Page 109 of When We Were Reckless
Jesse
We were standing nextto my truck in Jude and Lila’s driveway, and I was just about to tell Lila we needed to get going when she said, “Stay for dinner.”
“I need to get Quinn home.” Gracie wrapped her tiny hand around my index finger and squeezed. “You have a good grip, baby girl.”
“It’s only five o’clock. I can stay.” Quinn said, rubbing Gracie’s back and kissing the top of her head. As soon as we arrived, Lila asked Quinn if she wanted to hold Gracie, and she’d eagerly accepted.
Quinn and Lila had met all of ten minutes ago, and in that time, they’d managed to cover a lot of ground. It never ceases to amaze me how much information women could share within a short time.
But I’d known Lila most of my life, so I knew she had an ulterior motive by inviting us to stay. This wasn’t just a casual family dinner. She wanted the dirt.
“Your mom probably expects you home for dinner. So we should get going.”
Quinn shook her head. “She has a business dinner.”
“There. It’s settled,” Lila said with a smirk as Quinn handed Gracie back to her. I opened my mouth to protest, but Lila cut me off. “I’m not taking no for an answer. You’re staying for dinner.”
“Yay!” Noah raced over to us with Levi close on his heels. They’d been running around the front yard, and now Noah grabbed Quinn’s hand and dragged her toward the house. Not wanting to be left behind, Levi chased after them.
Quinn looked over her shoulder and gave me the eyes as if she was silently asking for my help.
I shrugged and held out my hands.You asked for it, baby.
When Quinn disappeared inside the house with the kids, Lila handed me the baby, and we walked up the flagstone path to their stone farmhouse. It was a beautiful home, timber, and glass on the inside, with high ceilings and a wall of windows overlooking their land. When they’d bought the place, Jude had planted fields of flowers for Lila’s floral design studio.
We stepped inside the foyer, and Lila gave me a sly smile that confirmed my suspicions. She wanted the dirt.
“So this is her.”
I didn’t know what she meant by “her” unless Shiloh had said something. “Quinn is just a friend.”
“Uh huh. Sure she is. So she has nothing to do with you not being interested in Camryn.”
“Nope.” I hesitated a beat too long.
Lila laughed and smacked my arm. A natural reflex for her. She’d always been so physical. “You’ve never been a good liar, Jesse.”
So I’ve been told.
* * *
It was a well-known fact that the McCallisters were highly competitive. Wehatedto lose. Growing up,everythinghad been a competition.
Now we had the next generation of McCallisters, and they’d obviously been drinking the same Kool-Aid.
“We have to beat them,” Noah said, his hands balled into fists and his brows furrowed in concentration like we were competing for an Olympic gold medal.
“Don’t worry,” I assured him. “They don’t stand a chance. We’re gonna take them down.”
“It’s just a game,” Quinn said. “It’s about having fun, not about who wins or loses.”
Noah and I shot her a look. “It’s the Triple Crown,” Noah said, his voice hushed. “We wanna win. Weneedto win. So make sure you don’t miss,” he told her.
“Go easy on her, Noah. She’s not a McCallister.”
Quinn glared at me. “You think I can’t get this bag of corn in the hole?” She waved the rawhide bag in the air. “Is that what you’re saying? Because I can get it in the hole. Just watch me.”
I couldn’t contain my laughter. “Say hole one more time.”
