Warm Nights in Magnolia Bay, Babette Jongh [book club books txt] 📗

“You stop.” Quinn followed along behind Abby and grabbed her arm, hauling her back. “Chasing him isn’t helping. The damn cat’ll be fine once he calms down.”

Sure enough, as Quinn held Abby still with her back against his chest, her backside against his front side, the cat climbed up through the hedge and leaped over the fence to safety. Although tempted to hold her against him long enough to get her attention, Quinn knew better. He didn’t have room or time in his life to start something real, and he didn’t want anything less. He ran a hand down Abby’s arm, then released her. “See?”

Abby put a hand on her heart and turned toward him. He could practically see her heart beating, a hectic flutter of pulse in her delicate neck. “How in the world…? I mean, how did Griff fall into your pool? My aunt has a pool; none of the cats have ever fallen in. They’re all very pool-savvy.” She took a breath. “I can’t imagine why on earth Griff would fall into your pool. Did you see it happen?”

Quinn waited for Abby’s nervous prattle to subside, then shrugged. He deliberately avoided glancing toward the pissed-on wrench that lay somewhere between the pool pump and his stadium chair, looking instead into Abby’s trusting hazel eyes. “I have no idea.”

* * *

Abby’s restful weekend wasn’t fated to last long; a child’s birthday party was scheduled for the afternoon. Then, after another week of nonstop school field trips, she should be done hosting events at Bayside Barn for the rest of the summer. Though a group of scouts or homeschoolers might book an outing, or a family might book a birthday party, the summer months, at least on paper, looked to be blessedly free of commitments.

If Abby could just get through the next week, she’d be home free, with nothing to do but care for the animals, lie by the pool, fill out online job applications and send out résumés. Office manager jobs were few and far between—especially when she couldn’t get a reference from her cheating ex, Blair—but she had three whole months to find something. Reva had offered Abby a full-time job helping around the farm, but Abby knew that Reva couldn’t really afford it, even if she kept half to cover room and board. Nope; Abby couldn’t rely on Reva forever. She had to find a real job.

First things first, though. She had a birthday party to get through. She planned to give the farm tour and let the kids pet the animals, then leave the group on their own for a couple of hours to have their party in the pavilion and swim in the pool, or even the pond. The party participants had all signed waivers of liability and were free to swim as long as the party organizers provided supervision.

She moved the benches to the edges of the pavilion and set up several picnic tables. Then, with an hour to spare before the group arrived, she decided to go for a swim herself.

Or maybe just a float.

She set her phone’s alarm so she wouldn’t accidentally fall asleep, then stretched out on a pool float and closed her eyes. The goats and sheep bleated softly from their pasture, happy sounds of contentment and communication with one another. Abby made a mental note to chop some carrots for the birthday-party kids to feed them.

Celery too. The stalks she had in the fridge were beginning to go soft. And goats with limp celery fronds hanging from their mouths would make great photo ops for the partygoers.

As Abby floated, her mind floated, too.

She thought of Reva, who must be busy because she still hadn’t called, though they’d been texting a lot.

She thought of the wolf dog, who had dragged two of Reva’s cooking pots into the forest. Great that he was eating the food Abby put out, but she’d have to figure out another, less-expensive container to use. As she thought of the poor stray, she realized he must be thirsty, too. Then she thought of the neighbor’s pool. Green and slimy it may be, but at least it was wet. The dog probably drank there; the warped and battered gate to that property was permanently rusted open.

She thought of the good-looking neighbor, who—

A phone rang, and Abby nearly turned the float over reaching for hers before she realized the sound came from next door.

“Hey, Sean!” Quinn answered. He sounded delighted, and also desperate. Like whoever had called was a loved one who had spurned his advances and was now doling out phone calls the way a prison guard might hand out moldy bread to a starving prisoner.

“That’s…that’s wonderful, son. I’m glad to hear it.”

Son. Oh, right. Abby remembered him saying he had a kid. After that heartbreak with Blair, Abby had promised herself that she would never again get involved with a man who had children.

Never, never again.

“I can’t wait for you to see this place,” Abby heard Quinn say. “I have your room ready, and the bathroom renovation is almost done…” His voice trailed away; he had been interrupted and was listening now. “Yeah, only one bathroom, but…”

Interrupted again. His son must be a little jerk. She wondered how old he was. Probably a teenager. By the sound if it, she’d have no chance of falling in love with Quinn’s bratty kid, as she’d done with Blair’s daughter. Cranky teenage son put Quinn back in the running. It also took him out. No way did she want to be a stepmother to a terrible teenager.

Abby sighed. She needed to get over her tendency to see a cute guy from a hundred yards away and start planning a life with him. That’s what had gotten her into trouble in the first place. All the other women who worked in the dentist office knew to stay away from their charming asshole boss, Dr. Blair White, a.k.a. Dr. Blaring-White Teeth.

And yes, his teeth were as beautiful as