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Quinn’s door opened and Heather heard her talking by the front door. “Thanks. I needed that,” Quinn’s sultry whisper drifted into the kitchen.
“You bet, babe.” Something about the way he said babe was dismissive and demeaning. Heather’s hackles rose and she banked down the urge to ask Quinn what she saw in the arrogant man.
“What’s up, Heather?” Quinn asked after she locked the door. “You look frazzled.”
“Work was great, but a cat hopped in my car today and scared the ever-loving crap out of me.” She shivered. “Cats terrify me.” Her mind flashed back to being four, maybe five, when she tried to pick up a feral cat and it had raked its claws down her entire body. Afraid to tell her dad that she was playing with stray animals, she hadn’t told him about the injury until she fell ill with a fever caused by the infected scratches. According to the doctor, she could have died from a blood infection.
Her skin prickled with remembered fear, and she almost felt the cat’s claws gouging her stomach, thighs, and arms again. She shook off the feeling.
Quinn slouched into a chair and accepted the tea Heather offered her. “Thanks.” Her straight black hair was caught up in a messy ponytail that hung halfway down her back. Her green eyes drooped with exhaustion.
“Oh, you must have been terrified. What did you do?” Quinn asked.
“I totally freaked out. I couldn’t get it out of my car, so I drove to the vet office. It hissed and growled at me all the way there.” She shuddered. “On top of that, it was pouring rain and I got drenched. The vet helped me get the cat out of the car and lent me a dry hoodie.” She sat at the small wooden kitchen table and cradled her tea in her hands for warmth.
“Aren’t all those Bellamies just about the hottest thing you’ve ever seen?” Quinn asked. “I considered asking Zander out. But he’s too busy for me. He doesn’t date much, not ever actually. He’s always running around helping something or somebody.”
“He’s been around the inn a few times. He is cute, but I swear his phone is glued to his hand.” She made an exasperated sound. “He got the cat out of my car and had the nerve to laugh at me. I mean not outright laugh, but he was amused.” She frowned. He could have been more sensitive.
“You should make a play for him,” Quinn said. “He’s totally hot and you’re sweet. You’d make a great couple. Maybe you could whip up some cookies for saving you from the cat. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” She chuckled. “He sure wasn’t interested in me nursing him back to health when he got bitten by a dog. Can you believe he said it’s the only time he’s ever been attacked by an animal? Animals just seem to like him. Not that I blame them. He’s very likeable.”
“He didn’t have any trouble with that cat, that’s for sure. But I have no interest in Zander Bellamie or any other man. Even if I did there’s no possible way because he’s my boss’s brother and I am not going to mess up this job. Eventually I want to open my own shop. Nothing fancy, just a tea house and bakery.” She’d told Quinn this more than once, but every time she said it aloud, it made the possibility more real.
“What about getting an investor, you know, a partner? Wouldn’t that make it easier?” Quinn jumped up and grabbed a bag of Oreos from the cupboard. She paced the kitchen and nibbled a cookie.
“You know my history. I won’t ever take a partner again. I need to do this on my own. No partners. No man. Just me.” She banked down a sigh. She couldn’t help but remember just how attractive and kind Zander was.
“Do you know what makes Zander laughing at me worse? My boss, Derrick, is having his whole family over for dinner tomorrow night and I’m cooking and serving. I won’t be able to escape Zander. What if he mentions my issue with the cat? I’ll be mortified. Plus, as much as the Bellamies hang out together all the time, they fight like cats and dogs. I do not want to become caught up in those crazy family dynamics.”
Quinn laughed. “I’ve never seen a family that fights the way they do. It doesn’t seem to matter though because if one of them needs something the rest of them are right there.” She shook her head. “They fight like cats and dogs, but they’re too good looking to be real.”
“Clearly you’ve got a thing for the Bellamie brothers,” Heather teased.
“Not really. I mean Tyson is hotter than Chris Hemsworth, but he’s not for me. Tyson used to play football; I mean big-time football. He got taken out in a game. He busted up his knee and had to have it replaced. Now he’s the principal of the high school. I don’t think he looks at women at all, let alone someone like me.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. You’re an amazing physiotherapist and a great person. Although I don’t know why you’re looking at Tyson when you’re dating already.”
“I don’t want to talk about it. We should go out for dinner.”
Quinn didn’t seem to realize that if she was happy with her current man, she wouldn’t be drooling over Tyson.
“I don’t have the energy for that. How about I make something for us instead?” She’d love to eat out, but she had given herself a timeline. In three years, she would open her own shop. It might be here. It might be in the city. And the only way that was happening on schedule was if she saved every penny. She had already spent her discretionary funds for the month.
“Right, I keep forgetting about that. I should be a better roommate. How about if I pay for the ingredients and you cook? Then I won’t feel guilty.” She slid back into her chair and sipped her tea.
Heather straightened the small vase of flowers on the table. Roses and carnations. They appeared one day and though her roommate never mentioned them, she suspected she was supposed to believe that Quinn’s man had sent them. Her roommate had a sad air of desperation about dating.
“Oh, letting you pay doesn’t seem right. We’ll split the cost of the food. I’ll cook, and you do the dishes. How does that sound?” Doing dishes was her least favorite part of cooking.
“Good enough for me. What will we have? I feel like pork chops.”
“Sounds perfect to me. I’ve got a fabulous new recipe I’m dying to try. I’ll do baked cheesy potatoes, spiced applesauce, and chocolate lava cake for dessert.” She was beat, but cooking was soothing and invigorating.
♥♥♥
Morning came entirely too early for Heather. They’d stayed up way too late last night drinking wine and chatting. It had been years since she had a best friend, and Quinn was easy to talk to. They’d finally gone to bed at midnight, which wasn’t particularly late, but she had to be up at five to get to work in time to make breakfast for the guests at the inn.
Five hours sleep was usually enough, but she’d been awake half the night having dreams about a certain veterinarian with a sweet smile and delectable backside. The best, and worst, part was that in her dreams, he returned her interest. Every time she started dreaming about him, she woke up. She’d been dreaming about him since her first glimpse of him at the inn’s opening. It was starting to get out of hand. He was the chocolate bar hidden in the cupboard that you couldn’t quite forget about.
