Another lie. She hated how they suddenly felt painful leaving her lips. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ben’s mouth frown in what looked like disgust.
Josslyn visibly deflated before her. Adam wrapped an arm around her waist and nuzzled the top of her head. “We’ll find someone. I promise.”
His fiancée smiled up at him. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. As long as you’re waiting for me at the end of the aisle.”
“I’m happy to ask around to see who else is available,” Quinn offered.
And she was genuinely happy to do so. These were Ben’s friends. Despite the teasing, they all seemed to be fond of each other. She would do something nice for Josslyn and Adam because Ben cared for them.
What would it be like to have friends like that?
She quashed the envy rolling in her stomach. She’d made her own choices, following in the path she’d been set upon at a young age. That path didn’t allow for long-lasting friendships. Or any relationship for that matter. Why was it the only time the situation bothered her was when Ben was around?
“That would be wonderful, Quinn,” Josslyn said. “But, really, I don’t mean to be a bridezilla about it. Adam is right. The White House photographers will do a lovely job.”
Quinn reached out and squeezed the other woman’s hand. “We’ll find you someone who will do more than just lovely.”
A stunning smile lit up Josslyn’s face. “Thank you. And now we get to taste test the hors d’oeuvres we’re serving at the reception. Come on. This is going to be fun.”
Adam helped his fiancée to the dock as Quinn tried to think of a plausible excuse to remain behind and search for the micro card. But then Ben was extending his hand to her.
“Come on, Brit, let’s go fill up on appetizers.”
Her stomach did a little stutter-step at his use of the nickname he’d given her all those years ago. Even better, the corners of his mouth had actually turned up in a slight smile. She looked longingly at his outstretched hand. Once they were occupied taste testing appetizers, she could double back to the sailboat and grab the list. But in the meantime, it would be nice to take a break from the game and enjoy the company of her first love. Memories of these next couple of hours would have to sustain her for a lifetime.
Without a second thought, she slipped her fingers into his and followed him off the boat.
Chapter Five
The irony wasn’t lost on Ben that after all these years, he was finally holding Quinn Darby’s hand in public. Parading two blocks up Watertown’s Main Street, to be precise. He half expected her to yank her fingers free once they left the marina, but she kept them there, wrapped in his, relaxed and soft against his skin.
Too bad those assholes who still teased him about being left holding a corsage at the prom couldn’t see him now. They wouldn’t be so quick to dispute his relationship with the beautiful redhead. Unfortunately, the onlookers and paparazzi were too busy focusing their attention on Josslyn, the more famous member of their entourage that included not only the four of them, but Josslyn’s detail of Christine and another agent.
Quinn adjusted their grip, lacing her fingers more firmly—more intimately—through his. A surge of desire roared through him before he beat it back. He shouldn’t have touched her aboard the Seas the Day much less be holding her hand right now. But perhaps things were just as she said and she was simply an innocent photographer mixed up with the wrong crowd. Apparently, she had entre to the world’s beautiful people, documenting their extravagant lives for magazines and social media. Maybe if he heard her out, she’d have a good excuse for deserting him. Maybe they could start over.
He mentally shook himself. Stop being such a damn sucker. Based on the lie she’d told Josslyn about photographing their wedding, Quinn had no intention of sticking around for long. He needed to keep reminding certain parts of his body she was a means to an end, just as he had been to her all those years ago. This, their stroll and dinner, constituted nothing more than a simple op. Quinn was a person of interest.
End of story.
He didn’t realize he’d tightened his grip on her hand until she shot him a confused look. He quickly released her fingers and shoved his hand in his pocket.
She sighed beside him. “Where are we going?”
“Ben’s sister has a fabulous place right here along the water,” Josslyn answered for him.
“Your sister left New York?”
He was surprised Quinn remembered he had a sister much less that Rebecca once managed a famous restaurant in Manhattan. It was her first job out of college and, back then, she vowed to never live anywhere else. But marriage had a way of altering plans, as Ben was finding out watching his friends succumb to the ball and chain.
“The shine wore off the Big Apple pretty quickly,” was all he said.
The sun was sliding toward the horizon when they arrived at the lively dockside restaurant. What once was a small fishing wholesale warehouse had been turned into a trendy eatery complete with an open-air bar and double-tier deck for dining alfresco. Situated as it was at the end of the Water Street, the view consisted of nothing but glistening water and the occasional dolphin. The restaurant always drew a steady clientele, especially on summer weekends. Every time he entered, Ben felt a little burst of pride at the success his sister had made of the place.
The young hostess led them to a table tucked away in the corner of the lower deck giving them a perfect view of the bay. Quinn pulled a camera from her purse and immediately began snapping pictures of the water, now a deep purple as twilight descended.
“This place is fantastic,” she said as she continued to shoot. “Your sister is right. This is much better than New York, if you ask me.”
Ben thought so, too. One of the things he’d most loved about Quinn was her appreciation of Watertown. Despite her international upbringing, she took pleasure in the natural beauty of the town and surrounding area.
At least, she had always appeared to.
Christine and the other agent took the table beside them, essentially cutting them off from the other diners. As Adam and Josslyn seated themselves at the table, Ben pulled out a chair for Quinn. She was sliding into her seat when he was nearly taken down at the knees by two imps slamming into the back of his legs.
“Daddy! You came home!”
“Momma said you weren’t ever going to come get us! We missed you, Daddy!”
He swore as he tried to untangle the little beasts from his lower body. Quinn rose from the table, he hoped to help him out, but her startled expression said otherwise. She looked like she was poised for flight. Adam and Josslyn were laughing too hard to be of any help, damn them.
His aunt’s laughter added to the chaos of the moment. “Still gets me every time,” she said between guffaws.
“Still not funny, Aunt Marnie.” He grabbed his nephew by the ear and yanked him off.
“Ow!” Liam released his wrestler’s hold on Ben’s leg to massage his tender lobe.
“Next time, whatever Aunt Marnie pays you to pull this prank, I’ll pay you double not to do it. Understand?”
He looked into the seven-year-old’s coffee-colored eyes, so shrewd for his age.