“I’m sure I would be happy to see you, too, if I could remember,” I tell her regretfully. I know it’s true. When I couldn’t sleep last night, I went through my old text messages. I found about a million from me to Reece, demanding that she return to Caberra. Our text conversations had me laughing. She’s pretty funny. I can see why I liked her.
She’s shaking her head now. “Why are you still in bed? It’s 9:00 a.m.”
And she’s looking at me almost accusingly. I narrow my eyes.
“If you try and tell me that I’m normally a morning person, I’m going to know that you’re on drugs. There’s no way that’s true.”
Reece laughs. “Heck, no. I won’t even try it. I’m actually surprised that you haven’t thrown a pillow at my head yet.”
“Don’t think I haven’t thought about it,” I tell her. “But since we’re just meeting- for the second time- I’m trying to be on my best behavior.”
She laughs again. “You’re the same Mia, even if you don’t remember,” she tells me. “You’ve always had spunk. And you’ve still got it. That’s important, I think.”
“It is?” I stare at her. “I don’t think my mother thinks so.”
Reece smiles. “You and your mom… you’ve been at each other’s throats since the day I met you. I doubt that’s ever going to change.”
“We have?” I ask with interest. “She’s trying hard to make me believe that I’ve always been perfect… perfect manners, perfect behavior, perfect at everything. It didn’t really seem in-line with what I feel.”
Reece laughs now, a tinkling sound in the sunshine of my bedroom. In fact, she laughs until she is gasping for air. I find myself glaring at her.
“I don’t think it was that funny,” I tell her wryly.
“Oh, but it is,” she gasps. “If you could only remember. You would just die about that.”
“I must have been a monster,” I mutter as I swing my legs out of bed. Reece looks at me and sobers up.
“No, of course you weren’t,” she tells me quickly. “You were just feisty. And you didn’t take crap from anyone. And you definitely didn’t try to be perfect for your mother. She has her own ideas about how the perfect family should be that you’ve never agreed with. You’ve never wanted to pretend to be someone that you’re not. I’ve always loved that about you.”
I sigh.
“It’s so good to hear you say that,” I admit to her. “Gavin tells me that I should just fall into rank and do what I’m told because it’s easier that way. And he should know- he’s in the same position as me. But it doesn’t feel right. I don’t want to try and change who I am just to fit an image. But apparently, that’s sort of exactly what I was doing before. It seems that I was deliberately going out of my way to be the opposite of what my parents wanted me to be. I don’t really want to do that either. I just want to figure out who I really am and be that.”
Reece is looking at me sympathetically and I don’t like that.
“Don’t feel sorry for me,” I tell her. “Please. I seriously hate that.”
She tightens up her expression and leans over to give me a hug.
“In that case,” she answers. “I’m glad to see you. Get your butt out of bed. We’ve got things to do and people to scare.”
I laugh and she smirks.
“That’s something you would have said once upon a time,” she tells me. I grin.
“Well, then, let’s go scare some people.”
I get dressed and Reece and I go downstairs for breakfast. When we walk into the kitchen, Dante and Quinn are lounging at the table with freshly squeezed orange juice.
Together.
Which seems odd to me.
Quinn grins lazily at me and I fight the urge to dive into his lap and rub up against him like a cat. That might not go over so well, so I restrain myself.
Dante turns and his entire face lights up when he sees me.
“Mia!” he says happily.
He gets to his feet and I look him over. Yes, he’s exactly as I thought he would be…like a fashion model. He’s wearing khaki slacks and a button-up shirt with rolled up sleeves. The very picture of casual elegance. But he’s sexy as hell with that dimple in his chin and his sparkling eyes. I smile and he hugs me.
“It’s good to see you,” he tells me quietly. “I’ve been so worried about you ever since I heard.”
“It’s good to see you too,” I tell him. “I don’t remember you right now, but I’m hoping that I will soon.”
“You will,” he tells me confidently. “I have faith in that. Everything will be fine.”
Dante has an air of calm around him that is contagious. I feel comforted by his presence, like all will be well because he says it will be. I like that.
He pushes out the chair next to him for me and Reece sits next to Quinn. I can tell that there is no animosity there at all, they’re as comfortable as old friends can be. And Dante is perfectly secure with their relationship. As he should be. It’s apparent to anyone in a five mile radius that Reece is completely in love with him. Any thoughts she ever had about Quinn are long gone.
“How long are you home for?” I ask as I nibble on a fresh croissant. Dante shrugs elegantly.
“We don’t really know yet,” he answers. “As soon as we heard about the quake, we knew that we needed to come and help with the cleanup, especially when we heard about you. We talked my dad into it and here we are. But I don’t know how long he’ll let us stay.”
“How can you miss school in America?” I ask curiously. Dante shrugs again.
“If we’re here too long, we’ll just finish out the year here. I’m not that worried about it.”
I know that Old Mia would be very happy to hear this. And I’m sure that New Mia will be too. Eventually. Soon.
Stupid vague words.
“Reece and I have to go see my father this morning,” Dante tells us. “But this afternoon, we’ve volunteered to help with a clean-up effort in town. Would you like to join us?”
“Of course,” I say. Quinn is nodding too.
“I’d be happy to,” Quinn says. He meets my gaze and my face immediately gets hot. I don’t know why. I’m weird, I guess. That’s a good reason. And also, I think he wants to come because I’ll be there. That’s a good reason, too.
OhMyWord.
That thought makes me flustered.
I’m suddenly finding it hard to breathe. I try to breathe out of my nose like a normal person, not out of my mouth like a weird mouth-breather. But panting makes that difficult.
“So, want to meet here around 2:00?” Dante asks as he stands up. “We can ride together.”
“Sure,” I tell him. He bends down and squeezes my shoulder.
“It really is good to see you, Mi,” he tells me quietly and then gives me a peck on the cheek. I smile at him.
“It’s good to see you too,” I answer. And I mean it. Even if I don’t remember, it is still good to see them. He and Reece are so friendly. And their blue eyes sparkle all of the time. What’s not to like? They’re like friendly, witty Barbie and Ken dolls. They’re a gorgeous matching set.
They leave and Quinn and I are left alone at the table.
“So, what are your plans for the day?” Quinn asks. “Until 2:00, I mean?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure yet. I’m thinking about seeing if Gavin wants to go diving. I’ve got to see if I still know how to swim somehow. I’ve got a deal to uphold.”
Quinn grins. “You sure do. And you don’t strike me as someone who would renege.”
I’m already shaking my head. “Never.”
He laughs and clears his plate, putting it in the sink. I like the fact that he does that. It’s a thoughtful thing, even though it’s small. My gaze flickers to his butt, which is framed perfectly in worn Levi’s. I seriously doubt there is a pair of jeans in the world that doesn’t agree with that butt. And then he turns and catches me checking his agreeable butt out.
Epic. Fail.
I blush.
“See something you like?” he asks, one eyebrow raised.
I blush again.
“I don’t know what you mean,” I stammer.
He chuckles. “Wrong answer, tiny tot. You’re supposed to give me a verbal lashing. That’s what you did the last time I caught you checking out my merchandise.”
My mouth drops open.
“Your merchandise? Are you selling something now?”
Quinn winks. “That depends on who is buying.”
And he saunters out.
Yes, saunters. There is no other word to describe the casual, cocky way that he moves through life. OhMyGod.
My fingers are practically shaking as I pick up my phone and text Gavin. I don’t know why I’m shaking, either. I have no idea why I let Quinn affect me like he does. It’s like my hormones are instantly nervous whenever he is near. I wonder if his are affected the same way? I shake my head and focus on my phone.
Wanna go diving?
I text this to Gavin. And then I add a smiley face.
There is an answer in less than ten seconds.
My, aren’t we happy today? And of course, Mi. The answer to that is always yes.
I shove my phone in my pocket and sigh. So, apparently, I don’t usually use emoticons. I should make a list of all the things I don’t normally do. But then again, that would negate my new theory that I’m going to rediscover myself. So I shelve that idea.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, so I pull it back out.
BTW, you always wear a bikini to dive. A skimpy one.
I laugh out loud. And I’m still laughing when I hear a voice behind me.
“Good morning, sweet one.”
I turn to find Marionette gliding into the kitchen. She bends and hugs me and I am truly happy to see her.
“Good morning,” I answer as I return her hug. “Do you happen to know… do I have a car here?”
She smiles. “You do have a car. But it isn’t here. And honestly, I don’t know if it was damaged in the quake. But Darius would be happy to take you anywhere you need to go.”
“Thank you,” I smile at her.
“He’s out in the barn, I think,” she tells me before she grabs a loaded breakfast tray, presumably for my mother.
The thought that my mother is up and around puts a spring into my step. I pack a bag with a one-piece swimsuit and duck out before I can accidentally bump into her. I’m guessing that my mother isn’t a morning person, either.
But that’s just a guess.
I do find Darius in the barn and he is happy to give me a ride, just as Marionette said he would be. He chats casually during the ride into town. The farm truck is bumpy and jostling, but I don’t mind. He drops me off at the pier and as I am standing there, I realize something.
I didn’t bring any equipment.
I’m an idiot.
And I’m still standing there like an idiot when Gavin finds me.