Page 109 of Digging Up Love
“Right, because you’ve been staying away because of some misguided martyr complex. Look”—she used her pinkie and thumb to dig a paper out of her pocket and slapped it on the counter like exhibit A—“I don’t wanna get up in your business.”
Alisha’s eyebrows went up, and Cait grinned.
“Okay, so that’s a lie. But can you blame me? Thanks to you and your family, I got the chance to work on a dig that will change the future of paleontology, so I feel like it’s my civic duty to make sure you don’t make a huge mistake.” She tapped the flyer with her fingernail. “Just come to this. And if you still wanna live your life Harris-free, at least you’ll have all the facts.”
She polished off the third cookie, licking her fingers. “On to business. I’ve got fifty bucks and three sugar-crazy roommates. Hit me with the good stuff.”
Moving on autopilot, Alisha filled up a box with cookies, though her mind was racing. Quentin didn’t blame her for almost costing him his job? But why hadn’t he reached out?Because you drove him away.Used her words to evict him from her life, and never to make amends.
Cait dropped some bills on the counter. “Life’s too short to wallow, Al, pal.” She picked up the stacked boxes and backed out the glass door. “Nothing like working with bones from millions of years ago to lend a little perspective. Time is not on your side.”
Shell shocked, Alisha scooted around the counter and locked the front door, then collapsed into one of the teal plastic chairs and rested her forehead against the brushed-gold tabletop, finally grasping the truth of her self-imposed misery.
She’dkept herself from Quentin. If Cait was telling the truth, he’d stayed away to respect her wishes, not because he couldn’t bear to be around her. Once again, she’d let self-doubt take the wheel. There was no one but her own foolish self to blame.
Meg had told her, and she hadn’t listened. Quentin had begged her to see the truth, and she’d banished him. But they were both right: abandoning wasn’t in her DNA. Her dad had made a horrible mistake all on his own. And she’d kept her distance because she’d never fully evicted her fears, clinging to the lie she was tainted by an innate flaw.
But she could do better. She’ddonebetter. Fixed her mistakes, stood up for herself and those she loved. Leaving wasn’t in her genes.Lovewas in her genes, imprinted on her soul. Her mom’s unconditional love, right up until cancer claimed her body. Granny’s quiet support. Grandpa, pushing her to be the best. Simone keeping tabs on her even from hundreds of miles away.
Love radiated through her veins with every beat of her heart. Love and the power to do her best for those she loved, including herself.Quentin’s face appeared in her mind, storm-gray eyes locked on hers, a smile on his lips.Home.
She unfolded the flyer in her hands and smiled. Jumped up and strode back into the kitchen. Pacing, she pulled her cell phone from her back pocket and dialed Meg. “You’ll never guess who stopped by.”
“The hot doc?”
“I wish.” Unable to tame her giddy grin, Alisha pulled down a stack of containers to fill with unsold cookies for a woman’s shelter.
“Wait, youdowish Quentin stopped in?”
“Yup. Meg, I need to go get him.”
“Well, duh.” Meg never minced words. “Woman, I’ve been telling you that since March, but you’re the most stubborn person I know.”
A loud squawk came through the phone, and Meg said, “I swear to you, if you don’t leave the hens alone ... sorry, this rooster is about to make me lose my dang mind. Do you think he’ll take you back?”
“The rooster?” Alisha grinned, then sobered up, quick. She’d wasted so much time. “I’m not sure. He might never want to see me again.” The possibility gutted her. “But I’ve gotta know. I’ve gotta tell him how I feel.”
“Attagirl.” Meg’s support warmed her through the phone. “So what’s the plan, Ali? Gonna grand-gesture him? Sneak into one of his classes and profess undying love on a hijacked PowerPoint presentation? Propose in sky letters at a Bears football game?”
“Tempting.” She smoothed out the flyer on the counter. “But I’m going to keep things simple and just show up.”
CHAPTER 42
QUENTIN ANDALISHA
Quentin tapped the notecards on the podium. He wouldn’t need them, but the feel of the cardstock—familiar as dry earth and ancient rock—kept him grounded. He searched the lecture hall for the face of someone who offered that same safe harbor, amplified.
Would she come? Two days ago, he’d texted Alisha a screenshot of the event announcement. Didn’t want to push. Didn’t want to spill his feelings over text, garbled by distance and gone cold in transcription.
If she didn’t come, he’d find another way to reach out, because he couldn’t walk away without giving it one last shot. But oh, how he hoped she’d be here to witness the depths of his love on display for everyone to see. No longer caged in by doubts or curtailed by hesitation. Needed her to see the depths of the shift inside him, all because of loving her.
Work used to be his foundation, a perfectly planned future the center of his universe. But Alisha eclipsed all that. She was his bedrock, his shelter from the storm, and all the future he needed. He wanted to spend forever learning the shape and height and breadth of her. To give himself to her without holding back.
Dev touched his elbow. “Ready?”
No more time to stall, and Quentin nodded. In the second row, his mom caught his eye and waved. He chuckled and pulled the microphone toward himself. “Hi, everyone. Hi, Mom.” Isabel cocked her head, lips pursed, but next to her, Hector laughed, his arms encircling both twins, perched on his knees.
“Welcome. And thanks for coming out on this chilly morning. As you know, we’re here to talk about a momentous find. The first dinosaur fossils ever discovered in Illinois.”
