Page 82 of My Little Doe
“Well, let’s get the fire, food, and drink going!” Callie called out after a brief moment of awkward silence.
“Yes! Let's,” Julie said.
Everyone walked inside. I stood in the yard, staring toward the river. One of the eagles was prowling low, looking for dinner. There were two eaglets, but I hadn’t actually seen them.
“Are you okay?” Quinn whispered.
I startled, before looking his way. “Yeah, why?”
“You look… bothered,” he said.
“No… It’s just a lot of people… in a small space. Where are they going to sleep tonight if they are all drinking?”
“Graham doesn’t drink, so they will pile into the truck bed, and he will deliver them to their homes,” he said.
“Oh, thank the lord,” I said.
He laughed.
“Don’t feel obligated to hang out, you can always hide in your room, if you want, no hard feelings,” he said.
“Oh, and miss the fun… not hardly,” I said.
“Come on then,” he said, motioning his head to the door.
I followed him into the home. The living room and kitchen felt smaller with all thirteen of us standing in there. Julie and Scarlett took a seat in the two high-back chairs. Callie and Delilah were sitting at the tall table, with Minnie and Bellamy standing next to them.
“So, this is your place, Quinn?” Julie asked.
“Um… yeah, but then again, you knew I owned a cabin out of town,” he said. His tone reminded me of his coldest days in the cell.
“It’s nice, a little small for you and Callie, though,” she said.
“Oh, I don’t stay here,” Callie said, and then let out a laugh.
Julie's eyes narrowed, and she looked around. She stopped on the small pile of romance books I had read, and then on the pink blanket that was folded onto the back of the chair.
“Zay stays here,” Quinn said.
“Only a friend, huh?” she muttered.
“Mmmhmm,” he said.
She crossed her arms. There was definitely something between the two of them. Quinn walked to the fridge, grabbed the steaks and fish.
“Still a vegetarian, Minnie?” Quinn asked.
“Yes… I’m not eating precious cows,” she said.
Everyone laughed but her. She stared at us all like we were crazy until we quieted down.
“Oh, she’s serious,” Scarlett said.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Minnie deadpanned.
Delilah and Bellamy started to laugh hysterically. I was confused; clearly, they had some inside joke going that I didn’t understand.
“Anyway, we’re going outside to start building a fire and to start grilling,” Quinn said. “Graham, can you help Beau get the grill out of my truck? Witten, Nash, and Kai, can you get some wood andbring it to that small firepit on the side of the house, here?” He pointed to the side yard, next to the living room.
