Men Like This (19 page)

Her defenses went up in record time. “We’re not talking about me.”

He turned apologetic. “You’re right. I have some nerve to even bring it up. But, hey, if you ever do want to talk about it, I guess I owe you one after this.”

She let the small, uncomfortable silence stretch out while internally searching for an escape route. “Listen—”

“Listen—”

Blake laughed nervously, she assumed, at their simultaneous efforts to end the awkward silence.

The forced chuckle only worsened the effect. She briefly considered hanging up and putting them both out of their misery but decided even desperation didn’t warrant rudeness. “I need to go. The inn has a checkout time.”

“Right. Yeah, I do, too, but, listen. When you and Seth get home I want to sit down and talk. The three of us. I owe him an apology. I screwed up. I understand if making it up to you is impossible, but I need to try with Seth. I believed you when you said you were taking him from me. I love Hunter. Losing him is harder than I imagined it would be, and it reminds me of Seth. I missed so much.”

She didn’t hesitate to correct him. “You missed everything. His first steps, his first words. Even when I tried to bring you in, show you the dozens and dozens of pictures I took, you didn’t have time. I was so proud of him. I wish you would’ve been, too.” She stopped. Old emotions, old resentments. Too old. “It’s up to him. If he wants to wash his hands of you, then I’m sorry. He’s mine, and I’ll fight.”

Blake replied with brevity. “You won’t have to. I’ll honor whatever decision Seth makes.”

“Good. It’s about time you did.”

She disconnected and slumped back in the chair. That had to have been the most un-Blake-like conversation with Blake she’d ever had.

Maybe Emily was right, but it remained an irrelevant point. No matter how much he morphed into a normal, monogamous-capable kind of guy, Quinn was ruined. After a small taste of a man like Jack, she’d never again settle for one like her ex-husband.

Jack’s amazing eyes made Blake’s look like grass and mud in comparison. His devilish smile made her ex’s look like a grimace. Even Jack’s fierce emotions and buoyant personality made Blake seem hollow and stiff.

The reality was men like Blake were the norm, and ones like Jack were rare gems smart women knew better than to let go of. Expecting to find another like him around the corner was akin to expecting to discover the other half of The Great Star of Africa under the doghouse in your backyard. The odds were insurmountably stacked in the wrong direction.

Men like Jack weren’t made every day. A man like Jack cherished his woman simply by virtue of her being his. He stood by her, just like he’d stood by Vickie long after she’d become someone he didn’t like. He didn’t accept a frown as long as he had the power to make her smile.

He didn’t give second chances because he expected to get as good as he gave the first time around.

And a man like Jack gave it all.

 

A
merica, home of the heartbroken and downtrodden.

Quinn had avoided everyone since their return home with the exception of her agent. Her manuscript had survived editing, advanced copies had been received and mailed out to bookstores and fellow authors, as well as Madeline Decker, to whom Quinn had partially dedicated the novel. She had nothing to focus on but Jack.

Not even the house she’d purchased had been sufficient to keep her mind wholly occupied. The place practically reeked of cheeriness with big bay windows in both the family room and her office which overlooked an ambitious bed of bright yellow daisies that stretched the entire length of the house. She’d helped the visage along by painting the whole two-story house bright white and adding lemon-yellow trim.

Despite all that and more, she found if she sat in the house all day, she inevitably spent a great deal of time moping. To combat this problem, she left right behind Seth each morning and arrived home shortly after the bus dropped him off in the afternoon. Sometimes she shopped. Sometimes she went to a matinee or the beach. Sometimes she found a quiet park and cried anyway.

Today, she pulled up to the curb in front of her house and frowned at Emily’s Camry blocking the driveway. She’d dodged everyone. Emily, her father, the determined Blake who’d made his intentions to win her back clear from her first day home.

She steeled herself for company she wasn’t in the mood for and stepped inside. Silence. A beat passed. “Hello?”

Footsteps pounded overhead. Seth appeared at the top of the stairs. “Up here, Mom.”

“Hey. We’ve got company?”

“Grandpa’s here. He said to come up.” Footsteps thundered a second time as Seth disappeared once more into the bowels of the upper floor.

Grandpa? She hung her purse on the coat tree in the foyer and went upstairs. She found her dad sitting on her son’s bed. His hands were clasped and resting on his knees. He wore an odd expression.

“Dad? What’s up? Where’s Em?”

Seth swiveled in his desk chair. “Not here. Grandpa borrowed her car.”

“Oh.” Definitely smelled like trouble. “Borrowed, huh?”

Her dad finally decided to enlighten her. “Everything’s fine. Better than fine, actually, depending on who you ask. I have a sort of announcement to make.”

Her lip curled in an involuntary grimace. Was this like the time he’d decided to take up backcountry camping? Because that hadn’t worked out well for anyone.

She waited, and he fixed her with one of his serious looks, the kind she’d learned to respect as a small child. They were rare, which only made them more powerful.

“I’m going back to London.”

Well, that was somewhat anticlimactic. “Okay. Seth and I will probably spend part of the summer there. I bought the Kensington place. I intend to get my money out of it.”

“No, Quinnie. I’m going back to stay.”

She pursed her lips and waited for the wave of confusion to subside. When it didn’t, she had to inquire. “You’re
moving
to London?”

He actually laughed. “Why is everyone so surprised? After your mom passed away, it made sense for me to stay with your sister. Emily doesn’t have a family of her own, and I didn’t have anywhere else I needed to be. We kept each other company. But nothing in life is permanent. I won’t be alone if that’s what worries you.”

“But, why?” She crossed her arms and spared a glance at Seth. He shook his head in silent agreement. He didn’t get it either.

“Madeline invited me. Why not?”

“Oh.” Oh, indeed. “I didn’t realize the two of you kept in touch.”

“I wanted to come home first, in case. I might’ve got here and had trouble with the idea of leaving but I’m ready. We have things in common besides our old age, our children among them. We enjoy one another’s company. She’s lonely. Dawn’s around but has a life, too. Mad could use a companion, and frankly, so could I.”

Mad. Her father had even given her a nickname. That pretty much sealed it. “In some crazy way it makes sense.”

Douglas stood and gripped Quinn’s shoulder with an easy smile on his face. “I’ll take that as your blessing.”

“Of course. Do what makes you happy, Dad.” She rested her hand on his and shook her head in wonder. “You and Madeline, huh? I never connected the dots. I bet Emily did. She’s the observant one. Speaking of Em, how’d she take the news?”

Her dad dropped his hand, but his smile remained. “She confused blessing with permission. I had to steal her car to come give you the news because she refused to drive me over.”

Quinn put her face in her hands. “Oh, Dad. I don’t even know what to say.”

Her cell phone bleeped from inside her jacket pocket.

Her dad chuckled with far more mirth than the situation called for. “Don’t worry, that’ll be her now. I bet she’ll have enough to say for the both of us.”

 

Emily stood on the front porch with her arms crossed as if expecting their arrival. Her face gleamed an unsightly shade of red.

Quinn hopped from the car and spoke first in an attempt to shield her dad from her sister’s wrath. “Hey, Em. We followed Dad home for a little impromptu visit. Hope you don’t mind.” She went in for a hug only to have Emily shove her back.

Quinn froze with her arms out and stared. “What the hell was that about?”

“This is all your fault.
Everything
is your fault.” Emily pointed an accusing finger. “You and your stupid London trip and your stupid romance ideas. I hope it’s been worth turning everyone else’s lives upside down to fix your own.”

The world had officially taken leave of its senses. Quinn stared without comprehending. “What’s your problem?”

“
You
. You are my problem, Quinn. First, your own child. You know more than anyone how much it sucks to be left and you abandoned him anyway.”

“I gave him the choice
—
”

Emily took a step forward. Her voice rose with it. “You should’ve stayed if he wasn’t willing to go.”

Quinn stood her ground. She was glad she’d had the forethought to ask Seth to stay in the car. “I don’t owe you an explanation. The decisions I made and how I made them aren’t your business.”

“Funny, they were my business when you needed a babysitter while you were playing Little Miss Famous half a world away.”

She paused. Her sister’s sudden fury didn’t make sense. “You weren’t angry when it was happening. Why are you so upset now?”

“Because of you! It’s all about you.” Emily’s eyes glittered. “Always has been. You had Mom, didn’t you, Clementine?” She said the name with an ugly sneer. “Mom couldn’t wait to read your stupid story, couldn’t wait to see you published. Do you recall her ever giving a damn about
my
career?”

“This is about Mom?” Quinn cocked her head to one side. “I don’t understand.”

“You could’ve had Jack, you know. All he wanted out of the whole mess was you.”

Quinn’s heart tripped at his name.

“And you’ve got Blake waiting in the wings like an obedient little puppy while you take your sweet time deciding whether he’s worthy of a second chance. But, of course, you’re too good for him, aren’t you? Then there’s Dad, the only person I have in my life because unlike
you
, I don’t have a movie star in one pocket and a wealthy businessman in the other. I’ve just got Dad.” She threw her hands up with a strangled laugh. “Oh, wait! No, I don’t. As a result of your midlife crisis, he’s leaving, too. I’ll have nothing, and you’ll have more than you deserve.”

Whoa.
Quinn stared at her sister in awe. “Angie was right. You really are jealous.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” Emily’s spiteful reply made her flinch. “The only thing you have that I want is Blake. The rest you’re welcome to keep.”

Quinn stammered over her reply. “
Blake
? You-you want
Blake
?”

Emily’s hands came to a rest on her hips. “You haven’t figured it out? Every time he had a fight with Kira or a problem with Seth, who do you think he called? Turned to? Relied on? I’ve been a shoulder for him. I helped him figure out what a mistake Kira was, but did he consider me an option? No, of course not. He jumped to the conclusion he needed
you
back in his life.”

A dull ache crept into Quinn’s temples. She mimicked Emily’s stance and closed her eyes. “None of this makes sense, Em. Why fight so hard for me to come back if you have feelings for him? Hunter was the final straw. That would’ve been your chance to tell Blake how you feel.”

For the first time since arriving, Emily came off the offensive. Her shoulders fell and she trained her gaze on the ground. “Because you said you weren’t sure if you were over him, and even an ounce of doubt means he’s off-limits. Because you’re what he wants. Because it’s always been Blake and Quinn. Because Seth is struggling, and maybe he needs his family back.”

“I am over Blake. Please believe me. Eventually, he’s going to figure out I’m not the same girl he married fresh out of high school. He’s not ever going to get her back because she no longer exists. I can’t fix what he’s done to his life.”

Her dark eyes came up to meet Quinn’s. “Husbands cheat sometimes. Wives do too, and couples figure out how to move past it. Forgiveness is an option, one you never considered, not even for Seth’s sake. I made it my mission to help Blake put his life and his family back together. At first, this Jack guy seemed like exactly what you needed
—
a fling, something exciting to get you out of your little funk. But you don’t know when to stop, do you? I could tell when it started to get real for you. I wanted to tell you to pull out before it was too late, and you got hurt, but then I figured maybe it was the answer.”

Quinn nodded. “You’re wrong, Em. I did offer Blake the chance to make it right. He chose the other woman. And I still can’t believe Angie was right about you. You actually wanted me to get hurt.”

“Was I wrong about him? Jack did exactly what I expected he would, and you’re back where you belong because of it. I’m not going to be the thing standing between you and the chance to make your family whole again. Blake has changed, and you’ll see it for yourself soon enough, but you’d better think long and hard about making the most of this opportunity. Next time, I won’t put what’s best for you ahead of my own desires. Instead, I’ll do what the hell I want without a care for collateral damage.” Emily gave her one last hard glance. “Seems to work for you.”

She stormed inside and slammed the front door after her.

Quinn turned to her father for guidance. “Am I hallucinating, or was that real?”

Douglas frowned. “Maybe Seth slipped us something on the way over.”

She jingled her car keys. “Guess we know where we’re headed next.” She snagged her dad by the sleeve. “I need backup. You’re coming with us.”

“Might as well see it through. I’m curious now.”

 

A surprised Blake greeted Quinn, Seth, and Douglas at the door. Sandy-brown stubble graced his handsome, well-structured face. The same hazel eyes that had once turned her to mush zoned in on her with quiet desperation.

He led them into the kitchen where the once white cabinets gleamed ebony. Quinn had to force her jaw to stay clamped lest it drop and shatter on the hideous brown stone floor.

“Renovations start next week.” He brought four glasses down from a cupboard. “I’m undoing some of the more jarring changes Kira made.” He sheepishly glanced in Quinn’s direction.

She refused to comment. By force of many years of habit, she opened the fridge, pulled out the iced tea pitcher, and filled the glasses. She caught Blake’s stare from the corner of her eye. She’d seen him study balance sheets with the same expression, like he saw something there no one else did.

Thank God she’d brought her dad along. A lot of shuffling feet, slurping, and silence filled the air. She willed herself to take the initiative. “Let’s get this over with. Blake, my sister is in love with you.”

He choked on his tea.

She took his response like a spoken reply. “I know, right? Crazy stuff.”

He recovered from tea inhalation, and his shoulders rose in an automatic defensive gesture she reckoned must be a quirk he’d developed during his time with Kira. “What do you mean she’s in love with me? That’s nuts.”

Quinn didn’t doubt his reaction. He was well and truly dumbfounded. “I guess you two got close this last year. I understand she’s been a source of support for you. I can understand how she might develop certain feelings.”

“No, that can’t be. I want to work things out with you. Emily knows that.”

Seth stirred. “This is one of those adult talks, right? I’m gonna go check out the backyard.”

“I’ll join you.” Her father darted after Seth before Quinn had a chance to protest.

She breathed deeply through her nostrils. “Cowards.”

Blake grinned. “I forgot how funny you are. It seems a strange thing to forget about a person.”

“Not if you’re trying.”

Chastised, he closed his mouth.

“We have a problem here, Blake. Your crazy ideas about us have ruined my relationship with my sister. She put her feelings for you aside because she’s determined we belong together. She didn’t want to stand in the way. My refusal makes her sacrifice one made in vain. Something has to change. Since it’s not going to be me, it has to be you. Forget this crusade and move on. We’re over.”

“Emily isn’t my problem.”

Quinn narrowed her eyes. “What a Blake thing to say. This isn’t fair. You’re both hounding me to do something against my will for different reasons. It’s reaching new levels of ridiculous. I couldn’t write this crap.”

Blake studied his tea glass. “Nothing about the last couple of years has been fair, least of all to you. I don’t expect you to jump into my arms, but I’m nothing if not down for a challenge. She’s right about one thing. We do belong together. I’ll take the next year or the next, however long it takes, to prove it to you. As for Emily, I’ll talk to her, but I wouldn’t be interested in her, anyway.”