Page 12 of Mine

Chapter Five

The wind whipped against Quentin’s face as he picked up his agility with increasing speed. The frosty temperature should’ve kept Quentin inside his gym, doing jump aerobics or lifting weights. But those exercises wouldn’t suffice with the adrenaline he required now. It was something only the rush of an accelerated sprint would do, and because of that, Quentin flew in a blur down the winding park pathway.

Quentin had taken a red-eye flight back from Nicaragua, and his contact with Phoebe was nonexistent. Before she walked away from him on the beach, her words had been now or never. But her demands were unreasonable. It was no easier on him than it was on her. And now, Quentin presumed she’d stop communicating with him altogether. All of his text messages had gone unresponsive, and his phone calls ignored. Quentin had never called a woman so much in his life, and it bothered him to shame that he did now. Quentin wasn’t interested in wallowing about it. He’d come to terms long ago that Phoebe owned him; so why then was it so hard for him to have the conversation with his friends.

They were essentially family, and people changed every day. They could give him the benefit of the doubt. But it’s their sister. Quentin’s speed increased, and he ran to clear his mind of the heavy thoughts, but they were unyielding, determined to distract him at all costs. His mind was far away when Quentin stepped into the street without looking.

A horned blared, and Quentin jumped back just as the car that threatened to take him out eased to a stop at his side. The driver’s door opened, and a brunette stepped out and turned to him on the heel of her boots.

“Oh my God!” she said. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I apologize for stepping in the street, I should’ve been watching where I was going.” He offered her a languid smile. “Forgive me.”

The brunette smiled softly. “You’re forgiven.” Her smile held. “I’m Amber.”

Amber reached out to him for a handshake, and Quentin accepted it.

“I know you’ve had better days, Amber. I’m Q.”

“Well it’s not every day that I almost run over a gorgeous guy.” She blushed. “It’s a good thing you have good reflexes.”

Quentin nodded. “True that.”

Amber pulled a piece of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat. “Do you mind if I buy you a cup of coffee or something? I feel bad for almost running you over.”

“That’s not necessary. It was my fault.”

With an air of boldness, Amber said, “I’d still like to buy you a cup of coffee. We’ll call it a thank you for jumping out of my way cup of coffee.”

Quentin chuckled as Amber laughed.

“Sure,” he said, “why not. There’s a coffee shop across the street.”

“I’ll just pull my car off the road,” she said, turning to reclaim her seat.

Quentin took another step back and watched as Amber pulled the old school vehicle over to park at a meter. The shine on the classic car’s exterior sparkled in the sunlight, and being a collector of conventional vehicles, Quentin found himself having an appreciation for the vintage automobile.

Amber stepped out of the car at the same time Quentin approached her door.

“Be careful crossing this street,” he said. “I think some of these drivers stay angry, and they might not be as forgiving as you.”

Amber’s smile grew. “If anything, they’ll run me over for blocking traffic.”

Quentin chuckled. “True that.”

They made it to the other side without so much as a scratch.

“Ah ha, see that,” Amber said. “I guess today’s my lucky day.”

Quentin nodded. “So it would seem. How about this window seat?” he said, motioning to the far-right corner.

“Yeah, that works.”

Amber strutted toward the table, and it was the first time Quentin took a real look at her. She was draped in a double-breasted coat, and the pants she wore put him in the mind of a certain attorney he knew. Just like that, his thoughts traveled back to Phoebe. It was beginning to become his vice.

They sat down at the table, and Amber removed her coat. A server approached with a notepad and pen in hand.

“Good morning, I’m Daphne, I’ll be your waitress today, what can I start you off with?”

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