rounded the island and dropped into the chair across from Quinn.
Quinn raised her head, rubbing at her temples. “It went okay. Doc Paige said I’m doing fine. And I sat with Dad for awhile.” She tried to hold her smile, but she felt it tremble and slip-slide into a frown. “I just want him to wake up.”
“I know you do.” Lanie touched Quinn’s hand briefly. “And he will. It may seem difficult to believe, but he will. One of these days, you’ll go see him and he’ll be sitting up and ready to talk to you. And Quinn?” She waited until Quinn looked at her. “When that happens, the two of you will be okay.”
Stretching out her legs, Quinn sighed. “I really hope you’re right. I was never sure if it was him or Mother, or both of them who hated me for leaving and staying gone.” She dropped her hands to the table, folding them together. “But the more I think about it, I think it was her. I think he was trying to be close to me again.”
Lanie nodded. “From what you told me about your mom, Q, she seemed like she let anger and other bad emotions eat her alive. I know you said your dad would actually try to talk to you sometimes.”
“I just.” Quinn closed her eyes. “I just wish I’d taken the opportunity with him before the accident. I wanted things between us to be normal, but any time I tried, Mom got between us.” She opened her eyes, glancing at her best friend. “Did I tell you I found divorce papers in Mom’s things? They were served by Dad, but she hadn’t signed them yet.”
“I didn’t know things were so bad between them.” Lanie stood, and once she was at the stove again, she cut back the heat on one pot. “But it makes sense, sadly. I don’t think they were happy together, Quinn.” She broke spaghetti noodles in half and dumped them into a second pot.
“Neither do I. I mean, I knew Dad stayed gone a lot growing up and you know how Mother was. She was always the one pushing him to take on more at work, make more money. I think maybe she needed it to feel important. And it doesn’t excuse anything—not how she acted, or how I did. It doesn’t make anything right, but it would explain some things.” Her stomach churned, and she shook her head. “You’re making spaghetti?”
Lanie nodded, but didn’t stop slicing fresh bread. “Yeah, I mean, I know you have enough frozen dishes to last a lifetime, but I thought you’d want something different after today. You won’t have this good cooking to look forward to when I go back to the city.” She put the bread on a baking pan, and smiled at Quinn.
“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Quinn groaned. “I’m not sure I’m ready to share a house with Dare again.”
“It might not be so bad.” Lanie faced the oven, putting the bread in to bake, and kept her back to Quinn.
Quinn eyed Lanie, watching the way Lanie wouldn’t face her. She knew the two of them were spending a lot of time together, at dinners and her appointments. Lanie didn’t have to go back for a few more days for in-service and other school things, so she’d become a fixture in the house. And Darren was here more often than normal, though Quinn had attributed that to her …but she was getting around better now. Was there another reason for his over-attentive ways? Had she missed something starting between the two of them?
“ Lanie .”
Lanie hummed under her breath, and stirred the spaghetti sauce. She always made her own, and Quinn swore she should bottle it and sell it. Growing up in a single parent household, Lanie and her brother had to fend for themselves enough that she learned how to cook.
“Delaney Elizabeth Shaw.” Quinn planted her hands on the table as Lanie finally faced her. “Are you and my cousin hooking up?”
“Um. Well.” Face twisting, Lanie looked at the ground, out the window, and anywhere but Quinn. She leaned against the counter, and finally glanced at Quinn. “We kind of are, yeah. I guess. I mean we haven’t had sex or
Quinn raised her head, rubbing at her temples. “It went okay. Doc Paige said I’m doing fine. And I sat with Dad for awhile.” She tried to hold her smile, but she felt it tremble and slip-slide into a frown. “I just want him to wake up.”
“I know you do.” Lanie touched Quinn’s hand briefly. “And he will. It may seem difficult to believe, but he will. One of these days, you’ll go see him and he’ll be sitting up and ready to talk to you. And Quinn?” She waited until Quinn looked at her. “When that happens, the two of you will be okay.”
Stretching out her legs, Quinn sighed. “I really hope you’re right. I was never sure if it was him or Mother, or both of them who hated me for leaving and staying gone.” She dropped her hands to the table, folding them together. “But the more I think about it, I think it was her. I think he was trying to be close to me again.”
Lanie nodded. “From what you told me about your mom, Q, she seemed like she let anger and other bad emotions eat her alive. I know you said your dad would actually try to talk to you sometimes.”
“I just.” Quinn closed her eyes. “I just wish I’d taken the opportunity with him before the accident. I wanted things between us to be normal, but any time I tried, Mom got between us.” She opened her eyes, glancing at her best friend. “Did I tell you I found divorce papers in Mom’s things? They were served by Dad, but she hadn’t signed them yet.”
“I didn’t know things were so bad between them.” Lanie stood, and once she was at the stove again, she cut back the heat on one pot. “But it makes sense, sadly. I don’t think they were happy together, Quinn.” She broke spaghetti noodles in half and dumped them into a second pot.
“Neither do I. I mean, I knew Dad stayed gone a lot growing up and you know how Mother was. She was always the one pushing him to take on more at work, make more money. I think maybe she needed it to feel important. And it doesn’t excuse anything—not how she acted, or how I did. It doesn’t make anything right, but it would explain some things.” Her stomach churned, and she shook her head. “You’re making spaghetti?”
Lanie nodded, but didn’t stop slicing fresh bread. “Yeah, I mean, I know you have enough frozen dishes to last a lifetime, but I thought you’d want something different after today. You won’t have this good cooking to look forward to when I go back to the city.” She put the bread on a baking pan, and smiled at Quinn.
“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Quinn groaned. “I’m not sure I’m ready to share a house with Dare again.”
“It might not be so bad.” Lanie faced the oven, putting the bread in to bake, and kept her back to Quinn.
Quinn eyed Lanie, watching the way Lanie wouldn’t face her. She knew the two of them were spending a lot of time together, at dinners and her appointments. Lanie didn’t have to go back for a few more days for in-service and other school things, so she’d become a fixture in the house. And Darren was here more often than normal, though Quinn had attributed that to her …but she was getting around better now. Was there another reason for his over-attentive ways? Had she missed something starting between the two of them?
“ Lanie .”
Lanie hummed under her breath, and stirred the spaghetti sauce. She always made her own, and Quinn swore she should bottle it and sell it. Growing up in a single parent household, Lanie and her brother had to fend for themselves enough that she learned how to cook.
“Delaney Elizabeth Shaw.” Quinn planted her hands on the table as Lanie finally faced her. “Are you and my cousin hooking up?”
“Um. Well.” Face twisting, Lanie looked at the ground, out the window, and anywhere but Quinn. She leaned against the counter, and finally glanced at Quinn. “We kind of are, yeah. I guess. I mean we haven’t had sex or
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