Page 58 of The Lovers (Echoes from the Past #1)

FORTY-THREE

Quinn walked toward Hyde Park and plopped herself onto a bench by the Serpentine.

The day was sunny and bright, if a bit chilly.

The river sparkled as it lazily flowed by, its waters reflecting the fluffy clouds above.

A canopy of russet and gold whispered overhead, leaves twirling and settling on the ground to form a thick carpet of vivid color.

Another few weeks and these leaves would be nothing more than brown sludge decaying into the earth, but at the moment, they were beautiful.

The walk to the park restored her spirits, and Quinn felt more philosophical than upset, especially after speaking with Jill.

On some level, she was grateful to Monica for telling her the truth about Luke, painful though it was.

Knowing about the affair shed new light on his behavior and gave new meaning to Luke’s abrupt exit.

What struck Quinn the most was that Luke had apparently been flaunting his new girlfriend in front of their mutual friends.

He’d wanted people to know, and he’d hoped Quinn would find out.

He’d had no desire for an amicable split; he had wished to hurt her—badly.

That realization hurt worst of all. He hadn’t just betrayed and humiliated her, but he’d also made her question her own judgment.

She’d trusted him, relied on him, and thought that he genuinely cared for her.

But now she had no idea what to believe.

How long had he felt this way? Was this woman the first or the last in a string of many?

Had there been signs that Quinn missed, trusting Luke wholeheartedly as she had?

Quinn was startled out of her reverie by the trilling of her mobile.

She pulled it out of her purse and pressed the answer button, disappointed that the call wasn’t from Gabe.

He was the only person she would have liked to talk to at that moment.

It was Rhys, who was not someone she expected to call on a Saturday.

And so Quinn put on a cheerful voice, desperate to hide her pain.

“Quinn, I hope I didn’t wake you,” he said.

“Are you joking? I’ve been up for hours. I’m not one of those people who sleep till noon.”

“Neither am I.”

“As it happens, I’m in London. I came to spend a few hours with my cousin.”

“Oh, sorry to interrupt.”

“You are not. She had to work, so I took myself to Hyde Park with the intention of taking a brisk walk. Instead, I’m sitting on a bench and watching the ducks.”

“If you’d like some company, I’d be more than happy to watch the ducks with you,” Rhys suggested.

“If you have nothing better to do, I’ll be glad to see you.” And she would be. Rhys’s company was undemanding and amusing. He was just the right antidote to brooding alone in the park.

“All right. Just give me a half hour. I’ll meet you there. Say, by the Prince Albert Memorial?”

They agreed on a time, and Rhys rang off.

The prospect of seeing him lifted Quinn’s spirits.

She wasn’t sure what she felt for him, but she was being honest when she told Jill that there was some kind of a connection between them.

Rhys made her feel peaceful, whereas Gabe brought turmoil and uncertainty every time they saw each other.

It hadn’t been that way while she was with Luke, but now Luke was gone and Gabe wasn’t prepared to wait any longer .

Quinn smiled happily when she saw Rhys walking toward her. He was casually dressed in jeans and his habitual leather jacket, with a tartan scarf in shades of blue and gray wrapped around his neck. He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“I woke up this morning thinking that my prospects for this weekend looked bleak, but now I couldn’t be happier,” he said sincerely. “I’m so glad you are in London.”

“Me too. I love living in a village, but sometimes it does feel stifling. I miss the bustle of the city.”

“So, what would you like to do?” Rhys asked. “We can take a walk, go for lunch, visit a museum, or go see a film.”

Quinn pretended to give it some thought, then took him by the arm. “Let’s take a walk, then have some lunch, and after that we can see a film. What do you say?”

“I say that sounds like an excellent plan.”

They walked off together into the park, chatting animatedly.

Rhys wanted to hear all about Elise, so Quinn filled him in, enjoying the shock on his face when she described plague-ridden London in great detail and told him of her strange dream.

Eventually, they got tired of walking and sat down by the river.

Quinn didn’t really notice when Rhys’s arm encircled her, but she rested her head on his shoulder as they sat together in companionable silence.

They remained that way for some time before Quinn looked up at him.

Rhys leaned down and kissed her, making her heart flutter in her chest. She hadn’t kissed anyone since Luke, so it had been a long while since she’d been kissed by a new man.

The kiss was lovely, but it lacked passion, and Quinn carefully pulled away, mindful of hurting his feelings.

Rhys looked at her. “You are so beautiful, Quinn.”

“You must meet beautiful women every day in your line of work,” Quinn replied modestly. She wasn’t used to compliments. Luke had been stingy with praise, but he showed his admiration in other ways.

“I do, but they are not like you. You’re real and so very intelligent. Smart women are sexy,” he said with a smile. He kissed her again, but Quinn ended it after a few moments. Something just didn’t feel right. Perhaps she wasn’t ready to get involved with anyone just yet.

“Rhys, I…”

“There’s no need to explain. Come, shall we go? I’m famished, as usual.”

Quinn smiled and allowed Rhys to pull her to her feet. He wasn’t angry, but she felt a slight chill in his attitude. He didn’t touch her for the rest of the day.