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Quinn narrowed her eyes and offered me a thank-you as I handed the box to her.
She stood still in the living room, looking between Sasha and me. “Can I have some tonight?” Her eyes landed on her mother with her question.
Sasha nodded. “Of course. We even made sure to get it at the end so it should still be warm.”
Quinn cast a quick smile. It was so much like Sasha’s that my heart swelled. She skipped across the living room through the archway into what I could see was the kitchen.
Sasha mouthed, “Thank you. She’ll love it.” After a pause, Sasha asked aloud, “What are you watching?”
“That baking show. The one you love.” Quinn was already returning to the living room with half her calzone on a plate.
Sasha cast me a sheepish smile. “I loveThe Great British Baking Show.”
“Do you want to watch some with us?” Quinn asked, surprising me.
When I glanced in her direction, I didn’t miss the dare in her eyes. Honestly, any excuse to spend time with Sasha worked for me. “I’d love to.”
That was how I found myself on the couch with Sasha between Quinn and me. Sasha even let me hold her hand. The only downside was I wanted to do a lot more than that. Who knew teenagers made the best chaperones in the world? With Quinn’s perceptive gaze occasionally glancing our way, I didn’t dare do anything more than hold Sasha’s hand.
At one point, Sasha went to the bathroom. As soon as the sound of the door clicking shut reached us, Quinn pinned me with her eyes. “Don’t you dare hurt my mom,” she said fiercely.
I was used to feeling like I could go with the flow of any conversation. I was also used to feeling like I had my shit together. Hell, I was an FBI agent and handled high-end financial fraud. Questioning those suspects was challenging because they usually had a lot of money and were accustomed to getting their way or buying their way out of tight spots.
But Sasha’s protective teenage daughter had me feeling like I didn’t know what to say. I cleared my throat. “I’m not planning on hurting your mother.” Stating the obvious was always a good place to start.
“Of course, you’re not planning on it. Even assholes don’t plan on it.”
My heart ached a little for this girl who clearly loved her mother and wanted to make sure no one hurt her.
“I know you just met me, but I promise your mom means a lot to me, and I have no intention of hurting her.”
Quinn’s lips pressed together and twisted to the side as she blinked at me. “It’s just she’s never introduced me to anyone. She’s trying to play it cool, but she’ssonot cool.”
I bit the insides of my cheeks to keep from laughing because Quinn was dead serious. I nodded slowly. “I understand your point. I don’t think your mom would’ve introduced me if—”
I cut myself off. I didn’t know what to say to this girl to convince her that what I wanted was her mother to realize we had a real thing here.
Quinn nodded as if I had somehow done something to satisfy her. “Good, you don’t know what to say either.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I countered, abruptly wondering if hell counted as a curse word and if I could say it in front of a fifteen-year-old, specifically Sasha’s daughter.
As if she freaking read my mind, Quinn offered, “Hell is a place, not a swear word. Mom swears in front of me if you were wondering. She tries not to, but she slips up.” At my chuckle, she continued, “My point was, you’re not trying to be slick. If you were, then as soon as you left, I would tell her not to go to dinner with you again. But you’re not slick, and you’re not cool. And, apparently, you’re stumbling over how to explain how you feel, so that’s a good sign.”
Sasha happened to return to the living room at this moment, her eyes bouncing between us. “Quinn, what did you say to Noah?”
It was only then I realized my mouth had actually dropped open. Good Lord, her daughter had me gaping like a fish.
Quinn thought the whole thing was hysterical and threw her head back with a laugh. “Nothing,” she said when she finished laughing. Sasha sat down beside me again. “I was just asking him his intentions.”
Sasha’s cheeks went pink. “Quinn! It was a dinner date. You’re also not my parent. I’m your mother.”
“Yeah, but you don’t date.” Quinn arched a brow, her eyes glinting with mirth.
Sasha glanced at me. “I am so sorry.”
“No need to apologize. It was rather clarifying.”
Sasha narrowed her eyes as she looked toward Quinn again. Quinn finally stopped giving me the side-eye and enjoyed her calzone. She even told me that it was really good.
