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He leaves the room in a sea of hisses, glancing back at me three times before disappearing into the kitchen.
“All right, we don’t have much time.” Melissa claps her hands. “Quinn, are you and my brother together together? Give us the scoop.”
Steph hustles me over to the couch, pulling me down to the cushions. Before I know it, I’m the meat in a sister sandwich. “Yeah, give up the goods,” Steph squeals. “He hasn’t dated anyone seriously in…”
“Never,” Melissa finishes. “He’s never dated anyone seriously.”
“Oh, I just met him this morning,” I say, waving a hand. “There’s nothing…I mean, it’s way too soon to, um…”
They stare at me expectantly, not saying a word.
It’s a tactic.
I know it is.
They’re staying silent so I’ll feel obligated to continue, thus revealing more information. My mother employs this method on me all the time and I really should know better. But I don’t have close girlfriends, only colleagues, thanks to my mother’s impossibly high standards for the people I associate with. And it’s really nice being part of this little girl chat, even if it’s only a temporary thing. I find myself wanting to confide in them, whether it’s wise or not…and they still haven’t said a word, the silence trick prickling under my skin and urging me to fill the conversation void. Darn it, they have me. “It’s only meant to be one lesson,” I blurt.
They sit up straighter. “A lesson?”
“Yes. Your brother is merely being kind. I told him I have a confidence problem a-and that I know nothing about men and sex. He’s helping me understand.”
Melissa and Steph stare at one another in disbelief. “He’s helping you understand?” Steph squeaks.
I nod. “Yes.”
“And you…” Melissa grabs my arm. “You think he’s doing this to be kind?”
“Yes, isn’t that nice?” I say, smiling brightly.
Silence descends on the room.
Both sisters burst into laughter.
My nose wrinkles. “What?”
Steph picks up an imaginary phone and presses it to her ear. “Hold my calls. Reschedule my appointments. Something has come up.”
Desmond chooses that moment to walk back into the room, a thunderous frown on his face, three mugs of coffee in his hands. “What’s going on? What did they say to you?”
“Um…”
“Des. Bro.” Melissa stands and takes the coffee mugs from her brother, setting them down on the coffee table one by one. “We’re here to help. We know all about the lesson you promised Quinn.”
He makes a choked sound. “You do?”
I mouth the word sorry at him.
“Yes. Our Quinn here wants to be more confident when it comes to men, right?” Steph says. “Well since three heads are better than one, we decided to help.”
Melissa smiles. “You’re welcome.”
Desmond is shaking is head. “I don’t want your help. No one wants your help.”
“Too bad.” Both sisters throw their arms up in the air. “Makeover time!”
“She doesn’t need a makeover,” he snaps. “She’s perfect.”
Steph is about to say something, but falters at her brother’s words. Until Melissa elbows her hard in the ribs and she recovers. “O-of course, she’s already beautiful. But she’s not dressed for the club.”
Melissa studies her nails. “Yeah, we’re just going to dress her up for a little club action.”
“No better place to learn about men than a club!” Steph whispers at me, out of the corner of her mouth. “We should have you ready to go in an hour.”
“Like hell you will,” Desmond roars.
“Oh no?” Melissa tilts her head. “Why not?”
“Yeah, bro. Why not?”
He opens his mouth to say something, but catches himself and closes it again. His eyes are trained on me, but I can’t figure out what’s going on in his head. Obviously he doesn’t love the idea of me going to the club with his sisters, but why? Maybe he does have feelings for me, but they’re not strong enough for him to make a big declaration in front of his family. I mean, expecting such a thing would be crazy when we only met this morning, right?
Why does my chest feel hollow the longer he stays quiet?
“I want to go,” I say in rush, hoping to let Desmond off the hook. “It sounds fun.”
Actually, it sounds like a nightmare, but I don’t want to be rude.
“You want to go?” Desmond asks, sounding like there’s a pine cone lodged in his throat.
I hum in the affirmative, earning smiles from Steph and Melissa.
Desmond’s head drops forward momentarily. “Fine, but I’m coming, too.” His swallow is audible as he splits a hard look between his sisters. He says something to them, but he’s speaking so quietly, I can barely make out his words. Something like, “Please, don’t ruin this.”
Another awkward silence grips the room and I can’t stand being the cause of it anymore. I shoot to my feet. “I’m all yours. Make me over.”
7
Desmond
This is my worst nightmare.
If I didn’t love my sisters, despite their penchant for mayhem, I would have already thrown them out of the house. I just want to be alone with Quinn. I want to lay Quinn down in my bed and kiss her until I know every tiny nuance of her mouth. I just want to wrap myself in her smiles and her light scent and make her laugh.
