That decision made, I headed inside.

I was stripping when she saw me, and she gasped, but then her eyes darkened as I stepped inside with her.

“Was it a good talk?”

“Yes.” And then there was no more talking.

I hoisted her up and pushed her against the wall the same time my mouth dropped to hers. Then it was just her, me, and a whole fuckuva lot of sex.

44

Quincey

“Girl. You have been busy.”

That was an understatement. I was meeting Ricci for coffee because the few phone calls we’d had weren’t doing the trick. She slid into her chair across from me. We were holed up at a table in the far corner, the coffee shop bustling on a Sunday afternoon, and I gave her a look.

“You’re telling me.”

Ricci cupped her hands around her mug and leaned forward. “No. I want you to tell me, please. You’re in the new production?”

I nodded.

“I’ve seen the pictures on the gossip blogs. I want to know everything.”

I frowned. “Gossip blogs?”

She sat back, her eyes widening a bit. “You don’t know?”

“No.”

What could be on a gossip blog? They never cared about Seattle dancers, and Nate was known, but he wasn’t famous.

“There are pictures of you at dinner with your baby daddy and a whole bunch of speculation about the both of you. You didn’t know? For real?”

I shook my head, dazed. “Why would they care?”

“Because Nate is gorgeous, and young, and wealthy. A friend of mine reached out. She knows one of the bloggers, and she was told that they started getting more traction every time they posted a picture of Nate. I’m assuming it’s the same for the other sites. Sometimes you get famous just by knowing famous people, and your baby daddy knows some famous people.”

“I wish you would stop calling him that.”

“Oh.” She winced. “Sorry, but honestly. What’s the scoop? You guys were at a dinner, and the way he was looking at you? It was making me all hot and bothered.” Then her eyes bulged out. “Oh my God. Your dad. He must be going crazy. You know how he is, thinking he owns you and can control you.” She edged back, frowning to herself. Her finger began tapping against her mug in a distracted and absentminded way. “Wait. You said he backed down from the court thing against you. You think he’s letting you go?”

I sat there.

“No.” She answered her own question, her gaze falling down to the table. “That doesn’t seem like him. Anyway.”

I wasn’t a part of this conversation.

She flashed me a smile. “How’s it going? Also, I had a date last night.”

“Ricci!” I lunged for her, my excitement more because I needed a break from the questions, and I grabbed her wrists.

She squealed, letting go of her mug, but she caught my hands in hers and squeezed. “Yes?”

I laughed. “Tell me about the date.”

She laughed, letting go of me and sitting back.

I sat back, too, finally feeling some tension easing when she started talking.

She met him online. He seemed nice. His name was Marshall. They went to dinner and had drinks afterward, and she ended with, “I slept with him, but he was gone this morning, and I’m pretty sure I’ll never hear from him again.”

She was looking at me as if I was supposed to say something.

“I have no experience with online dating or dating in general. It’s been years since I went on a date.” I wasn’t including Nate because I hadn’t told her about the “us” that was happening, so I wasn’t counting him.

“He wasn’t that good.”

“Nate?” I frowned.

“Huh?”

Right. “Your date.”

“Wait. Why were you thinking about Nate just then? Is there something going on between you two?”

“No.”

“You’re lying.”

I drew in a breath. Ricci always knew me the most out of everyone.

“You are! You totally are. I can see it. And pfft you. You were just lying to me about not having experience dating.”

“Any current experience.”

“Whatever’s going on between you and Nate is current. You’re a liar.”

She was right.

Dammit.

I sighed and then told her everything. Almost everything. I kept back the part where he got mad at his friend last night.

“Wow.”

“I know.”

She looked like she was having a hard time breathing.

I raised an eyebrow. “You okay?”

“I know I shouldn’t, but I’m imagining having sex with that man, and I’m about to come right here.”

“Ricci!”

She started laughing, half falling out of her chair.

I couldn’t fight my own grin.

Then she sobered and straightened back in her chair. “You need to listen to what I’m about to say to you and understand that it’s coming from someone who loves you. Go with him.”

“What?”

“You said you’re worried he’ll want to take Nova to Boston. If he does, go. Seriously. Get away from here. Get a new start, a fresh start. Get away from your dad. If you’re here, you’re going to always feel him over you.”