At Your Most Beautiful by Harper Bliss (book recommendations based on other books .TXT) 📕

Quinn sat up and turned so she could get a better look at her mother’s face. What did she know? Surely her parental powers of deduction weren’t that mighty.

“I gave her your number when she moved to New York and told her to give you a call. I take it she has and that you’ve been in touch. What I don’t understand is what has made both you and your father so upset regarding Maya.”

Quinn relaxed a little. Her mother wasn’t totally in the dark, but she was hardly in the know either. Right now, she was just fishing.

“It’ll blow over,” Quinn lied, because she didn’t know how it could—unless her father relented.

“I sure hope so,” her mom said. “It’s hard to upset your dad like that, especially when it comes to you.” Her mom tried to find Quinn’s gaze, but it was impossible for Quinn to return it. “You can talk to me as well, you know. I always have been and always will be your mother.”

“Mom, it’s just that…” What irked Quinn even more was that her father had lied to her when he’d told her he wanted her to be happy above all else. Maya had been right. He’d been telling her what she wanted to hear at the time. It made Quinn wonder how many times he’d done that in the past instead of telling her how he really felt.

She had come home to try and make some sort of amends but it was looking highly unlikely that was going to happen. Quinn regrouped. “My show opens on Thursday and that’s a huge thing for me. I know this won’t stop Dad from being there.” Not even an out-of-season snowstorm would keep him from being there, Quinn believed. Or did she have to rethink that as well? “But…” Quinn had no idea how to talk to her mother about this. Not without telling her the truth. “Maya will be there as well. There’s a picture of her in the exhibition. I want to enjoy my moment in the spotlight. But the way things stand right now, I’m not sure I’ll be able to.”

“What are you saying? You don’t want your dad to come?” Her mom sounded horrified. To Quinn as well it was unthinkable that her father, her biggest champion since she was born, wouldn’t be there.

“No, of course not. I want you both there, obviously, but… it’s supposed to be a joyous occasion. I’ll be nervous enough without having to worry if Dad’s about to go off on one.”

“But why would he do that, darling? That would be so unlike your father.”

“Because…” Tears stung behind Quinn’s eyes. Oh, what the hell. “I’m in love with her, Mom. I’m in love with Maya. Dad just told me he’s not sure he can ever accept that. And earlier this week, when you heard him on the phone, he gave Maya a piece of his mind.” Quinn pushed her palms against her eyes.

“Wait, darling. Can you repeat that? You’re in love with… Maya? Our old neighbor? That’s the Maya we’re talking about?”

Quinn attempted to dry her eyes and braved a quick glance at her mother. “We fell in love. I thought Dad of all people would understand. But he doesn’t. I do get that he needs some time to process, but that really doesn’t give him the right to speak to Maya so disrespectfully. And… I just hate feeling like this. I don’t know what to do about it. It’s not as if I can will myself to stop loving her because of you guys. Because she used to live next door.”

Her mother had gone a touch pale. She swallowed hard. “You and Maya?” She shook her head. “Are you pulling some sort of elaborate prank on us?”

Quinn tried to exhale slowly to regain her composure. “I’m sorry. This is really not how I wanted you to find out about this.”

Her mom held up both her hands. “I don’t want to know about this at all.” She straightened her spine. “Don’t tell me anything else.” She stood. “You have a knack for pushing the envelope, but this time you’ve really gone too far.” The ice in her mother’s voice cut Quinn much deeper than she thought possible. Without saying another word, her mom disappeared into the house.

Quinn didn’t hold back the tears any longer. Why would she? She was all alone out there.

Maybe her mother was right. Maybe she had gone too far. She sobbed into her hands until she felt she’d depleted all the moisture in her body. She skulked through the house, picked up her overnight bag where she’d dropped it earlier, and left quietly through the front door.

Chapter 39

This was not the Quinn Maya had come to know. She was even more obsessed with her phone than usual, hoping for word from Bill or Brooke. It had been two days since she’d come back from Milbury in tears. Maya was beginning to think she’d have to intervene. She felt like she needed to do something to help Quinn, not only because it was awful to see her suffer like that, but also because, professionally, this was the most important week of Quinn’s life so far.

She was having a solo exhibition in a gallery of quite some repute—a surge or pride had coursed through Maya when she’d looked it up and found out about the esteem the gallery was held in for discovering the next big artist. Surely Bill and Brooke would come around by Thursday?

Meanwhile, Maya had been so focused on her own family’s reaction to Quinn, she’d been so busy expecting the worst for herself, that she hadn’t spent enough time trying to talk Quinn out of driving all the way to Milbury in a huff last Saturday. She’d had a hunch it was a bad idea, especially because Quinn was doing it out of anger more than a desire to reconcile.

Maya hadn’t wanted to play