Page 21 of Between Love and Honor

“And then he’s gonna marry her,” his niece proclaimed.

Of course, the waitress picked that moment to make her way to their table. Adam mocked him with a shit-eating grin. Josslyn’s expression wasn’t much better. For her part, Quinn thankfully remained subdued.

“What can I get you to drink?” the waitress asked.

Suddenly Ben just wanted to get this evening over with before all of his secrets were exposed. “We’ll start with a pitcher of whatever sangria is the special tonight.”

“I’ll take some lemonade,” Bri chirped.

“Only if it’s in a shot glass.” His brother-in-law came up behind the waitress, still dressed in his sheriff’s uniform. “It’s too close to bedtime.”

As usual, Rich had impeccable timing, arriving five minutes too late to stop his daughter from embarrassing the crap out of him.

“Daddy!”

Rich hauled his daughter up for a kiss.

“Look what I got! Uncle Ben’s friend made it for me.”

“That’s beautiful, sweetie.” He smiled at his daughter adoringly. “Okay, let’s go wrangle up your brother so you kids can get home and your uncle and his friends can eat their dinner in peace. Say good night, Bri.”

“Good night, Bri,” his niece repeated with a giggle.

“See you later, Uncle Bennett!”

“I want a little girl just like her.” Josslyn batted her eyes at her fiancé.

“Unfortunately, she has a vivid imagination,” Ben said mostly for Quinn’s benefit. Hopefully she’d get the message that he never harbored dreams of marrying her. At least not recently. “Liam, on the other hand, spends too much time with Aunt Marnie. I’m afraid he’s destined for a life in crime.”

“They’re both adorable,” Quinn remarked wistfully. “You’re very lucky to have a close family.”

The waitress arrived with the sangria, giving him a minute to gather his wits. He knew she was an only child. Her parents had been doting, if not a little distant. Her mother was a visiting professor at St. Mary’s University and her dad worked at the British Embassy. But had something happened to them since he’d seen her last?

Despite the fact he had to keep much of his work life a secret, he still had his relatives and friends to rely on. Granted, Aunt Marnie and the rest of his crazy family could be intrusive, but he wasn’t lying when he said they looked out for one another. He’d do anything for them. And they would do anything for him.

Who looked out for Quinn?

The sudden thought plowed through him, making his rib cage grow tight. He opened his mouth to ask about her parents, but Josslyn was quicker.

“So, how did you two kids meet?” she asked despite the fact he was pretty sure his friend’s fiancée already knew the answer.

“Quinn lived in Watertown my senior year,” he answered before she could. “We were lab partners.” He’d had a change of heart in the last fifteen minutes.

If they were going to rehash their relationship, he would rather the two of them do so without an audience. A look of sadness flashed in Quinn’s eyes before she masked her expression and took a sip from her sangria. Was she upset he didn’t tell his friends they were a lot more than lab partners? He felt another twinge deep in his gut. Fortunately, his sister arrived at that moment, preventing Josslyn from doing any more digging.

“Evening folks,” Rebecca said. “Milo is preparing the first round of appetizers and they’ll be out shortly. Have I mentioned how honored we are that you chose our restaurant to prepare some of the food for your wedding?”

“The chefs at the White House are fabulous,” Josslyn said. “But they love to bring in outside chefs to give local restaurants exposure. And Adam and I adore Milo’s food. So, really, it’s a win for all of us.”

Rebecca fixed her gaze on Quinn for a second before landing on Ben. “Would you mind if I stole my brother away for a few minutes. We’re having trouble with the dishwasher again. And he’s the only one who seems to be able to coax it back to life.”

The dishwasher was on its last legs, but he suspected this was his sister’s way of getting him alone so she could question him about his companion. It wasn’t lost on him that she hadn’t even acknowledged Quinn. It likely wasn’t lost on Quinn, either.

“Ben does have a way with machines,” Adam joked.

“We’ll add dishwasher whisperer to the long list of his talents. Go. We can hold down the fort. But I can’t promise Christine won’t eat your share of the food.”

He looked anxiously at Quinn. She waved him off with a smile as fake as Aunt Marnie’s hair color. He was suddenly conflicted, wanting to clear the air with her now rather than later. It had been a stupid idea not to hear her out when she first approached him at the marina. He’d been a jerk, rushing to judgment without basis. Now he had the sinking feeling he might be too late.

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