Part 53: Who's That Bish?-1

"Lucy made this. My sister. Made this. You've got to be kidding me." Faye mopped up the last of the cognac butter with the garlic crostini and popped it into her mouth, shaking her head. "I don't believe you." "Faye, you have no idea what I can do. When it comes to the kitchen, I've got skills," Lucy said, turning to give Quinn a wink. He nearly choked on his ice water. "Admit it, Quinn. You cooked everything." Faye was like a prosecutor zeroing in on a hostile witness. He raised his hands in the air. "I told her a few things, but Lucy made everything, even the bread. She's a natural." "One lies, and the other swears to it," Faye muttered. Lucy rose and started collecting plates. "Well, every one of your plates was scraped clean," she said with pride. "So, I must have done something right." "By the way, can I ask — what exactly is going on with you two?" Marnie gestured with her fork towards Faye and Keith. Quinn had never seen Lucy's twin blush before. Lucy chimed in. "Yeah. Confess: Are you two an item or what?" Faye shot Lucy a filthy look while Keith observed the petite blonde with amusement. "We're whatever Faye says we are," he said. "She's the boss." Lucy nodded. "I like that answer, Keith. Quinn, can I see you in the kitchen for a minute?" "Sure." Quinn threw his napkin on the table and grabbed the rest of the plates, following her. "Your dinner was a hit," he said when they got to the kitchen. "The beef turned out perfectly." "I know! Now I want to learn another dish," she said, dumping the plates in the sink. "Don't worry about those, let's clean up in the morning," she said. "Sure. By the way, he's certainly changed," Quinn said, tilting his head towards the dining room. "I think he has. I like Keith now; he's alright. I didn't mean to put Faye on the spot like that," Lucy said. "Yes, you did." Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I did," she agreed with a giggle. "I can't get anything out of her, she won't tell me what she's thinking, or how she feels!" "Really? How strange that a McLean girl would hide her feelings like that." "Listen, now that I'm in therapy, I have feelings spilling out all over the place. I'm all feelings, all the time," she said. Lucy had gone to a couple of sessions with Garrett and so far, so good. At first, she said she was embarrassed at how much she cried during the sessions, but to her surprise she was enjoying talking things out with him, and the therapy was helping. She was sleeping well and hadn't had any nightmares in a long time. "Garrett's been great," she continued. "I guess I have some PTSD from the incident with Dad at the cabin. And some stuff from childhood that's still floating around in my brain like a toxic soup. The sessions are difficult and talking about this stuff hurts. But it's like pulling a splinter out of your hand. The pain is still there, but there's also a sense of relief and healing," she said. "I have a lot farther to go, but it's a good start, anyway." "I'm proud of you, Lucy." Quinn put his arms around her. "You're an extraordinary woman. I hope you know that." She smiled. "I'm starting to," she said, raising on tiptoe to kiss him before going to the china cabinet. "Is it time?" She clasped her hands together, excitement lighting up her face. "I'll grab the Prosecco," Quinn said, watching as she took out the Tiffany box and slipped on the ring. She glanced up at him with shining eyes, and his heart melted. It was almost as beautiful as she was, and he knew that he made the right choice. He wondered if there had ever been a time in his life when he'd been as happy as he was in that moment. Nothing else in his memory even came close. He arranged the champagne glasses on a tray and tucked the bottle under his arm, following Lucy into the dining room. He didn't want to miss a moment of the announcement. "What's all this?" Leon said as Quinn distributed glasses to them all. "Celebrating Quinn's recovery, I love it!" Marnie said. "Yes, and something else," Lucy said, sitting down at the table and putting her face in her hand. The massive diamond sparkled on her finger. "It's so great to have you guys back. We missed you!" Marnie glanced at Lucy before grabbing Leon by the arm. "Now we can sign the distribution deal. Imagine, our craft beers in stores all across Canada. It's so exciting!" "First, we have some work to do," Leon said. "Quinn, we need you. How soon can you come back to work? We open the brewpub in three weeks, there are 101 things that need doing." "I'm cleared to go back to work on Monday," Quinn said, eyeing Lucy. "I think I'll just take this last piece of bread," she said, reaching her glittering hand towards the bread basket, but no one noticed. Frustrated, she let her hand fall. "Great. With Lucy gone, we'll need to find a manager and fast. And if Marnie's projections are right, we can look at adding an additional server this season. We really need an extra pair of hands; the wait staff were run off their feet last year," Leon said. "They were, weren't they?" Quinn said. Faye and Keith were talking quietly and looking into each other's eyes and Marnie and Leon were looking at him. He looked in Lucy's direction. "Let's ask Lucy." "Faye, do you like this top? I don't know if blue is my colour," Lucy said. Her ring hand was pulling at the silky top. Faye looked briefly at her. "Looks fine," she said, before turning her attention back to Keith. Lucy raised her eyebrows at Quinn, and he chuckled. "What are you guys all doing on September 22?" Quinn asked, twisting the Prosecco cork until it popped. He caught the spilling wine with a glass, just in time. He handed one to Keith and then to Faye. "I don't know, I can't plan that far ahead," Faye said, taking a sip. "Ooh, yummy," she said. "September's our busiest month, Quinn. Is it a weekday? If it's a weekend, I know where the three of us will be, and that'll be in the pub," Leon said. "Lucy's idea to feature local performers was great last year, we're going to do it again on Saturday nights." Leon accepted a glass and took a sip. "Do we have a tour booking? If it's those dentists from Halifax again, we'll have to make sure we have enough beer in, they almost drank us dry last time," Marnie said. "The brewpub will definitely be closed that day." Quinn waited until everyone had a glass before sitting beside Lucy. They looked at each other and then back at the table. Everyone stared back, expectantly. Lucy thrust her hand towards the table and wiggled her fingers. "Do we have to take out a billboard? We're getting married!" The table erupted. Faye and Marnie bolted to Lucy's side, squealing over the ring. Leon and Keith looked at each other in shock, before Keith got up to shake Quinn's hand. "Congratulations, man. You guys deserve all the happiness," Keith said. "I remember a time when you wouldn't have said that," Quinn said. Keith nodded. "Back when I hated your guts," he said, a hint of a smile on his face. "Hey, the feeling was mutual," Quinn said, smiling back. Keith grinned. "You two have been through some serious shit, and you're stronger than ever. I've never seen Lucy so happy. Congratulations," Keith said. There was a time when Quinn cheerfully could have thrown the guy through a wall, but that was in the past. In some strange way, Keith was part of their story and now because of Faye, he had become a part of their little family. Quinn was willing to let bad memories go and focus on the future. "That means a lot," he said, clapping Keith on the shoulder. He turned to embrace Leon. "I knew it!," he exclaimed. "I said to my wife, I bet this dinner party is to announce their engagement. I'm so happy for you both. This means you're staying?" "Port Ross is my home now. As long as Lucy's here, I'm going nowhere," Quinn said. "I wish Sherry could have been here tonight." "Me too, but the little guy's still got a cold. She'll want to have you both over for dinner soon." "I'd love that," Quinn said, glancing at Lucy. She was smack in the middle of one of Marnie's super-tight bear hugs while Faye looked on, tears of happiness in her eyes. The tiny blonde caught Quinn's eye, and quickly swiped them away. She made her way over and hugged him. She was shorter than Lucy, and so he had to bend down even further to embrace her. "You done good. That rock's the size of a horsefly," she said, and he laughed. "It took a while, but I knew you two would get here," she said. "Now, don't fuck it up." "Or you'll bang our heads together, I know," he said. "There's been enough trouble to last a lifetime from both of us. Hopefully we're done with all of that."