Page 37 of Taking a King

“Probably not,” Quinn concedes with a smile. “But you can teach them. I have faith.”

“Well thank you,” I say, feeling my face heat.

“When is the interview?”

“Friday.”

“You’re going to kill it,” she says.

“I hope so.”

“I know so,” Quinn says, her tone unyielding.

I laugh and let it go. We both focus on eating for several minutes. It doesn’t take long for me to notice that Quinn is picking at hers without much enthusiasm. After a few minutes, I ask her about it.

“Is your food okay?”

She makes a face. “It’s fine. It’s me.” She puts her sandwich back down. “Nothing tastes right.”

“Is it morning sickness? Are you gonna barf?” I move slightly away from her.

She rolls her eyes. “I’m not going to barf,” she says. “I haven’t had any morning sickness. It’s just that nothing tastes right lately. The only thing I really want is sweets. I’m going to blow up like a balloon. I just know it.”

I laugh and pop a potato chip into my mouth. “I think cravings are pretty normal when you’re pregnant, Quinn.”

“Yeah, but all I crave is unhealthy crap like donuts and ice cream,” she wails. “There’s no way I’m going to make it until my due date without becoming a whale.”

I laugh again. “I doubt you’ll only crave sweets for the next 7 months, Quinn. I’m sure my little niece will be in the mood for some fries every once in a while.”

She rolls her eyes. “Like fries are any healthier. And what makes you think the baby’s a girl?”

I shrug. “Wishful thinking. Right now, we girls are outnumbered in this family. Having lived my whole life being outnumbered by dudes, I vote girl.”

Quinn laughs. “Well, I hate to break this to you, but I don’t think you get a say in it.”

“Maybe not,” I say. “But I can still dream.”

Quinn picks up her sandwich with a sigh. “Guess I need to eat something other than junk today.” She sounds so annoyed that I laugh again.

“Laugh all you want,” she says as she swallows a bite of sandwich. “But it won’t be so funny when you’re the one knocked up. The way you and Garrett look at each other, it’s only a matter of time.”

I nearly choke on a potato chip, and I have to take several gulps of my iced tea before I can speak. “Whoa, now,” I say, holding up a hand. “Garrett and I just started dating. No one is talking babies.”

She rolls her eyes. “You told me yourself that you’ve been a thing for like five months or something.”

“Four months,” I correct. “And that was all long-distance. We’ve only just nowreallystarted something.”

“Physically, maybe,” she concedes. “But you’ve been in love with him for years, right?”

I shake my head, immediately protesting. I’m not in love with Garrett. I can’t be. That’s not how this works. Right?

“No,” I say. “We’re not. That’s not. I’m not—”

Quinn laughs. “Wow. Okay. Take a breath. You don’t have to figure it all out today. You have plenty of time.”

“I’m fine,” I say, hating how defensive the words sound. I take a breath. “I’m fine,” I repeat, forcing my voice to a normal volume.

Quinn smiles, but there’s something in her eyes that looks a lot like sympathy. “How much longer does he have before his leave is over?”