True to Me - Kay Bratt Page 0,13

Quinn said.

The girl walked in, her ponytail swishing from side to side. “You can stay in the guesthouse,” she said, smiling at Quinn. She looked to her mother, her eyebrows up. “Mama, you said she was our guest. Pali should give up his room.”

First Maria looked surprised; then she nodded. She turned to Quinn.

“Yes. You take the guesthouse, and I’ll talk to my uncle in Oahu about visiting him,” she said, emphasizing visiting to make it clear to Quinn not to say anything in front of the girl. “I can have Pali’s things cleared out of there in an hour or so.”

“Oh, no. I can’t. I’m fine staying at the hotel,” Quinn said. She sure didn’t feel like it was her home yet, papers or not, and camping out on the property just didn’t feel right.

“No—please,” Maria insisted, “I’d feel less guilty if you took the guesthouse. It’s just messy right now because my son has been staying out there. But I’ll tidy it up and give you fresh linens. I can cook for you. I—I—”

“Maria, please.” Quinn reached out and took her hands, stopping them from wringing a hole through the towel. She couldn’t believe what she was about to say. “We need to have a solution by the weekend. I’ll even help you pack. Then I can get a contractor out here on Monday.”

Alani looked at her mother, confusion across her face.

“What is she talking about, Mama?”

Oops. Quinn stood. She’d had enough drama for one day. She felt completely wrung out herself, probably even rivaling the dishcloth.

Maria put her arms around Alani. “We need to talk, honey.”

“I’m going next door,” Alani said as she wiggled out of the embrace and went out the back door.

That was Quinn’s cue. “I’m sorry. I’ll see myself out,” she said. “You might want to go ahead and start contacting movers for a quote. Can you give me your number?”

Maria nodded, but it didn’t look convincing. She went to the counter and jotted her number down, then handed it over.

Quinn retreated through the living room, eyeing the wainscoting that needed painting, then the spectacular built-in china cabinets in the wall.

Through the dining room she caught a glimpse of the large bay window looking out into the rear of the property. The window went from floor to ceiling, flooding the room with sunlight. A quick glance at the hardwood floors showed their damage too. They needed refinishing.

Despite the rough edges, the Realtor hadn’t lied, after all. The house was a hidden gem, and once she was finished with it, Quinn had every confidence it would be a showstopper. She wished she had time to check out all the rooms, but she needed to leave and give Maria privacy to talk to her kids. She would call her in the morning to talk specifics.

Not to mention, the emotional charge in the house was more than Quinn could bear. It was going to be a long way back to the hotel. For once, she hoped that Ethan didn’t call her to check in that night. She needed more time to figure out just how much to tell him so that she could keep what he’d tell her back at a minimum.

Chapter Five

The next morning Quinn pulled the brim of her hat lower to block the sun from her eyes. She was tired, having spent the night fighting off stress-filled dreams starring an indignant Ethan. Now the waves crashed gently against the beach, a monotonous yet intoxicating sound. Still on East Coast time, she’d woken before dawn, but waited until the sun rose to come down and take a corner table at the outside restaurant.

She thought of the breakfast that Maria was probably getting prepped and ready to serve. Though she couldn’t accept the offer, she also couldn’t stop thinking about the cozy-looking guesthouse. Quinn spent her life running around hotels, and there weren’t enough amenities in the world to make it feel comfortable on her time off. She just wanted to forget her real life for a while, and the familiar hotel environment wasn’t making it easy.

She also felt uncomfortable being there solo, as though each couple or family who walked up wondered who she was and why she was alone. She ordered a bagel and side of fruit, then tossed it down and finished it off with a cup of orange juice before signing the bill and heading toward the beach. At the beach, she pulled a resort chair to a secluded spot on the