AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When he gets back, he’s quiet, working silently to finish while I watch. I’ve got nothing to say in return because I don’t trust myself not to say anything damning. Something that will give away the fact that, after all these years, I still find him attractive.
“All right. That should get her back to the rental place. I’ll follow you.”
“Follow me?”
“Just in case. Plus, if they don’t have another car you can use, I can give you a ride back home.”
I feel a little well of panic at the idea of getting in Quentin’s car. It’s stupid. We’re going to be spending a ton of time around each other, and I might as well get used to it sooner rather than later. I just expected I’d have a little more time to adjust to being in this kind of proximity to him. Give me a moment or two to prepare. But I can survive the short drive to Easton’s. It won’t be that far.
“You want to get dinner somewhere after? I’m starving.”
Well, shit. I have no easy reason to say no. The man just did me a favor. I’ve got no one else in town and no car, so I’d just be ordering something to the house anyway. If I say no it’s going to sound like I’m scared to be alone with him or still harboring agrudge, both of which will make me look unprofessional considering being alone together is going to be happening a lot in the very near future. So for the sake of not losing face, I say yes.
But it’s more time with him when I’m unprepared and that seems like a dangerous prospect.
6
Quentin
“So when does Tobias get married?”I ask when we’ve peeled through all the usual niceties of the weather and water cooler discussions about work.
“They’re still working out a date. His fiancée wants to take time planning it, and he just wants her to have the ring on her finger. It’s kind of adorable honestly, to see him fall like that. I mean… you know how he was.” She’s managed to relax enough that she’s stopped talking to me like I’m a complete stranger.
“Yeah. I gotta say, that doesn’t sound like the Tobias I knew, but then, that was a long time ago.” I stumble ahead even though I know I’m falling forward into a whole sea of awkwardness by mentioning the past and her brother given that our relationship is what ended my friendship with him. So I change the subject to something even more awkward. “And you and A.J.?”
“Me and A.J.?” She laughs nervously.
“When are the two of you walking down the aisle?” Inquiring minds want to know.
“Uh. I don’t know. He’d have to propose first, and it’s very new.”
“Harder on you both now that he’s not here, I imagine.”
“It’s not easy.”
“He’s all right with you working with me though?”
“Of course, why wouldn’t he be?”
“I took his job.” I had his girl. I’m not going to touch that though. At least not yet.
“He knows how this world works. We knew it was a possibility when we found out Coach Nelson was fired. Your uncle moves in and brings you on board. Not exactly shocking.”
“A little shocking for this team to bring me on. But I guess that’s why you’re here.”
“We just have to work on your image. We’ll get it figured out. They’ll all love you by the time I’m done.”
“Not gonna try to secretly sabotage me? Open your boyfriend’s spot back up here?”
“No. I’m perfectly capable of doing my job professionally, but if you’d rather have someone else on the team, I’m more than happy to step aside and work on other aspects of PR. This wasn’t my choice.”
“I want you.”
Her eyes flick up to mine, and I realize the way I just phrased that.
“You’re good at your job. I know that.”
“How would you know that?”
