Chapter 23

chapter twenty-three

Gavin

I took Quinn back to her dorm last night, and kissed her again before she got out of my truck.

It felt right.

We both agreed to take things slow and get to know each other. What happened on the cruise happened so fast that neither one of us really knew how to process seeing each other again, but we're both glad it happened.

Which is good, because I don't know what I would've done had she said she regretted it. Been forced to live with it, I guess.

After sleeping until my alarm blares against my nightstand, I roll over and smile. I listened to Quinn's advice. I'd slept in and now I am about to go to the shelter to see what kind of things I could do to help out.

The best part? Quinn agreed to tag along since it was her idea.

I pick up my phone and shoot off a text to let her know I am on my way. The plan was to pick her up but she insisted she could just meet me there. She claimed she was over on that side of town picking up a few things from the store. I didn't want to argue and risk freaking her out with my over chivalric behavior right off the bat.

I'd learned from my own mother that sometimes women like being independent. She's like that with my dad. Most of the time she's the one pulling the weight and calling the shots. I can tell it aggravates my dad, but he doesn't dare argue with her.

Instead, he takes his frustration out on me and Levi. Well since Levi's surgery, mostly me. Mom will take up for dad until she's blue in the face. It's a weird dynamic.

I pull into the shelter, and smile when I see Quinn leaning against her SUV. She's the cutest thing I've ever seen. Denim overalls hang on her shoulders with a yellow tank top underneath and converse sneakers. Her hair is pulled up into a messy knot on her head, and she's wearing black framed glasses.

"Hi!" She says, as I jump down out of my truck and I can't help but sport the widest grin.

"You look cute, I didn't know you wore glasses."

She rolls her eyes, "Yeah. Waiting on my new set of contacts to come in the mail. I'm blind."

I laugh, "You must be. You're here with me."

She shoves my shoulder playfully, "Shut up, touchdown hottie."

My heart races as she wraps her arm through mine and basically pulls me through the door. Her playful attitude is a major change from last night when she was so stressed out over Collins. It makes me wonder if something happened between them. In fact, I know that it did. I know there's more to what's going on between them than what she's told me.

"Can I help you?" The woman behind the counter beams, blowing a stray hair from her sweaty forehead.

"We would like to volunteer. We thought maybe we could start coming on Sundays, if you'd like the help?"

The woman looks around the room at the bags of dog and cat food piled up, as well as the laundry baskets full of blankets and towels. "Are you kiddin'? I'd love the help."

Quinn claps her hands excitedly and I swear if she had sleeves she'd roll them up to get to work.

"I'm Wendy," the woman says, holding her hand out to shake. Quinn takes it and introduces herself and I do the same.

"I know who you are," she drawls. "This town has been waiting for you to turn this program around for two years. You and that quarterback from Florida, Grayson Collins."

Quinn shifts her weight from one foot to the other, and I do my best to be polite. "Thank you, but can you do me a favor and not tell anyone that I'm here. I don't want to make a spectacle or anything, I just want to help out."

"Sure thing." She agrees, "My lips are sealed."

She takes us into the back room with cages lining the walls, and points to a giant metal cabinet in the back of the room near the door.

"The leashes are in that cabinet. The dogs like walks but we hardly get any volunteers to help take them. None of them are aggressive and most of them walk well on leashes."

Quinn's face lights up, and I get excited the second I see the animals. Wendy walks back into the other room and we look at each other. "You ready?" she asks.

I nod, and we walk back to the cabinet to each grab a couple leashes. The first cage I kneel down in front of houses a black dog that appears to be some kind of lab mix. I look at the piece of tape on the wall above the kennel for the name and nearly fall over.

Daisy .

I turn back to look at Quinn who already has two small dogs leashed up and ready to go. "Look at this name plate."

A smile spreads across her face. "Daisy."

I look at the dog and then back to Quinn, "I guess I'll have to stop calling you that since it's the dog's name."

She bends down and pats the dog on the head, "It's alright. We can share it, huh girl?"

The dog barks like it's agreeing with her and we both laugh. The back door sticks a little when you try to open it, and I hold it open for Quinn.

"So, you are passionate about animals?" She asks, untangling the leashes.

"I always wanted a dog growing up but our parents wouldn't let us have one."

She pulls her brows in, "Why not?"

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. "I've always loved animals. I used to help our neighbors on their farm."

"A real farm?" She asks, "Like chickens, pigs, cows, the whole shebang?"

"Yup, I helped deliver a calf once. It was awesome."

She scrunches her nose, "Ew. Do you think you wanna become a veterinarian?"

"Would that be weird?"

Her head shakes adamantly, "No. I think that's cool."

"What do you plan to study?" I ask her, unable to read her expression.

"I'm pre-law."

I pinch my brows together, "I didn't know that Ridge U had a law program."

Her jaw tenses, "They don't. I'll finish my bachelors and then have to attend law school somewhere else."

Something tells me that was not the original plan.

Her face falls, "Wait… Ridge doesn't have a vet program either."

I laugh, "We got plenty of time to figure it all out."

She stops walking so one of the dogs can sniff around a tree. "Are you always as cool as a cucumber?"

"I just try not to get all worked up about things."

She smiles, "Not me. I have zero chill. My anxiety just doesn't mess around. The older I get, the worse it seems to be."

"You dated Collins for two years, I'd have anxiety too."

After I say it, I wish I didn't but she just laughs.

"That's true." She sighs. "He still is adamant that he didn't cheat."

I think back to Collins telling me that he didn't do anything wrong, that he was just protecting her. What does that even mean?

"Does it make a difference if he didn't?" I ask, genuinely curious.

She shakes her head, "No, as crazy as it sounds, it's more complicated than that. He lied to me… for years."

"You wanna talk about it?" I ask, hoping that she'll give me something, but she doesn't. It's not like the cruise. We can't spill our secrets because we won't see each other again.

"Honestly, no."

I nod in agreement, "Well, I'm here if you need someone to vent to."

"Thank you," she says, barely above a whisper.

The rest of the day goes by in a blur of dog walks and non-stop laughing. I feel like I can be myself around Quinn, and it's such a relief.

She cares about getting to know me , not just Gavin the football player.