Page 21 of Any Girl But You
As Quinn scribbles down everything we need to do, I discover that she may look and sound like a red-headed tornado storming through the town, but she’s actually hyper-efficient and organized, at least with this stuff. “You’re really good at this.”
The chair beneath Frankie squeaks against the floor when she lifts herself. She paces back and forth, and it takes a moment to realize she’s not upset, just bored with sitting. “This is Quinn’s expertise. I got the ADHD in the family, so my brain fires on all cylinders, but Quinn thinks in bullet points.”
Quinn taps the pen on the outside of the notebook. “Well, you also got the muscles and I’m stuck with the freckles.”
I will never say this out loud, but the freckles win. Not that Frankie isn’t attractive—she really is. Short cropped hair, dimples, a really nice smile, muscles that make me want to get myself to the gym. But Quinn is just so… I shake my head. I need to stop thinking about how pretty Quinn is. I think I’m just looking for a distraction from this mountain of chaos, and she is a lovely, lovely, distraction.
Frankie’s phone rings and she steps outside. A breeze picks up from outside the large open barn doors and fills the space with the faint smell of burning wood. I finish the second water bottle and twist the cap back on. “I really appreciate you doing this. It was such good timing that you were at my shop this morning. Or, I guess unlucky timing for you, but good for me. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
Quinn pulls the notebook to her chest. “It’s no problem. I needed a break from all the Christmas stuff today, so this is a perfect interruption.”
My gosh, what in the heck am I going to do? My business just got shut down, I have a ton of orders that I need to fulfill, I need to call a million people… My breath locks in my throat again.
When I opened Zoey’s Bakery years ago, my parents begged me to take on a partner, but I refused. I wanted,needed, to do this on my own and have control over all aspects—its success and failures. To be the boss I wished I’d had, to bring joy to the community in the way I wanted to, without double-checking with someone else. And honestly, I thought Josie would quit working at the vet hospital and join me at the bakery. But now, facing this colossal poop-storm on my own is too much.
I toss my glasses on the table and rest my head into my hands. My thumbs dig into my temples, and I try hard to breathe through the tension.
“Are you okay?” Quinn asks. Her raspy voice is just above a whisper, but echoes in the open space.
Am I?I’m so glad that I’m not doing this alone and that Quinn and Frankie helped me. And I’m really lucky it wasn’t a fire or something more catastrophic. But I’m not okay. I’ve needed a break for a while, but not like this. Not by letting everyone down who counts on me. “Yes, it’s just…a lot. I have so many calls and things to do. I’m worried about my staff and I need to pay them, but not sure with what. It’s just a lot.”
Quinn pulls her chair next to me, so much so that our legs are nearly touching. I feel this tingle, almost like static electricity, like if I moved any closer, I’d get a little shock. It’s comforting being this close. Something about Quinn makes me feel like things are going to be okay, and right now, I need to believe everything will be okay.
“I totally get it. And you’re a really nice boss. I’ve never worked for anyone so worried about their employees before.” She bites the corner of her lip. I’m drawn, just for a moment,to her mouth, then tear my gaze away. “But hopefully insurance covers all that. We can look into this and make a few calls.”
Several moments pass, and I can’t help thinkingwhy. Why is Quinn—who I’ve only known for a couple of months—giving up an entire day to help me out, without seemingly asking for something in return. This is not the way my life typically plays out. Yes, I have an amazing family who’d do almost anything for anyone, but my mom and dad are so busy with their jobs and helping my sister and Noah that I never ask. My employees are my employees, which is different, and I don’t have a ton of friends that I spend time with that I feel like I could call. And here I am, with Quinn and Frankie, who just did it. “Why are you helping me with all of this?”
“Why not?” Quinn shrugs.
It’s so simple, so quick. Just two tiny words but they carry the weight of something much stronger than six letters. It gives me a glimpse into the type of person Quinn is, and for the hundredth time today, I’m grateful I met her.
If this had happened a few years ago, would Josie have helped? Probably. Josie’s a nice, decent person. But I always had to ask, for everything. During our relationship, I chased her, begged for her to give me the things I needed from our relationship. But, in the end, she was the one who said I didn’t communicate. Maybe she was right. After years of saying what I needed, fatigue poisoned me and turned me cold. I so desperately needed Josie to intrinsically know me well enough to know what I needed without me giving her a map.
And here…Quinn just did it. Without being asked.
A shadow emerges from the door. “Hey, do you guys need any more help?” Frankie asks, tapping her fingers against the door frame.
I’ve taken up hours of their time that even if I needed more help, there’s no way I’d ask. “No, not at all. Can I offer youcupcakes for life? You have no idea how much I appreciate your help.”
“Ah, this was actually pretty fun.” Frankie stuffs the phone back in her pocket. “Are you okay bringing Quinn home? Morgan wants me to meet her for a late lunch in Duluth.”
Right now, I would bring Quinn to the moon if Frankie wanted. Not that Quinn owed me anything at all, she doesn’t, but I sat with her the entire day at her Christmas vendor event, so there’s a touch less guilt involved. But Frankie’s just a customer, helping from the goodness of her heart. “Of course, happy to. Seriously, thank you. Once I get back up and running, I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“What? Stop, Zoey. This is not a big deal,” Frankie says. “You saved me from going to the gym, it’s a beautiful day out, my sister was nice to me for once?—”
“Hey!” Quinn throws a water bottle cap toward her sister.
“We are all good. I promise.” Frankie grabs her keys from her pocket and twirls them around her finger. “Catch you guys later.”
Now that we’ve taken a break and I’m not running at marathon level speed, I unwrap the shirt I tied around my waist earlier and tug it over my head. The adrenaline of saving thousands of dollars’ worth of my products lifts, and I’m hit with decision paralysis of what the heck I’m supposed to do next. All of my products are in Quinn’s gift shop kitchen, but then what? I come here every day? At night? Get keys to the property? I didn’t think all of this through. My focus was on saving the items, not what happens next.
I readjust my ponytail and glance at Quinn, who’s still scribbling in the notebook. “Hey, I’m thinking we should exchange numbers. I’ll figure out a time that works in your schedule for me to grab the items and move them to a more permanent, well semi-permanent, home.”
Quinn stops writing and clicks the pen against the notepad. She has this smile that’s hard to decode, but it makes me feel warm and reassured. “Happy to give you my number, but how about we figure out a solid plan together.”
My trapped breath releases. She has no idea how much relief this gives me that I’m not in this alone. I nod and scoot my chair closer.
She flips back a page in the notebook. “I think we need to start with phone calls. Are you comfortable with me looking at your insurance paperwork, while you call the customers with pending orders?”
