Blind
The peaches rolled around as the tires dipped and bounced along the dirt driveway leading to her parents’ house. Parked under an oak tree, Quinn grabbed the basket of fruit and stole a minute to breathe in her last chance at conjuring up any shred of self-confidence before opening the door.
Cooper was already getting Brayden out of his car seat when Quinn joined him and Livy outside. Instant sweat turned her dress into a suction cup against her skin. Classy.
Livy must’ve agreed. She swept her long hair to the side and wove it into a quick braid to keep it off her neck. “Did it get even hotter since we left your place?”
“It’s always cooler by the lake,” Quinn answered for Cooper, whose voice still seemed to be on strike.
Footsteps sounded behind them. “Olivia Hensley. Now there’s a face I never expected to run into again.”
They all turned toward Chase strolling up from his Dodge pickup with a wide-eyed expression that took less than thirty seconds for Livy to match.
“Wow, Chase Thompson. Talk about long time, no see.”
They stood across from each other, looking almost starstruck.
Quinn ping-ponged a glance between them. “Um, you two know each other?”
“Knew.” Chase twisted the tip of his cowboy boot in the dirt. “I mean, it’s been a while.”
“Chase went to college with my brother. Jack brought some of the guys home over a few of the breaks.” Livy gave him a playful shove to the arm. “And they used to drive his little sister crazy.”
“Hey, now, those pranks were all Jack’s idea.”
“Sure they were.”
What was up with Chase’s goofy grin?
Cooper moved Brayden to his opposite arm and reached for Quinn’s free hand. “We should probably see if your mom needs any help.”
Apparently, actor mode was back in full swing.
A little way ahead, he let go of her hand but held on to a growing grin.
“What?”
He raised both brows. “You didn’t see the way your brother looked at Livy?”
“Like a sixteen-year-old groupie? Yeah, I saw. Guess he was pretty shocked.”
“That was more than shock.” Cooper nudged her with his elbow. “At least we don’t have to worry about them pretending to be a couple.”
“Because they know each other?”
He laughed. “You really are blind when it comes to guys, aren’t you?”
Quinn stopped, peaches rolling in the basket. “Excuse me?”
“C’mon, QT. We can’t go anywhere without guys hitting on you, and you don’t even notice.”
When she tilted her head in rebuttal, he cocked his right back. “The waiter at Watersview, Mr. Peaches at the market just now.”
She waved him off. “Southern guys can’t help being friendly. It’s in their DNA.” She headed toward the backyard again. “Just because you enjoy leading girls on, doesn’t mean every guy on the planet does.”
He drew her to a stop by the hand. “Is that what you think I’m doing?”
Gaze averted, she sighed. Did they have to have this conversation now? Here? “You are the way you are, Cooper. I knew that coming into this. I shouldn’t have turned it into a big deal.”
“The way I am.” His jaw ticked in and out. “Well, I guess it’s good everyone’s assumptions are right, isn’t it?” He strode past her.
“Cooper, I didn’t mean . . .”
Mama met them both around the corner of the house. She spread her arms out, smile equally as wide. “How’s my favorite couple doing?”
“Fine,” they both blurted out gruffly. So much for acting.
Her face scrunched. “Who peed in your cornflakes this morning?”
“Mama!”
She raised her palms and redirected her attention to Brayden. “Well, now, I hope my favorite munchkin is doing a little better than these two grumps.” She scooped Brayden into a grandmotherly hug.
“Nanna.”
She squealed with delight. “Ha. See that? He remembers me.” She wiggled a finger in his belly. “What a smart boy you are. I bet you know what’s going on between these two, don’t you? You just tell Nanna all about it.”
“Mama, really?”
“Oh, all right.” She perched Brayden on her side and flashed a smile brimming with southern hospitality. “Cooper, honey, can I get you some sweet tea?”
“That’d be perfect, ma’am. Let me help you with the drinks.”
She fanned her face. “You keep up that charm, young man, and you’ll be needing to fetch me a pail of ice instead of a drink.”
Oh, dear Lord. Eyes shut, Quinn pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. A little tug to the basket in her other hand drew her eyes open again.
Mama’s peek inside turned into a quizzical stare. “Well, dang, sweetheart, did you bring the peaches and forget the cobbler?”
“Fruit has plenty of sugar by itself. It won’t hurt us to eat them plain every now and then.”
“Plain?” She spat out the word as if it were foreign.
Chase and Livy strolled up behind them. “I always wondered if you were adopted.”
“Funny.” Quinn shoved him, egging on his already-obnoxious laugh.
While he introduced Livy, Quinn aired out her dress. “Mama, don’t you think we might want to eat dinner inside tonight? It’s hotter than blue blazes out here.” She almost tried to retract the random country phrase but didn’t bother. No point in fighting a dying battle.
“A cookout inside? Honestly, sugar, you sure you’re feeling all right?”
Just peachy.
“We can bring out the sprinklers.” Chase lounged an arm around Quinn’s shoulders. “I’m sure Mom can find something for you to wear.”
“You so want to die, don’t you?” she whispered at him.
Still laughing, he held out an arm to Livy and tipped his head at Quinn. “We’re gonna go check in on Dad. You coming?”
Quinn trained her focus on the basket of peaches. “In a bit,” she finally said. After seeing him laid up in the hospital, she wasn’t quite ready for the emotions seeing him back home would stir.
As Chase and Livy moseyed over to the barn, Cooper motioned Mama toward the house. “Guess we should get those drinks.”
“Make sure a few are spiked,” Quinn said under her breath once they were out of earshot.
Mama reluctantly passed Brayden off to Aunt Loraine’s hungry hands before disappearing inside, and Quinn simply shook her head. At least Brayden didn’t have to question whether he was loved.
A few minutes after she reached the picnic table, Ginny meandered over and picked up one of the peaches.
Quinn smiled at her. “Cooper was right. You got some color the other day on the lake.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
She knew that tone. “Clay wasn’t impressed, huh?”
“I don’t know.” Ginny shrugged. “He’s cool one day, and then it’s like I don’t exist the next. Boys are so hard to read.”
“Tell me about it,” Quinn mumbled.
“Whatever. I’m over it.” She dropped the peach back into the basket. “Besides, I’m gonna have the coolest band in North Carolina at my party, right? I mean, they’re too old for me, obviously. But one of them might have a younger brother.”
“Oh, hon, about that.” Quinn traced her nail along the patterned tablecloth, stalling for the right way to say it. “I’m really sorry, but we can’t afford that band. With it being last minute, too, it’s just not going to work this time. But we’ll figure something out,” she added quickly. “It’ll be—”
“Lame.” Ginny tucked one arm into the other across her chest. “Driveshaft was going to make the party. Now, what am I supposed to tell my friends?”
“We’ll make it just as fun without them. I promise, all your friends will have a great time.”
“Yeah, whatever.” She sulked toward her mom, probably to fill her in on how much Quinn had let her down.
“Anyone else I can upset today?” she said to the empty table. “I’m batting a thousand here.” She bit into a peach while plopping onto the picnic bench.
The back screen door squeaked open. “Quinn Mary Beth, look what I found,” Mama said like she was standing at the end of a rainbow.
Midway into another bite, Quinn froze. No telling what she’d see when she turned around. Repressed laughter from the barn steered her gaze toward Chase instead. Great, like she wasn’t worried enough already. He pulled off a straight face and feigned a shrug like it was no big deal. Yeah, right.
Slowly, Quinn inched around on the bench. Her peach dropped into the dirt. “Oh my word.”
Cooper came down the steps behind Mama. Carrying his drink, he seemed oblivious to the faded yellow bikini she was dangling in the air.
She stretched the bottoms between two fingers and stared like it was some mystifying contraption. “I think I might be able to fit this thing over one thigh, if I had my Spanks on.”
Cooper looked from Quinn’s mortified face to Mama, who’d switched to analyzing the bikini top next.
“Now, this I’d have no problem filling. You sure you used to wear this, sugar?”
When Quinn begged the ground to open up and swallow her whole, Mama shot her an understanding look. “Don’t you worry yourself, dear. I bet I have some extra stuffing in my sewing kit. We’ll make it work.”
If the blood weren’t already draining from her face, she would’ve blushed. A mounting geyser rocketed her up from her seat instead. “What are you doing going through my old stuff?”
“No need to get your knickers all in a knot. You were the one complaining about how hot it is. And it’s not like everyone here hasn’t seen you in a bathing suit before. Except maybe this boy of yours, and I’m sure he won’t mind,” she added with a wink.
Shoot me now.
Quinn stormed over and swiped the ancient bikini from her. “He’s not a boy, Mama. He’s a grown man who’s probably dated swimsuit models. He doesn’t need to see some dry rotted suit on a girl who can’t even fill it out.”
In case her mom’s blank stare didn’t tell her what was coming, the added pinch to her arm left little doubt. Without a word, she dragged Quinn inside, down the hall, and into her old bedroom. She plopped her down at the paint-chipped vanity and stood behind her like she’d done a thousand times while Quinn was growing up.
“Mama, I’m too old for this.”
“You’re never too old for the truth.” She motioned to the mirror. “Go on, now, before I have to tan your hide.”
Sighing, Quinn faced her reflection and began the words of affirmation Mama had ingrained in her since she was old enough to remember. “I’m not only loved, I’m cherished. I’m unique, made with a purpose only I can fulfill. Equipped with hands to accomplish it, gifted with a voice to share it, and strengthened with courage to live it. This—”
“Is my story,” Mama joined in at the end as she always did.
She gave Quinn’s shoulders a good squeeze. “I better never hear you saying nothing different neither. None of this, ‘I’m not good enough’ nonsense. You hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She’d spent most of her life wanting to live up to those words. To make both her parents proud. But at the rate things were going with this feature, she might lose her chance of advancing—maybe even lose her job altogether—and then what? Without being able to give them the family they wanted for her, becoming executive editor was her last shot.
Mama gave a firm nod. “Okay, then. Now that that’s settled, your boy’s awaiting.”
Quinn set her hand over her mom’s before she could walk away. “Wait. There’s something I need to tell you.” Since she was on a roll today, she might as well keep it going.
Staring at her lap, she toyed with her sundress’s rope belt. “Cooper’s not my boy. He’s not my anything. That day at the parlor, he was just trying to make me feel less like a loser in front of Brian and Cindy Mae. Then you and Aunt Loraine showed up, and it kind of got out of hand.” She lifted her eyes to her mom’s in the mirror. “I’m sorry for letting you think we were a real couple.”
“Don’t be silly, sugar. That young man’s more real than all your book boyfriends, now isn’t he?”
Quinn’s hands fell to her lap. “You knew about that?”
“Don’t look at me like I’m as lost as last year’s Easter egg. Of course I knew. I told you I may be old, but I’m not blind. What I don’t know is why you felt like you had to tell your Daddy and me you were dating someone all those years when you weren’t.”
“C’mon, Mama. You know neither one of you will rest until you get me hitched.” She rose and ambled over to the tie on her bedpost. “I guess I thought it’d be easier than seeing you both so disappointed. I thought maybe Dad would finally . . .”
“Oh, sweetie, come here.” She drew Quinn into a hug. “You’ve been away from home too long if you think your dad and I could be anything but proud of our little girl.”
She might change her mind when the rest of the truth came out about what she was really doing back in Littleton. Everyone would. Especially Cooper.