Until Next Time (13 page)

It was a lie.

Piper blinked, shedding more moisture from her now reddened eyes.

“Can you see me?” she whispered. “Can you see what you did to me?”

And with that thought, Piper allowed her eyes to close, and she drifted off.

<<<<>>>>>

A constant tapping on her door roused Piper from her slumber. She lumbered up and hobbled to the door, a little shaky on her feet. She cracked the door.

Gavin stood on the other side, his expression laced with concern. “Piper? Are you all right?”

She rubbed over her face. “Yes, thank you. How long have you been here?”

“About an hour. I took all the boxes out to the dumpster and swept and cleaned up the storage room for you.”

“Oh. Why?”

“Because you looked like you weren’t up for it.”

She slid the door open a smidge further. “Thank you.”

“May I come in?”

“Uh, oh, sure.” She swung the door open all the way, waving him inside. He crossed the threshold hesitantly, glancing around at her bold colors and furnishing.

Then he whistled a low sound. “You are such a surprise, Piper Downing.”

She shuffled away from the door and made a beeline for the kitchen. Dragging a cup from the cabinet—make that two—she flicked on the coffee pot. “You don’t even know me, Gavin.”

His footsteps echoed behind her, and the shuffling of a chair announced he was sitting. What did he want, anyway?

“That’s true,” he murmured. “But I think you and I have a great deal in common.”

She rolled her eyes. They were in the business of death; of course they had a lot in common. “It’s pretty easy to see why, don’t you think?”

He chuckled lightly. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

She poured two cups of coffee, not bothering to ask if Gavin liked his black. She didn’t have cream or sugar anyway. Handing him a steaming cup, she sat opposite him at the table.

“I’m fine, really,” she said. “You didn’t have to come and check up on me.”

He drew the cup away from his lips. “I don’t mind.” Again, he glanced around the space, taking in surroundings with sort of a wonder. “Did you know that most people who own a funeral home have the same decorating taste at home?”

Piper frowned. “Where did you hear that?”

“I’m a supplier. I’ve been to a lot of people’s homes.”

“Oh, yeah.” She took a swig of coffee, not minding the burn down her throat.

“Your home, though…I wasn’t expecting it to be so alive.”

“Alive?”

“Yes,
alive.
You surround yourself with death every day, yet when you come home, you do so to a home that bursting with life. You’ve got plants all along your far window sill, a colorful fish tank in the corner, and not to mention the choice of colors on all your walls.”

She shrugged. “I like to decorate. So?”

“I think it’s more than that.” He considered something for a moment over another slow drink of coffee, and then he spoke again. “My house is the same way. It’s the way I escape from all that I see during the day. From all the talk of death, embalming, needles, waxes, blah, blah, blah.” He eyed her cabinets. “My kitchen is this exact shade of red, Piper.”

Her brow furrowed. “No way.”

He did a mock crossing of his heart. “I swear it.”

She allowed herself a laugh. “So maybe you’re right. It still doesn’t change the way I feel inside.”

“I don’t know what you feel inside. I imagine, after what I saw today, that whatever it is, it’s quite discomforting to you.”

Her head dipped. “I’m sorry. I’m normally better at holding my stuff together. And to let another professional see that? Cheese and crackers, what a mess.”

“Don’t be sorry. You couldn’t help it, and I could tell you weren’t expecting to find anything like that down there.”

“Yes.” Her voice drifted off.

“Listen, Piper, I get it. If anyone on this earth gets it, I do.”

Her eyes lifted up to meet his. His voice was so sincere, his face ridiculously genuine.

“Everyone has a story about death, though most people fill it with abundances of cheeriness and talk about love and heaven. They might really believe all that, and then again, they might only be saying it to get through difficult times. But you and me, Piper, we know what death does to the living. We know what it feels like to be left behind.”

Piper gripped her coffee mug. “You’ve lost people important to you, haven’t you?”

His eyes sobered. “Yes.”

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

He cocked his head. “I don’t think I need to. I think you already know how it feels, how I feel. And the reason I’m still here, right now, is because I saw that same thing in you.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Oh.”

His cup clanked on the table as he reached across for her hand. She flinched, but allowed his hands to curl over hers, which were still clenched around her cup.

“It’s not very often that you meet someone who’s gone through the same things you have,” he said quietly, his eyes locked on hers. “And it’s even rarer to meet someone who feels the same away about death as you do.”

She forced words out of her mouth. “You don’t know how I feel about death.”

“Oh, I don’t?” He released her hands and leaned back comfortably in his seat. “Would it be fair to say that you think people who die are selfish?”

A lump formed in her throat.

“That’s what I thought. And I imagine that you don’t get very close to people, do you?”

She still couldn’t speak.

“I’m the exact same way, Piper. We were born into a life of death, therefore we don’t really know how to live. We don’t get close to people, and for God’s sake, we don’t
love
anyone. We go on, doing what we do, because it’s the only thing we know how to do.”

His words slammed around inside her head. He was so right. So terribly right.

He leaned toward her again, but kept his hands to himself. “Now forgive me for being so blunt here, but I think, with two people who have so much in common—two people who expect nothing from each other, love especially—should have a chance of dating.”

She jerked back in her seat. She didn’t know what she had been expecting, but it hadn’t been
that.
Sure, she found Gavin interesting, attractive, and more importantly, in-tune with the whole death and destruction thing. He understood her life,
their
lives. How she was different. And probably what she needed. But what about Quinn? In true Piper fashion, she pulled her thoughts together and gave him the perfect funeral home director smile. “You’re right, you know. Two people, no love, no strings.”
No heartache upon death. No room for selfishness.

“Exactly.” A slow grin split his face. “What do you say?”

She rose, and he followed. “Would you, uh, mind if I thought about it? I mean, in all fairness I have to tell you that I went on a date two Fridays ago with this guy, and I’m not really sure if we’re officially dating.”

Gavin nodded. “I appreciate the heads-up. Do you mind if I ask what this man is like?”

Heat rushed to Piper’s cheeks. “He’s a lot different than us, that’s for sure.”

“So then maybe my chances are better than I think?”

“I’m not sure, really. He’s…different.”

“You already said that.”

“Oh. Well, then it is what it is.” She shuffled around the table, picking up both mugs and dumping them into the kitchen sink.

“I’ll let you get back to work, then,” Gavin said.

She turned to him. “Thank you, Gavin. I really mean that. There aren’t many people I can talk to who really understand the bones of what I do.”

“Anytime.” He grinned and walked to the door. “Thanks for the coffee, and let me know about my offer.”

Piper shook her suddenly throbbing head and gave him a smile. “I will.”

Chapter Eleven

Quinn landed his Sukhoi Su-31M—nicknamed
Dauntless—
on a stretch of black airfield. After checking the gauges, powering down, and unstrapping himself, he popped the latch, ripped off his headgear and hopped down. His brother was waiting for him.

“That was awesome!” KC smacked his shoulder. “Grandpa’s gonna love it.”

Quinn grimaced. “He sure will if you manage to not clip my tail on the dog-dive.”

KC laughed. “I wasn’t close to you.”

“The downwind bump proved otherwise.” He unzipped his flight suit and shrugged it off his shoulders. Wrapping it around his waist, he tied it with the sleeves and meandered, KC still in tow, across the airstrip.

“There was no bump, and you know it.” KC nailed him a good punch in the arm. “I’d say your thoughts were elsewhere instead of in the sky.”

Quinn blew out a loud breath. “Piper’s coming over tonight.”

KC’s grin was lightning fast. “You’re bringing her to game night? Are you nuts? She’ll think we’re all crazy by the time the night’s through.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“Then why not go somewhere else?”

Quinn leveled a serious look at his brother. “Are you serious? Miss a game night? Never. I’d never be forgiven.”

KC gave him a
duh
look. “Then why not go out with her another night?”

“Because if I’d waited, she might not have. I had to act.”

KC whistled. “Oh, one of those things.”

“Don’t be such a pain. Piper’s complicated.”

“I guess.”

Quinn gazed back at the airstrip, to his cherry-red plane and then to his brother’s bright blue one. It was a shame that Del’s white plane wasn’t lined up with them. But they still could manage a good show without him. “Can the crew take care of the after-flight checks? I’ve got to pick Piper up, and I’d like to clean up a bit first.”

“Sure thing. And you really did well up there today, Quinn.”

“Thanks. And please, watch the tailspin tomorrow, would ya? I’d rather not go face-first into the ground.”

KC chuckled. “You got it.”

Quinn deposited his flight suit in the hangar and made quick time getting home, showered, and over to Piper’s. He was a little early, but early was better than late. At the front door of the funeral home, he rapped and waited. When she didn’t answer after a few minutes, he knocked harder and waited.

Hmm…maybe she was still getting ready. After the third try with no answer, Quinn got concerned. He checked the doorknob and found it unlocked. He stepped in, gave the room a quick sweep with his eyes, and found everything as it should be.

“Piper?”

No answer.

His eyes danced up the staircase, making him wonder if he should dare to step onto her personal territory. He knew she lived up there; all he had to do was walk up the steps. After calling out her name once more without an answer, he risked it.

His shoes clicked on the wooden stairs as he ascended. Once at the top he found a short hallway leading to a single door. Piper’s door. Taking a settling breath, he crossed to it and knocked.

Again, there was no answer. He was not about to bust down her door, so instead he yanked his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed the number to the funeral home. Piper would answer, she always answered after-hours.

“Downing and Sons Funeral Home, this is Piper. How can I help you this evening?” Her voice was distant, strained, not at all like Piper.

“Are you all right?”

“Quinn?”

“Yes. Are you home? I’m standing outside your door. I’ve been knocking, and I was worried because you didn’t answer.”

“Oh. Uh, it’s unlocked. Please come in.”

She hung up.

Confused and still very much concerned, Quinn did as he was instructed and twisted the knob. With a little squeak, the door swung open easily. His eyes swept over this space, too, but didn’t really see it; he was worried about Piper. He saw her hunched over the back of the couch, staring aimlessly at a brown box sitting on her tiny glass coffee table. She glanced at him quickly, then back at the box. Her eyes were red and puffy, her face twisted with agony.

He dropped rushed to her, and collected her into his arms.

“Oh my God, Piper, what’s wrong?” He kissed her hair, taking a deep breath of her coconut shampoo.

“I’m so sorry, Quinn.” She buried her face into his shoulder. “I didn’t forget about you. I…couldn’t pull myself together in time.”

“It’s okay. Shh.” He stroked her back, her arms, and tugged her closer. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I can be ready in a second. Just give me a second.”

He didn’t let her go. “How long have you been like this?”

“Too long.” Her arms curled around him. “It’s good to see you.” She drew away, her reddened eyes like a punch to his gut.

“We don’t have to do this tonight if you’re not up to it.”

She sniffled and straightened her shoulders. “No, it’s fine. I’ll be fine.”

Quinn didn’t believe her. There was hollowness to her gaze as it drifted back to the box on the table.

“Where did that come from?” he asked.

“The dumpster.”

“What’s in it?”

“Nothing important.”

He wanted to ask a million more questions, but said nothing. Instead, he gave Piper another comforting hug and relished in the way she fit so perfectly against him. He would make her smile before the night was through. He would make her laugh. He would wipe away whatever did this to her.

“Give me two minutes and I’ll be ready.”

“You look beautiful to me.”

Pink rose into her cheeks. “Two minutes.”

He let her go, and she scurried to a doorway along the back wall. He guessed it was her bedroom. When the door clicked shut behind her, he focused his attention on the box. It said Piper’s name on the side in faded black marker. It looked a little worse for wear, but he could tell where someone had tried to clean it up. The four sides were folded across to the top, sealing it shut, but Quinn could make out a fuzzy little gray thing poking out of the middle hole.

He wondered…

“Ready?” Piper’s voice from behind him jolted him back to reality.

“I’m always ready for you.”

Another blush swam into her cheeks, this time darker.

“But are you sure you’re ready for this?” he asked, still worried. “Game night with the Olivers? It’s intense.”

Her eyes flitted to the box. “I can handle intense.”

He frowned, but his mood settled a bit. “I’ll have to trust your word. Games start at eight—on the dot—which means we have exactly one hour to grab a bite to eat. What do you feel like?”

“Something very unhealthy.”

He took her by the elbow and led her out the door. “Oh, I think we can do that. Anything for the lady.”

<<<<>>>>>

Quinn settled on Pico’s Taco Bar. It was messy, it was unhealthy, and the atmosphere was hopping with Spanish music and bright colors. Exactly what Piper needed. They were seated in a corner booth, and their plates were loaded to the max.

“This good enough for you?” he asked, delighted when she scooped up a big dollop of sour cream and plunked it down on her mile-high nachos.

“This hits the spot. Thank you.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She gracefully snapped a loaded nacho in half and placed it in her mouth. To her credit, she didn’t get a dribble of anything on her. Except a little smear of cheese on the corner of her mouth. Quinn had the urge to wipe it away for her, but thought better of it after her eyes went distant at his question.

She shrugged, chewing carefully, and then swallowing. “Only if you want to hear about my breakdown.”

“I doubt it was a breakdown, Piper. Everyone is entitled to have some emotions about…something.”

“Yeah.” She heaved another nacho into her mouth. “
Something.
”

“Okay then, we won’t talk about it.” He scooped up a spoonful of beans.

Piper looked at him. Like
really
looked at him. The distance in her eyes was gone, and so was the soft look he loved about her. She flicked the topping off a nacho and waved it at him.

“Okay, this might seem to come out of nowhere,” she said, “but are you and I, like, officially dating?”

Quinn choked on his beans. After a few coughs, he replied, “Well, we went on one date—which I thoroughly enjoyed. I’m still wondering if you did, too.” He eyed her carefully. “Did you?”

She snatched up a spoon and jabbed it into her pile of nachos. “Yes. I think I mentioned that.”

“I remember you saying you went on the date expecting not to go on a second, but then changed your mind.” He eased forward, dipping his head so she would look at him. “Why did you change your mind?”

Her gaze fixed on him. “Because everything about the date was unexpected.”

Well, if that wasn’t vague. “I hope that’s good.”

Her lip twitched, but Quinn could tell she was holding back a smile. “It was a lot of things,” she said. “Good was one of them. So are we officially…dating?”

The corners of his mouth curled. “I’d say so. Even though it took us a while to get reconnected after that first day, we apparently had some issues over basic communication to figure out.” He chuckled, thinking how hard it was to get Piper back here, with him.

“What’s so funny?”

“I was thinking about our conversation earlier today. You really aren’t sure
what
we’re doing, are you?”

Her bottom lip drew into her mouth. “Honestly, I thought I did. I mean, I date, I know how it works. But I’ve never dated anyone like you, and it’s frustrating.”

Quinn sat back, confused. He took a drink of tea before trying to get the conversation back to more comfortable water. “Tell me what you want, Piper.”

“I don’t know.”

“How can you not know?” A rolling feeling twisted his stomach.

“I
did
know. I’ve always known what I’ve wanted.” Her spoon clanked to the table. “In life and in the men I date. That’s where you’re different, Quinn. You’re not like the kind of men I date, and it’s terrifying.”

“What’s wrong with me?”

Piper tossed her head back and laughed. And even though she was laughing at him, it was a beautiful sound, sending waves of sensation to all the right places. And Quinn couldn’t help but notice the sweeping curve of her neck, the wonderful tone of her skin, and his fingers itched to touch it, his lips on fire to taste.

“So then there is something wrong with me,” Quinn murmured, his ego busted before it even had a chance to be stroked.

Piper straightened, leveling her stare at him. “No. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you. From what I can see, you’re everything a woman would dream of.
That
is the problem.”

His brow drew together. “I don’t understand.”

She shook her head and cast him a comforting smile. “I’m trying to be honest here, and you’re making it difficult.”

“I’m sorry. I just want to understand what’s going on between us. What you want, what you need, and how to make this work. Because one thing is certain, Piper: I want you.”

Her eyes flickered briefly, and then she gave him a hesitant smile.

He leaned in, snatched her hand into his. “So to make it official, Piper, we
are
dating.”

“Monogamous dating, then?”

“That’s the only kind to me.”

She eased back, taking her hand from his and blew out a breath. “Okay then, that’s settled.”

“Yes.” He was back on edge, wondering where Piper was going with this. “So we are dating. Monogamously.”

“Yes.”

Was it him or did Piper sound not-so-convinced? He took another bite, thought about how he’d seen her earlier. He laced his hands together above his plate. “I’m sorry about whatever happened to you today, Piper, but please know that I’m here to listen. I have a feeling that whatever happened has something to do with me.”

She cast her gaze away, making him wonder what she was hiding. He itched to comfort her again. He needed to take away whatever pain she had. He needed to understand her. Badly.

“We’ve already covered the bases,” he continued. “We like each other. We’re here…
together.
And from what I’ve gathered about how we interact, I imagine that our relationship will at some point become physical. And like you said on our first date, there’s nothing more than that if you don’t want it. But please, talk to me,” he pleaded.

She blinked and twisted her napkin around her fingers. “Gavin was by the funeral home earlier today.”

Ah, so it was the man Quinn had thought Piper was dating. Why did that not surprise him?

“What happened?”

“Well, we had an appointment to clear out some of the old stuff in the storage room. I haven’t touched most of it since…since my dad passed away. And having to go through it really set me off. Made me think about things I didn’t want to think about. And there was this stupid box.” She was on a roll now, her knuckles growing whiter with each twist of the napkin. “A box of my things that my dad, for some stupid reason, had hidden amongst his supplies.”