Even after a few days, the hurt doesn’t go away.

I should be happy, because Milton’s is going to reopen tomorrow. Instead, I barely have the energy to stock the diner’s shelves with new supplies, then polish every inch of countertop and table. I keep thinking about the look on Quinn’s face when I pretty much told him that he was the second coming of my dad. I inflicted as much pain on him as he did on me, and I hate that, but it doesn’t mean anything is going to change. He’s still a criminal who sold hard drugs and a liar like my dad, and he still has those dark marks on his past that can’t be erased.

As I finish cleaning the counter near the new, bigger window that will give customers an expansive peek into the gleaming stainless-steel kitchen, I let out a long sigh that only makes me feel emptier. Then I turn around, and when I find my mom and Grace sitting at the counter watching me, I jump and drop the rag. “What the everlovin’ hell?”

Mom frowns. “How many times were you going to clean that one spot, Gwen?”

“The better question is: how long have you two been sitting there?”

“Not long.” Grace plants her elbow on the counter and rests her chin in her hand. “You were so lost in your head that you didn’t hear us come in.”

Mom chimes in. “This has to stop.”

“What does?”

Grace huffs out a sigh and sits up. “This dragging your ass around. Something obviously happened with Quinn, and you’ve been locked up tight about it forever. We’re here to get you to finally tell us what’s going on, because we’ll be damned if you’re this miserable on our big day tomorrow.”

“Nothing happened. It’s just over with him. That’s all.”

“Gwen …” My mom says my name with such sadness that it reaches right into me, and the next thing I know, I’ve got damned tears gathering in my eyes. I’ve been pressing all my emotions back inside me, and I try to do it now, but it’s the look on Mom’s face that gets me, and words come rushing out.

“I should’ve known better. Quinn turned out to be just the kind of nightmare I’ve been trying to avoid my whole adult life.”

“What did he do?” Mom asks gently.

“What didn’t he do?” Tears are wiggling down my face now, and I angrily wipe them away. “He very conveniently forgot to tell me that he’s been in jail for dealing hard drugs. And he was involved in a domestic dispute. Sure, the charges were dropped, but you don’t just accidentally have charges pressed against you in the first place.”

Mom and Grace are open mouthed. Yeah, I know the feeling. Every time I think of the moment when Mattie Hollister let me know the truth about Quinn, I also get nauseated and heartsick all over again.

Now I can’t stop talking. “The other day when we were here to check out the diner, I finally told him I was onto him. He wanted to explain, but it was a little too late for that. And when I turned around to leave—” I choke off. When I think about his hand on my arm, the same terrible fear I used to feel with my dad takes me over again. Flashes of my little-girl self screaming for help. Lightning strikes of terror freezing me up.

I gather myself and manage to finish. “When I started to leave, Quinn reached out and grasped my arm. It brought back a lot of bad memories. It made me think of Dad.”

Grace just keeps staring at me, but Mom calmly says, “It sounds like he didn’t hurt you and he didn’t intend to. Right?”

I think of how he lifted his hands up in surrender when I jerked away from him. “Right, but it freaked me out just the same. I can’t be with someone who’s so much like Dad.”

Mom closes her eyes, then slowly opens them. “Have you given Quinn a chance to explain since then?”

I can’t believe she isn’t as haywired as I am. “No. He’s been trying to call me because he obviously thinks he can make this all go away, but after I paid him for his work here, I told him that if he ever came around again, I’d call Jesse Herrera.”

Grace doesn’t even react to Jesse’s name, so I know she’s still in a state of mild shock about everything I’m saying.

Mom spreads out her hands. “Gwen, you should just let him explain—”

“Explaining is what Dad used to do, remember, Mom? Right after he’d hit one of us, he’d apologize and ‘explain,’ as if that would change something. Well, it never did.” I throw the rag onto the counter. “Goddammit, see, this is what I get for finally letting a guy into my life. I can really choose ‘em.”

Mom slumps in her chair. I haven’t seen her this defeated since the diner caught on fire. “I think you’re making a mistake. You had something with this man, and you should at least listen to what he has to say—”

“Really?” I use the sleeve of my henley to roughly wipe more tears off my face. “Mom, given your history with an abuser, I’m not sure I should take your advice!”

She rears back like I’ve slapped her, and remorse attacks me. Grace even cringes.

Mom stands from her chair, and when she speaks, her tone is iron. “Do you think I would give this advice to you lightly?”

“No,” I whisper. Because she wouldn’t. I’m only upset. Devastated.

She goes on. “I’ve been very watchful of Quinn. Ever since the day I realized you were looking at him a little too long, I never took my gaze off of him. Yes, I saw his tattoos. Yes, I saw a cockiness in him that made me think he wasn’t serious enough for anything but a good time. But I also saw a standup guy who dropped everything to help us out when we needed it. Your dad wouldn’t have even thought to do that, even in his best moments.” She points at me. “I’m not dismissing your fear, but I’m not going to let you hide away in this diner like I’ve been doing for years. I’ve never had an opportunity to love anyone since your dad, and here you are with this chance. Love isn’t easy, but goddammit Gwen, you make it so hard. Harder than it needs to be.”

Then she turns on her boot heel and stalks to the door, slamming her way outside.

Silence strings itself together as I watch her go. Her words are knocking at me, but I’m not going to let them in. I feel much too safe behind this counter right now. Nothing will change with Quinn, and no amount of listening to him will matter.

Grace blinks at the door, then looks at me again. “Well. You just heard the gospel of Mom. I don’t think I need to add another chapter about how you need to lend the guy an ear.”

Then she also leaves me to wallow in my misery.