Mia's Heart (The Paradise Diaries) (18 page)

That’s
just my opinion.

However,
I don’t voice that right now.  Instead, I peer into the bag and see a
white oblong box.  I lift it out and pull off the box top and find a
silver watch.  It is relatively simple and slender, with a feminine band
and a diamond on the 12 and the 6.  It’s gorgeous. 

“It’s
inscribed,” Gavin tells me.  I flip the watch over and on the back it
reads
It’s always Gavin Time. 

I
forget my agitation with him momentarily and laugh.  I can’t help
it.  He’s so completely arrogant, but charmingly so.  He makes it so
hard to stay mad.

“It’s
beautiful,” I tell him.  “Thank you.” 

I
start to put it on, but Gavin shoves my hand away and fastens it for me. And
then he lifts my hand to his lips and kisses it.  He lets his lips linger
on my skin, warm and soft.  And he’s staring into my eyes and anyone in
the vicinity can feel the atmosphere change around us.  It’s sexually
charged.

I
know it. 

Reece
knows it. 

And
Elena certainly knows it.  I can see the interest on her face now and I
doubt that’s a good thing.  She has a strange smile pasted on her face as
she watches us.  But I’ll worry about that later. 

For
now, I’ve got other things to worry about. 

Like
how to stay mad at Gavin.

But
that turns out to be an exercise in futility.  He has me snapped out of my
anger within ten minutes and we sit and chat with him for at least an hour
more.  Elena pretends that Reece doesn’t exist, and Reece keeps her back
to Elena. But other than that, everything feels normal. 

Gavin
has the ability to make anyplace feel like a party.  We’re laughing and
joking and talking to the strangers sitting around us and I feel infinitely at
peace. 

That
is, until Elena gets up to leave.  She tells me goodbye, ignores Reece and
then she bends to kiss Gavin on both cheeks in the normal European
fashion.  But her kisses linger. And her hands brush over his chest. 
Then she pushes her boobs against him.  And when she turns, her eyes meet
mine and I see something unsettling there, lurking beneath the fake
friendliness and sparkling emerald depths.

A
challenge. 

Chapter
Sixteen

“I
don’t know what to do,” I tell Reece on the way home.  “I just don’t know
what to do.  I love so many things about Gavin.  I love how he knows
me. I love how he gets me.  I love how he makes everyone feel so
comfortable at any given time. But that same exact thing is a curse, too. 
Look at this episode with Elena. Rather than push her off his lap, he rolled
with the punches and ate it up.  Would he be that same way if we
dated?  Because I wouldn’t be okay with random girls sitting on his lap.”

Reece
glances at me.  “Okay, is it time for me to answer you now? Because I’ve
tried four times and you haven’t stopped talked long enough for me to get a
word in edgewise.”

I
smile sheepishly.  “I know.  I think I must chatter when I’m
nervous.”

“You
do,” she confirms.  “But in answer to your monologue, this is just what
Gavin is like.  You’re right about all of the traits that you just
named.  And he is very loyal to his friends.  That’s something else
positive about him.  And honestly, I have no idea what Gavin is like with
a girlfriend.  He’s always been a player- or ever since I’ve known him,
anyway.  He’s never been serious enough to get involved with a girl for
any amount of time.  He’s accidentally left a long trail of broken hearts
behind him.”

I
slump against the seat.  “This isn’t helping.”

Reece
stares at me sympathetically for a minute before she watches the road
again.  “I’m sorry.  It’s a hard choice.  They’ve each got
pretty great qualities.”

“Can
you tell me more about Quinn?” I ask.  “I mean, something that you haven’t
told me yet?”

Reece
thinks about it for a minute. 

“Well,
he’s loyal, too.  He dated my friend Becca for years.  And even
though most of the girls in school had it bad for him, he never cheated on
her.  Ever.  He’s good at everything he does.  He rides bulls in
competitions with Becca’s brother, Connor.  And he wins.  And of
course, he’s a good football player.  He’ll probably go to college on a
football scholarship.  He loves animals, also.  He wants to be a
veterinarian.”

“So,
he must have a big heart,” I muse.  Reece nods. 

“Very
big,” she tells me.  “I remember our freshman year.  We had this
really small kid in our freshman class.  He was always getting picked on
by the upperclassmen football players.  They kept shoving him into
trashcans in the locker room, or closing him in lockers. You know, stupid
Neanderthal jock crap.  Well, one day, Quinn found the kid, Mike, in the
office getting an ice pack from the nurse.  Apparently, when the older
boys shoved him into a locker that day, they had broken three of his
fingers.  Quinn took care of it the next day.”

“How?”
I ask. 

“Quinn
started walking everywhere with Mike.  Through the halls, sitting with him
at lunch, etc etc.  And when the upperclassmen still tried to give Mike
crap, Quinn told them they’d have to go through him first if they wanted to
keep messing with Mike.  And they didn’t want to.  Quinn was a big
bruiser even as a freshman.”

“What
happened to Mike?” I ask. 

Reece
smiles.

“Well,
Mikey is now Quinn’s best friend in the world.  He actually had a growth
spurt so he’s a bit taller than he was.  Quinn got him playing ball and
now he’s our quarterback, actually.  And he
never
bullies the
freshman the way he was bullied.”

“That’s
a nice story,” I tell her.  “I bet Mike will pay it forward.  He’ll
probably do nice things for other people because he’ll always remember how nice
Quinn was to him.”

Reece
nods.  “He’s already paid it forward, tons of times. He’s a good guy. Just
like Quinn.  Quinn is the kind of guy that makes you want to be a better
person.  He’s got such a… good soul.  I don’t know how else to
describe it. He’s got a pure heart, through and through.”

“I
can see that about him,” I admit to her.  “I really can.”

“So,
please, Mi.  Don’t hurt him.  I know he seems like a player. 
And he’s inadvertently broken a few hearts, but he didn’t mean to.  I
would really hate to see him get hurt, even if it was on accident.”

“What
should I do?” I whisper to her as we turn onto the Giliberti property. 
She shakes her head.

“I
don’t know.”

“What
would
you
do?” I ask. 

She
shakes her head again.  “I don’t know.  I’m horrible at this stuff.”

I
sigh.  “What good are you?” I tease.  She shrugs.

“Well,
I always know when to bring you chocolate.”

“True. 
That’s a good enough reason alone to keep you.”

As
we pull up into the circular drive in front of the house, I see Quinn sitting
on the huge wrap-around porch with Dante.  They appear to be deep in
conversation and they are laughing.  That’s a good sign.  And truly,
there should be a law or something against two such good-looking boys being in
one spot.  They make it hard to concentrate.

As
we cross the lawn to them, they look up and see us and both grin at the same
time.  I think the heavens open up and the angels sing. 

Okay,
that might be an exaggeration. But that’s definitely what happened in my
head.  Their smiles are just that gorgeous and bright.  And Quinn’s
is sexily crooked. 

“Hey
girls!” Dante calls out.  “Did you leave anything in the stores or did you
buy it all?”

We
are
carting a lot of bags. I am woman enough to admit that.

The
boys get up and help us carry it into the house.  As they do, Quinn turns
to me.

“You
look really pretty,” he tells me.  “I’m glad the stripes are back.”

His
eyes are sparkling mischievously, but his expression is sincere. 

“Thank
you,” I tell him. “I feel more like myself.  I think.”

He
laughs. “You’ve definitely got your swagger back,” he tells me.  Dante
turns around in front of us. 

“I
was just saying that we should have a beach party tonight to try and forget
about our stress for a bit.  What do you think?”

“I’m
all for it,” Quinn chimes in.  Reece laughs. 

“Quinn,
you’ve never met a party yet that you didn’t like,” she accuses
laughingly.  He doesn’t deny it.  Instead, he helps me carry my bags
to my room. 

As
we walk in, he looks around.  I’m thankful that I didn’t leave any panties
lying around.

“See
something you like?” I ask teasingly.  He grins. 

“Maybe,”
he answers.  “What do you think about the beach party tonight?”

Short
pause.  He stares at me.  I have no idea what he’s waiting for. 

I
shrug as I drop my bag on the bag. 

“It
sounds fun,” I tell him.  “You’re going, right?”

He
grins.  “I’ve apparently never met a party that I didn’t like,” he tells
me charmingly. 

“I
can see that about you,” I reply.  “So, you’ll be there?”

He
nods.  “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Another
long pause. 

Then
he gives me an ornery gaze and then he’s gone. 

When
Reece and I are ready to leave later in the evening, Dante is waiting for us on
the porch.  But Quinn is nowhere to be found.

“Where’s
Quinn?” I ask curiously.  Dante shakes his head. 

“He
left earlier, but he’ll meet us there.”

“How
will he know where to go?” I ask.  “He’s not that familiar with Valese
yet, is he?”

Dante
looks amused.  “Well, Elena picked him up.  So I’m guessing she’ll
show him the way.”

Reece
and I both freeze and stare at Dante. He holds his hands up innocently. 

“Hey,
don’t look at me.  He’s a big boy- he can do what he wants.”

Reece
narrows her eyes.  “But you let him go with her?  She’s a
viper.  She’ll eat him up for breakfast and then ask for more.”

Dante
doesn’t seem concerned.  “I thought she ate kittens for breakfast?” he
teases.  “Besides, if he’s still with her for breakfast, I doubt he’ll
care if she asks for seconds.”

Reece
squeals and smacks his arm and I gulp. 

I
ignore their bantering as I try not to physically cringe. How could Quinn have
gone with Elena?  Did he not think it was important enough to mention that
when I asked him if he was going?  Instead of being quiet and staring at
me, he could’ve brought that small fact to my attention. 

So
apparently, I’m not going to have to choose between Gavin and Quinn.  The
choice has been made for me.

I’m
not sure if I’m relieved about that or not.

I
don’t think I am.

I
try not to think of it as we drive to the beach and then walk over the sandy
dunes.  The party is far back from the public beaches, secluded on private
property.  I’m told that I’ve been to many of these parties.  I don’t
remember a one. 

But
when we arrive, it looks like a good time.

Tons
of kids are already here, laughing and playing around.  I don’t remember
any of them, although I do recognize a few from when they visited me in the
hospital. 

A
group of boys is throwing a ball back and forth.  A group of girls is
watching.  Another co-ed group is splashing in the surf.  There are
huge containers of beer and wine-coolers buried in ice.  There are tables
of food, mostly fresh seafood and bread.  There are bonfires.  And I
love the atmosphere here.  It’s happy and carefree.  The flickering
bonfires in the dying sunlight provides the perfect ambience for a beach
party. 

I
unfold a chair and sit in it.  Reece sticks a wine cooler in my
hand. 

“Your
favorite,” she tells me.  “Just don’t have twelve of them.”

She
gives me a stern look, making me wonder if I have a drinking problem or
something. And then she settles into the chair next to me while Dante gets in
on the ball-throwing action.  The boys, by this point, are taking off
their shirts.  And not because it’s hot outside, either.  Next to the
sea, the breeze is actually a bit chilly today, but they’re stripping down
anyway.  I shake my head.  The male species is so crazy
sometimes. 

Dante
leaves his shirt on though and Reece shakes her head regretfully. 

“There
comes a time when that boy needs to let loose with the rest of them,” she tells
me.  “He’s so happy to be home, though.”

“What
about you?” I ask her.  “Are you happy to be here instead of home in
Kansas?”

Reece
picks at the label on her bottle and thinks about that for a minute.