Beautifully Hurt (Beautifully Broken)

“How much I’m enjoying this. Dinner was amazing. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I reach for her hand and brush my fingers over hers.

A ringtone sounds up from the living room, and Quinn pulls her hand from mine. “It’s probably Katie or my dad.” She rushes out of the kitchen, and then I hear her say, “Hi, I’m having dinner with Eli. I’ll call you when I get home.” There’s a moment’s silence, then she murmurs, “It’s… I can’t talk now. I’ll call you later. Okay?”

“It was Katie,” Quinn says as she comes to sit down again.

“I bet she’s curious.”

Quinn chuckles as she picks up her wine glass. “You have no idea. She’s expecting a detailed report.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“What are you going to tell her?”

The cutest smile tugs at Quinn’s lips. “That today was amazing.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” I twirl the glass in my fingers, then ask, “Tell me something about you I don’t know.”

Quinn thinks for a moment, then says, “We live in a small town. I’m sure you know everything about me.”

“What makes you smile?”

Her mouth instantly curves up. “You.”

I let out a chuckle. “What else.”

“The little things in life. Looking at the stars with Katie. My dad’s truck pulling up to the house. Hearing someone laugh.”

I fall deeper for this woman.

Quinn shrugs, then asks, “And you? What makes you smile?”

“You,” I tease her, then I add, “My family.”

Chapter 7

QUINN

It’s real.

I’m dating Eli.

It’s been a week, and it still hits me every now and then that we’re a couple.

Katie screamed my ear off when I told her the good news.

Every morning Eli stops at The Green Leaf to bring me a vanilla latte before heading across the road to open the hardware store.

I was in love with him before we started dating, but now I’m just floating on cloud nine, my feet hardly touching the ground.

There’s no stopping my emotions that are growing stronger at the speed of light. It’s overwhelming, making it hard to focus on my work or anything else for that matter.

I let out a dreamy sigh, and then Katie also sighs. We’re both sitting at the counter, just staring at the flowers.

“Thinking about Eli?” she asks.

“Yeah.” A couple of seconds later, I ask, “Thinking about Jason?”

“Yeah.” We both begin to laugh. “We’re so silly.”

I turn my gaze to my best friend. “We’re happy.”

Katie takes hold of my arm and rests her cheek against my shoulder. “So very happy.”

“I think I’ll just spontaneously combust when Eli finally kisses me.”

Katie begins to laugh again. “You’ll be fine.”

“Just thinking about it has my stomach fluttering up a storm.”

My comment has Katie admitting, “I wish I could get a do-over with Jason. I was so focused on not being the worst kisser ever that I didn’t take in how it felt.”

“That’s not what you told me,” I tease her. “I got a detailed description of Jason’s tongue, which was a little traumatizing, to be honest.”

Katie playfully shoves my arm. “So mean.” Then she grins at me. “But damn, the man knows what to do with his tongue.”

“Come on,” I cry with laughter. “There’s such a thing as oversharing.”

“I bet Eli’s tongue is going to rock your world,” she teases me.

“Shh…” I laugh. “But yeah, you’re probably right.”

“The way you’ve built him up in your mind, I’m sure a peck on the lips will be enough to blow your mind.”

“Who’s being mean now?”

My phone buzzes, and I glance at it.

Eli: Looks like you’re having fun.

My eyes dart to the window, and when I see Eli standing across the road, I wave at Katie. “Be right back.”

I dart out of the store, and crossing the road, I can’t stop smiling.

“Hey,” Eli murmurs from where he’s leaning back against the wall.

“Hi.” I stop in front of him, then he takes hold of my hip and tugs me closer.

“What were you and Katie talking about?” He doesn’t let go of my side, his touch hot through my clothes.

“Just girl stuff,” I sidestep telling him the truth. Changing the subject, I say, “It’s Friday.”

“You’re still coming home with me, right?”

I nod, unable to stop smiling.

Eli pulls me closer until I’m leaning against his chest, then his arms wrap around me, his hands locking at my lower back. He stares into my eyes until my stomach is nothing more than a fluttering mess.

“My girl looks happy,” he murmurs.

“That’s because she is.”

Tension builds between us, making everything around us fade away.

“Don’t you just make the cutest couple,” Nina suddenly says from behind me.

Startled, I yank away from Eli, and seeing his mom looking at us, my face goes up in flames.

Eli lets out an amused chuckle, and taking hold of my hand, he pulls me to his side. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hi, Nina,” I say, feeling like I could die from embarrassment.

“I’m just stopping by to remind you not to forget about Sunday.”