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She turned, and something had changed in her face. It looked … hopeful?
Wait. He was confused. She was the one who’d said they shouldn’t date. She’d been bloody clear about it.
He decided it was above his pay grade and asked his question. “You seem to know everybody around here. Our new place isn’t going to be ready until December fifteenth, if it’s even done then. Unfortunately, I know contractors. We have to be out of this one in about ten days, and I’ve had no luck finding anything. It’s an awkward span of time, just over two months. I thought you might know somebody who’s got a furnished granny flat they’re not renting out at the moment, something like that, where we could kip until then. With a dog. Paying rent, obviously,” he hurried to add. “It doesn’t have to be anything flash. I don’t want to ask Hunter for another favor, not when he’s already provided me this place, but I’m at that point.”
“Oh,” she said. “OK. I’ll give it some thought, ask around, and let you know.” And now, shedidjump into the car. She didn’t warm it up for even two seconds, either. A click of her seatbelt, the brake lights went on, and she was backing out.
* * *
Thursday again,which meant she was running again. At this moment, Martin, who hadn’t fallen behind yet, was saying, “Youwhat?”
Terrell said, “Well, this should be good.”
Roxanne said, “Iknewit. Even though you kicked him in the groin.”
“Again,” Martin said, “youwhat?Also, you have a date this weekend. His name is Joel Leeming, and he’s some sort of contractor. I don’t know him, but Lily does. He built her cottage, and don’t worry, his divorce is final. I realized the problem was that you only like the manly-man, can-do type. I didn’t realize you’d already found one. Should I cancel?”
“No,” Quinn said. “It’s not like that. How recent is this divorce?”
Martin waved a hand. “Recent, but any man you meet’s likely to either be divorced, gay, or have something wrong with him, right? At your somewhat advanced age.”
“I’m thirty-eight.”
“Yep. And it’s Montana. He marries his high-school sweetheart, and after fifteen or twenty years, she divorces him. Right, Ezra?”
Ezra said, “I just neuter their pets. I don’t get down in the weeds.”
“Fortunately,” Martin said, “I do. Human nature. So fascinating. So: Joel. Yes or no?”
“If his divorce didn’t go through the courts,” Quinn said, “it means they managed to work it out, so yes, I guess.”
“Don’t sound so enthusiastic,” Martin said. “So we’re still dating, even though you’re advancing at light speed with somebody else. Surprisingly modern of you.”
“I didn’t say I was advancing,” she said. “I said I offered.”
She still wasn’t quite sure how it had happened. She’d given Janey—and Alexis, who’d come along—a half-hour of volleyball coaching on the beach yesterday, as planned, and Janey’d been as quick to learn as Quinn ever had been herself. Alexis? Not so much, but never mind. Quinn had thought,This is fun. Why haven’t I joined a league? Why don’t I get out of my comfort zone more?
But then, that was the whole plan. If you wanted to get out of your comfort zone, you didn’t sit around and think about it. You went ahead and took the leap.
That was what she’d been thinking when Beckett and Troy showed up.
“I decided,” Beckett said, kicking off his flip-flops and heading out onto the sand in T-shirt and shorts, “that if we’re going to teach Janey that wicked set and hit, we need two bodies on each side of the net.”
“You came to help me?” Janey asked.
“Why?” he asked. “Is that so unusual?”
“I thought you didn’t want me to play,” she said.
“Of course I want you to play,” Beckett said.
“No,” Janey said, “you—”
“He definitely said he didn’t want you to play,” Alexis said. “He wouldn’t even let youask.”
Beckett said, “I didn’t want you to play with a fever, but you don’t have a fever now, so here I am.” He asked Troy, “OK to sit on the bench, or do you want to go to the playground? Or you could help with our practice, if you like.”
“Dad,”Janey said. “He’s toolittle.”
