of his life was almost as unthinkable.
Rubbing his neck, he let out a sigh and leaned back against the bench.
“Are you taking classes?”
Baby looked over at the guy who had sat down on the bench next to him a few minutes after he’d arrived—early twenties, skinny—the type of guy who looked like a student, more into books than physical activities.
Baby shook his head. “Not right now. Although it looks like I’ll be taking three classes in the spring. How about you?”
The guy shrugged. “College wasn’t really for me. I’m here waiting for her.” He gestured over toward one of the young women Quinn was talking to, though Baby couldn’t tell which one. “I’ve got something very special planned for her soon.”
The guy was obviously excited about it.
“Yeah?” Baby asked, eyes still glued on Quinn. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to have something special planned for Quinn without feeling like he was keeping a huge secret?
“Yeah,” the guy said. “Something big right here on campus. I hope she’ll never see it coming. It’s so hard to surprise your someone special.”
Sounded like he was planning to propose, although he barely looked old enough. But good for him. He was barely out of his teens and already had his life together more than Baby. “I hope it goes well.”
“It will.”
“Does your friend like her classes?”
The younger man shrugged. “This new teacher seems much better than the other guy. She used to work at Harvard or something, so I guess it’s not surprising she’s great.”
Baby smiled. Yeah, not surprising at all. He nodded. “A good teacher can make all the difference.”
Baby rubbed his eyes. He needed to tell Quinn the truth. But damn it, doing so would only emphasize the vast differences between them. He was already well aware of those differences. To tell her the truth would be to announce his failures.
One of the girls with Quinn smiled, waved goodbye, and headed off in the opposite direction. The guy next to Baby mumbled a goodbye and jogged after her.
Baby stood and Quinn noticed his presence. The smile that lit up her face took his breath away.
Damn it.
No, he definitely couldn’t do it. If he told her the truth, he’d never see that smile again. Instead, it would be replaced by something else. What he dreaded most.
Pity.
He’d kept this secret from everyone for good reason. He wouldn’t deviate from that now, no matter how beautiful the smile.
Chapter Twenty-Five
It was almost as if her thoughts had conjured Baby here. She said goodbye to the other student, who had been looking for clarification on her final project, then walked over to where Baby was standing by the bench.
“Hey, good looking. How’s about you let me take you out to dinner? There’s a place just outside of Reddington City I’ve been wanting to try.”
Her heart actually skipped a beat as he studied her face and trailed his thumb down her cheek. “How about you let me take you out to dinner?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “No. You’ve paid for every single date we’ve been on, and now that my debit card seems to be in working order—knock on wood–it’s my turn to take you out.”
He wound an arm around her waist and pulled her up against him. Students glanced at them as they walked by. It wasn’t a terribly busy time of day—late afternoon courses weren’t overly popular—but there were a few.
And Quinn didn’t care. Didn’t care if they realized that she was a dozen years his senior. Didn’t care if public displays of affection were borderline unprofessional. She didn’t care. And it felt good.
He walked with her to her office so she could grab her things. “Please tell me you were here because you’re registering for classes next semester.”
“I didn’t do it today, but yes, I’m definitely taking some next semester.”
That eased something inside her. Something that, despite all the good things that had happened between them, she’d been afraid she had broken before she’d known who he was. She grabbed her stuff, locked in the filing cabinet, then reached over to kiss him. “Good. I’m sure you’re going to do much better next semester since nobody’s trying to kill you in an adventure race.”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his green eyes. “Let’s hope so.”
Note to self, still too early to joke about almost dying.
They’d left Baby’s truck in the parking lot and taken her car. She’d insisted on driving since this was her date and was glad she had when