Chapter 6

6

R ebecca strolled through the local market like she did most Saturdays, the late-morning sun warming her face. The air hummed with the chatter of shoppers and the scent of sweet pastries. As she approached the vegetable stand, she reached for a pepper, and a flash of blonde hair caught her eye. A navy Yankees cap, pulled low, shielded the face, but the figure was unmistakable. She was wearing a white tank top with a navy plaid flannel shirt over it and jeans.

Rebecca glanced over, watching her hand the woman behind the stall a few bills, telling her to keep the change before slinging her now full tote bag over her shoulder and heading for the parking lot.

Rebecca left the pepper, picking up her pace to catch up to her.

"Quinn Fallon? Is that THE Quinn Fallon?" Rebecca called out once they were far enough away from the market, her voice teasing.

Quinn turned. "Rebecca," she said with a sigh, when she recognized her.

Rebecca smiled. "Driving a ten-year-old Ford? It couldn't be."

Quinn's grin widened, a playful glint in her eyes. "Keep your voice down," she said, glancing around nervously. "I had Reagan find me the most inconspicuous car she could, and this is what she came up with."

"I'm joking," Rebecca said as she watched Quinn unlock the black car and put her tote bag on the floor on the passenger's side. "That's clever though. I was wondering what you were going to do for the next year. How you were going to manage everyday things like this."

Quinn closed the door and leaned against it. "My mother told you I was staying?"

"Yeah. It's not a secret, is it?" Rebecca asked, remembering how desperate Sarah was to find out what was going on with her daughter.

"No," Quinn said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Not at all."

"Well, I was bound to find out sooner rather than later. We're not quite neighbors, but close enough. I'm number nineteen."

"I had no idea."

"I only bought it two years ago. I didn't want to stay renting indefinitely." Rebecca knew what Sarah was talking about though. There was something off with Quinn. She seemed on edge almost. "It's a quiet road. I can see why you picked it."

Quinn nodded, her eyes rarely staying on Rebecca for more than a few seconds.

It dawned on her then that maybe Quinn didn't like being out here in the open, with people coming and going from their cars. "Sorry," Rebecca said. "I'm sure you want to get back and cook something with all those fresh veg."

"No. Well, I am hungry, but I'm just not sure how this is going to go yet," she said throwing a glance over her shoulder back towards the market. "I'm not used to this. In L.A. I generally have things planned out and either a driver or security. It's strange just being here. Wandering around. With no back up."

Rebecca slid her phone out of the pocket of her jeans and offered it to Quinn. "You should have my number."

Quinn didn't say anything as she took the phone and added her number. She finally met her eyes properly as she handed Rebecca her phone. "I hope Chloe doesn't get jealous," she said with a smirk.

Rebecca laughed as she tapped on Quinn's name to call her. "Now you have mine. But no, Chloe's not going to get jealous, because she's not going to know. I ended things… Before they could get too serious."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Quinn took another look over her shoulder. "I'd say she didn't take that well."

Rebecca pressed her lips together. "No. She was too young for me really. I probably shouldn't have agreed to meet her, never mind invite her to your mother's party."

Quinn's eyes narrowed. "It wasn't because of me was it? I mean, how Chloe was with me. Not me, me." She took a deep breath. "Sorry, my head's all over the place out here. I feel like I'm on high alert."

"Do you have any plans for this evening?" Rebecca asked without really thinking.

"Uh, no. No. I'm was going to make dinner and open a bottle of wine."

"Do you want to do that with me? At my place?" Rebecca doubted herself for a moment. They'd known each other for years, but never as friends. Just as her best friend's daughter who she'd always gotten along well with. This was a little out of left field, but she wanted to know that Quinn was really okay, and then she could tell Sarah that, so she could stop worrying about her daughter. "I had very similar plans for this evening, so…"

Quinn hesitated for just long enough that Rebecca wished she hadn't asked, but then a smile tugged at her lips. "Yeah. I'd like that."

Rebecca looked down at her watch. She needed time to shower, make dinner, and tidy up a small bit. It was almost one now. "Around four sound good?"

"Perfect. I might make a trip to the liquor store while I'm dressed like this," she said motioning towards her clothes. "I need to stock the house. Anything you prefer?"

"I'm not fussy. Maybe red? It's finally starting to feel like fall. I think I'll light the fire and make something wintery. Are you a vegetarian?"

Quinn laughed softly. "No. Why would you think that?" She threw a glance over her shoulder to the tote bag packed with vegetables, a smile still on her lips. "No, seriously, I'm not. I just wasn't quite ready to brave the supermarket so… It was going to be a veggy meal tonight."

"No allergies?"

"None. I will eat just about anything," Quinn said, her hands in her pockets now.

"Good to know. I'll see you around four then."

"Yeah. See you then."

Rebecca gave her a wave and walked back to the market, thinking ahead to what she'd need for dinner. Well, she needed to decide what she was going to cook first.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket as she slid it out, Sarah's name on the screen. "Hey," she said.

"Hi. Got plans for tonight?" Sarah asked.

Rebecca found herself unable to answer for a second. "Yeah, I do. Why?"

"Oh? Hot date?"

Rebecca sucked in a breath and whatever way she did it, she ended up having a coughing fit. "I'm fine," she said after a few seconds, her voice strained. "No date."

"I was just going to ask you if you wanted to try that new Mexican place. But maybe some other night?"

"Yeah. Definitely."

They said goodbye, and Rebecca hung up, wondering why she hadn't felt comfortable telling Sarah that her plans for this evening were with her daughter. Maybe, she didn't want Sarah to get her hopes up that Rebecca would come away with anything. That was the only explanation really.