Page 123 of Just Let Go

“Sorry,” Jaden slurred.

“Just get better, okay?”

“Grady,” Carly said. “I’m sorry—for reacting the way I did. I didn’t mean—”

He stopped her with an upheld hand. “It’s fine. I get it. And I meant what I said—whatever I can do to help him get better, I’ll do it.”

“Thanks.” Carly gave him a soft smile.

He turned, eyes working their way up to Quinn’s. “Night.” He moved past her quickly, his shoulder brushing against hers before he stole out of the room, leaving an emptiness behind.

Whatever she’d thought about Grady Benson, she’d been wrong. At least partly wrong. There was more to him than she’d ever imagined, and as she recalled the pain behind his eyes, she felt her resolve to stay away from him crumbling.

Christmas had been somber, to say the least. With Jaden knocked out on painkillers and Carly a fussing mess, they’d barely even had a chance to eat a complete meal. Quinn tried not to be too disappointed, even though Christmas was her favorite time of year.

The next day, her father asked her to play Santa Claus and deliver a stack of gifts to Grady. She stared at the neatly wrapped presents and wondered how long it had been since someone had hand-wrapped a gift for him. Had anyone ever knit Grady a scarf like Beverly or picked up a box of Harbor Pointe peanut brittle at the old-fashioned candy store like Calvin? Surely nobody but Dad had ever given him a Harbor Pointe key chain with the engravingCan’t wait to get back home.

The gifts were small potatoes compared to the kind of presents he was probably used to.

She showed up on his doorstep and rang the bell, but there was no answer. She left the gifts on the porch and drove away, wondering if he was inside the cottage, watching her go.

In the days that followed Jaden’s accident, Quinn turned her attention back to the flower shop and the Winter Carnival. In the evenings, she’d sit with Jaden while Carly was at work, or meet with her carnival team to make sure things were still on track. Her days were spent pulling together the arrangements that would fill the pavilion.

Disqualified from the Best Design competition, Quinn could breathe a little and even indulge creative ideas that hit her along the way without worrying they would be the wrong choice.

Once she was able to take a step back from the emotional turmoil of Jaden’s accident, her sense of logic returned, and she resigned herself to becoming a bystander in Grady’s life. Occasionally she ran into Grady, and while she was cordial, she wasn’t friendly. His shoulder was cold toward her, as if he now believed what she’d said all along. They weren’t a good fit.

Besides, the clock was running out on his time in Harbor Pointe, and while she hadn’t resorted to crossing off the days on her calendar, she did know exactly how many were left.

Not many. Not nearly enough.

She’d been perfectly content before she ever knew he existed—she could get back there again. It was just taking a little longer than she thought it would.

On the opening day of the Winter Carnival, December 30, Quinn woke up early, her to-do list fresh in her mind. She pulled on a pair of ripped jeans, a tank top, and a flannel shirt, along with her favorite pair of fur-lined low boots and her coat, and trudged over to the pavilion, where several people had already begun working.

There was a table of coffee and donuts near the wall and volunteers milled around, waiting for their marching orders. She hadn’t expected to see Grady out so early, but there he was, off to the side, looking like one of them.

If she didn’t know how much he hated this so-called awful town, she might actually think it had grown on him.

He held a disposable coffee cup, and when he spotted her, he lifted it as if to say hello.

She waved, then filled her own cup and picked up a donut.

“You’re eating that?” Lucy appeared at her side.

“Don’t judge.”

“Oh, I’m not judging,” Lucy said. “You know me; I eat whatever I want—but you never do. Aren’t you worried you won’t fit into your dress for the ball?”

Quinn took a bite. “Nope.”

“Well, good for you.” Lucy grinned. “I’m proud of you.”

Quinn raised her eyebrows. “You’ve taught me well.”

“Yet I’m the one without a date.”

“Where’s Derek?”

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