“On Monday, we have business to take care of,” Elle tells me. “Band business.”
I don’t appease her with an answer. One isn’t needed. Her panties are in a bunch because I ditched out on something she organized. Oh well.
“Nola, where are you from?” Peyton asks.
She clears her throat. “I’m from South Carolina but spent the last four years in Idaho for college.”
“Gamecocks fan?”
Nola nods. “Quinn, tells me you’re a
football fan. My daddy is friends with Steve Spurrier. They used to golf together until Steve went to Orlando to coach.”
As soon as Nola starts talking about football, my eyes are on my sister. I’m waiting for that moment, where Peyton will put my girlfriend in her place, but it never comes.
“The biggest mistake he ever made was leaving Florida for the NFL.”
“My daddy calls it the no fun league.”
Noah chokes. His beer goes spraying into the fire. Liam starts laughing and Peyton’s mouth drops open. Nola looks at me, eyes completely wide. “Did I say something wrong?” she mumbles.
“Noah is the quarterback for the Portland Pioneers,” I tell her.
She covers her face for a moment. “Is there anyone in your family who isn’t famous?”
Josie, Jenna, Betty Paige, and my mom all raise their hands. “Don’t worry, sweetie, you’ll get used to it,” my mom says. I like that she says Nola will get to used to it. What it is, I don’t know, but I’m assuming our family.
“Are you saying you had no idea who Quinn’s family is?” Peyton asks.
Nola nods. “Up until the other day, I had no idea who Liam was.”
This time, everyone starts laughing. I’ve honestly never met anyone who didn’t know Liam, but I’m normally around people who gravitate toward the same lifestyle he leads, so it makes sense. I pull her toward me and kiss the top of her head. “God, I lo…” I stop speaking before I say the words that could ruin everything. We haven’t known each other very long and there’s no way I’m in love with her. Lust, yes. But love… I’m not even sure I know what that is.
28
Eleanora
Quinn’s family is fun, and they’re not treating me like a gold digger trying to get a piece of the pie because that is exactly what this could look like. I stumbled into a mega superstar family without even knowing who a single one of these people are. Quinn’s Dad and his band aside, his best friend is also in the NFL, his one sister is his band manager and his other one is going to be a sideline reporter starting in the fall. I’ve never met a family so well connected in my life and I’m from a plantation that’s been in my family since its inception in the late seventeen hundreds. Our roots run deep with tradition, but this group thrives on success. I could sit and listen to their stories for hours.
That’s what everyone’s doing, telling stories about Quinn and everything embarrassing he’s done. Honestly, this is something I’d expect months into dating, not hours, but his family doesn’t seem to care. Quinn, on the other hand, is red in the face and ducking for cover each time someone starts another story. For the most part, they’re harmless. It’s not like he’s broken any laws or went streaking across the campus lawn. Not that I did that either, but my friends did.
There’s definitely tension through. It’s coming off in waves from Elle and Eden. I believe it was JD, who I’ve noticed is called Jimmy by the women and JD by the men, who said his daughter has a crush on Quinn. Jimmy doesn’t seem to mind though and continues to poke fun at Quinn for leading his daughter on.
Now that lunch is over, I’m following Quinn into his parents’ house. I’m in complete awe of the glass wall. To be able to look out over the ocean whenever you want must be the most peaceful, calming thing to do. My house is close to the beach, but still far enough away that we don’t have the sea salt air, can’t hear the waves, and have to jump in the car if we want to spend the day there. After being here, I can see myself living in a place like this, along the coast.
“This is my old room.” He opens the door and flicks on the light. He has the same view as the living room does. I walk over to the glass and almost touch it before I realize that I’d leave fingerprints. There are posters, a few trophies, and some pictures on the wall. His walls are a dark blue and the comforter on his bed is white with pillows that match his wall color. “This is a guest room now or where I stay when I come out here.”
“Do you come here a lot?”
He nods. “The surfing is really good here, plus I’m close to my parents.”
I walk around, looking at the things he’s left behind. “You seem to have a tight-knit family.”
“We are. It’s the band thing,” he says as if I’m supposed to understand what that means.
“Explain, please.”
Quinn sits on the edge of his bed and beckons me over. I go willingly, eager to be close to him. He rests his head on my stomach and his hand around the back of my legs. This feels good, natural. This is where I belong. The feelings I have, the energy and desire to be with him, the serenity and longing, is something I never felt with Roy.