Page 99 of Digging Up Love
“Yoo-hoo, Ali! I brought over some coconut pound cake to celebrate your newfound fame!”
As one, the group turned toward Mrs.Snyder, and she rolled to a halt. “Is this a bad time?”
“Janet, what were you thinking?” Alisha’s grandma set down a sweating glass of iced tea on the table and took a seat.
“I thought he was just here to photograph my hydrangeas!”
“Your hydrangeas aren’t even that nice.”
“You take that back, Ellie.”
“I will not. Your pride is what got us into this mess.”
“Please, I’d hardly call it a mess. Alisha just took over Honey and Hickory, and now she’s famous. Way I see it, use this to your advantage.Keep stirring the pot, and you’ll have people lining up around the block.”
Alisha twisted her own glass of tea in her hands, letting their argument wash over her, silent. Silence was her shelter. But she’d stayed silent for years, and her grandparents were more exposed than ever. Her life was in shambles. And she’d brought Quentin down with her, just like she’d feared.
She cleared her throat. “I’m not interested in a publicity stunt, Mrs.S.Quentin lost out on the biggest find of his career. He might even lose his job because of this. Because of me.” If they’d had a hope of getting back together, the leaked photo had sent that up in smoke.
“I’m sorry, Ali. I had no idea.” Janet licked her pink-stained lips. “Well, maybe I had some idea—after all, my hydrangeas haven’t been blooming like they used to. But I thought it could only do some good! How am I to know those university types would be so fuddy-duddy about a little romance? And on your property too. The nerve!”
Wait a minute ...on their property.Alisha pushed back her chair, stood up, and looked out to where the paleontologists were finishing up for the day, tools strewn across the yard, tire tracks muddying the grass next to Granny’s tomato plants.
“I really am sorry.” Janet put a hand on her arm, and Alisha patted it. None of this was Mrs.Snyder’s fault; she was just a pawn. But she refused to be a passive player in her own life a second longer. “What are you going to do?”
“Speak up. For Quentin.”
CHAPTER 37
QUENTIN
“Good news is, now you can go into finance like Dad always wanted.” Hector waved an arm in front of his face to waft away the smoke from the open grill. When Quentin didn’t say anything, he turned toward him with a grin. “Too soon? Too soon.”
“You’re awfully glib for someone standing so close to an open flame.”
“Like you’d harm a hair on this gorgeous face of mine. Besides, I’m not the one you want to hit, am I right? Now, this Yates guy ...” Hector closed the grill and wiped sweat off his forehead with a thick forearm. “Him I wouldn’t mind meeting in a dark alley.”
All talk, but Quentin appreciated the vote of support behind his brother’s bluster. He shook his head, squinting against the smoke. “It’s not just him. I made the university look bad. They’re not going to prioritize me over covering up a scandal.”
“A scandal? Dude, you kissed a girl. You didn’t tear off her panties at the dig site.”
“Yeah, well, everyone assumes I did.” The invasiveness of it freaked him out. A couple of years ago, he’d considered not even announcing his engagement at work to maintain his privacy. Fast-forward to now,and the entire department had seen him with his tongue in Alisha’s mouth ...
He scrubbed a hand down his face, wishing he could wipe the image from cyberspace as easily.
“And so what if you had?” Hector flipped the burgers with a scrape of the spatula, and a hiss sounded where grease hit the hot coils. “The dig’s in her backyard, for goodness’ sakes. If she wants to screw the pool boy ...”
Quentin leaned back against the deck railing, crossed his arms. “How long have you had that one in the barrel?”
“Since I watched the interview.” Hector closed the grill and flashed a grin. “Bro, you’ve been poking around all summer in their futureswimming pool? It fell into my lap. Kind of like—”
“Don’t.”
Hector desisted, seriousness creeping into his dark eyes. “But, Q, you’ve got a right to do as you please in your private life.”
“That’s what I told Lawrence.” To keep a lid on his emotions, he picked up the package of cheese slices and pried up the seal. It stuck.
“And?”
