to something slow, and she laid her head against Baby’s shoulder, but a few seconds later he stopped.
“Can I cut in?”
Baby grimaced and stepped away from Quinn. “Phoenix, you’re the only man in this bar that I’m willing to say yes to. I’ll go dance with Girl Riley.”
Riley pulled her in for a hug before they started dancing at a much more respectable distance from each other than she and Baby had been.
“Hey there, sis. Fancy seeing you here in Oak Creek.”
Quinn’s mom had died before she’d had a chance to remember her. Her dad, an investment banker, had married Riley’s mom when Quinn was five. When she’d turned nine, they’d given her the best present ever, a baby brother.
She mostly remembered Riley as a little boy. He’d always been rambunctious and outgoing and good at every sport he’d ever played, the exact opposite of her. Their differences in age and temperament had meant that they weren’t particularly close, although they’d always loved each other.
Riley had just gotten out of high school and Quinn had been working on her doctorate when both their parents had died in a car accident. By then, Riley’s career as an extreme-sport athlete and YouTube sensation was taking off. Quinn had recently met Peter. Their lives went in different directions and they’d grown further apart.
But he was always going to be her little brother—the one who had tried to teach her how to do wheelies on her bike or flips on the trampoline—both abysmal failures.
“Hey, little bro.”
“I’m not sure if I should be thrilled you’re here or mad because you were here for two weeks without telling me.”
She grimaced and leaned back to look him in the eye. “I know. I’m sorry. It never seemed to be the right time, you know, between you or Girl Riley nearly being killed three or four times per day.”
“Ha. Okay, I’ll give you a one-time pass since it has been an extraordinarily dangerous past two weeks. But, come on, Quinn. You’re the only family I have. There’s nothing I could be going through that would make me not want to see you.”
“I know.” And she did know that. “I needed some time to get my head on straight and your troubles gave me the excuse to keep it all to myself.”
“Riley and I both are here to help you if you need it. No matter what happened at Harvard, you know we’re on your side.”
“Riley filled you in on everything?”
He nodded. “And, just so you know, the police report from the incident came across the sheriff’s desk here. Gavin was waiting for us when we came back from our little getaway. He was concerned for you.”
So it hadn’t been Baby or Kendrick who had told them about the campus situation. She wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse.
She hugged him closer. “Thank you for sharing your hometown with me.”
“How are you liking the job at Teton State College?”
“My work at Harvard was much more research-based. Being back in the classroom is different.”
“But good?”
“Yes. It’s been so long since I’ve taught that I’d forgotten how much I actually enjoyed it.”
The song ended and Quinn found herself pulled back into Baby’s arms.
Her brother winked at her and wrapped his arm around Girl Riley’s waist.
“You deserve to have some fun, sis. It’s time to get to know yourself outside the parameters of Harvard. I think you might be surprised at who you find.”
Quinn smiled. At this point, she hoped there was someone there to find at all.
Boy Riley hitched a thumb toward Baby. “And this one is a good one to help you learn how to let your hair down, in your case, figuratively and literally.”
Her hand automatically went up to her bun. She’d been wearing it this way for so long that it hadn’t occurred to her to leave her hair down, not even to go out.
“I’m definitely up for the job.” Baby’s grin was the most dangerous thing she’d ever seen.
Chapter Twenty
Once Baby got close to Quinn on the dance floor, he didn’t let her out of his sight again. He’d learned his lesson.
Not that she’d tried to get away.
She hadn’t had nearly as much to drink as her birthday, but she was still dancing and having a good time. Every once in a while, she’d shake her head and look around like she couldn’t quite comprehend what was happening around her, and a couple of times she pointed out that she didn’t really fit in