Page 36 of Taking a King

I head back inside and make my way to Quinn’s office to see if she’s ready for lunch. I pass Finn’s office on my way and see him at his desk with the phone to his ear. I wave at him, and he answers me by rolling his eyes and pointing at the phone. I smile and continue to Quinn’s office. Her door is open, but the room is empty. I go in, deciding to wait for her in her office rather than the hallway. She probably had to go handle some minor issue on the property. I’m sure she’ll be back shortly.

It’s the same office Hannah had used when she managed the Jester, but I can see the many ways in which Quinn has made it her own space. The furniture is still the same, but she’s rearranged it so the desk faces the large windows. This way, she can look out over the grounds while she’s working. It’s what I’d do if this were my office. Not that I want an office here. I’m perfectly happy helping my brother as needed, but I don’t want a permanent job here.

I walk around Quinn’s office, taking note of the framed pictures on her desk. There’s one of her with Hannah and Liam when he was much younger. All three of them are smiling widely. I can’t help but smile at the photo. I remember Liam being that small, but it seems like a lifetime ago. I hadn’t known Hannah well back then. She’d been working as a housekeeper, I think. Or maybe she’d worked her way up to desk clerk by then. I can’t recall. She’s had about as many different jobs at the Jester as my siblings and I have. Looking back, I can’t understand how she and Finn didn’t fall in love sooner. She’d been right under his nose for so long.

I look over at the second framed photo on the desk and it stops me in my tracks. I reach over and pick it up to study it closer. It’s a photo of Quinn and Ronan. The thing that shocks me is the massive smile on my brother’s face. The smiling man in this photo reminds me of the brother I’d known before he left for the military. When he’d returned, he’d been quiet and withdrawn. There had been a sadness within him that I didn’t think would ever leave. I’d wondered if he’d ever smile or laugh again. Since Quinn came into his life, he seems to have started to return to the man he was before. This photo is proof of that.

“That’s my favorite picture of us,” Quinn’s voice startles me. I look up to see her standing in the doorway watching me.

I clear my throat and return the photo to its place on her desk. “I almost forgot what his smile looked like,” I say.

She walks over to look at the picture, a smile on her face. “I took that the day he asked me to marry him,” she says. “I wanted to commemorate it somehow. I told him to smile for the camera, thinking I might get that typical almost-smile thing he does so much.” She shakes her head. “But he surprised me with this big ass grin. He was so happy. I snapped the picture before it vanished. I felt like I’d found a freaking unicorn or something.”

I smile, but I feel a lump in my throat. “Thank you,” I say softly.

She looks at me, confused. “For what?”

I shrug. “Making him smile again.”

Quinn’s cheeks darken with a blush, and she waves away the praise. “It was easy,” she says, smiling. She thinks for a moment. “Well, no. It wasn’t. He was a pain in the ass. I just annoyed the hell out of him every chance I got.”

We both laugh, but then Quinn’s expression turns more serious. “It wasn’t just Ronan who needed something to smile about, you know. I was a little lost when I came here. I think we recognized that in one another.”

Quinn has told me her story and what brought her here to Oak Hill, so I know what she means. Thinking about all she went through and where she is now makes me proud to know her.

“I’m really glad you guys found each other,” I say. “I’m so happy you’re going to be my sister.”

Quinn smiles widely. “Me too. I never had one growing up. Not until I met Hannah.”

“Well, now you have plenty of family,” I say. “So much you’ll probably get sick of us.”

She makes a face. “Now that you mention it.”

I roll my eyes. “Shut up and let’s go eat.”

Since the weather is so nice, we take our lunch out onto the porch to eat. I wait until we’ve eaten a few bites before I speak.

“Guess what?”

“What?” Quinn asks, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

“Remember how I applied for the job at the school?” I ask.

“Music teacher?”

I nod. “They just called me.”

Quinn claps and smiles. “Yay!”

“They want me to come in for an interview!” I squeal.

Quinn gives me a quick, hard hug. “That’s so great!”

“It’s just an interview,” I say, trying to temper my excitement. “I’m still underqualified, so it’s not likely I’ll get it.”

She waves away my doubts. “No one in this town is better qualified to teach music than you are. I see the way you are with Liam. He’s learned so much since you started teaching him.”

I try to brush off the praise. “Liam is different,” I say. “He’s got natural talent and a good ear. I doubt all the kids at Oak Hill Elementary are like Liam.”