Page 21 of Full Coverage (Boys of Fall)

Nolan nodded. “That’s true. She’s helping me with this chapter.”

Teresa gave him a look that said “don’t bullshit me”. “And then, as we were talking, Sandra said that Chad told her that you were dancing with her at Pitchers.”

Nolan sighed. One more thing he didn’t miss about Quinn. The freaking grapevine here was impressive—and scary.

“I danced with her. And I talked to her about football today. How does that add up to dating?” he asked. Of course, he did want to date Randi, but he knew how this conversation was going to go. His mother was nothing if not predictable. She’d always been very consistent on three things—Nolan was amazing, Nolan was nothing like his father, and Nolan was too good for Quinn.

No one was more Quinn than Miranda Doyle.

“Nolan Phillip Winters, you stay away from that girl.”

Yep, this was exactly how this was going to go. “You said yourself that you would never trust anyone else with your car.”

“She’s a wonderful mechanic. She’s a sweet girl. But she’s not the right girl for you.”

“Because she’s from here?”

“Because she’s from here and she’s got no ambitionsbeyondhere.”

Exactly like Teresa. It was no deep dark secret to Nolan that his mother resented everything about Quinn because she was stuck here. Or thought she was. And she blamed his father for it. She’d wanted to leave, to see the world. But she’d fallen for Nolan’s father and gotten pregnant. She’d been happy. For a long time. She’d chosen love and she’d truly felt that was the right, ultimately rewarding thing to do.

Then his father had left her. And not just for another woman. He’d gone and traveled and done all of the things Teresa had wanted to do. The things that getting married and tied down with two kids and two jobs had kept her from doing.

Nolan had offered to bring her to San Antonio with him. But she couldn’t easily leave now. Nolan’s sister lived in Quinn and had two kids Teresa adored. Teresa had a job that she actually liked, but no degree, no real option for doing anything else. And she owned her house. Nolan’s father had sent her enough guilt money to pay off the mortgage. She couldn’t live anywhere else as cheaply, and she’d never leave her grandkids. No matter how much Teresa had tried to encourage both of her kids to leave, to do more, to want more, her daughter Carly had followed right in her footsteps.

Carly getting pregnant with her first son at age sixteen had only increased Teresa’s pressure on Nolan to get the hell out of Quinn.

“I like Randi, Mom,” Nolan said firmly. “If I want to see her while I’m here, I will.”

“While you’re here,” Teresa said quickly, pointing her finger at him. “Fine. While you’re here, do whatever you want. Just be sure youleaveagain. Anddon’tknock her up.”

Nolan blew out a breath. “Mom.”

“Nolan.”

“Mom.”

“Nolan, you got out. You did something with yourself. I’msoproud of you.” Teresa crossed to his chair. She took his face in her hands. “You deserve everything you’ve got. Don’t backtrack now for a girl.”

“Mom, I am not backtracking by dating Randi. She’s wonderful.”

“And there arethousandsof wonderful girls in San Antonio. Even more in New York.”

Nolan decided that he needed to nip this in the bud.

He hadn’t dated anyone seriously in high school, in part because his mother always started in on this shit after date three. And he hadn’t ever cared about anyone enough to really fight with her about it. He’d always planned to leave Quinn. Sure, it might have been in part because his mother had started the mantra about him being destined for greater things when he was about five. But he’d wanted to be a journalist since he was twelve, and he’d known he wanted to do more exciting stories than the winner of Tuesday night Bingo and the fender-benders on Main and the monthly anniversaries.

The tiny paper in Quinn, theQuibbler, and the news it covered, was all very nice. Lost dogs and lawnmowers for sales, the menu for the senior center and the school, church service schedules, heartfelt obituaries and happy birth announcements. And, of course, the sports page. It was sweet. It was something he loved about Quinn. But it wasn’t what he wanted to do.

So leaving Quinn hadn’t been a difficult decision at all. After his mother had pounded the use of abstinence and condoms and double condoms into his brain, not getting seriously involved with a woman in Quinn hadn’t been a difficult decision either. He’d been ready to see the world, have some fun, hang out with a sophisticated crowd.

But now he was twenty-nine years old, very successful, living in San Antonio and traveling the country, and if he wanted to date the town’s mechanic, he would.

“Mom, I’m taking Randi to a party in New York in two weeks.”

Teresa gave him a look he’d seen directed at his sister a million times. It said “I can’t believe how stupid you are”.

“Nolan—”

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