Dinner Disasters: Drake and Quinn

Chapter 13 (Quinn): Canceled

For the first few weeks after changing fire stations, Drake kept mentioning how glad he was that he made the change. He got on well with everyone at his new station and he seemed happier. Maybe it was because he didn't have a huge secret he was keeping, but he definitely was lighter in spirit. We'd gone out a few times with a number of his new co-workers, and that included his friend Gage and his wife Chessie. His new colleagues were welcoming, and I enjoyed them, but I was still a bit hesitant because I'd liked most of his old colleagues, too.

On the positive side, there was no toxic sludge named Jessa working at his new fire station. But that didn't mean she didn't start causing trouble occasionally as the weeks turned into months.

Drake came over one morning after his shift ended and before I went to work, his face grim. He'd texted me that he'd had a Jessa run-in that morning and he'd tell me about it as soon as he got to my place.

"She showed up at the station this morning, waiting for me to get off shift. Fortunately, my lieutenant and captain were talking outside with Gage and me when she approached, and they all witnessed me telling her to leave and to not show up again. She told me to unblock her, then I repeated again that I wanted her to leave and to stop bothering me."

"She's such a bitch," I grumbled.

"After she left, I explained to my captain that I worked with her at my old station and we'd been friends but hadn't parted on good terms for a variety of reasons. I also told him about the notes I'd been finding from her on my windshield telling me to call her. So he said he was going to call the captain at my old station and tell him to talk with her so she'd back off. That's not a call you want your captain to get from another captain. It also doesn't look good since it points to instability."

"Good, maybe she'll finally stop bothering you."

I was getting ready to sic Keres on Jessa I was so tired of her shit.

He pulled me into his arms. "I know you have to get to work, but I just wanted to see you and tell you about her."

Pressing a kiss to my lips, Drake stepped back and walked me to my car. 

"I love seeing you when I get off shift," he said. "But honestly, I love seeing you every chance I can get. I'll take any excuse to see my girl."

Just as I buckled my seat belt, Drake leaned into the car, a clear plastic ball in his hand. This routine had become familiar, so I took it and twisted the top off from the bottom. A rubbery creature with dangly arms fell into my hand. A pencil topper.

"Not to pressure you to switch the ring to the other hand, Quinn, but I just want you to know there's more where that came from." 

He nodded his head obnoxiously, leering at me, wiggling his eyebrows, and I burst out laughing. Over the past few weeks, he'd been giving me the gumball machine prizes one at a time, making ridiculous jokes about them. Making me laugh like he'd always been able to do.

Holding up the creature to him, I looked him in the eye, my expression serious. "Well, I think this might have tipped the scales in your favor...but might have is the operative phrase here. It didn't. You're going to have to step up your game with some actual gumballs, maybe."

"Dammit, I thought the pencil topper would do it, but I'll think about the gumballs. That's a pretty big Quinn-mitment, baby. Now get to work, and think of me and how much I love you."

As if I could think of anything else. His promise ring stared at me all day -- at least it felt like it did -- and I could admit I missed the engagement ring being on my finger. I just thought it was wise to wait a bit for that step. We'd rushed the first part of our relationship and now we were approaching it at a more leisurely pace. Drake was settling in at his new fire station, and I was just enjoying our time together with no real pressure to move in together or get engaged.

Celine and Keres thought that was a good move, too. My mother, however, had a much different opinion. She'd finally called me after four months of not hearing from me and nine months of not seeing me -- I was usually the one to call her or stop by, and I just stopped initiating contact because our calls and visits were never fun -- and she wanted to get together for lunch. My shock was so extreme that I couldn't scramble for an excuse fast enough, much to my regret.

"Then we'll see you Saturday morning at the Lavender Tea Room," she said and hung up. 

We'll? That could only mean my step-sister was coming with her. I texted Drake and told him how my inability to think on my feet this morning meant I'd be seeing Thing 1 and Thing 2, but on the bright side, the Tea Room had excellent food.

His reply was fast: I'm not working, so I'll take you.

I figured Drake meant he'd drive me there and drop me off and then pick me up when the fun was over. Nope. He was going to finally meet my family, and I wasn't sure if he'd still be interested in having a relationship with me after seeing the woman who made up half of my DNA. He'd heard all about her and my step-sister, but meeting them was an entirely different matter.

On the drive to the tea room, he told me he'd called and changed the reservation, and I smiled at the thought of Drake in the ultra-feminine tea room. There was also a sense of relief that I wouldn't be enduring them alone.

They arrived just after we did and Drake had given the hostess our name. My mother and step-sister stared, their eyes immediately moving from me to Drake, and I could practically see them trying to compute our odd pairing. They stopped short of me and I gave them a smile. Neither one of them made a move to hug me, and I didn't move toward them either. A touchy-feely family we were not.

"Mom, Nellie, this is Drake," I said simply.

"And who is Drake?" Nellie asked eyeing him like she couldn't believe I was with a movie-star handsome man.

"The man who's crazy in love with Quinn," he said. 

"Seriously?" my mother blurted out. "You...and Quinn?"

"Seriously," Drake said. "I'm trying to get her to marry me, but she keeps turning me down."

"Is this a joke?" Nellie asked. "This has to be a joke."

"Why would it be a joke?" Drake asked. "Because she's too good for someone like me? I agree, but I'm hoping she doesn't figure that out before I get her down the aisle."

"Quinn, you should marry this man if he's serious. Grab him while you can, before he realizes..." my mother trailed off at the look on Drake's face.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he demanded, glaring at my mother.

"I don't believe this," Nellie said. "Did she rent you for the day or something?"

"Reservation for Drake?" the hostess called.

"Wish I could say it was nice meeting you, but I've seen that you both are just as Quinn described you. Horrible. I've already had enough of you, so  Quinn and I are going to be seated at our table for two. Unfortunately, I'm afraid your reservation's been cancelled and they're fully booked today, so you'll have to go elsewhere." Drake looked down at me. "Ready, baby?"

He took my hand and we followed the hostess to our table. When we were seated, I burst out laughing, recalling their shocked expressions.

"You canceled their reservation?" I giggled delightedly at the thought.

"No way was I going to let you sit through a lunch with them after all you've told me about those two. Maybe this will teach them you're not to be fucked with, but I doubt it."

I doubted it, too, but what Drake had done had warmed me from the inside out. No one had ever protected me from my family, and I'd always had to fight those battles alone. In less than five minutes, Drake had shut them down and shown them the door.

That week, his ring stared at me even harder.