Quinn left the site survey for the new bank, satisfied they’d break ground in the next week or two. Since she was on the west side of the lake, she decided to swing by the bakery. Joss had mentioned she had a crew working weekends to keep the timeline on track. It wasn’t her habit to keep such a close eye on the construction phase, but this wasn’t a typical project. Or, perhaps more accurately, it wasn’t a typical client.
She arrived, expecting the sound of hammers and saws to greet her. She heard neither. In fact, it was so quiet, she could make out the call of a chickadee chattering in a nearby tree.
Several vehicles sat in the small lot, though, including Joss’s truck. A familiar foreboding settled under her ribs. She walked to the back door and found it ajar. There were definitely people inside. No noise from tools, but a pair of frustrated voices and a handful of expletives greeted her. “Hello?”
Whatever conversation was unfolding stopped and Joss called out, “Quinn? Is that you?”
She stepped inside. Gone was the plastic sheeting from the earlier phase of the project. New walls were up, but wiring still protruded from where outlets should be. The flooring looked about half done. “It is. Bad time?”
Joss rounded the corner. “More like a bad day.”
Her stomach sank. “What’s wrong?”
“Half the flooring we ordered is the wrong thing.”
“How could we have ordered half the wrong thing? We’re using all the same.” Amanda had decided she liked the wood grain tile so much, she wanted it in the kitchen, too.
“We didn’t. Half the boxes are the wrong color.”
“Oh.” That wasn’t good.
“I should have opened them all when they arrived, but I checked one and assumed they were all the same.”
“Which should have been a reasonable assumption.” One she would have made, and readily forgiven. Only it wasn’t hers to forgive.
“Maybe, but it’s a costly one.”
It wasn’t the money she worried about. The supplier would correct the mistake without question. It was time. “What are we talking about?”
“Well, two to three days to get the right materials in.”
“That’s not so bad.” They had a target completion date, but it was padded a little.
“But a couple more to tear up what got laid before I caught it.”
“Oh.” Her mind raced, imagining possible solutions.
“It’s my own damn fault. Charlotte was sick yesterday, so I didn’t come in. And my guys didn’t think twice about it. They just figured it was supposed to be one color in the kitchen and a different color in the dining area.”
“Where is the stuff that’s wrong?” She didn’t want to ask Amanda to change her mind, but it would only be fair to give her options.
“The dining area. We’re going to fix it, without question. And if I can talk a few guys into overtime, we might make up at least some of the time.”
“All right.” This sort of thing happened. She hated it, but she was used to it. But telling a client and telling her girlfriend felt like vastly different propositions.
Joss gave her a knowing look. “I know this is the sort of thing you communicate, but I can.”
Quinn shook her head. “No, no. I can do it. I should do it.”
“Obviously, I’ll absorb the cost of the tile we wasted. And the overtime.”
In addition to being good at her job, and a fellow lesbian, Joss had the highest integrity of any contractor she’d ever worked with. “Let me talk with Amanda, see how upset she is.”
Joss winced. “I’m really sorry.”
Quinn waved her off. “This kind of thing happens, way more often with everyone else I work with than you.”
“Still.”
She could tell part of Joss’s frustration was her own sense of responsibility, but part of it was knowing Quinn’s personal connection to Amanda. No way should Joss take on the responsibility for that. “It’s fine. I’ll see if Amanda is home and swing by to talk in person.”
Joss blew out a breath. “Sounds good. Let me know what she says.”
“Will do.”
Quinn left, sending Amanda a text before heading toward her house. When she arrived, Amanda had scones and fresh coffee waiting, making her feel like a heel. She conveyed the issue, sort of wanting to leave out the part about half of the wrong floor being installed before it was caught. But she didn’t. She didn’t believe in hiding things from a client. She believed even less in hiding things from a partner.
Partner might be a bit of a stretch, but the principle wasn’t.
“It should only push things back by a few days.”
Amanda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Part of her wanted to pull out her stern, this is not acceptable routine. She’d perfected it in the early days of the business, when suppliers and the occasional contractor thought they could push around a newcomer—a woman, no less—when they didn’t deliver. But she didn’t want to do that. Partly because it was Quinn and she didn’t want any hard feelings between them. But more, she trusted it was an honest mistake, and not even the doing of Quinn or Joss. Also, she didn’t need to be that woman anymore. She didn’t have anything to prove.
“How mad are you?”
She opened her eyes and found Quinn regarding her with concern. “I’m not mad.”
“You’re saying that in that really ominous way women who are seething do.”
The description made her laugh and dispelled any lingering frustration. “I’m not. I promise.”
“Joss thinks she’ll be able to make up some of the time if she can get a rush delivery of the correct tiles. And she’ll absorb the cost.”
Amanda shook her head. “I’m really not angry. And I trust her to make whatever call she thinks is best. If that makes sense for her crew, great. If not, I’m okay with a short delay.”
Quinn seemed genuinely confused. “You are?”
She tipped her head slightly. “As long as it is, in fact, a short delay.”
Quinn’s shoulders relaxed. “Okay. That’s great. Thank you for being understanding.”
She didn’t need to ask, but curiosity won out. “Did you expect me to flip out?”
“No, but I did expect you to be disappointed. I worried you might think I was counting on you being okay with it because of our personal relationship.”
That hadn’t occurred to her. “Were you?”
“No.” The declaration came out with more vehemence than she’d ever seen in Quinn. “I was worried that’s what you’d think.”
“I don’t expect special treatment or lousy treatment.”
Quinn laughed. “Right. That’s fair. I promise you’re not getting either. Well, maybe a little special treatment.”
She smiled. “I can live with that.”
“Not that I think sex and romance can make up for work delays, or that one should have anything to do with the other, but maybe I could try to make it up to you later?”
The question was playful, but she liked the forwardness of it. Quinn seemed to be coming out of her shell. Into her own. She appreciated the general sentiment, but also what it meant for her. “In that case, I’m very, very upset.”
Quinn shook her head, expression grave. “We can’t have that.”
Amanda folded her arms and resisted smiling. “What are you proposing to do about it?”
“Dinner, for sure. Maybe a massage. Your wish will be my command.”
She didn’t need that, but she was enjoying the game. More than she would have expected, to be honest. Perhaps because it was a game. Such an unexpected surprise. “Pick me up at six?”
Quinn grinned. “Done.”
* * *
Quinn tiptoed from the bedroom to the kitchen. She wouldn’t go so far as to say the construction snag was a good thing, but she had no complaints about the evening that unfolded as a result. She puttered around the kitchen, wishing she had the skills to make Amanda a fancy breakfast. She flipped on the coffee pot and turned. Amanda stood in the doorway, looking sex tossed and beautiful. “I would have brought you coffee in bed.”
“That’s not necessary.”
She glanced at the pot to make sure it was going, then gave Amanda a kiss. “That’s what makes it fun.”
“You’re going to spoil me and make me lazy.”
“A little spoiling won’t make you lazy, I promise.” She kissed her again. “You should let me spoil you so I can prove my point.”
Amanda wrinkled her nose. “Maybe.”
“I should warn you that spoiling will not extend to homemade breakfast. But I did pick up bagels yesterday.”
“Bagels definitely count as spoiling, but I think I’ll start with coffee.”
She gestured to the small eating area in the corner. “Make yourself comfortable.”
To her credit, Amanda didn’t argue. She pulled out a chair and sat, tucking one foot under her. Everything about it—from having Amanda there in the first place to how adorable she looked with her elbows propped on the IKEA table Quinn bought to fit in the tiny space—made her feel about twenty years old. She grabbed a pair of mugs from the cupboard and poured coffee.
Amanda accepted, taking the cup in both hands and breathing in the steam that wafted up. “Thank you.”
Quinn smiled. It was her turn to say, “You’re easy.”
She lifted a shoulder. “Maybe.”
She sat with her own cup and mimicked the gesture. She couldn’t deny the magic of the first cup of the day. After taking a sip, she set it down and leaned forward, resting an elbow on the table. “So, I was thinking.”
Amanda regarded her with alarm. “What?”
“Why do you look so freaked out?”
“Nothing. Sorry. What were you thinking?”
Quinn shook her head. “No, you can’t look at me like I just suggested we rob a bank, then pretend you didn’t.”
Amanda laughed. “Too many years of teenage children.”
Oh. That made sense. And far more harmless than the dozen or so directions her thoughts had taken. “See, I’ll give you that one.”
Amanda lifted her cup. “Thank you.”
“Did you think I was going to suggest we rob a bank?”
“No, my kids weren’t that kind of trouble. More the bring home the class iguana for summer vacation without telling me type.”
It was her turn to laugh. “Cal?”
Amanda shook her head. “You’d think.”
She had this vivid image of Daniella with her hair in braids and a cheerful grin on her face, holding an iguana the size of her arm. “Is it okay to say I’m sorry I wasn’t around for that?”
“As long as that’s not what you’re suggesting we do now.”
She looked up at the ceiling. “Well, now that you mention it.”
Amanda lifted a finger. “Don’t even think about it.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of getting out in nature, not the other way around.”
She set down her coffee. “Go on.”
“I have a cabin up in the Adirondacks. It’s rustic, but the spot is beautiful. There’s a lake and a fireplace and it’s off grid.”
Amanda closed one eye. “What do you mean by ‘off grid,’ exactly?”
“Running water, but no electricity or cell service.”
“Huh.”
“Too rustic?”
“It’s not the rustic so much as the off-grid part.”
She’d been worried about the lack of electricity, not the being online part. “Really?”
“It’s the mom thing. It’s hard for me to be unreachable.” She lifted both hands. “I know, I know. It’s silly given they’re practically adults.”
“It’s not silly.” She just hadn’t thought about it. “It’s not something on my radar, you know?”
“I’m not saying no, it’s just, um, out of my comfort zone.”
Quinn took her hand. Even if part of her hated the idea of never being able to unplug completely, she didn’t want Amanda to feel pressured to do it to make her happy. “It’s okay. I understand.”
She thought that might be the end of it, but Amanda shook her head. “No.”
“No?”
Amanda sat up straight and got this serious look on her face. Paired with her messy hair and the rumpled T-shirt, it made Quinn’s heart flip uncomfortably in her chest. “I want to go.”
“You really don’t have to—”
“I want to go. I mean it. The whole point of this is putting myself first.”
The prospect of having Amanda all to herself for a couple of days was thrilling. “You’re sure?”
“Absolutely sure.”
“We can wait until the kids go back to school, but I thought you might prefer to get away while the bakery is still closed.” She offered a half smile. “And the weather is still nice and warm.”
“You’re right. Sooner is better. And Cal and Daniella are perfectly capable of fending for themselves. I worry too much.”
Quinn tipped her head to one side. “I know better than to have an opinion on that.”
“Oh, really?” Amanda folded her arms, but the look on her face was playful.
“A woman’s worry is her own prerogative, one hundred percent.”
“I wouldn’t mind you telling me to worry a little less now and again.”
“Wouldn’t mind or would like?” She could appreciate needing a nudge. And as much as she wanted to stay in her lane at this point in their relationship, she also wanted to be what Amanda needed.
Amanda took a deep breath and blew it out. “Would like. My ex was one for telling me to chill out, but she had this way of putting more on my plate rather than less. You’re different.”
She wasn’t in the business of wanting to be compared, but the compliment went a long way. “I’d rather help you relax than tell you to.”
Amanda’s face softened and she smiled. “You’re pretty good at that already.”
She might be pressing her luck, but she’d gotten Amanda to agree to go away with her, so it felt like she was on a roll. “And if I said I was just getting started?”
“I’d say show me what you’ve got.”
She stood. On a roll, indeed. “How about we start with a shower?”
Amanda lifted a brow. “Together?”
She took Amanda’s hand and led her to the bathroom. The small and uninspired space made her think again it was time to give up apartment living and put herself in the market for a house. But, for the moment, she had more pressing matters to attend to. Like slipping off Amanda’s clothes and pulling her in for a kiss. Like turning on the water and getting the temperature just right. Like reminding Amanda of all the reasons showering with company was an excellent idea.