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Oh,
Marie.
“You didn’t miss me?”
She made herself smile at him. Deep breath, too. “Of course I did. I waited so long I got hungry.”
It didn’t work. The words, which were supposed to come out lightly, caught in her throat and sounded like blame. Exactly the way people acted when they started to imagine themselves into more of a relationship than they were in. How often had she counseled clients out of that trap?
“I got tied up at the office.”
Classic male cover for “I’ve been with a woman,” though, ha, the tied-up part could be true. Now he was showing up to chat with his sister-clone with another women’s scent still—
Stop. Stop now. Marie pushed away her drink and summoned every ounce of strength she’d developed over the last years as a scorned wife turned entrepreneur. “That’s nice.
Especially since you don’t have an office.”
He laughed. “Can’t get anything past you.”
“Hey, Quinn, the usual?” Joe put a napkin in front of him.
“Yes, thanks.” He swiveled his chair so he was half facing Marie. “How’ve you been since Saturday? We were going to go to dinner sometime. I haven’t forgotten.”
“I’ve been okay.” She ignored the dinner part. If he wanted to go, he’d have to issue a real invitation, not a general intention. “I have sort of an issue at work right now, with a friend.”
“Yeah?” He nodded absently to Joe, pulling the drink toward him, but his attention was all on Marie. “Can you talk about it?”
“I set a friend up with someone I’m discovering might not have the world’s best intentions. And I’m not sure what my duty to her is, since it’s mostly instinct on my part, nothing really wrong, just a few things that aren’t adding up.”
“Hmm.” He moved his fingers restlessly on the bar. He had fine hands, large and capable-looking. Of course. Couldn’t he have a weight problem or a shriveled limb to put him more on her level? “Is she the type men can take advantage of?”
“Can and have.”
“Are you close to her?”
“We’re friendly. Both members of Women in Power. We have lunch once in a while. But not girlfriend-close, no.”
“What’s your instinct?”
Marie laughed. “Besides visiting the gentleman in question with a castrating device?”
“Oof.” Quinn pressed his legs together. “I like the mama-176
bear loyalty. The punishment, not so much. So yes, besides that.”
“My instinct is to call her and warn her. I don’t think they’re dating right now, but last I talked to her, she was hurting and likely to crawl back if he beckoned. She really likes him. My other instinct is to mind my own business and let her make her own mistakes. My other other instinct is to admit I don’t know this guy at all, and trust her to do the right thing.”
“Those all sound like good instincts, Marie. The initial one, the other one and even the other other one.”
“Thanks.” She pretended frustration, hiding pleasure at his compliment. “I just don’t know which good instinct is the one to listen to.”
“Well, if I can offer a suggestion?”
“Please. I’d like your opinion.”
“As a man.”
She turned away, played with the straw in her drink, then realized she was pulling it up and down suggestively. “As a friend.”
“Okay. As a friend.”
Was she crazy or did he sound disappointed? She snuck a peek at his smooth, untroubled face.
She was crazy.
“My advice would be to lay the case in front of her without giving judgment or opinion, and let her make her own decision. To hold back feels wrong, and to jump to some conclusion and warn her off without knowing all the facts feels wrong, too. It’s a middle-lane approach, and this way you don’t risk clouding anything with emotion.”
Right. Clouding things with emotion. Good advice. She needed to keep it in mind herself.
“Thanks, Quinn. I think you’re right. I’ll do that.”
“You’re welcome. How’s that sandwich?”
She relaxed all of a sudden. “Delicious. Want a bite?”
