence for a while. Ryan wondered how to lighten her mood again. He didn’t want to have their dinner date ruined.

  She didn’t turn to look at him, but said, “I’m sorry. You’re right. Nick’s not important. It’s not that it was Nick. I would’ve been pissed over any call. It should be my choice whether to take a call.”

  Ryan didn’t respond immediately. The thought of her wanting to talk to her ex while with him gnawed at his gut, though. “No, I’m sorry. Do you want your phone?”

  Her eyes met his. “No, if I have it, I’ll call him.”

  The uneasy silence poked at Ryan. He thought of the one thing she was most at ease with. “Why did you become a teacher?”

  Her stance immediately relaxed. “I needed a career and I love books. When I started college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I spent a semester tutoring and I knew. How about you? Why own a bar?”

  “Family business. It was my dad’s dream long before it became mine. I grew up in the bar. It was a natural progression for me to take over.” He paused and squashed the urge to tell her about Colin and how the bar was supposed to be his. He stood. “Let’s get off here and walk. It’ll be faster than catching a crowded bus during rush hour.”