Page 33 of More Than Words
“Mr.Lyons?”
I turned to see my latest well-wisher, only to find Quinn’s teacher, Mrs.Kelly.
“Hi there.Thanks for coming.”
“Are you kidding?My husband and I are always looking for new places to try for date night.Congratulations on such a great turnout.I also wanted to thank you, or maybe I should thank Delaney.”
I blinked.“Thank her?For what?”
She gave me a sideways look.“For career day yesterday.Quinn was so proud to have her there.She gave a great presentation on how exciting it was to be a bookseller and introduced Delaney.And Delaney did such a good job, too.The kids loved her.”
Career day?
Delaney?
My heart stalled.
“Oh,” I said, managing to recover from my shock a little.“I didn’t know…Quinn didn’t mention it.”
Neither did Delaney.
“Oh, I just assumed you knew.”Mrs.Kelly’s brow furrowed.“Quinn mentioned how busy you’ve been lately with…” She waved her arm around and trailed off.“Well, I’m sure she meant to say something to you and it just slipped her mind.”
“Right.”I forced a smile on my face.“I’m sure she did.”
We exchanged a few more pleasantries before Quinn’s teacher slipped back into the crowd.
I stood there, stunned for a beat.Not angry.Not really.
I just felt…something.
Delaney had stepped in for Quinn.And she hadn’t told me.
Neither of them had.
Part of me hated that, for so many reasons.
But the other part of me?The part that couldn’t stop picturing Delaney’s soft smile and the way Quinn lit up around her?
Well, that part of me wasn’t sure what to feel at all.
Delaney
I didn’t bother stifling my yawn as I pulled my long hair up into a messy bun and took my contact lenses out for the evening.
Social events exhausted me at the best of times, but the brewery opening with so many people packed into a small space and…well, Ethan and whatever was going on there…had absolutely drained me.
I know I wasn’t imagining the connection between us.
And that was the entire problem.And the reason I felt so unsettled.
I’d spent the better part of the evening trying to convince myself that I hadn’t been impressed by this new version of him.Or at least, the new-to-me version.
Like the original opinion of him I’d built up in my head—the over-the-top charming, way too smooth and cocky version—had never really existed at all.
It would be so easy to give in to whatever it was that was happening with him.But I knew better.Didn’t I?
I was too tired to think about it.
