Page 3 of Sofa King Safe

I’m not one to go out of my way to talk to people or make friends, but since the second I saw Quinn, I’ve been trying to find an excuse.Maybe I’ve been watching her a little too closely because I knew she’d been sleeping in her van behind her shop.And I saw her park out here last night but didn’t say anything until this morning.I thought tapping on the glass while she was sleeping would scare her, and thank god I didn’t.She might have been quicker with the baseball bat and a lot less amenable to staying with me.

The sound of the front door opening has me turning in my seat.Quinn is standing there with rosy cheeks and damp hair.She’s fresh out of the shower, and her eyes are bright like she’s ready to start the day.

“Better?”I ask, and she smiles brightly.

“Fantastic.You’ve got yourself a hell of a car wash in there.”At my look of confusion, she laughs.“That’s probably the fanciest shower I’ve ever used.”

“Oh, yeah.”I stand up and rub the back of my neck, feeling sheepish.“When I built the house, I installed a lot of gadgets.”

“Oh yeah?What other fancy things do you have around here?”She looks around the porch like a robot is going to pop out.

“If you stay here tonight, I’ll show you.”Am I purposely holding out on her so she’ll stay?Of course I am.I’ll use every trick in the book if it gets her to agree to spending more time with me.

“We’ll see.”She shrugs noncommittally and then nods to her van.“I’ve got to get to work, but you’re sure it’s okay if I come back here tonight and park in your driveway?”

“I’d rather you slept inside, but yes, the driveway is an alternative.”I think fast and then follow her down the front porch steps.“You know, I’m headed into work now.If you want, I can give you a lift.That way you don’t have to worry about driving back and forth.You could save gas money.”

Sure, it’s a flimsy reason, but if she’s having trouble finding a place to rent, then it could be because she can’t afford any of the places in town.They are pretty expensive for a single person, so unless she’s willing to get a couple of roommates, she might be looking for a while.

“That’s really sweet of you to offer, but Boss always comes to work with me.”She points her thumb behind her, where he’s in the window of the van, meowing.

I told her she could take him inside while she showered, but she didn’t want to worry about him trashing my stuff.Instead, I sat on the porch so I could keep an eye on him while also letting her have some privacy.He stared at me the whole time, and I tried not to think about Quinn naked in my bathroom.

“Great, then he can ride in my truck,” I tell her, and she bites her bottom lip.I can practically see her thinking over the pros and cons of letting me take her to work.“I mean, you can take your van, but it seems silly for the both of us to drive there and back when we work the same hours.”

Maybe that’s not technically true, but I’m happy to adjust my work hours to whatever hers are.

“You’ve got a point.”She’s still thinking it over when I go in for the kill.

“It’s not a big deal, so no pressure.Besides, I’ve been listening to a podcast about this Mormon guy who married a bunch of wives, and now they’re all fighting?—”

“Married Multiple Moms!”Quinn shouts, and I nod.

“Yeah, I don’t know a lot about them, but I thought I’d give it a shot.”Okay, so I might have overheard her talking to one of the What's the Stitch ladies about the podcast last week.And I might have overheard it because I was eavesdropping for information.It was harmless, but I needed to find something to talk to her about.Looks like I’ve struck gold.

“I’m obsessed with that podcast.”

“Really?Then maybe you can tell me about it on the way to work.”

“Deal,” she says and scampers off to her van.“Let me grab Boss and all his stuff.”

I have to hide my grin as I lock up the house and grab the keys to my truck.Once I get her bags and load them into the back seat, I open the passenger door for her.It’s a big step up to get in my truck, and I hold out my hand in case she needs it.I’m not going to be the one to touch her this time, but if she wants to, she can touch me.If I could, I’d beg her to touch me, but I keep that to myself.

To my surprise, she puts her hand in mine before she boosts herself up and gets in with Boss.When I get in the driver's side, he’s sitting between us and looks up at me like he’s been waiting for me to get this party started.

“Ready?”I ask both of them, and after Quinn says yes, Boss meows.

“I guess he’s ready too.”Quinn laughs and scratches behind his ear.

“All right, so I have to know,” I say as I pull out of the driveway.“Who is your least favorite wife and why is it the newest one?”

Quinn’s eyes go wide.“She’s the worst!”

For the next twenty minutes, I don’t have to say another word.I get to drive and listen to Quinn talk while every once in a while Boss chimes in.Damn, I could get used to this.

ChapterThree

QUINN

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