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“In international business?” he asked, his breath warming her hair.
Lori sniffled. “No. Accounting.”
He pulled back and bent down to meet her eyes. “Accounting? Really?”
“I loved doing the books for the shop. So I thought I’d try it out and see if I liked the courses. I do.”
“That’s great.” He looked so proud that she folded herself back into his arms and held on. He didn’t feel as if he wanted to tell her good riddance. Not at all. In fact, his arms tightened around her and he sighed against her temple.
“Have you had dinner?” she ventured.
Quinn shook his head.
“I’ve got hot dogs.”
“Perfect,” he answered. And it was. They sat at her table and ate hot dogs, smiling in between bites.
“I really am sorry,” Quinn said after he finished his second dog.
Lori set down her beer and folded her hands together. “You were cruel—”
“I know. It was—”
“But you were right. Not about me becoming your kept woman, but about everything else.” She smiled to break the tension, but Quinn still looked miserable. “It’s okay, Quinn. Honestly. I was so mad I had all the energy I needed to start getting my shit together. Your evil pep talk worked.”
“Well…good. You look great. And the house looks like it belongs to you now. And the accounting classes…I’m happy for you, Lori.”
“Thank you.” She finished her hot dog and was wiping off her hands when Quinn cleared his throat.
“Thanks for dinner. I’m staying at Ben’s tonight. Maybe you’d consider going out to Grand Valley for lunch with me tomorrow?”
“Oh. Don’t you have to work?”
He tipped his beer in her direction. “I think Jane will be thrilled if I call in sick. In fact, I think she’d insist.”
“Do you have to go now?”
Quinn leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling. “I didn’t come by to try to insert myself back into your life.”
“But you’re so good at inserting, remember?”
His sudden laugh was so loud it startled her into a jump. “How could I forget? I had new business cards printed. Poor Jane was scandalized.”
“Liar.”
Quinn sighed and aimed a tired smile in her direction.
“Stay,” Lori whispered. “At least stay for another beer. We’ll talk. If you get too drunk you can walk to Ben’s.” Oryou can just sleep here,she left unsaid. She wondered if he’d notice if she replaced his half-empty bottle with a full one.
She still didn’t think she was ready for a permanent relationship with Quinn, but she couldn’t bear the idea of him leaving now. She just wanted to get close to him, smell his skin, maybe lick his throat just a little bit. Her body felt drawn to him, her skin pulling to get closer. But he still hadn’t answered her invitation. If he left, she’d have to embarrass herself by sneaking through one of Ben’s windows in the middle the night. And Ben had a gun.
“I’m going to Europe in June!” she blurted out in desperation, feeling stupid even as she did it. Bragging about something not worth bragging out. But Quinn’s jaw dropped.
“Are you kidding me?”
“I’m not. I’m going to get a little more money out of the land than I’d expected. I’m selling it on speculation and I’ll let the developer take the risk. They’ll either be very sorry or very rich. And I’m taking a six-week trip to Europe. Finally.”
“Lori…Wow.Six weeks?”
