Which meant more money they didn’t have, hence the second job. They’d qualify for public assistance, but Brett would get a third job before he’d allow that to happen.

  “Christmas is coming. What does Scotty need?”

  She’d find a way to help them out, even if she had to do it through Scotty. Brett wouldn’t say no to something for his child, she knew that. “I don’t know, he’s only four months old. He doesn’t do all that much.”

  “How about clothes then?”

  “Annie did mention that every time she tries to put something on him it doesn’t button up all the way. It all looks the same to me.”

  “You’re such a man.” Quinn knew that wasn’t true, not all men were like that.

  Take Max for example. He was pretty much on top of when his kids needed something.

  “I’ll have Annie send you sizes and what Scotty needs.” There was a pause and then Brett said, “Thanks again, Quinn.”

  “He’s my only nephew. I haven’t met him yet, but that doesn’t mean I can’t spoil him. Have you talked to Lily or Karl lately?”

  She talked to Lily on Thanksgiving for a few minutes and knew everything was going good there. She hadn’t heard from Karl in a few weeks, though.

  “Lily is good. Karl is the same. Still working. Quinn,” he said and then stopped.

  “What is it Brett? What’s going on with Karl?” And obviously the reason for the call.

  “It’s not really Karl. I mean not like you think. It’s Mom.”

  Quinn took a deep breath. “What about her?”

  “Karl said she’s been in contact with him again.”

  “Damn it,” Quinn said. “That’s why he isn’t returning my messages, isn’t it?”

  “Probably. He’s still clean though, Quinn. I saw him and he is. He’s still on probation and has to have mandatory drug tests. We’d know if he wasn’t.”

  That was something at least. “Then what does she want? Why won’t she leave him alone?”

  “Because he won’t tell her to screw off like the rest of us do. Lily has the Websters to protect her. I won’t let Mom anywhere near Annie and Scotty. You aren’t anywhere she can find you.”

  Which was Quinn’s plan all along. “Mom knows Karl is the weakest link. She uses that against him. She uses his insecurities and it’s sick.”

  “Did you expect any different?” Brett asked. “I think she’s using him to find you.”

  “Most likely. You’ve never told Karl where I am, have you?”

  She’d never told her siblings, but her mother had cost her more than one job in her lifetime. Always showing up and causing a scene, getting her fired. If that didn’t work, then complaining about Quinn’s service or food. The results might not always get Rae what she wanted, but she always accomplished one thing—to make trouble for Quinn. No matter how many times Quinn left town, her mother seemed to track her down eventually.

  “No. He doesn’t know. I always take the money you send for him out of the envelope. He doesn’t know what state you’re in and I won’t tell him. He hasn’t asked either.”

  “I wonder why he’s never asked,” Quinn said.

  “Deep down he knows Mom is using him, but he desperately wants her attention. You know that.”

  She did, which was why she knew what Davey wanted. No, Davey and Karl were absolutely nothing alike, but they both shared one thing: they just wanted their mother’s love.

  “She’ll never give him what he wants or needs.”

  “You and I know that, but Karl keeps hoping.”

  “That hope is going to burn him,” she said.

  “I think he knows that too. Everyone needs a little hope, even you, Quinn.”

  Please

  “Maddie wants to know if I can sleep over tonight. Can I?” Lara asked, running into the kitchen Friday morning.

  “I have to ask your father,” Quinn said.

  If Lara had come downstairs just ten minutes earlier she could have asked Max herself, but now he was on his way to work.

  “Jennifer never asked my dad. She just told me yes,” Lara said, her eyes pleading with Quinn.

  “I’m not Jennifer, so I’m going to ask your father.”

  “You don’t need to though,” Lara argued.

  “Lara, I want to clear it first. Your father and I haven’t discussed these things.”

  Nothing like this had come up yet. Jennifer hadn’t told her what to do in these situations.

  “Call him now, please,” Lara begged.

  “No. He’s driving to work right now.”

  “I’ll call him then,” Lara said, turning to grab her phone.

  “No,” Quinn said and took it out of Lara’s hand. “You know the rules. No calls to your father unless it’s an emergency. That’s why I’m here.”

  “But it is an emergency. Maddie wants an answer now.”

  “Then the answer is going to have to be no,” Quinn said firmly.

  This was the first time Lara had pushed her and she hoped it was the right answer. Who knows, maybe Max was okay with the kids spending the night places, especially when he was on call, like this weekend.

  “You’re mean!” Lara stomped her foot and then marched over to get a plate and fill it with food.

  “She’s not mean. Take it back,” Davey said, coming into the room.

  “Lara,” Quinn said, coming over and standing in front of where Lara had placed her breakfast on the island. “We’re all going through changes. We have to learn to adapt. You’ll get your answer, but it won’t be right this minute. If Maddie can’t wait until I can talk to your father, then the answer has to be no.”

  “Is Lara spending the night at Maddie’s? I want to spend the night at Charlie’s. I’ll ask him now.”

  “Hold up,” Quinn said, trying to gain control of the situation. She should have known things were going too smoothly. “First off, Davey, you don’t invite yourself to your friend’s house. They have to invite you. Second of all, I need to talk to your father.”

  “Jennifer always says yes,” Davey said.

  Great, back to that again.

  “Here’s the deal. Lara, I’ll text your father in a few minutes when I know he’s at the office and not driving. He’ll get back to me when he can and you’ll have your answer when I pick you up from school. Maddie only lives across the street and I’ll call her mother myself if you’d like.”

  “I guess,” Lara said grumbling. “But Jennifer—”

  “No buts, or the answer is no because I won’t even ask your father.”

  Lara looked up, tears filling her eyes. Wonderful, just what she needed.

  “Look, I’ve got my phone right here. I’ll send him a message in ten minutes. He might even reply before I drop you off, but if not, you will know by the end of the school day.”

  Lara wiped her hand under her nose and nodded.

  “If I can’t ask to spend the night at Charlie’s, then can I ask him to stay here?”

  “I’ll have to check with your father. You know he is on call this weekend so he doesn’t need you two boys keeping him up.”

  “Can we sleep downstairs? I’ve never done that before,” Davey said, looking excited over the possibility.

  Things were getting a little better between Davey and Max and if she could push this along for Davey she’d try. Besides, with Lara gone it would be easy with another kid.

  “I’ll ask when he calls. I think you’ll have fun down there. There is plenty of room on the couches, and if he has a sleeping bag you can pretend to be camping too.”

  “We could make tents out of sheets and move the couches around,” Davey said, suddenly looking thrilled over the idea. “There’s a lot of room. Can Mike and Doug come too?”

  Oh boy, now what did she get herself into? “If your father says yes.”

  “Sweet,” Davey said, walking over and filling his own plate of food.

  “Text him now, Quinn,” Lara said.

  “Before we leave. I promise.”

  ***

  Max was in the middle of his staff meeting when he heard his phone ding. It was either Quinn or the kids, since they had the same ring tone.

  Pulling his phone out of his pocket he read, No rush from Quinn and put it back. He’d read the rest of it later.

  Later ended up being over two hours. Between his staff meeting running late and patients showing up early, it was the first breather he had. Even then he only had about ten minutes.

  This time he read the whole message. No rush. The kids have possible plans for the night. Need to talk first.

  Please let the kids be spending the night elsewhere, he thought.

  He and Quinn had barely had a moment alone to talk this week. Not that he was expecting miracles, but still, he’d like to talk to her one-on-one without the kids running around.

  How else was he going to learn about her, and she about him, if they couldn’t even have five minutes alone?

  Not to mention he was itching to get his hands on her again. Just kissing, that’d be enough.

  He dialed her quick before his next patient.

  “Hello,” she said on the second ring. “I told you it wasn’t a rush.”

  “I’m between patients. What’s up?”

  “Maddie asked Lara to spend the night, and then Davey asked if he could have a few friends over for the night.”

  “You don’t need to ask me if the kids can spend the night somewhere if it’s with friends I’ve met,” he said.

  “But I’m not sure who those friends are. I hear their names, but I’m not sure if you’ve met their parents or not.”

  He thought Jennifer would have taken care of that but guessed not. “Did Lara give you a hard time when you told her you had to talk to me?”

  Lara was so sweet and carefree, but like any typical girl, when she didn’t get her way or her answer at that moment, she could pout like the rest of them.

  “I handled it.”

  Which meant Lara did. He’d have to talk to the kids about that. They weren’t to give Quinn a hard time about anything. If they had issues they had to come to him.

  “It’s fine, she can spend the night at Maddie’s. What’s this about Davey and a few friends? I’m on call tonight and the weekend.”

  “I know. I told him that when he asked if Charlie could spend the night. He suggested they sleep in the game room.”

  “That’s two stories down from me,” Max said.

  He didn’t have it in him to walk up and down two flights to check on the kids all night long.

  “Only one from me, and right below my room. I can handle them, Max. Remember, I was dealing with younger siblings long before Davey’s age.”

  That didn’t mean he wanted Quinn to do it now, though. Still, if he said yes, Davey would be happy and since Davey hardly ever asked for a thing, it was a simple enough request.

  “How many is a few?”

  “Charlie, Doug and Mike,” Quinn said.

  Doug was new, but still well behaved. Mike and Charlie had been over enough and both lived on the lake too. It should be fine.

  “Okay. Only if you’re up for it. Otherwise you can tell Davey just one friend.”

  “Piece of cake. They want to move the furniture around and use sheets to build tents and sleep in sleeping bags. I thought I’d get the makings for s’mores for them and show them how to make them in the microwave down there. They’ll feel like little grown-ups for the night.”

  He wasn’t so sure it would be a piece of cake, but he’d be willing to give it a try.

  “I’ll agree only if you and I get some time together tonight.”

  “Max, there will be children in the house.”

  He had to laugh at her offended tone. “We haven’t had any time to talk. Just you and I. The boys will be occupied downstairs and we can be in the family room talking. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “No necking on the couch though,” she said and he could have sworn there was a touch of disappointment in her voice.

  “Unfortunately, no. That doesn’t mean I can’t sneak a kiss when I walk you to your door later though.”

  “You mean like a date?”

  He hadn’t thought of it that way, but sure, why not? “It’s not much of one, and I can do better, but I’ll take what I can get.”

  “Then you’ve got yourself a date. What should I plan for dinner for the boys? Are there any dietary restrictions?”

  “They’re boys; they’ll eat me out of house and home. I’ll bring home pizza for dinner and save you the work. I’m sure you’ll be doing plenty of cooking in the morning, though. If I know Davey, he’s bragging to everyone about your waffles.”

  “Really? Do you think?”

  “I know. I heard him when he was online with his friends the other day saying how he ate three huge waffles with whipped cream. You’d think he’d won the lottery with the way everyone was yelling back at him that it wasn’t fair.”

  “It’s just food, but I’ll take your word for it. I’ll see you later tonight,” she said.

  “I won’t be late for our date.”

  “You better not be,” she said and laughed low in her throat.

  He’d never heard that sound before and now he knew it was going to be another element added to his dreams.

  An Example

  “Why didn’t you wait for me?”

  Max walked into the kitchen to see Quinn cleaning up, after the boys devoured the two pizzas he’d brought home. He didn’t expect her to run herd on Davey’s friends all night, at least not while he was home and had planned on helping her.

  Unfortunately he got a call he had to take and went to his office since the boys were so loud.

  “It’s my job to clean the kitchen, not yours.”

  “Quinn, it’s your job to take care of the house and watch the kids when I’m not home. That doesn’t mean you wait on us hand and foot. I like that you’ve got the kids taking care of their own dishes and making their own beds, even putting their clothes away. It’s good for them. But that goes for me too.”

  She stopped and laughed at him. “Since you’re writing the check, I’ll put your laundry away.”

  He didn’t like the way it made him feel. He knew it was their arrangement, but he could handle doing things for himself.

  “I’m serious. I can help clean up dinner now and again, and I put my own dishes away. You’ve never told me not to before when we’re done with dinner.”

  “That’s different. You’re setting an example for the kids. If you don’t do it, they’ll think they won’t have to either.”

  “Exactly. So stop arguing with me.”

  She wiped down the last of the counters, then disappeared into the laundry room. He wasn’t sure what was going on until she returned with a pile of sheets in her hands.

  “Well, here you go then. Go show the boys how to make a tent. I know you’re good at that.”

  He didn’t miss the smirk on her face. “Wise ass.” Then he took a chance and placed a quick kiss on her lips.

  After twenty minutes, he returned upstairs where she was putting the makings for s’mores on a tray to carry down.

  “All set?” she asked.

  “We’ve moved all the couches and chairs into a circle, then draped the sheets over the top. It’s more like a dome than a tent, but they’re happy enough. They’re arguing over which video game to play first.”

  “I’ll just run down quick and show them what to do. They can eat when they’re ready then.”

  He was sitting on the couch when she came back up, so he patted the spot next to him. “Get off your feet and come talk to me.”

  “The kids are downstairs,” she said, hesitating.

  “Yep, and they’ve got food, water, a bathroom, and video games. They’re set for hours, probably days. Besides, they make enough noise when they run up the stairs, we’ll have time to move apart before they turn the corner.”

  “I guess.”

  “Geez, you don’t have to act like I’m pulling your arm. I thought we were going to have a date tonight. I didn’t know you played so hard to get,” he said, grinning at her.

  She walked over and poked him in the arm. “Wise ass,” she said back.

  He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, just holding her for the moment. It was silly, he knew. He felt like a teen himself sitting there with his arm around her, but it felt too good to stop.

  So did her resting her head on his shoulder for the moment. “You smell good,” she said.

  “It’s just soap.”

  “Yeah, but it still smells good on you.”

  If they didn’t change the subject soon, any kid that ran up those stairs and around the corner was going to get one hell of a surprise, even with the noise they made. He wasn’t going to be able to control his body much longer.

  “So tell me about your week.”

  She giggled, almost as if she knew what was going on in his mind. Then she lifted her head off his shoulder and tucked her legs under her, shifting her hips so she was facing him.

  “Not much to say really. Let’s see. Cooking, cleaning, driving the kids around. Oh, and Mallory got engaged last weekend. She called me the other day.”

  “That’s nice. You should have them over for dinner to celebrate.”

  “Here? What about the kids?”

  “What about the kids? They’ll behave enough and then take off to their rooms like they normally do.”

  Besides, what better way to learn about her than through her friends?

  “I can ask, if you’re sure.”

  “Of course I am. We can eat in the dining room. Thanksgiving dinner was the first time it was used. It was kind of nice.”

  “We can have dinner in there more often if you’d like. I just figured it was easier to eat at the table off the kitchen.”

  “It is easier. No, we don’t need to use the dining room more, but it’s nice to use it for special occasions.”

  Jennifer never bothered setting the table in there or even moving the food in there. Most of the time, they fixed their plates with the food left on the counter and then sat and ate. The kids would leave when they were done and she’d pick everything up.