Page 9 of Fall for You (Flirting with Forever 4)

I squeeze my eyes shut. Maybe if I just ignore everything, it will go away.

“What’s wrong, Quinn?” Zoey’s soft voice sounds next to me.

My mouth opens and shuts a few times.

“Uh-oh.” Hadleigh side-eyes me. “Tell me it’s not what I’m thinking it is.”

I turn my head to look at her. “I had sex with him. I think I slept with a married man. I’m so sick about it, I want to vomit.” I inhale deeply. “And I had no idea he had a child, much less that he was going to show up at the parent-teacher conference, wife and child in tow.”

The table quiets at the revelation of my bombshell. I swear, now we’re all having trouble processing the circumstances. At least I’m not alone in my confusion.

Madison frowns. “When did this all happen with him?”

“Um, the night we were at the cider mill for Hadleigh’s birthday.”

Piper gasps and her hands cover her lower face. Slowly, she drops them. “The gloves and hat night? I thought you just went back to get my stuff and flirt a little.”

“Yeah.” I shoot her a sick-to-my-stomach smile. “You were my convenient excuse that night.”

The O on each woman’s lips would almost be comical if it weren’t such a rough position. I look to the ceiling. “I can still blame it on my dusty lady parts, right? If he’s married, I didn’t know at the time.”

Sophia gives me a sad face. “It’s obvious you really like him. This isn’t your fault at all. Maybe there’s some sort of explanation—something you’re missing.”

I shrug, catching her eye. I’m trying not to completely lose it.

Sophia shakes her head at me. “Quinn. You like him. He likes you, obviously. So, either he’s a cheating rat bastard and you don’t want him anyway, or you don’t have the whole picture. I think you need to ask him what the hell the deal is before you get in any deeper.”

I’m finally able to breathe now that I don’t feel so totally alone. “I know. I guess I’m going to have to talk to him. The other thing kind of throwing me for a loop is they’re offering me a ton of money to tutor Olivia once a week. That’s not definite because they wanted to talk it over with Olivia first, but honestly, I don’t know what to say or if I should accept it.”

Hadleigh groans. “How freaking awkward would it be to take money from a guy you’re doing the lust and thrust with?”

I close my eyes and try not to laugh because not much of this is funny. Except Hadleigh. She’s always funny. “Exactly. But I’ve been trying to convince Mom to get that surgery on her wrist. Their offer is so high, I’m not sure I can turn it down. We already know her insurance won’t cover the whole surgery. And her bakery is just barely making a profit.”

My phone buzzes in my pocket. While everyone is exchanging worried glances, I pull it out and take a peek at the message. Of course.

Unknown Number: Ms. Lockmore, this is Olivia’s mom, Becky Thompson. We’ve discussed it further and would like for her to do the tutoring sessions with you if you’re still available.

With a deep sigh, I add her to my contacts as “Olivia’s Mom” and tap out a quick answer.

Me: Okay. I can start as early as tomorrow. How about 3:30-4:30?

Olivia’s Mom: Sounds great. Her dad will pick her up afterward. She doesn’t drive yet.

I look up from my phone to see everyone anxiously waiting on me. “Yep. Looks like I’ll be tutoring my lover’s child.” I flash the phone at them so they can see the messages.

Zoey’s forehead creases as she squints at the screen. “Wait. That’s a different last name. Isn’t Olivia’s last name Ramsey?”

Puzzled, I look at the message again. “Well, crap. Could it be that he’s divorced? I’d just assumed when they showed up for the parent-teacher conference that they were together.”

Piper shrugs. “These days you never can tell.”

“It’s also possible she uses her maiden name for her job. What does she do?” Madison questions.

I purse my lips, trying to remember. “I think she’s a lawyer.”

Sophia grits her teeth. “Yeah. Hard to say. Some women keep their maiden name for any number of reasons.”

Hadleigh slaps the table with the palm of her hand. “Sounds like it’s way past time for some serious social media stalking, Q.”

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