Chapter 13
Quinn
I didn't know what to do, so I did what I had always done when I had gotten in a fight with Jonah or had a problem that I couldn't talk to him about. I went to Lily's. I knew the way to the small cozy cottage that I'd spent much of my teenage years in like the back of my hand. My thoughts were raging furiously as I pulled into the brick paved driveway and slammed my foot on the braked before throwing the truck into park.
I barely knocked before pushing open the door and barreling inside.
“Lily! Lily, you in here?”
"Still breaking and entering I see," Lily shouted back and I followed the direction of her voice to small, quaint kitchen with its painted white cabinets with their teapot cutouts.
“It’s not breaking and entering when the door’s unlocked.”
“Pretty sure that’s not true,” Lily said, rolling her eyes in my direction as she stirred something particularly pungent on the stovetop. An old looking book was opened on the kitchen counter next to the over and Lily carefully tipped in a handful of…something. I couldn’t tell what it was and walked closer. But one deep inhale and I immediately regretted it.
“Whoa! Jesus, what the hell is that Lily?” I pinched my nose with one hand but it was too late, the oddly sweet and bitter smell was lodged in there.
"It's, um, tea," Lily said, shooting me a bashful shrug.
“Tea? There’s no way that’s tea. More like castor oil mixed with a gallon of syrup. What are you making?” I gave her an accusing glare, “Is this another one of your concoctions?”
Lily grabbed the book, hastily carrying it over to the small kitchen table and plopping it open again in front of me, pointing to a page yellowed with age.
My eyes widened as I read the title scrawled along the top of the page in a flowing script font.
“A love potion?” I choked out the words, “Are you serious, Lily? This is a new weird, even for you.”
"I found it at the library." She shrugged, taking the pot off the stove and wafting away the steam to help cool it. After a moment, she poured it into two tiny porcelain teacups and brought it back to the table, placing them on the surface with a soft rattle.
Lily looked over at me then. “What harm could it do?”
I glanced into the cup, grimacing at the dark greenish-brown liquid. "Why is it so thick?"
“Oh, come on Quinn. You’re supposed to be the brave one.”
“How do you know it’s not poisonous?”
"There are only natural ingredients in there. Nothing bad for you."
“Are you sure? Because it looks like death.” I leaned closer and nearly gagged, “and smells even worse.”
"Come on Quinn. Are you really going to be a chicken?" Lily baited, knowing it was exactly the right thing to have me reaching out and taking hold of the ridiculously delicate teacup.
“Can we just get this over with?” I muttered. Knowing Lily, I wouldn’t get anywhere until this ‘love potion’ was digested. I held it to my lips, squeezing my eyes shut and trying not to inhale.
“Wait. Wait. Wait.” Lily shouted, making me nearly drop the damned thing.
“What?” I growled, shooting her an annoyed glare.
“For the potion to work, you have to close your eyes and think about the person you want the spell to work on, got it?”
“Yeah. Got it. Hocus pocus and all that.”
Lily rolled her eyes at my words but then grew serious as she closed her own eyes and breathed deep and even. I cast one more look at the vile stuff. Lily was lucky I loved her like a sister. I wouldn’t do this kind of stuff for anyone else.
“Well, bottom’s up.” I murmured the words between clenched teeth before closing my eyes and tilting the liquid into my mouth. Liquid was being polite. It was more like trying to drink cinnamon and motor oil flavored paste.
We both let out a choking gasp and I put the cup back on the table, shoving it as far away as I could for good measure.
“Jesus, that stuff is terrible. Even worse than when you tried to make a potion that could make us invisible.”
"It wasn't so bad." Lily grimaced, trying to put a brave face on it but really, it was that bad. It was worse. After a moment, Lily popped to her feet, grabbing a bottle from a shelf and two more teacups before bringing them back to the table.
"Here, this should help." She poured a shot of tequila into each of the teacups and handed one to me. She shot me a grin, "Bottom's up."
I threw back the shot, grinning back at her with a rueful shake of my head. “I need to get you some shot glasses.”
"A vessel is a vessel," Lily said sagely as she poured us both another and re-took her seat across from me. "So, what's up? It's obvious something's bothering you."
“I’ll tell you, but…I need you to keep it between us.”
Lily gasped in affront, “You know I’m the best secret keeper there is. Jonah still doesn’t know about that night you snuck out to go to the lake with Matt Lockney.”
"And it better stay that way." I took another sip of the liquor for fortification before continuing. "This is a little bit different."
“Different how? I’m assuming it’s something you don’t want Jonah to find out about.”
I toasted her with the tequila-filled teacup, "You assume correctly." After a deep breath, I opened my mouth and the whole story came falling out.
“When I got back into town I ran into someone, literally,” I gave a slight laugh as I remembered how we had collided on the sidewalk in front of Lucky’s, “We’ve been…seeing each other.”
“Quinn Moore? Dating someone? I do declare.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it dating,” I said with a shrug, “More like we tear each other’s clothes off and go at it like animals whenever we’re in the same room together. Can you call that dating?”
“Listen, you and Leo can call it whatever you like, but–.”
“Wait a minute, you know about us?” I looked across the table at Lily in shock but she just gave me a knowing look.
“Quinn, I’ve seen the way he looks at you when he drops by the Mayhew place, which is suspiciously often. And, I’ve seen the way you look at him too. You liiiiike him.” Lily drew out the word like a playground taunt but this hit the mark.
“That’s the problem, Lily. I do like him. And I don’t know what the hell to do about it.” I shook my head in despair, my temper boiling as I remembered the earlier scene when Jonah had nearly walked in on us.
“One minute he had been about to tear my clothes off and the next he was joking with Jonah about going out to the bar and scoping out women. What am I supposed to do with that?”
Lily cast her a sympathetic look. “Listen, Quinn. Leo has been in Coral Springs for a few years now so I know enough that I can credibly tell you…that man is a player.”
“I know. He basically told me from the first that he could up and leave at any moment. That he got ‘restless’.” I shook my head, “But I can’t help but think, maybe this is different. Maybe what we have is different.”
"Maybe," Lily said with a shrug, "All I know is that I've never seen him stay with the same women for more than three nights, so maybe you're right, but Quinn, I don't want you to get your heart broken over him if he turns out to be just another asshole, okay? You gotta look out for yourself."
"You're right," I said, nodding in agreement.
“I’m…right?” Lily looked at me suspiciously. Damn it. She knew me too well.
“Yes, Lily. You are right. I need to be sure.”
“Sure of what?”
“Whether he’s an asshole or not.” I nodded more vigorously as the plan formed. Maybe it was the ghastly love potion or just the tequila spurring me on. “Let’s go find out before I get in too deep.” I hope it’s not too late.
“What are you planning, Quinn?”
“We’re going to Lucky’s. We are going to observe the lion in his natural habitat,” I chuckled to myself at the small joke but Lily just gave me a nervous look. “I’m going to catch him in the act.”
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea–.”
“I need to know the truth, Lily,” I gave my best friend a serious look, “I already care about him more than I should. I don’t…I just need to know, okay?”
Reluctantly, Lily nodded and I jumped to my feet before glancing down at myself. I was still wearing my work clothes and they were covered in paint and smeared with dirt and god knows what else.
I looked back at Lily. “First, do you have something I can wear?” A slow grin spread across my face, “Something sexy?”