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He paused for just a moment. “Yeah.”
“You thought I could sell my dad’s land, close the garage, pack up and move in with you.”
Despite his obtuseness, Quinn finally seemed to pick up on the tone of her voice. “Um…” he muttered, “yeah.”
“And would you take care of me? Pay for everything? Fly me around the world to keep you company on trips? I wouldn’t have to worry about bills or work or responsibilities?”
This time his answer was more a hum than a word.
“Thanks,” she snapped. “But no thanks.” When she scrambled to her feet, Quinn jumped up to follow her.
“Lori, I’m not suggesting you hang around and eat bonbons while I go out and bring home the bacon. You need to get back to school.”
“I can handle my life on my own, thanks!”
“Oh, really?” he countered. “Because you haven’t done a damn thing in ten years!”
She stopped so quickly that Quinn plowed into her back and nearly knocked her over. “Fuck. You.I was kind of busy for most of the past decade, asshole. I couldn’t exactly go hang out with the kids on the quad.”
When she started to turn away, Quinn grabbed her arm. “Don’t give me that,” he growled. “I like you too much to put up with your self-pity. You could have taken summer classes at Western State. You could have signed up for an online course. Hell, you could have done more than that in the past year. You could hit the road andseesomething instead of sitting in your old room watching travel videos.”
Her gasp echoed off the rock walls that surrounded them. “You…” Oh, God. Had he looked in her old bedroom? Humiliation washed over her skin in a wave of fire.
“Shit,” he cursed, rubbing a hand over his face. “I’m sorry. I know I’m saying this all wrong. But, Lori, you’re wasting your life.”
She swallowed the tears that wanted to rise. “There’s nothing wrong with being a mechanic, you arrogant shit.”
“No, there’s nothing wrong with being a mechanic if that’s what you love doing. And there’s nothing wrong with Tumble Creek, either. But you neverwantedto stay here and work in the shop. You’ve never even pretended you wanted to. You had dreams when you left here ten years ago, and you’ve got dreams now.”
She jerked her arm from his grip. “I’m not an eighteen-year-old kid anymore.”
“No, you’re not eighteen. But if you want to go to college, you can work at some crappy job in between classes just like any other freshman. Hell, you don’t even have to worry about an apartment if you want to live with me. So what’s so different about it? What are you afraid of?”
“What’s sodifferent?Are you serious?”
“Yes, I am serious.”
“What’s so different is that when I left here to go to college, I had a family and a home. I had a father. Ibelongedsomewhere. No matter where I went, no matter what I did, I could always come home. But if I sell everything and leave Tumble Creek with nothing…I won’t belong anywhere, Quinn. If I’m not Lori Love the girl mechanic, I’mno one.”
“That’s not true. That’s not who you are.”
“Well then,who am I?”
“Lori…” He threw up his hands in frustration. “You can be anybody you want.”
“Like your live-in mistress.”
“Oh, come on! I want to be with you. And you won’t even consider a long-distance relationship.”
“Quinn…Jesus.” A tear finally leaked from her eye and she swiped it off her cheek. “You’re asking me to give up everything—everything—to be your girlfriend.”
“No, it’s not like that.”
“No? All right then. Why don’t you sellyourbusiness and come live withme?”
“Don’t be ri—” He cut off his own words and paused for a moment, hand still held high as if he’d finish his sweeping gesture.
“Yeah, it’d be ridiculous. So please don’t ask me to give up my little life to come live in yours.”
