Dad’s mouth lifts into a huge grin and he reaches down, mussing up Max’s hair. “Ferris…” he says slowly, “not ferry.”
“Who cares,” Max yelps, batting away my dad’s hand. “It’s a big wheel and I get to ride it!”
Squatting down to Max’s level, I envelop him in another big hug and give him one last kiss. “Have fun, buddy! I’ll see you in a few days.”
“’Kay, mom. Bye!” he yells. Grabbing my dad’s hand, Max turns and pulls him out the door. Dad turns his head, giving me a quick wink, and mom walks out behind him, stopping briefly to kiss my temple. “Bye, sweetie.”
“See ya. Have fun." I shut the door, lock it, and turn around to face my empty house. Pressing my back against the cool wood, I slide to the floor and allow the silence to consume me. I promised myself that I was going to take advantage of my weekend alone. I can do whatever I want; I just have to figure what it is I want to do.
“Now what?" I murmur to myself. My phone beeps in my pocket and I pull it out, smiling when I see Quinn’s name. Perfect timing, Quinny.
Quinn: Did Max leave yet?
Me: Yup…
Quinn: Are you crying?
Me: Nope…
Quinn: Do you have plans for tonight?
Me: Nope. Wanna get together?
Quinn: Sorry I’ve got plans.
Seriously? I stare at the phone, at a loss for how to respond, when another text comes in.
Quinn: Try Levi.
Me: Then why did you ask if I have plans?
Quinn: Cause I was curious.
Me: What are you doing tonight?
Quinn: I’ve got a hot date.
Me: WHAT?!
Screw this. Sometimes I hate texting. I dial Quinn and she answers on the first ring. “Ha! I knew you’d call.”
“You have a date? Why am I just now hearing about this?" I ask accusingly. “Who is it?”
Quinn’s laugh rings loudly through the phone. “First, you are just now hearing about it because it just sort of happened. Second…I’m not tell-ing,” she sings.
“What?" I scoff. “Damnit, Quinny, I tell you everything. Please tell me,” I beg.
“I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?" Pushing up from the floor, I make my way through the house, picking up Max’s toys that he left scattered around.
“Umm…both.”
What?
“What the fuck, Quinn? Spill the damn beans, ‘cause you’re starting to piss me off!" I scold.
“Harley,” she whines, “please don’t push me on this. If you keep pushing, I’m going to tell you, but this is really important to me and I’m not ready to make it public. It’s so fresh and new, and right now I just want to enjoy it. If I feel like it’s going somewhere, then I promise I’ll tell you. Okay?”