The cords along Mrs. Hauser’s sinewy neck tensed before her features smoothed over. “Yes, well, Patricia comes from a lovely family, although I’ll never understand why she and her sister chose a career in sales of all things. No advanced degree of any kind.” She huffed, shaking her head. “But I suppose we can’t make our children’s choices for them now, can we?”
Quinn had no idea how to respond to such a hostile remark. She didn’t even like Tricia, and she still felt the need to defend her.
“You know, Mrs. Hauser, Tricia is a highly successful realtor, one of the best in the area.”
“Yes, I’ve spotted those billboards as well. So ghastly! They must’ve cost a fortune.” Mrs. Hauser’s gaze scanned Quinn up and down, like the Terminator’s, but without the warmth. “I suppose every mother thinks no one is good enough for her son.”
And with that petrified turd of a comment, his mother walked to the booth on the other side of the restaurant.
Just then, Bash waltzed out of the bathroom, pegging Scott in Quinn’s personal space and barreling straight for them. “Everything okay here?”
Ms. Eun placed their food down with a thud. “Chow’s up!”
Scott startled. Of course, Bash was six feet three and her ex was only five eight, so she understood why he was getting jumpy.
“Nope. No problem.” He gave her a quick, pained smile. “See you later, Quinn.”
Her brother did that staring down “I’m not gonna blink until you’re gone” thing, waiting until Scott was across the room and seated with his mom before he slid back onto the stool.
“Is that numb-nut bothering you?”
She stole one of his fries. “Not really. Until today, that is.”
He grabbed the ketchup. “Why, what’s so special about today?” He opened the top and slammed the heel of his palm on the side of the bottle.
“He got engaged to Tricia Pemberley. She even made a special trip over to Guinefort House to let me know.”
He barked out a laugh. “That’s awesome. They’ll both be miserable for the rest of their lives.”
Quinn kept her voice low. “I don’t understand why he’s here with his mom. They never come here.”
“No kidding.” Ms. Eun butted in. “The only time that boy ever came in was when the two of you were dating. And now he’s back.” She gave Quinn a pointed look.
Quinn groused. “Oh, c’mon now. He’s engaged.”
Ms. Eun remained unfazed—and unconvinced. “He’s never gotten over you. Everyone knows that.”
“Please, he just never got over someone breaking up with him. ‘No one breaks up with Scott Hauser’—I still can’t believe I went out with someone who talks about himself in the third person.”
“He was—and will always be—a self-centered bro-hole.” Bash took a whopper bite of his burger.
“He says he wants to talk.”
Bash swallowed. “Well, that’s not happening.”
She shoved a bite of her omelet into her mouth. “Um, I tink dass my dwecision to make,” Quinn said through a mouthful of herbed chicken goodness.
Greg yelled out, “Hey, beautiful bride of mine, we’ve got other customers!”
Ms. Eun shrugged her shoulders. “That’s my cue.”
As soon as she was out of earshot, Bash leaned in. “Want some good news?”
She swallowed another bite. “Of course, I do—spill.”
“Guess who was just hired as the new assistant fire chief for Fairfax County?”
She dropped her fork on the plate. “No way.”
Another happy smile. “I just got off the phone with the chief. That means no more traveling the country, living out of crappy motels. I’m moving back for good, and I start Monday.”
Quinn waved both hands like they were on fire, something she did when she was over-the-moon excited. “Holy shi—are you serious?” She didn’t wait for his response. “I can’t believe it! This is huge!” She threw her arms around him, rocking him side to side.
“But wait—there’s more.”
She released him. “What? If I order now, I get the Ginsu knives too?
Eun came back to refill his Coke. “What’s going on?”
“You know what? Let me tell you on the way.” He retrieved his wallet and placed a couple of twenties on the counter.
Quinn scrunched her nose. “You know, I can buy for us, Bash.”
He brushed his sandy-brown hair out of his eyes. “I know, I know … you are woman, hear you roar. All for it, except you forget, when you’re out with your big brother, I’ve got you, the least of it meaning me paying for breakfast.”
She really did have the best brother ever created.
“Not necessary, but always appreciated.” She hopped off her stool and adjusted the strap of her messenger bag.
“Thanks, guys.” She waved to the Huttons.
“Stay out of trouble!” Ms. Eun called out. Her husband moved away from the grill, draping an arm over his wife’s shoulder.
Bash leaned close to her ear. “I need you to come with me on an errand, by the way.”
“Sure. Where we going?”
He held the door open for her. “To face the enemy.”
Chapter Two
“She believed sarcasm and rude remarks kept the monsters at bay. They didn’t.”
—Louise Penny, A Rule Against Murder
If Quinn had known her brother’s errand involved meeting up with the Pemberley sisters, she would have opted for a root canal instead. Or a pap smear. Maybe even a series of bee stings, the next more painful than the last.
And she was allergic to bees.
They pulled up in front of the old tomato canning factory, dormant and abandoned for as long as Quinn could remember. Now, the once-rusted behemoth to industrialization gleamed like a shiny new penny in the sun.
“Can you believe it?” Her brother maneuvered into the parking space. “They finally did something with this heap and converted it into loft condos. I heard about the property from a buddy of mine.”
Quinn knew all about the defunct factory because she’d written a paper on it in the eighth grade. “This place has quite a history—did you know that?”
“Not really, but I have a feeling you’re going to tell me.”
“This is true. I am, but I’ll give you the SparkNotes version.” she said. “During World War Two, this canning factory was Vienna’s answer to a nationwide call for us to plant ‘victory gardens.’ It was a way to feed ourselves and send canned food overseas to soldiers. Pretty cool, huh?”
Bash put his truck into park with one hand, the other draped over the steering wheel. “It is, which is why we’re going to put up with them.”
She blustered. “Yeah, but I thought you were kidding when you said we were going to face the enemy.”
He took the key out of the ignition. “Listen, the TnT twins aren’t my idea of a fun hang either, but they are top-notch realtors.”
“Yeah, but do they have any ethics? They’d sell their grandmother for parts if they could.” Quinn glanced at her brother’s profile. “Why not go with Ms. Jennifer over at Plum Street Properties? I used to babysit her kids. Plus, I can guarantee she has a soul.”