Page 16 of Fall for You (Flirting with Forever 4)

“Oh.” She just stands there looking from me to the cake and back again.

Meg elbows her and gives her the side-eye. “Would you mind putting it in the box, honey? I’ve got to get a strawberry tart for the cutest little girl ever.”

“Right, of course, Mom.”

Aha. This lovely woman is Quinn’s mother.

Quinn seems to snap out of her thoughts and finally realizes Sophia and Ava are here. “Well, hi there. I didn’t even see you two. How’s school treating you, Ava?”

“So fun, Quinny.”

Quinn nods and smiles at the girl’s nickname for her, seemingly unbothered by it. She picks up the cake, expertly maneuvering it into the box. She’s just barely placed it inside when my focus shifts to Meg as she reaches into the case to get the tart for Ava. She pulls it out, and I hardly have time to note the shaking of her hand right before the tart hits the floor, the fruity red filling splattering both Quinn’s and Meg’s legs.

Several things happen at once—Meg’s face flushes in embarrassment, Quinn gives a little shout, Ava’s hands slap her cheeks while she cries, “My tart!”

Oh boy. I bend down level with Ava and give an exaggerated, “Oh no! Strawberry tart down! What will we do?” I slap my hands to my cheeks in mock horror just like Ava had and stare into her little face. I wrinkle my nose at her with a smile.

Thank goodness for my experience with little girls because Ava’s giggles fill the air on our side of the counter, and Sophia shoots me a grateful smile. I nod and steal a peek over at Meg and Quinn.

In hushed voices, I hear Quinn tell her mom it’s no big deal, and Meg fusses right back that she’s made a huge mess. I wince, feeling badly for her.

Meg stands, after successfully retrieving a second tart out of the case, and sets it on the counter. “Quinn, would you mind ringing everyone up? I’m afraid I’ll never get this red stain out of these khaki pants if I don’t do something about it now.”

“Sure, Mom. I’ve got it.” With a gentle nudge, she ushers her into the back.

Spinning around on her heel, Quinn comes back to the counter. First, she makes eye contact with Ava. “Well, that was exciting, wasn’t it?” Ava nods with a silly grin. Sophia hands two dollar bills across the counter and grabs some napkins and two forks. It would seem that this is something they do quite often, as Quinn tucks the money into the cash register, then puts the change into the tip jar.

“Come on, pumpkin. Let’s eat that over here.” Sophia wrangles Ava over to a little table in the corner at the window, where they dig in.

I jerk my thumb over my shoulder in their direction. In a low voice, I say, “I guess they come here a lot?”

“Oh yeah. Ava loves my mom.”

“And her strawberry tarts, obviously.”

“Anything strawberry, so that’s a given.”

I nod. “You and Sophia are pretty close, then?”

“We work together. We hang out together. We’re relatively new friends, but yeah, we’re close.” She nibbles on her lip in a way that I find all too enticing.

I force my eyes to meet hers and clear my throat. “How much do I owe you for the cake?”

“Twenty-five.”

“Fair enough.” I reach for my wallet and hand her a fifty. She makes change for me, which I immediately tuck into the tip jar.

Her lips part. “You didn’t have to do that.”

I shrug. “It seems like your mom’s having a rough day.”

Quinn grits her teeth, glancing back toward the kitchen. “It’s her wrist. I’m trying to convince her that she needs the surgery her doctor recommended, but she’s stubborn as a mule.”

From the back we hear, “But I have excellent hearing.”

Quinn grins at me and whispers, “That she does. Beware.”

I make a mental note to ask Quinn more about her mom later. Right now, I’m more concerned with clearing the air with her. “Listen. I was hoping we could talk at some point.” I glance toward the kitchen and behind me. “Preferably in private.”

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