Page 82 of Clueless
“Quinn,” Taz said, resting his hand on her back, as he led her towards me.“This is Grace.”
I smiled as she offered me a small bouquet of mixed flowers.“Thank you.It’s so nice to meet you, Quinn.”Maybe the gesture of flowers was her way of telling me she was ready to give me a chance.I prayed that was the case.
“Nice to meet you too,” she said, setting her purse on the stool at the kitchen island.
Taz’s phone rang and he groaned when he glanced at the screen.“Damn it, it’s Luc.I forgot we had this call lined up.I was supposed to re-schedule but it slipped my mind.”
“Don’t worry about us,” I said, waving him off.“Go take your call.”
“You’re sure,” he asked, looking uneasy as his gaze bounced between me and his daughter.
“Positive.”I wanted to get to know Quinn better without her daddy hovering, shooting warning glances in her direction, if she said something to offend me.
“Okay, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I waited for Taz to retreat to his office, before I asked Quinn, “What can I get you to drink?Water?Soda?”
“Water’s fine, thanks.”She sat on a stool at the island, eyeing the pot on the stove.“You cook?”
“I love to cook.”I added ice to her glass and filled it before setting it on the stone countertop, and retrieving a charcuterie board from the fridge.“I was a bit of a latchkey kid growing up.My mama had to work three jobs, so it was just me and my sister most of the time.But my sister was quite a bit older than me and she got her first job when she was fourteen, to help Mama, so… it was either learn to cook or starve.”I knew I was rambling, but couldn’t help myself.It was a nervous habit I thought I’d overcome.
She nodded as she accepted a plate and napkin before loading up on cheese, crackers, and prosciutto.“It was mostly frozen dinners and Mac and Cheese or cereal for dinner in my house.”
I was grateful I’d had a mama who made nutrition a priority.She’d often walk the five miles to and from work instead of putting gas in her old jalopy, just so we’d have food that week.
“My mama still doesn’t cook,” she said, watching me withdraw a loaf of homemade bread from the oven.“God, that smells amazing.Did you make that?”
“I did.It’s actually a lot easier than you’d think.Only one fifteen-minute rise, and the base recipe is versatile.You can make dinner rolls, breadsticks—” I laughed, when it was obvious I’d lost her.“Never mind.”
“Maybe sometime, when you have the day off, and you’re not too busy, I could come over and you could show me how to make some stuff.”
“I’d love that.”I realized Quinn wasn’t so different from the other young adults I’d worked with in my practice.She was just trying to find her place in the world, her tribe, and figure out what her strengths were.“Just let me know when you’re free.”
“So… you don’t hate me for making my dad break up with you?”
I loved that she was brave enough to cut to the chase.“I could never hate you.In fact, I understand why you did it.I don’t think I would have liked sharing my mama when I was your age either.”
She looked thoughtful as she chewed.“I guess being a therapist makes you a lot more Zen that most people, huh?”
Laughing, I said, “I don’t know about that.I’m an emotional mess a lot of the time.”
“Really?”She sized me up.“Because you sure don’t look like it to me.”
“I don’t have to tell you, some of our biggest messes are on the inside.”
“Hmm.”She seemed to consider that for a minute before asking, “Do you want to marry my dad?”
I’d been taking a sip of wine, and had to swallow before choking on it.“Um, I love your dad.He has talked about the future, but I wanted to wait until you and I met before…” I shrugged.“I don’t know, before I let myself hope for too much, I guess.”
She frowned.“Why would you have to meet me before deciding whether you want to marry my dad?Either you love him or you don’t.”
I understood it was black and white from her perspective, but there were so many gray areas from where I stood.“It’s not a question of wanting to marry him.Of course, I do.I love him.But from the day we met, he told me re-building his relationship with you was his top priority, and I respect and admire that.”
“He actually said that?”she asked, seeming dumb-founded.“The first day you met him?”
I nodded, curling my hand around my glass as I rested my back against the counter.“He did, and it was kind of the reason I fell for him, to be honest.He was rougher than the guys I usually go for, talking about the time he’d been in jail, and all the mistakes he’d made, but when he talked about you, there was a softness that told me he had a huge heart.It was his heart I wanted to get to know better.”
“He does have a big heart,” she said, popping a cracker in her mouth.“Too big, sometimes.He let me take advantage of him.”
