And then the moment is gone entirely as she pushes me back and slips away from me back towards the others.
8
Quinn
“I’m sorry again I couldn’t stay longer after the wedding.”
Major Lawson pulls out a chair for me at his desk in this extremely old-world and yet exceedingly grandfatherly way, and I can’t help but smile as I take a seat. The Major is every bit the stiff-upper-lip soldier-type, but I can also see why my Father and him were such good friends.
“Oh, that’s fine. You didn’t miss much, really.”
Well, I suppose you missed out on the spectacular and nuclear level event of me realizing the man I slept with and can’t get out of my head is in fact the most off-limits man in my entire world, not to mention my new brother-in-law.
I don’t say that, and instead just clear my throat; “I know Reagan was really glad to have you there, and it meant a lot to Chelsea and me to have you be the one to give her away.”
He nods quietly and solemnly as he takes his own seat across the desk from me; “Well, I was no substitute for your Father, you know, but it was an honor to stand there in his place for his little girl on her day.”
“It would be the highest honor in a lifetime of medals,” he’d said when Reagan had asked him to be the one to walk her down the aisle and give her away in lieu of our Dad, and the memory of that makes me grin.
“He’d be extraordinary impressed by the woman you’ve become; you know that don’t you?”
I smile, thinking of my Dad’s look of surprise when his black-haired, gothy little poetry fanatic of an eldest daughter informed him that she wanted to go to medical school; as if I hadn’t shocked him enough with black eyeliner and heavy metal up to that very point. It’s a look I wish I could’ve sealed up in a little bottle and carried around me with forever.
“Well, I guess maybe part of it is making up for what the company used to do.”
The Major nods; “Sins of the past, and all that. William always hated that part of the business, you know.” He says, sitting forward in his chair and studying my face; “He’d certainly look at the new direction those boys of his are taking Archer Holdings in as the right move, I know that.”
“Do you sell guns, Dad?”
“Who told you that?”
“I’m seventeen, I’m not stupid,” I frown, crossing my arms; “Is it true?”
“Not everything is black and white, Quinn. Sometimes life is a bit more complicated than a yes or no.”
I’d never liked it, back then when we were younger and my Father’s constant absence from our lives to visit places like Kosovo, or Libya, or whatever other place in the world was busy killing each other. We all sort of knew that our Dad’s company sold arms, and while I was hardly for that, I also never really held onto that hate like Reagan had. But now, through Hudson and hearing more about the man we all wished we’d known better, there’s a cathartic sort of healing element to knowing that he’d actually been visiting those places to do the opposite of what we’d all just assumed he was doing.
“Your Father would be very pleased to hear about it” He smiles at me and shakes his head again; “But my, look at you, Quinn Archer. A doctor, and working for his company; he’d love it.” He leans forward and winks at me; “And again, I’m not William, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least check in with his daughters on his behalf.”
I grin and roll my eyes as I feel my cheeks burn a little; “Before you even ask it, no; no boyfriends.”
Major Lawson chuckles and shakes his head as he sits back in his chair; “I had to ask.”
I smile at him, “Let me guess; Dad left last will directions for you to have any ill-intended suitor sent to Guantanamo or something?”
He laughs deeply, the kind of laugh that sucks you right into it too, and he leans back again to wipe his eyes; “Something like that, yes.”
“Yeah, well, save your favor with the CIA; no boyfriends.”
“With your credentials and your mother’s looks?” The Major shakes his head; “What the hell is wrong with those idiots up there in New York?”
I snort; “I don’t even have time for dating! I mean first with the hospital work, and now the stuff with the outreach program, and then there’s Logan-”
The Major’s eyebrows twitch just enough for me to trip over my words, and I freeze.
“What about Logan?”
“Hmm?” I swallow, trying to make my face look as blank as possible; “Oh, nothing.”
Smooth, Quinn, so smooth.