“I can see why you don’t get out much if that is all you do,” he said.
“Hey now. I go out with friends. Sometimes. We go to dinner or watch a movie. Or we go get ice cream at the Creamery, a new place that just moved in on the corner near the diner where Sheraton ordered lunch today. Did you get something from there?”
“No. I had already eaten before I arrived.”
“We can go tomorrow,” she said and turned on the faucet, rinsing out the dish cloth and then wrung the water out of it before placing it across the divider between the two sinks. She then washed her hands, turned off the water, and dried them.
“Do you want to go get ice cream tonight?” she asked him. “It’s your first night in town, and I have spent enough time going over my notes today for my upcoming article.”
“Sounds good, and we can put the theory of us being an item out to your neighborhood.”
A frown crossed her face, and he could see she still wasn’t buying into that notion too well, but her countenance changed when a tinkle of a bell chimed before a white ball of fur jumped up on the counter and began purring.
“Good evening, Bathsheba,” Quinn said, running her hand down the cat’s head to its tail. “Are you ready for your dinner?”
The cat purred louder. “Come with me.” She immediately went to the cabinet and got down a small tin can.
He waited for her to feed the feline, and then they were off. She suggested that they walk the distance since it wasn’t too hot of a night. He couldn’t think of anything to say, and Quinn didn’t start a conversation, so he preoccupied himself with his surroundings until they reached the Creamery. The shop was filled with locals who knew Quinn and wanted to say hello or find out how she was doing after the vandalism to her car. Word had spread through the neighborhood about the brick through her windshield as was apparent when they were stopped by the people at the first table they came to with questions.
“Gee, I didn’t realize I was a hot topic around town,” she said.
“Oh yes,” the elderly lady sitting with a teenage girl explained at two tables over. “I heard about it at my bridge game this afternoon. I thought it was just terrible that someone would do that to you, dear.”
“Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Marcum,” Quinn said, going over to speak to her. “But I’m fine other than my car. Hopefully, the insurance company will be able to have the windshield replaced within a day or two. If they ever call me back.”
“My nephew works there. I’ll call him first thing in the morning and insist they call you immediately, dear. That is no way to treat you,” The woman turned, her gaze landing on him. “Who’s this young man you have with you tonight, Quinlan?”
Quinn stepped close to him and slipped her hand in his, which he thought was a nice touch since she had made a fuss about the idea of them being a couple earlier. “Mrs. Marcum, this is Xavier. My college boyfriend. We’ve just recently gotten back together. He’s come for a visit.”
The woman’s brows arched, and a bright smile lit up her face. “Delightful, dear. I’m so pleased to hear it. And today of all days too. His timing couldn’t be better. I’m so glad you don’t have to go through this alone.”
“Me too,” he said, returning the older woman’s smile. He pulled Quinn to him and planted a little kiss on the top of her head for good measure.
That gesture got him a turn of her head and a cold stare that only he could see, but he kept smiling down at her.
The teenage girl gave a wistful sigh and tilted her head to the side as she stared at him while sipping on her milkshake. Her dreamy look prompted him to get the ice cream.
“I’ll go order for us,” he suggested. “What do you want, Quinn?”
“Double scoop of Rocky Road.”
“Nice to have met you,” he said and hurried toward the growing line at the counter.
“Very attentive young man,” Mrs. Marcum said.
“Yes, he is,” Quinn said. “It’s hard to imagine ever letting him go.”
What was she saying? Letting him go? Where had that come from?
Mrs. Marcum beamed, and her granddaughter made a loud slurping sound through her straw as she drank her milkshake.
They both looked in her direction and she ducked her head.
“Sorry,” the girl mumbled.
“How long will he be in town?” Mrs. Marcum asked.
“I’m not sure, really. He has an open-ended airline ticket. Isn’t that wonderful? His company shut down because of equipment failure, and they needed to do some major overhaul in their infrastructure, so they just let the employees take the time off until they could get things back up and running again. When he told me about what was going on, it sounded like the perfect time for him to come for a long visit.”
