Joyce briefly closed her eyes. “I think it might be my fault.”
“Why?”
“Her mother wanted to talk to her about massage school. We both know that’s not what Courtney wants to do. I know that she wanted to wait to show them her degree, but enough’s enough. I said to tell them what she was doing.”
Quinn’s sympathy faded. “You told them?”
“Why are you saying it like that? I was only trying to help.”
Love for his grandmother blended with frustration and worry about Courtney. “It wasn’t your secret to tell.”
“I didn’t.” Joyce raised her chin. “Not exactly.”
“If that’s true, why are you here so early in the morning?”
Her lower lip began to quiver. “You’re mad at me.”
“No, I’m disappointed.”
“Don’t say that.”
He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “I love you. Nothing can change that. But you were wrong and you know it. I’m not going to tell you otherwise. The person you should be talking to is Courtney, not me.”
“I c-can’t.”
“Then I will.”
He left the bungalow and headed to the hotel. He figured there was a fifty-fifty chance that Courtney had started work, but he went to the fourth floor anyway and knocked on her door.
She answered almost immediately.
She had on her usual maid’s uniform, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her eyes were tired, her mouth drooping.
When she saw him, her shoulders pulled back a little. “If you’ve come here to plead Joyce’s case, I don’t want to hear it.”
He stepped into the room. As she moved back, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.
“Why didn’t you text me or come by?” he asked.
She sagged against him. “I needed to cry, and no guy wants to deal with that.”
“I can deal with anything you have going on.” He kissed her again. “Next time I want to be there. I don’t care what time it is. Understand?”
She nodded and drew back. Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them away. “What if you’re busy having sex with some hot singer?”
“I won’t be. I gave up singers a long time ago. Now I’m into college-going maids who look hot in khakis.”
“That’s a very limited subset.”
“I’m a particular kind of guy.”
She sucked in a breath. “They’re all mad at me. No, not mad. Mad I could deal with. But they’re hurt. I don’t know how I feel about my mom, but I feel awful about Rachel. She and I have always been close.”
“Did you talk to her?”
“I’ve left a couple of messages and texted her. She hasn’t answered.” She sniffed. “You want to know the weird part?”
He nodded.
“Sienna’s the only one who gets it. She thought it was great and said she was proud of me. Who would have thought that would happen?”
“Family dynamics are always interesting.”
“There’s one word for it.” She looked at him. “Just so you know, I’m really mad at Joyce.”
“Good. I am, too.”
“But she’s your grandmother and you’re not really involved.”
“She upset you. That makes me involved.”
“I honestly don’t know what to say to that.”
“Tell me what time you get off work. I’ll take you to dinner, then bring you back here and help you forget about your troubles.”
She managed a slight smile. “With a rousing game of Scrabble?”
“You read my mind.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you.”
He hugged her back. “Anytime.”
“I have to get to work.”
“I know. I’ll see you soon.”
As Courtney started down the stairs, Quinn thought about all that had happened. Joyce meddling wasn’t news, although this time the consequences would be bigger than usual.
But the problem his grandmother had created wasn’t what captured his attention. Instead, it was how he’d felt when he’d found out. And how he’d reacted. He’d wanted to protect Courtney. He’d wanted to be there for her.
Somehow she’d gotten under his skin. He supposed some of it was the juxtaposition of her lack of confidence and her complete bravery. Some of it was just her.
He’d moved back to Los Lobos to be closer to his grandmother, to get away from LA and to figure out what was next for him. Courtney was an unexpected gift. Now he had to figure out what he was going to do about her, his job, hell, his life, and if there was any possibility of finding his way to what the rest of the world considered normal.