Page 41 of All You Need Is Love

“Of course you like her. Everyone likes her.” Quinn put her hands on her waist. “But you need to hold up your end of the deal if we are both going to get what we want.”

“And, what, exactly is it that you hope to gain from all of this?” Marshall peeked inside the first tub. Velcro latches for the three-legged race, check. “What do you care about so much that you’re willing to lie to your family? Doesn’t it bother you? It bothers me, and until this week, I didn’t even know them.”

She looked away, huffing. “That’s my business, okay?”

“You keep saying that, but your business is affecting a lot of people. Including me.”

“I didn’t hear you protesting when I promised to help make you a director.”

He ran his hand along the nape of his neck. “Yeah, well, that was before I knew them. Before I knew her.”

But apparently that was the wrong thing to say, because Quinn’s lips twisted into a grimace. “What is it about my sister that everyone finds so appealing? Because let me tell you this—no one is that good or kind or … whatever.”

“She is.”

“Fine, you want to carry on with Shannon? Be my guest. But stop doing it so publicly. Your little stunt at the talent show the other night had people talking. Then someone saw you leave Fleur de Lee with a bouquet of flowers last night. Rumor has it that you were in trouble with me and buying apology flowers.” Quinn flung her hands in the air. “Guess they weren’t too far off.”

Right. No secrets in a small town. “I don’t want to hurt you, Quinn, but I think I need to back out of this deal. I just can’t do it anymore. And I’m not sure if I need it, to be honest. Yeah, I’m not the only one competing for the position, but my work ethic and commitment to the job should be the reasons I get it—not because I made a deal with someone in upper management.”

When Quinn had presented him with the opportunity, Marshall hadn’t stopped to consider how bad it sounded. After all, everyone made deals to get ahead in the corporate world, and he was sick of being left in the dirt.

But now, saying it out loud made him shiver with disgust.

“Oh, you need me. Especially after the win that Dylan pulled off this week.”

“What are you talking about?” He’d been so wrapped up in the reunion—okay, in Shannon—that he hadn’t logged into email or social media since right after he’d arrived in California.

Quinn pulled her phone from the back pocket of her jeans, thumbed around for a moment, then flipped it for Marshall to see. On the screen was an Instagram photo showing Dylan and several of their coworkers out at their favorite local pub clinking their drinks together. The caption read “Celebrating a huge win with the team.”

“What win?” Please don’t let it be what I think it is.

“I talked with Kelly”—their admin assistant—“and she said Dylan landed Bask, Inc.”

Marshall stumbled backward from the tubs on the ground, his chest pinching. “How?” That was his contact, not Dylan’s. And he’d been close to landing the account. So close.

“I guess the rep called, found out you weren’t in the office, and Dylan swooped in and got them instead.” Quinn’s nose scrunched. “Personally, I think that was really bad form on his part. He should have forwarded the request to you.”

Groaning, Marshall punched his right fist into his left palm, which burned with the contact. “I can’t believe this is happening. I worked for months priming the pump. How could he do this?”

“That’s business, Marshall.” Stepping closer, Quinn placed a hand on his upper arm. “You do what you’ve gotta do to survive. And that’s all you and I are doing here. Surviving.”

The words sounded right, justified. He wanted so badly to believe them.

If only they didn’t sound so much like something his father would say.

Maybe they were more alike than he wanted to admit.

“Excuse me.” His stomach grumbled. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

* * *

The picnic had gone off without a hitch.

Thank goodness something in her life was going right. Shannon scrubbed a hand through her hair, which was a tangled mess thanks to the consistent breeze that had blown throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

Now, at ten, the last of the family volunteers waved goodbye, leaving only Shannon and Marshall to finish the cleanup. Her feet ached from running around all afternoon and the forced participation in every event. Since Gabrielle was tired and not feeling well, Tyler had claimed Shannon as his partner and stuck to her like glue. It had been oddly sweet, though she suspected he had ulterior motives.

She bent to pick up another piece of trash and stuffed it into the huge black garbage bag filled to the brim in her hands. Glancing around the park, she didn’t see any more. Good. The sooner they finished, the faster she could get herself soaking in her bathtub at home and forget how much it had hurt seeing Marshall tied leg to leg with Quinn, his arm snaked around her waist during the race they’d dominated.

---