Midnight Lies: The Wildefire Series (29 page)

“What? Have you lost your mind? I’m not going to ruin everyone’s holiday by having
the man I just broke up with at our dinner table.”

Savvy opened her mouth, probably to argue, but before she could speak, Samantha weakened
and said, “Do you think he’ll spend it alone?”

“What do you think?”

“Lindsay Milan was at his house when I got there. Maybe she’ll invite him.”

Savvy grinned. “Quinn having Thanksgiving dinner with Clark Dayton and his father.
You really see that happening?”

Of course she didn’t. And the thought of Quinn spending Thanksgiving by himself was
too painful to contemplate. No matter that he didn’t want a permanent relationship,
she still cared deeply about him.

“Maybe it wouldn’t be too awkward. With the houseful we’re expecting, I doubt that
we would even have to speak to each other much.”

“Excellent. Give him a call and invite him.”

“Why can’t you do that?”

“Well, for one thing, he hardly knows me. And secondly, I’m having a baby girl.”

Samantha was concentrating so hard on her reluctance to call Quinn, she almost missed
the last part of Savvy’s comment.

Squealing her delight, she jumped to her feet and ran around the table to throw her
arms around her sister. “What? You are? When did you find out? Does Zach know? What
did he say? I thought you guys were going to wait to find out.”

Savvy laughed as she returned the hug. “We went to the doctor this morning. When he
asked if we wanted to know, Zach and I just looked at each other and said yes at the
same time.”

“Oh, Savvy, I’m thrilled for you guys. No one deserves this happiness more than you
do.”

Her face glowing and happy, she giggled. “Zach had to sit down when the doctor told
us. I’ve never seen him so rattled.”

“I can’t wait until we can start decorating the nursery. This is going to be the most
spoiled baby in the entire world.”

“And the most loved.” Savvy’s smile dimmed slightly. “I tried calling Bri this morning.
Had to leave a voice mail. Have you heard from her?”

“No. I tried calling and texting this morning, too. I’m sure everything’s okay. You
know how she is when she gets into a case. Tunnel vision on steroids.”

“I know. I just worry that she’s in over her head. The thought of Bri being exposed
to that monster chills my blood. Lauren’s account of her experiences with him make
it obvious the man’s a psycho.”

“Bri’s smart. She knows how to play the pretend game better than anyone. She’ll be
fine.”

Savvy nodded and took a sip of her tea. Samantha went back to her seat and practically
gulped her own tea down, needing the extra comfort. She hoped to hell she was right
about Bri. If anything happened to their sister, neither she nor Savvy would get over
it. They’d been one another’s best friends since they took their
first gasps of air. Their bond had no psychic connection. It was just part of who
they were.

“Okay, so let’s talk about Thanksgiving dinner. Who all is coming and who is going
to cook if Bri can’t make it home?”

Samantha got to her feet, glad to have something to concentrate on besides her heartache
or her worry for Bri. “I’ll make a list. If Bri can’t get back in time, let’s get
the turkey and trimmings from Faye’s and add our favorite side dishes to them.”

“Sounds good to me. Don’t tell Bri I said so, but Faye’s chicken and dressing is almost
as good as hers.”

Grinning, Samantha put her finger to her mouth and traced a giant X. “My lips are
sealed.”

Quinn propped his long legs up on the railing of his front porch and took a long swallow
of beer. Spending the day painting a bathroom and a couple of bedrooms might be a
different kind of work than he was used to, but he felt damn good about his progress.
Now as the late afternoon sun turned the sky into a crimson and orange blaze, reflecting
a path of gold on the lake, he thought about where his life had led him.

He’d never been one to dwell on the past. Mostly, he figured, because he always had
a plan and knew where he was headed. Having parents who were so self-involved hadn’t
been all bad. Even though his mother and father would never get a Parents of the Year
award, he had to give them credit. Being ignored had helped him become self-sufficient
and focused.

Edward and Geneva Braddock had been simplistic in their child rearing. The first few
years, they had paid enough attention to their children so that they didn’t get killed
or starve to death. Once he and his little brother were old enough to do a few things
for themselves,
much of the attention had stopped. The responsibilities of parenting had been placed
in the hands of nannies and babysitters.

Both heavy drinkers who denied alcoholism like the plague, the booze only made them
more selfish. Not that they would ever acknowledge anything like that. If their kids
did any wrong, it wasn’t on them. Denial had been a daily activity in the Braddock
household. Odd how their self-absorption had affected his little brother so differently.
He and Dalton had been as different from each other as a scalpel was to a hammer.
Quinn had loved him and tried to look out for him, but Dalton had issues long before
they became too drastic to deny.

Having had the advantage of skipping a few grades in school because of his academic
achievements, Quinn went away to college at sixteen. His career path had always been
clear to him. He was part of a banking family, and whether he respected his parents
or not, he was a Braddock. The family business was banking; Quinn’s course was set.

Until his life took another unexpected turn.

One day he was walking by the army recruiting office, and instead of passing by like
he had hundreds of times before, he went inside. An hour later, he had enlisted.

Six months later, he was in Iraq.

Looking back on it now, it amused Quinn how arrogant he’d been. Having always prided
himself on his restraint and discipline, he saw the army as an opportunity to reinforce
his strengths. Instead he had learned how unfocused and out of control he really was.
Nothing forced control and focus like being in the midst of battle and trying to prevent
a man from bleeding out, or having a gaping hole shot in your arm and still having
to shoot your way out of a deadly ambush.

Four years later, he was back in civvies with a whole new focus. He applied to medical
school with a plan to
specialize in emergency medicine. And had never looked back. His CO, career army and
damn proud of it, had told him more than once that things worked out the way they
do for a reason. Quinn agreed with him.

Once he was stateside again, he’d made a point to go see his parents. After a tense
fifteen-minute visit during which they’d mostly just stared at him, he’d left. On
his way out of town, he’d stopped at the cemetery. The overlarge tombstone hadn’t
surprised him. His parents would want only the best to impress their friends. But
he had been stunned at the engraving on the shiny limestone:
Dalton Braddock, beloved only son of Edward and Geneva Braddock
.

Seeing those words coalesced memories, thoughts, and feelings into an indisputable
truth. Whatever his parents had felt about him, it for sure hadn’t been love. He’d
driven out of town and hadn’t bothered them since.

When Sam had asked him about Dalton, he hadn’t handled it well. She had every right
to know. Hell, he should have told her way before that. Instead she’d learned the
truth and had assumed the worst. Was it any wonder she had thought he was guilty?

He wondered if she had given thought to what he carried in his blood. Alcoholic parents
and a psychopath for a brother. How in the hell could anyone want to have children
with a man who had a freak show for a family?

He set his half-finished beer on the porch and stalked back into the house. Other
than holding Sam in his arms, only one thing could calm and center him. In seconds
he had stripped out of his jeans and pulled on running shorts, a T-shirt, and running
shoes. Within five minutes, he was out the door and off for a body-punishing run.

Running from his demons or chasing them? Quinn could no longer tell.

Samantha waved at the late afternoon crowd at Faye’s Diner as she jogged by. Since
Savvy was back on her feet and Inez was keeping her informed of any new arrivals to
Midnight, she had stopped going to Faye’s. Going there brought back too many memories
of her last breakfast with Quinn. She’d walked out of the restaurant with such hope,
and barely an hour later, all hope had been obliterated.

And now he was back. For two weeks she had been living in a numb kind of limbo, but
now she could feel the zing in her blood again. That infuriated her. She didn’t need
a man in her life to make her feel alive and purposeful. Her sense of self was strong
enough to function without Quinn. Problem was, she still wanted to be with him. She’d
gotten almost no sleep last night, thinking about Quinn being so close by again.

Rounding a corner on Fifth Street, she made a right onto Magnolia Avenue. For as long
as she could remember, she had ended her runs in the exact same spot. The middle of
the town square, in front of the mimosa tree fountain. Slowing her pace, she crossed
the street. Her focus on avoiding traffic, she was in front of the fountain and stopping
before she realized someone else was there, too.

Quinn stood before the fountain staring at it as if it
had all the answers. She could tell him from experience that it didn’t.

He didn’t look at her as he said, “I can just see you coming here as a kid and making
wishes. Did you do that?”

“Yes.”

“Did they come true?”

“Some. Not as many as I’d hoped.”

He turned then and Samantha’s heart leaped to her throat. Those piercing blue eyes
that could make her feel a million and one emotions at once were clouded, almost vulnerable.
She ached to reach out to him and console him. “What’s wrong, Quinn? Did something
happen?”

A half smile twitched at his lips and then his mouth went straight and grim once more.
“Just life, Sam.”

“Why are you really here in Midnight?”

His broad shoulders shifted in a shrug. “Like I said, I’m here to work on the house.”

Why had she expected anything different? Hell, when they’d been sleeping together,
he had rarely told her what was on his mind. Now that they were broken up, did she
think he’d suddenly become less reticent?

About to retreat and go on her way, she stopped abruptly when he said, “Want to go
to Faye’s for coffee?”

“You really think that’s a good idea?”

“Probably not.” Again that half smile appeared. “Come on, Sam, we’re adult enough
to have a cup of coffee together without anything happening, aren’t we?”

Adult enough? Maybe. But putting herself through another experience like the last
one? She was no masochist. Each time she said goodbye to this man, her heart fractured
a little more.

Shaking her head, she backed up. “I don’t think so, Quinn.”

He surprised her when he didn’t argue, just gave her a solemn nod and turned away.

Refusing to be so pitiful as to watch him until he disappeared from sight, Samantha
went the other way. As she passed by Faye’s again, she stopped abruptly. Going back
home held no appeal. Savvy and Zach were in Mobile picking out baby items for the
nursery. And Samantha wasn’t due at Gibby’s until seven. If she went home, she’d just
worry about Bri or think about Quinn. At least here she would be around people and
might pick up some valuable information.

Mentally shrugging, Sam went through the doors. Why did she feel she had to justify
going for a cup of coffee?

After waving, nodding, and offering several hellos, Sam chose a booth close to the
back. She felt out of sorts, and it wasn’t just because of Quinn. She was restless
and bored. Having had a profession that could take more hours of the day than was
even possible to give, she now felt directionless.

Bri was diligently working Lauren’s case. In between research on Cruz and all the
paperwork involved in setting up their business, Savvy was planning for the baby.
This left Samantha with way too much time on her hands. She either needed to drum
up more business for their fledging security agency or go find another job.

Immersed in her moment of self-pity, she barely noticed that the diner door squeaked
open again. What she did notice was the cessation of sound. She looked up and swallowed
a gasp. Quinn had come in. He nodded to the room, at no one in particular, and headed
toward her. Hadn’t she just told him this wasn’t a good idea? Why would he follow
her? They couldn’t be just friends … didn’t he understand that? And if he thought
they could go back to what they had before, he was wrong.

All the wind was taken from her sails when he chose
the booth behind her. She knew immediately when his big body slid into the bench seat.
Dammit, he was inches away from her, so close she could practically feel his body
heat through the thin material of the partition. If she leaned back, her hair would
brush against his neck. And she could smell his heated skin, a mixture of clean male
sweat and the musk aftershave he favored. She closed her eyes as a wave of longing
rushed through her. She reminded herself the last time she’d inhaled those delicious
scents, she’d gotten her heart broken.

A masculine voice asked, “So, how’s the apple pie here?”

She kept her voice to a furious whisper. “What are you doing here, Quinn? I thought
we agreed we couldn’t do this.”

“Do what, Sam? I just came in here for some coffee and pie. If I’m not mistaken, there’s
no law against that.”

“Why couldn’t you have gone to another restaurant or at least a different booth?”

“Because Faye’s coffee is the best. And if you’ll look around, the restaurant is full.
There is no other place to sit.”

She quickly scanned the room, noting that he was right. Not only that, every eye was
on them. There was no way people didn’t know they were talking to each other. Holding
her menu up in front of her face, she said, “I still don’t like that you came here.”