“Thank you,” Quinn said, then felt awkward as he looked at her for a long moment. He was probably a bit older than she was, and his prolonged attention felt weird.

“You’re very welcome,” he finally said, then moved away.

Maggie raised her eyebrows at Quinn.

Quinn shrugged back with a silent don’t-ask-me look.

“I saw Liam this morning,” Maggie said, breaking the silence.

“And?”

“You were getting dressed, and I saw him keep peeking at the cottage, watching to see if you’d come out again.”

“Don’t get excited, Maggie. It’s not like that.”

Maggie gave a knowing grunt.

“Maggie, don’t,” Quinn said. “He really has become a great friend, but I’m still not sure what I’m going to do about Ethan.”

“I can’t believe you’re still thinking of forgiving Ethan. Once a cheater, always a cheater. That’s what they say, Quinn. He’s not a good guy. You need someone who will appreciate what a great catch you are.”

“He’s not a bad guy, Maggie. And Ethan and I have a lot of history. I’m not going to just throw it all away without at least hearing him out.”

“So you are going to take his call? Or did you already? At the beach this morning? That’s why you wanted to go without me?”

“No, I haven’t talked to him,” Quinn said. “I guarantee he’s steaming because I won’t respond to his calls or texts. I’m not ready to hear what kind of excuse he has. Not when Gina pretty much admitted why she was there. I might just wait until I get home. But let’s talk about you. Are you ever going to give Colby another chance?”

“Deflecting, are we?” Maggie teased.

“Well?”

“At this point, we’re friends just working on coparenting the best that we can.”

“That sounded rehearsed, but I’ll let it pass,” Quinn said. “Does he get to see Charlie often?”

“Well, he wasn’t seeing him much at all while we were on the run. But in the last month or so, he’s come by a lot. Charlie is obsessed with his dad. He even wants the same kind of boots. I told him maybe for Christmas Santa will bring him his own shit-kicking, steel-toed clodhoppers.”

“You didn’t,” Quinn said, her eyes wide.

Maggie laughed. “Of course not. But I did say if he’s good, then Santa might bring him some boots. I’m sure Colby is already looking for the right pair.”

“You don’t think it will ever work out between you two?”

Maggie shook her head. “I think that ship has sailed. He’s a great guy. But we were like oil and water when we lived together. It wouldn’t be good for Charlie to see that.”