Page 38 of What Love Can Do
He was right, of course. Not about Quinn being an arse, but about him going through a lot right now in the wake of his mother’s death, not exactly the best time to start a new relationship, much less make sense of one. She needed to be patient. Quinn also stood at a crossroad, deciding where to go from here, a feeling Lilly should be empathizing with. Up until a few days ago, she wasn’t sure what to do about her life either. She really couldn’t blame him.
“Thanks, Conor,” she groaned. “But he might not want to talk to me again. In case that’s true, wish him my best, will you, please?” She looked at Conor, trying to recapture Quinn’s face in his brother’s. Recalling that they were only registered at the B&B another two days, hot tears rose into her eyes at the thought of never seeing Quinn again. She fought them back with the palms of her hands, and Con laid a quiet hand on her shoulder.
She had no right to cry. Her very own brain had tried to warn her against getting too close to Quinn, but she hadn’t listened out of desperation to connect with him, to find happiness for one, fleeting moment. The consequences just hadn’t mattered. Lilly wiggled off her stool, strung her purse over her shoulder, and adjusted her scarf, readying it for the cold night.
Conor gave her a small, knowing grin. “You’ll see him again.”
She smiled sadly. “Thanks for the talk.” She poured the rest of her beer into Conor’s half empty glass then twiddled her fingers at Paul. “And thanks for the beer,” she called to Paul and Dara, who was putting away dishes.
“No problem. Say hello to Penny for me,” Paul muttered, toothpick wobbling between his teeth.
“I will.” Lil gave Con one last smile, cast a quick glance at Bernie and friends in the corner, gave them a small wave, then poured out the door. As she turned the corner toward the parking lot, she smelled it before she spotted something on the hood of her car—jasmine. A fresh bunch tied together into a neat bow with a long blade of grass.
Like getting hit with a gentle wave, her heart swelled. Picking up the flowers, she scanned the area for Quinn but he was nowhere to be seen. She entered her car, blooms in hand, and placed them in her lap while she turned on the engine. The whole drive home, Lilly wondered what to do. She understood how much the name Maggie Phillips must grate on her mother’s ears, but what if Quinn were that one man—that one, special someone—who comes into your life, and if you don’t jump at the chance, never comes back again?
Could she risk losing him?
More than once now, he’d indicated he was thinking about settling in Green Valley. He’d even given thought to buying Paul’s pub. Just because she left for Miami didn’t mean he might not decide to do it.
Briefly, she thought of Quinn settling down in Forestville while she was gone in Miami and him hooking up with Bernie or one of her friends. Ugh, no. Even though she had no right to Quinn, she felt possessive. What was so great about Miami anyway? Green Valley was familiar, and she’d be pleasing both her mom and Quinn by staying. Maybe she could open a bake shop here without doing the internship. It was nice knowing she’d been picked—maybe that could be enough for her?
Ugh, but I was picked out of five hundred entries!
No—she knew, in the bottom of her heart, that she couldn’t dishonor her father’s memory, and it was Dad who’d always encouraged her to follow her dreams. But he wasn’t around anymore, and now Mom kept Lilly’s wings tidily clipped. Yet thanks in part to Quinn, Lilly had finally told her mom what she planned to do. So no, she couldn’t pass up the internship in Miami on the chance Quinn might decide to settle here or even want something more from her. She could, however, honor what they’d come to mean to one another in the here and now, and if given the opportunity to do so, stand up for him. It was only right. After all, he was a stranger in a strange land, one who’d come to her for friendship. If she didn’t stand up for him when it counted, then what kind of friend was she?
Clearly, he still cared, or else he wouldn’t have come back and left her the flowers.
She had to do something.
Driving home, not wanting to get there too quickly and face her mom again, Lilly chose the gentle curving side roads toward the B&B, noticing perhaps for the first time in forever, the sign for Phillips Vineyard & Winery perched at the next intersection. She could hardly believe the story of Richard Phillips, Sr., if it was true. Of course it was true! Con had no reason to lie, and she had to stop mistrusting what the O’Neill boys said.
Suddenly, she slowed down and knew just what to do.
Fifteen
Something about early morning walks always made Quinn feel ready to take on the world. It began in his rugby days when he had no choice but to wake up at the crack of dawn and get to practice, taking shortcuts through the woods by his house. He always used those thirty or so minutes to mentally prepare for the long hours ahead, think about what he would accomplish, how he’d slog through the day’s rucks without penalty.
After driving around aimlessly last night, wallowing in his shock and sadness, he decided to end the night early and get to bed before midnight for the first time in weeks. But now, the deep purple and tangerine skies in the east rose over the sleepy valley, calling to him. Having no purpose for the day, aimless in his plans, Quinn thought it a good idea to get out of his cozy room at the B&B and find one. After all, he and Con only had two more days before they were supposed to either head back to Ireland or call for their brothers to bring Mam’s ashes with them.
Forgoing his rental car, he threw on his jacket and went off on foot, sneaking out before Lilly could see him. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to her. It was that he just needed some space, time alone to think about the news she’d delivered last night.
Her father had been his mother’s boyfriend—fiancé, to be exact—a man from a prominent wine family in this region. Yes, he could understand Lilly’s mam being resentful that Maggie Phillips had almost cost her her husband, but the fact was, things had worked out in the end.
Before too long, Quinn’s morning stroll took him to the path that led to the bridge. Though he’d explored many areas, taken photos, and hung out at Paul’s tavern quite a bit since he’d been in town, the bridge was definitely one of his favorite places. The sun was already out but would soon be shrouded in darkness again. Rain was on its way, and here he’d gone out without an umbrella.
Oh, well. It’s just water.
He climbed the hill, headed toward the bridge, and made it onto the wooden planks over the river below. Slowly, he took a seat and, just like he and Lilly and his mother before them had, let his legs dangle over the edge.
His mind played back images of the past five days. Everything he’d experienced, mostly with Lilly. Everything he’d learned about his mam.
According to Lilly, this bridge had been one of her father’s favorite spots, and in all likelihood that was because he’d come here with Quinn’s mam. If that was the case, then obviously Mam had cared enough about Ken Parker to take him to a place that was special to her even if she had chosen another man in the end. It was the way of the world. Feelings were fickle. Hearts were broken all the time, and most often not intentionally. Hell, in some ways, Quinn could be viewed as the Ken in this whole messy situation with Lilly; he was the man she cared about but ultimately needed to leave behind in order to fulfill her dreams. Did that mean that some time in the future, when Quinn found another woman to love, one he ultimately chose to have a family with, that he wouldn’t be able to give that woman his whole heart, because some part of it would always belong to Lilly? Would he, just like Ken, come back to this bridge again and again to reflect on what could have been?
He swiped his hands over his face. Gah, he was driving himself crazy with all these thoughts. Sitting there, thinking about it all, storm clouds rolling in, Quinn thought, Let it rain. Right on me. It wasn’t like he had any place to go, and his mind could use a good cleansing. When it was done, he’d get back on track. Finish seeing the rest of Green Valley through his mam’s eyes. Then he’d call his brothers and tell them what he’d known to be true from the beginning.
They needed to spread Mam’s ashes here. It was what she would have wanted.
He’d just gotten to his feet when he heard gravel moving, and an engine shutting off. When he craned his head back, he saw someone had arrived to invade his private space. “Hullo?”