Chapter 6

Quinn

The gorgeous dad next door, with his thick, muscled shoulders, his tight abdomen, and his swagger in his business suit, left his house every morning at around eight, taking his daughter Rachel to school. He returned with Rachel safe by his side around six—keeping up a similar routine, a life I began to watch in earnest from my bedroom window as I tried to force myself into unpacking. The boxes were hardly enough to fill an entire house—even a one-bedroom, and I sensed I needed to shop, to fill it with something else. But instead, Randy and I took to toying around on the living room floor, next to the house Chris had labeled ‘soft,’ and daydreaming about our future in Raleigh.

Oftentimes, I imagined a future with the dad next-door, but I wasn’t entirely sure why? We were attracted to one another—that I felt was certain. But involving myself in a father-daughter relationship seemed strange, bizarre, especially as it seemed we were on incredibly different paths. We’d had minimal contact since that first day, with him waving toward me when he caught me in the yard and me giving him a shy wave back. I’d taken to wearing tight, non-science-y clothing often—revealing my tits and my ass in ways I hadn’t, when I’d been in a relationship.

I was exploring my sexuality, I told myself. I was exploring what it meant to be single and alone.

On Thursday afternoon, I stood in the driveway, monitoring the arrival of a large wardrobe that I’d ordered—an antique, from a local vintage shop. The man arrived in a truck, coughing cigarette smoke and eyeing my slim form in a way that felt particularly assault-y. When I glanced up, mid-discussion, I saw that familiar truck easing down the road once more, with Tyler and Rachel inside, chatting, their radio up and playing an old ‘90s tune I knew. I waved, giving them a grimace—an almost ‘help me!’ expression—and then watched as Tyler eased from the truck and came to my rescue.

It was as if he could read my mind.

The wardrobe deliverer and Tyler carried the mahogany piece into my bedroom, with Tyler taking the brunt of the work. I shivered, watching them work, pointing toward the far corner. “Yes. Right there,” I offered my voice soft. Rachel walked up behind me, giggling as she watched her dad work.

“He’s on a computer ALL day,” she whispered to me, laughing. “I didn’t even know he could still carry stuff.”

“I heard that,” Tyler said, letting a laugh as he shifted the wardrobe into place. “All right. Look good to you?” he asked, his eyes wide.

“Yes, it’s perfect.” I nodded, giving him a bright smile. “Should I tip you?”

“Just my neighborly duty,” he grinned.

The delivery driver drove his truck from the driveway, leaving us alone moments later. We stood in the heat of the driveway, making small talk for another five minutes. I was wearing this slinky, pink cardigan and jean cut-offs that revealed a bit too much of my ass—certainly too much to be around children, which made me feel self-conscious. Randy burst outside, then, dancing around Rachel and drawing his pink tongue out, licking her ankles. Rachel giggled, crawling around in the grass and toying with him—batting her hand around his nose.

In the silence that followed, I couldn’t help but feel small, anxious of this tall, dark-haired man before me. His black, penetrating eyes, firm biceps, and decent style made me feel lackluster. Rather than tech, he looked more like a man who cut down trees for a living, or built houses, or did anything other than sitting in front of a computer all day, with his fingers tickling the keys. He’d revealed that with the wardrobe, he had frequently worn.

“Why don’t you guys come inside?” I found myself asking, feeling totally at the mercy of Tyler. “I just made some lemonade.”

“Only if Randy can come too?” Rachel asked me, her voice adorable and high-pitched.

“Of course. He lives here, too,” I answered, laughing slightly.

Tyler still hadn’t spoken. I turned, conscious of his eyes upon my ass, and led them into the new house. Could they see through me? I wondered. Had they been eyeing me across the yard, wondering about me? Could they see the pain I’d suffered back in Asheville? The reason I’d left it all behind?

I supposed we all had secrets. I had essentially no real idea of who these people were. Just that Tyler was divorced and that both he and his daughter had a sincere dislike for his ex-wife.

Once inside the house, Tyler and Rachel followed me to the kitchen, where I reached for the lemonade. Having Tyler this close to me in an enclosed space heightened the attraction I felt toward him. It had been a long time since I had felt this kind of immediate chemistry and every time I had seen him recently it had grown considerably. My god, I wanted this man.

Rachel continued to play with the dog, leading him into the far living room and tossing various toys that were already strewn about. The place still looked like no one had lived there for ages, even though it had already been over a week that I had moved in.

I hunted for something, anything to say.

“Sorry for the mess,” I began, knowing I sounded foolish. What did I even mean? And why was he making me feel like jelly? I was normally so much more articulate than this.

“That’s the beauty of a new place,” he said. “A clean slate until you mess it up with memories. With good times.” His eyes seemed to read me like a book, glancing across my chest and taking in the curve of my waist, his eyes falling down to where my hips flared out.

“Your daughter’s adorable,” I said as I turned my attention to the lemonade. “I’m going to enlist her as much as I can to watch my dog when I’m at the lab on late nights,” I said, pouring us three glasses of lemonade.

“The lab?” he asked.

Of course. He knew nothing about me, either.

“Yes. I’m a lab assistant at the University. Graduated with a major in biology recently and actually got a job. At least, until I realize what I actually want to be when I grow up,” I said, my cheeks turning a bright pink. What did I mean—‘do’ when I grow up? And how young did I sound? I hadn’t told him a single element of my real past. He didn’ have to know about my best friend sleeping with my boyfriend or that I’d left Asheville with my tail between my legs.

“It’s a process,” Tyler said. He crept closer, easing against the countertop beside me. Staring into my eyes, he seemed so dominant, powerful.

God, it felt so good to be stared at like that. It was like sparks crackling through the air, an electrical current flowing between us.

“So you’re a scientist. What kind?” he asked me.

“I’m studying mice and sleep patterns,” I whispered, not sure if I sounded like an idiot or not. Or was it gross that I dealt with literal rodents at my day job? I didn’t know.

He pointed his nose back toward Rachel, in the far room, and said, “She’s fascinated with science. Says she wants to be either a doctor or an ecologist when she grows up. Of course, I don’t know anything about either of those professions. Maybe you could talk to her. Give her a bit of insight about what’s out there.”

My voice caught. “I’d love to,” I said. “Bringing little girls into the science field is—well—definitely one of my passions. I remember how lonely it was to be the nerdy girl who had an ant farm.”

He snickered, but not with a mean spirit. Still, he wasn’t giving me much to go off of.

“That thing she said about her mom last week?” I began, sounding tentative.

“Divorced several years ago,” he said, his voice low. “She has to spend a bit too much time there. I don’t think it’s a good environment for her, but I don’t know what to do about it.”

“Well. If she ever needs to come over here—“ I found myself offering, almost incredulous that I’d already opened my life to these strangers. I wasn’t normally so open. For the past five years, I’d had a community. People I trusted. And now?

He stared at me for a long time after that, as if judging whether or not I was serious. He took a soft step closer, making me realize he was nearly a foot taller than I. At five foot three, my nose was almost pressed into the center of his chest. I inhaled his musky scent, overcome with a burst of longing. Glancing upward, I found him staring down at me, his lips parted.

His voice lowered to a husky whisper. “I’ll be sure to keep you in mind.”

At that moment, Rachel and Randy entered the room, with Randy scampering around her feet. She giggled madly, not realizing what was going on between her father and I.

“I think I’m in love,” she breathed, again tossing a fake bone across the room. “Daddy, I can’t go to Mom’s house tonight. I have to stay here. With Quinn and Randy, forever.”

“See what you’ve done?” Tyler said, taking a step back and sipping his lemonade, looking almost devilish. “You’ve destroyed our entire night. How can I force her to leave? She hasn’t been this happy in years.”

“Ha,” I said, unsure of what to make of this conversation. Why did he have the continual upper hand? I glanced at the young girl, my mind racing. How could I make this interaction normal again? “Rachel, I heard you’re interested in science.”

Rachel’s nod was emphatic. “Science is my best subject. Then math. I also LOVE to read, but I don’t know if I want to do anything with books for a living. I want to make a difference.”

Her words were filled with such purpose, such promise. I almost laughed, sensing that she was the first pure person I’d met in years. “That’s a beautiful thing. That’s part of the reason I wanted to be a scientist as well.”

“You’re a scientist?” Rachel asked, her eyes wide as saucers.

“Come look,” I said, drawing her toward the hallway, where I’d placed the wall art. In the back of the stack, I found the three frames, filled with countless bugs—all of the collected by yours truly, and then stabbed with a single pin and labeled beneath. They were beetles, fireflies, butterflies, and moths—all organized during a time when I’d been sure I’d wanted to study bugs for a living.

I watched as Rachel’s eyes ate up each one with fascination. She whispered their names as if she were reading a lullaby. Tyler watched us from the end of the hallway, a small smile spread across his face. What on earth was he thinking? That I was a nerd?

And why had I offered to watch his kid? Jesus. There was no way he even liked me.

For all I knew, he had a girlfriend or a fiancé. He had someone—who wasn’t me. And it wasn’t like I was ready for any kind of relationship anyway.

“This is so cool,” Rachel said, leaning back against the wall. “I didn’t even know you could do this. Daddy, I need to make my own collection. Like, as soon as possible.”

“We’ll go bug hunting soon, kiddo,” Tyler said. He glanced at his watch, perhaps growing bored of me. “In the meantime, I have to take you to your mom’s. It’s getting late.”

Grumbling, Rachel rose up and raced to the dog, kissing him atop his head to say goodbye. “You shouldn’t go to San Francisco,” she breathed, making me curious.

I followed her, walking mere centimeters from Tyler, sensing that he wanted to touch me. I suddenly wanted to tell him to stay behind; to come back and be with me. God, I was stupid. I wouldn’t have uttered those words in a million years. I was cowardly, sure. But I was also sensible. That’s what scientists were. They looked at the hard facts and made decisions based on them.

I walked them to the door, giving Rachel a broad smile and a half-hug, already growing to feel a bit of love for her. Dangerous. I shook Tyler’s hand, feeling childlike as if I’d just had a meeting with a professor who’d told me I needed to apply myself in class.

“San Francisco?” I asked, my eyebrows high.

“For work. Yeah,” he said, shrugging. “I hate leaving her alone like this.” He brought his arm around Rachel’s shoulder, hugging her tight against his leg. She tapped her hand against his taut stomach, making him laugh.

It was beautiful, seeing them like this—a man who truly loved his daughter and wanted the very best for her. I watched the two of them walk back across the grass, realizing I’d moved into an incredibly dangerous position.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to avoid him.