hand that one time, he’d made no move on her.
It was two in the morning when he said good-night. She stood at the railing watching him jog down the hill to his house, and felt disappointed in herself that she’d let him go without so much as a single shared kiss.
But then, he had asked her out. She would see him again on Friday night...
* * *
Friday evening, Quinn arrived five minutes early. “Better grab a scarf,” he warned.
She ran and got one, then followed him out across the breezeway and around the garage to the side parking space, where a gorgeous old convertible Buick coupe waited—top down, of course. With sidewalls so white they were blinding even in the shade.
“Wow.” She couldn’t resist gliding her palm over the glossy maroon paint. “It looks brand-new.” The bright chrome gleamed in the fading early-evening light. It had round vents on the front fenders and an enormous, toothy grille.
“It’s one of Carter’s rebuilds. A ’49 Buick Roadmaster.” Carter, Quinn’s oldest brother, designed and built custom cars. “I saw it at his shop a couple of weeks ago. Don’t know what came over me, but I wanted it. So I bought it.” He opened the door for her. She slid in onto the snow-white, tuck-and-roll bench seat. “Had him put seat belts in it, along with a decent sound system and power windows.” He was leaning on the open door, bending close to her, his gray suit jacket already off and slung over his shoulder, hanging by a finger.
She got a hint of his aftershave, which was manly and fresh. He looked so good, in a white shirt and gray slacks, with a dark blue tie. She thought about kissing him, and turned away to run her hand over the leather seat in an effort to distract herself from a sudden, vivid memory of how pliant and hot his lips felt pressed to hers. “It’s gorgeous,” she said, altogether too breathlessly.
“Yeah.” The single word seemed to dance along her nerve endings. She looked back up at him, and he grinned at her. And she just knew that he knew what she’d been thinking. “You look beautiful,” he said, his gaze taking in her little black dress and her double strand of pearls that her dad had given her when she graduated from high school. “So smooth.”
“Um, what?”
“You, Chloe. You’re smooth.”
“That’s good, I hope?”
“That is excellent. Buckle up now.” He shut the door as she tied her scarf over her hair.
He took her to the Sylvan Inn, which was a few miles southeast of town nestled in among the pines. The inn had a quiet atmosphere and great food.
“We used to come here when I was little,” she said, once they were settled with their tall goblets of ice water, hot bread and giant menus in the traditional Sylvan Inn blue leather cover with the fancy gold lettering on the front. “For special occasions. My dad loves their hammer steaks. So do I, as a matter of fact.”
“Good memories, then?”
“Very good.” She glanced up at him—and spotted a familiar face across the dining room. Chloe smiled. The tall, thin blonde smiled right back. She gave Chloe a jaunty wave and disappeared behind a potted plant.
“What’s up?” Quinn asked.
Chloe brushed a hand over the crisp white cuff of Quinn’s shirt. “Don’t look now, but we’ve been spotted by Monique Hightower. Did you know she works here?” They’d gone to school with Monique. The woman never met a secret she wouldn’t share with the whole town.
“Uh-oh.” He pretended to look worried. “Like I said the other night, it’s Justice Creek. You go out with me, everyone in town is bound to know.”
Now she brushed the back of his hand, which was warm and tan and dusted lightly with brown hair. It felt so good to touch him. She had to watch herself or she’d be all over the poor guy. “I hope you don’t mind that the gossip mill will be churning.”
“Me?” He gave a low chuckle. “I think I can deal with it.”
“Such a brave man...”
They shared one of those looks. Long. Intimate. Wonderful. Finally, he said, “Read your menu, Chloe.”
She closed the blue folder. “I did.”
“You know what you want?”
“Oh, yes, I do.” She said it slowly, with a lazy smile.
He warned low, “Keep looking at me like that and we won’t make it through the appetizer.”
But they did. They had it all. Appetizers, a nice bottle of cabernet, salad, hammer steaks with cheesy potatoes and a decadent chocolate dessert. And they took their sweet time about it.
Monique dropped by their table around nine, just after they’d been served their coffee and dessert. “Chloe. Quinn. What a surprise.”
Quinn asked, “So, how’s life treating you, Monique?”
“I’m getting by.” Monique tossed her topknot of curly blond hair and stuck her hands in the pockets of her black service apron. “When did you two start spending time together?”
Chloe sipped her coffee. “This is our first date. I’m having a fabulous time.”
Quinn said, “Chloe always had a thing for me, since way back in high school.”
Monique blinked three times in rapid succession. “Really?”
Chloe stifled a silly giggle and said with great seriousness. “I finally got up the nerve to tell him.” And to show him, as a matter of fact. “And then he asked me out. The rest could be history. I mean, if I play my cards right.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “But, Monique...”
Monique leaned a little closer. “What?”
“Don’t say a word to anyone.”
“Oh. Never. I would never tell a soul...” Translation: she couldn’t wait to tell the world. Monique asked about Prime Sports, and Quinn gave her a card good for a free visit and one class of her choice. And then she turned to Chloe again, her dark eyes sharply gleaming. “I was so surprised when you moved back to town. I mean, we all knew you were headed for great things. No one ever would have guessed you’d end up running back home to Justice Creek. I’m just so sorry that things didn’t work out for you.”
Six months ago, Chloe would have been shamed and infuriated by Monique’s barbed words and pretended concern. Or at the very least, embarrassed. At the moment, though, all she felt was amused. “Thanks, Monique. You’re all heart.”
Monique sighed heavily. Across the room, the manager who’d greeted them when they arrived had his eye on her. “Well, good to see you two. Gotta go.” She scuttled off.
Chloe took a bite of her delicious dessert. “Everything we told her will be all over town. Twenty-four hours—thirty-six, max.”
Quinn leaned closer and spoke low. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said that you had a thing for me in high school.”
