Page 6 of Stolen Hearts (WaterColor Romance #7)

Autumn didn’t quite have words for the squirming feeling inside her.

There had been something downright adorable about Quinn when Autumn had met her at the bar.

Quinn had seemed so out of her depth. Now, seeing Quinn maneuver around the busy cafe she was the picture of confidence.

Autumn couldn’t help but find this new side of Quinn hot.

What was she even supposed to do with all of the eye contact Quinn was making?

Quinn’s small glances were subtle, but they left Autumn feeling dangerously exposed.

She was aware that at least two of her friends were analyzing her.

It was Piper that broke the silence. She bumped her shoulder against Autumn with a smile.

Autumn tried everything to telepathically relay to Piper that she absolutely did not want to talk about Quinn.

Her wires must have gotten crossed because Piper sent her a look that clearly said they were about to talk about her.

“You were right. Quinn is cute,” Piper began. Autumn swallowed hard.

“She’s not as much of a disaster as I was expecting though.”

“I’ll admit she seems to know her way around a restaurant.” Autumn admitted.

She watched as Quinn emerged from the kitchen balancing multiple trays and drinks on her arms. Damn her arms looked strong. The tight black shirt showed her figure more than her baggy tee from their first meeting. It was clear that Quinn was fit. Autumn pushed the thoughts out of her mind.

“Yeah, I was curious what was going on with you and Quinn? I didn’t realize the two of you knew one another,” River chimed in.

Great. Now everyone was on the subject of her and Quinn. She watched as all of her friends turned their focus to her.

“We just met. Like she said she wants me to design the layout and decor for her bar,” Autumn offered as nonchalantly as possible.

She watched as her friends twisted their faces, obviously working out the puzzle right in front of them.

“Sure. But there’s a definite vibe between the two of you, right?” Brianna asked.

“There’s definitely something,” Willow chuckled.

“What makes you think there’s a vibe?” Autumn asked.

“The fact that the two of you couldn’t seem to keep your eyes off of each other,” River stated.

“And it looked like you wanted to eat that girl whole.” Willow offered a smile nodding towards Quinn’s direction.

Heat exploded across Autumn’s face, and she knew that she was blushing. She forced herself to sit up a little straighter and leveled her best serious look at her friends.

“Okay. Yes, Quinn is cute, and definitely my type. However, I don’t date clients.

Her bar project could be a big deal for me professionally.

If I decorate this bar and it gets popular it could really open me up for getting more large projects.

So, I absolutely will not be leaning into any attraction I feel for her. ”

Autumn watched as her explanation landed with each of her friends. Their faces fell and she took note of the disappointment. Autumn huffed a sigh.

“Okay, what’s wrong? Why do you all look like it’s Christmas morning and there are no presents?”

“It’s just…” Brianna let her words trail off.

River glanced over at Brianna. She gave Brianna’s arm a pat. The two of them were still sickeningly sweet together. Even now that they were planning a wedding together there was no denying the rightness of their relationship.

“I think maybe what Bri is trying to say is that we want to see you happy.”

“Success will make me very happy,” Autumn rebutted with a smile.

“We want you to have both,” Piper offered.

“It’s hard enough to find women to date here. Let alone finding one that you’re magnetically attracted to.” Willow’s words landed. Autumn couldn’t deny the sorry state of lesbian dating in WaterColor.

“I don’t know that I would say we’re magnetically attracted,” Autumn teased. She was hoping that she could lighten the mood. One glance around the table told her that she had in fact, failed.

“You know I’m not the only one to consider here. Quinn just got out of a serious relationship. I doubt she’s looking for anything serious either.”

She watched the collective eye roll from her friends. But they didn’t say anything. Autumn supposed that was progress, or at least as good as she could expect. Mel finished up with a table and came over to sit with them. Mel glanced around the table and arched an eyebrow.

“What did I miss over here?” Mel asked.

Autumn had been so close to getting through the rest of their lunch unscathed. This was at least her chance to take control of the situation. Maybe she could squash the conversation before it regained any traction.

“They all think there’s something between Quinn and I. But I have reaffirmed to everyone that I am going to remain professional and not date my clients.”

Autumn splayed out her hands, resting her case.

“That’s too bad. Quinn is a real sweetheart, and you two seem interested in each other.”

Leave it to Mel to say what was on her mind in a way that was both succinct and absolutely sweet at the same time. Everyone turned, looking at her with expectation.

“Absolutely not,” Autumn demanded.

Quinn walked past them with a tray full of food and met Autumn’s eyes. She could feel herself being drawn in and forced herself to break eye contact first. Her friends were all shaking their heads.

“You can do whatever you want. Whatever feels best for you. But based solely on the eye contact, you’re going to have one heck of a time keeping this business related,” Brianna interjected.

Autumn could always count on her friends to state the obvious.

“I am quite capable of working alongside someone that I find attractive,” Autumn insisted.

“We’re not saying that you’re incapable of anything.” Piper crossed her arms over her chest.

“Then what are you saying?”

“We just don’t want you to shut yourself off to something that could be a good thing.” Piper reached over and gave Autumn’s hand a squeeze.

Sometimes her friends could be so frustratingly sweet. Autumn wrapped an arm around Piper and squeezed. What if once this project is done, I keep an open mind?” Autumn grumbled.

“That’s all we ask,” Brianna laughed.

“Assuming of course that Quinn and I aren’t ready to kill one another by the end of the project.”

Her friends laughed. Autumn was glad she could make them feel better. Of course, she had no intentions of keeping an open mind. But if it made her friends feel better than Autumn could pay lip service to the idea. She glanced down at her phone and caught the time.

“Speaking of this project, I should get going so that I can work on it.”

Autumn shot all of her friends a smile and gave a tiny wave. She turned walking towards the door and almost collided with Quinn.

“Sorry about that. I’m still getting the lay of the land over here,” Quinn grinned.

“I’m pretty sure this one was my fault,” Autumn laughed.

“You headed off?”

“I am. I have this really fun bar project I need to go home and work on.”

Quinn acknowledged the statement with a laugh.

“Your friends all seem like really good people,” Quinn said.

“They are. They certainly enjoyed meeting you,” Autumn smiled.

“Really? That’s great to hear.”

“They like you so much they were hoping the two of us would start dating.”

Why did she say that out loud? Autumn gave a strained laugh, hoping to cover her mistake. It was too late. To her absolute fluster Quinn allowed her eyes to scan her up and down, taking Autumn in.

“Well, you are definitely my type.” Quinn shot Autumn a devastatingly gorgeous smile.

“I think it’s going to be a long time before I’m up for dating someone new. My last relationship was really rough.”

“I think that’s fair. And I don’t date clients.”

“Then I guess this is perfect,” Quinn laughed.

“I guess so. I’ve got to get going. I have so many ideas to sort through for your project.”

“Won’t argue with that. Have a great day.” Quinn waved at Autumn as she left. Autumn was glad the two of them were on the same page. It did a lot to ease her mind about moving forward with the project.

Who cared if they found one another attractive?

There were bigger things at play for both of them.

If this project landed within the community, Autumn would be able to write her ticket as far as what projects she took from now on.

And Quinn was starting a brand-new investment as far as the bar was concerned.

She needed the place to be successful, and she obviously saw the value that Autumn brought to the table.

Autumn felt a sense of peace settle over her.

She was ready to bring her very best ideas to this project.