Page 105 of A Newport Christmess

I hurried back to the car, grateful she’d noticed it sitting there. The key to get inside was in the pocket, which could have been devastating if they’d driven off before I’d realized. I shuddered and pushed the thought from me. “Thanks. I’ll see you in a few minutes!”

I bounded up the stairs two at a time. After a night away, walking in felt like I was coming home—until I thought about how eerily quiet the house was, and the moment was lost. With a quick scan, I was appeased that everything appeared secured. But hidden murderers or not, I didn’t have time to worry.

The charger was sitting next to the bed where I’d left it, and once I plugged in my phone, I hurried to the closet and pulled out my dress. The velvet fabric was perfect for a quick change, and it felt wonderful against my skin. My hair was the real challenge. The updo I’d done last night had taken me almost an hour, and I didn’t have that kind of time. A quick comb-through would have to suffice, and I’d just sport my natural waves. By the time I’d applied mascara, my phone chimed, signaling it had powered on.

A flood of notifications sent my phone into detonation mode again, but I ignored them all and opened Landon’s texts. There were a few new messages from him.

Landon: Considering my call went straight to voicemail, I’m guessing your phone died. Call me whenever you get this. I’d love to talk.

Landon: I hope you slept well. I wanted to let you know I’m leaving for all the pre-wedding stuff. I don’t know if you got your phone charged, but since your things are still here, I’m assuming you haven’t left Newport. I’m hoping you don’t before we get a chance to talk. If you need anything, call me. I’ll make sure my phone isn’t on silent this time.

Before I could convince myself of what an awful person I was, I wrote out a message:

Quinn: You still in need of a date for the wedding?

Quinn: Even if she’s a little late?

Quinn: And a lot sorry?

My last text had barely sent when the phone rang, and Landon’s name appeared on the screen.

“Hey,” I said, trying to keep the flood of emotions from altering my voice. I wasn’t sure which would win out, and I didn’t want to smear my mascara again. I didn’t have time to fix it.

“Hey. Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

“I’m at the house, but you can’t come. There won’t be time before the wedding starts. I’m going to take a ride-share and pray really hard I don’t get a murderer for a driver.”

“Did you already request a car?”

“No. I have to download the app still. My phone just powered on, and I thought I should text to make sure you hadn’t found yourself another date before I risked my life.”

He chuckled. “Well, no need. I just requested a car. The driver is five minutes away.”

“For real?”

“I’m far too desperate to see you to be joking.”

I feared my cheeks would cramp with how big my smile was. “I’ll be there as soon as I can, but don’t wait for me. I’ll find you after the ceremony.”

“Quinn?”

“Yeah?”

He hesitated, and there were voices in the background. “Thanks for coming.”

Again, I didn’t trust my emotions enough to tell him how much his public declaration had meant to me. But I’d find the time. “How could I not? After that video Nikki posted of you, there are probably ten thousand desperate women waiting to get their hands on you. Who’s going to protect you from all of them if I don’t?”

He chuckled. “Good point. You’d better bring the frying pan.”

TWENTY-FIVE

QUINN

My heart raced at an unwavering gallop, but I wasn’t sure if it was from how fast I’d gotten ready, my anticipation to see Landon, my sliding into the backseat of a car alone with a driver I didn’t know, or the fact I had a necessary—and dreaded—call to make. It was probably a wicked combination of all of those things. I stared at my phone. The battery was still low since I’d only charged it for fifteen minutes, which meant I couldn’t put off my call like I wanted to. And we’d already been in the car for over ten minutes, so the ride was more than half over.

I pressed Mom’s name and brought the phone to my ear.

“Hey, sweetie. I’m so glad I saw my phone light up. I’ve been out all morning, running errands, and didn’t realize I had my phone’s ringer off.” Mom’s upbeat voice had the opposite effect it usually did on me, and I squirmed in my seat. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the wedding?”