I go to follow Quinn into the bathroom because I need to fuck her and now, but my iPad stops me dead in my tracks sitting on the couch in the room. I left it in my bag, so why is it out? I grab it and open it up.

On the screen is an email:

To:

From:

November 3, 2016, 1:15am

Quinn,

I can see you blocked my email, why…I’m not sure. Well, let me assure you this will be my last one to you. You’ll never see me again; I’m done with you. I’m not sure why I wasted my time with your stupid, immature, fat ass in the first place. Obviously, I made the right decision when I let you go. Everything I ever told you or promised you was a lie. I hope life screws you over, the way you deserve, we both know you were only with me for my money. Go fuck yourself, Quinn!

Reading the hateful email again, I am in shock. What kind of a cruel person would speak to anyone like that, especially a woman? Quinn is amazing and deserves the world. She is not fat, stupid, or any of the things he called her.

Clicking “reply” to the message, my blood is so hot as I contemplate a response.

To:

From:

November 5, 2016, 2:18pm

When you hit send, you should be more careful of your words. I’m with Quinn now and just read your email. Obviously, I can tell right off the bat that you are a fucking lunatic. What a way to talk to a woman—no wonder she found a real man. Let this be a warning that if you ever try to contact her again, in any way, or upset her, I will personally find you and make you fucking pay for it, the way you deserve! Now go fuck yourself, you prick!

Without hesitation, I click “send” and log out of her email. Then I take a deep breath and strip naked, finding her just getting out of the shower. “I was going to join you.”

“Maybe later,” she says, with the most gorgeous expression. Swiftly I kiss her, then get into the shower myself. “So did you miss me last night?” I ask her as I begin to wash myself.

“Maybe.”

“Damn, why you gotta be so cold? I missed you.”

“Really?”

“Uh huh. What did you do without me?”

“Played spin the bottle and made out with everyone.”

I open the shower door and glare at her as she combs her wet hair. “I’m joking,” she says.

“Please, don’t fuck with me like that. I don’t share well.”

She smiles and nods as I close the door.

“I got drunk with Kami, and we just chilled.”

“That’s cool.” She doesn’t bring up her ex emailing her, and I’m not sure if she would. I mean, we’re not together, even though I told him we were. But I want her to know that I’m here for her no matter what or how fucked up the situation is.

“How’s Ari doing?” she asks me.

“He’s good. You know how he is…he’s a funny fucker; there’s not much that can bring him down.”

“Not even spending the night in the hospital?”

“Nah, he was laughing the whole accident up and digging his nurse, who in my opinion was like a four out of a ten. I think the pain meds had him seeing shit or something; it was funny.”

“You can always guarantee that he’ll make you laugh.”

“True.” I get out of the shower and right as I open her towel, there is a knock on the door. “Seriously? I feel like I’m living at home again.” She grabs her towel from my grip and winks at my cock as she slips out of the room. Drying my body, I think of those hateful words that make me want to find the guy behind them and smash his face in. But I remind myself of what she wants, and it’s just this week…nothing more. So it’s not my place.

* * *

As I sit back driving Quinn’s car to pick up dinner since Ari can’t go out, I can tell she is watching me. “What?” I ask.

“Nothing.” She looks out the other window, and I spot the restaurant up ahead. There is a parking spot on the street, and I snag it, parallel parking her Jeep. “You want to wait in the car?” I ask.

“No, I want to come.”

We both get out. The chill in the air is pretty rough, and I wrap my arm around her, pulling her body tightly to mine as we walk along the sidewalk. “Thanks for driving,” she tells me.

“Of course, anytime. I’m sorry you have a headache.”

“It’s okay; it’ll go away.”

I open the door to the lavish restaurant that Willow ordered dinner from and the hostess greets us and then asks, “Just two of you tonight?”

As much as I’d love to take her out on a real date, that’s not why we’re here. “Uhh, no. We have a pickup order.”

“What’s the name?”

“It’s under ‘Willow.’”

The girl looks at the computer screen, totally lost, and I glance at Quinn, giving her that look.

“Umm, it looks like the kitchen is just starting on your order now, would you mind waiting about ten to fifteen minutes?”

“Okay,” I respond, the chatter and commotion so loud, I’m not even sure if she heard me.

Quinn and I sit on a bench by the door; she rests her head on my shoulder, and I tell her, “I really hate it when people ask me if I’d mind waiting. What I want to say is, ‘Do I have another choice?’”

She laughs a little and then responds, “Me too.”

The noise somehow gets louder in here, I can tell it’s hurting her head by the way she’s squinting her eyes, so I direct her to stand, and we head outside.

“Why don’t we wait in the car?” I tell her.

“Okay,” she says and as we walk back something in the window of one of the stores catches her eye. She does a double take, and I try to see what it is, but there’s so much in there that I can’t tell. “Let’s go inside,” I offer, and she smiles.

Walking into the long and narrow store, the atmosphere is calm, and the lighting is bright, showcasing the shelves packed full with so much crap. This has got to be a tourist hotspot for sure. Quinn goes right for the window and touches a thin, elegant silver bracelet with some sort of a charm on it.

“That it?” I ask.

“Yeah. For my sixteenth birthday, my parents got me a bracelet just like this, and I wore it everywhere.”

I can tell by the monotone to her voice, that she no longer has it. “What happened to it?”

“I don’t know. I had it one day, then it was gone the next, I have no clue where it went. I’ve searched for years, and it’s never showed up.”

I slide it off the jewelry holder and place it on her wrist. She looks down at it with a smile, so genuine and happy. “Get it,” I tell her.

“I don’t have my wallet.”

“I’ll buy it for you.”

“No, I couldn’t.”

“It’s no big deal, please.”

She flicks the tiny charm that is shaped like a box and says to me, “Can I pay you back?”

“I’d rather you didn’t.”

“That looks gorgeous on you,” the store clerk comes up and says. “Thanks,” Quinn tells her, and the clerk asks us, “Can I help you find anything else?”

Reaching into my pocket, I grab my credit card and pass it to the woman, “Nope, just this.”

The woman walks off to ring the bracelet up and Quinn wraps her arms around my neck, kissing me gently. “Thank you, I’ll repay you.”

“You’re welcome, and no, you won’t.”