Somehow, after that, he contacted Quinn with a mission. She is assigned to surprise me with a gift every day that makes me smile and know he’s thinking of me. So far, I’ve gotten flowers, chocolates, gift cards, my favorite bottle of wine, and handwritten letters he sent to Quinn before leaving.
“Wait until tomorrow… We’re really going to spend some of his guilt money.”
“Quinn!”
“Fine, kidding. It’s not guilt money. It’s ‘forgive me for being a blind dumbass’ money.”
“You’re going to give him a lot of shit when you see him, aren’t you?”
“Maybe, depends on if I find the perfect dress tomorrow.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Tomorrow, Bryce has set us up with a day of dress shopping. He wants us to get something for the opening of the exhibit on Saturday.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah, and I was instructed to pick out a tie to match your dress.”
“Really?” I repeat and bounce in my seat. “He’s coming?”
“He’s going to try his best. If they get in on time Thursday, he’ll be here Friday afternoon.”
I wave my hands in the air and then throw them around her neck, blowing a raspberry.
“Fucking gross! Keep your damn spit to yourself.” She pushes me back and swats at me.
“I’m guessing this was supposed to be a surprise.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not hip on ya’ll’s surprises lately, so it’s better if I keep everyone in the know.” She huffs, trying to seem irritated.
When I got home and told Quinn what happened in Norfolk, she went out of her mind. For about five minutes, she cussed Bryce’s name with the threat to beat the shit out of him. Then she transferred that anger to Liza. Her desire to destroy Liza almost outweighed mine. I was glad we were at home in Charlottesville because, if we were in Norfolk, I may have been bailing Quinn out of jail.
Even calming her down didn’t exempt me from the wrath of Quinn Jackson. Besides calling me an idiot for falling for Liza’s scheme, she was furious with me for not telling her what was going on. She would have been on the next flight. I had no choice but to tell her about Jamie. She seemed to like I had someone with me to talk to, but it was evident she was hurt. Finally, she understood that Bryce and I needed the few days to try to heal from the deception and lies.
That same night, I called my dad. After our dinner together, I felt the need to tell him. Of course, I left out the part about Liza insinuating she gave Bryce a blow job, but I explained that Bryce put himself in a position to lead her on and she took it too far. Dad listened with little input until he asked if I’d really forgiven Bryce for his poor judgment. I told him yes, and he told me to let it go because there was no room for a future if this was going to plague me.
His words hit deep, but I was calm, knowing I truly did forgive Bryce. He seemed satisfied and changed the subject pretty quick. Apparently, it was too much girl talk for him.
Quinn jumps over the table, reaching for my phone as it rings. “It’s her again!”
‘Her’ being Nicole Betts. I’ve been avoiding her calls for the last few weeks.
“Hit end.”
“No, I think it’s time we answer her. And I do mean ‘we’.”
I shrug, not really caring. I hit answer and speaker. “Hello.”
“Devon, don’t hang up. It’s Nicole.”
“I know who it is. What can I do for you?”
“Hear me out. I know you must think the worst of me. I even think the worst of me. You have to know the position I was in.”
“I’ll humor you. Tell me exactly what kind of position you were in.”
“Liza’s been a friend of the guys forever. She was very believable and convincing with her lies. I was played as much as you were.”