Page 111 of Just Let Go

Carly walked over to the stove and turned on the burner. “I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you haven’t really dated enough to have a type. Marcus doesn’t count. You might as well have been dating a piece of lint.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Carly scrunched her face. “That guy had no personality.”

Quinn groaned. “Give me something to eat. A brownie. A cookie. Anything.”

“There’s Dove chocolate in the drawer,” Carly said. “But that’s not going to make him go away.”

Quinn walked across the kitchen to Carly’s stash drawer, where she kept every good and wonderful thing that would make Quinn feel better. At least for a minute. “That’s exactly the problem. Well, part of it anyway.”

“What is? That chocolate won’t make Grady go away?”

“That I don’t have ... experience.”

Carly watched her for too many seconds—it made Quinn uncomfortable. “What do you mean?”

“I did an Internet search,” Quinn said. “Grady—he’s had a lot of girlfriends.”

“So?”

“So, I’m not like that, Carly. I should be with someone who...”

Carly’s face fell. “Someone who hasn’t slept around?”

“It’s different,” Quinn said to the back of her sister’s head. “It’s different with you and Josh and—”

“Q, by your logic, I don’t deserve to be with someone unless he’s got a questionable past.” Quinn could hear the hurt in her sister’s tone as her voice kicked up a notch. “Should I just give up trying to find a decent guy now?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what?” Carly spun around. “What is it, Quinn? Because all it sounds like to me is that you’re up there on your high horse judging the rest of us for the mistakes we’ve made because you haven’t made any. Admit it: you think you’re too good for him.”

“That’s not true!”

“Then what?”

“I’m scared of him!” The words were out and she could do nothing to reel them back in. She sank back onto the chair. “He scares me to death. He’s infuriating and impulsive and dangerous. I am none of those things.”

Carly turned the burner down and faced her. “A case could be made that you can be infuriating.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I do.”

“We are completely wrong for each other.”

“Why do I feel like you’re trying to convince yourself?”

“Tell me what about it would make even a bit of sense. He doesn’t even like Harbor Pointe.”

“So, you leave.”

Quinn’s gasp was audible. “I can’t leave.”

“Why not? Because you never have? It might be good for you.”

She shook her head. “No. I’m meant to stay right here, to run the flower shop. To marry a nice, uncomplicated man and have kids and live happily ever after. I’m not supposed to go off chasing some adrenaline junkie with no concept of what an actual relationship is.”

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