Part 26
Quinn and Zander went into the elevator to get up to the party at Deception. Before the doors completely shut, someone yelled. Zander pushed the button to open the door again.
"Thank you! Oh, hi!" It was Cheryl Shue. Scott got on right after her.
"Hello," Quinn said.
"Hello," said Scott, in a similar tone. Friendly, only slightly guarded. Quinn had been his girlfriend in high school.
"This is Zander," Cheryl said to Scott.
They shook hands.
"How are you?" Cheryl asked them.
"I was just going to ask Quinn about her time today at the track," Zander said.
"Still driving that old car of Joe's?" Scott asked Quinn.
"Yeah," she said. "It was a little tight today."
"Danny and Joe'll fix that," Scott said.
"I think it's so cool you race that car," Cheryl said to Quinn.
"Come to the speedway sometime," Quinn said.
The doors opened on Deception's floor.
They walked into a light crowd. Cheryl saw somebody she wanted Scott to meet.
"We get along with them fine," Zander said, when they'd gone off.
Quinn giggled, and squeezed his hand. "They're not as recent," she said.
"I don't think that's it. I think it's that are - well, merely less irritating."
"That could be, too. More engaging personalities. Scott's easy going. Sean's irritating. Cheryl's kind. Emily's stupid."
"Matched up perfectly. Almost as if we'd done it ourselves. We can't split up. I have no old girlfriends left. All I could come up with for Paul was a friend."
Quinn put her arm around his waist and turned her head up to kiss him. "I don't have anybody left for you, either."
"You look so great," he said. "Every one of these models should run for her life."
"Thanks," she said, smiling up at him. She and Joanna had gone out and found the sexiest numbers they could find. Quinn's was green and low cut and flattering, and she felt pretty good in it.
Elizabeth and Paul were with Taryn, and Taryn turned to say hello to Quinn.
"There he is," Zander said, "Still smarting that he didn't get into the race after the time trials."
"I know when I'm beat," Paul said, good humoredly. Quinn smiled. She liked Zander taking up for her like that, even if it was mostly a joke.
"Quinn's had more experience," Taryn said. "That's what Uncle Paul says."
"She has been at it for longer," Paul said, but he smiled. "She got me interested, anyway."
"Are you planning your wedding yet?" Quinn asked.
"We've looked at dresses for the bridesmaids," Elizabeth said. "Taryn and I."
"Who else is in your wedding?"
"There's my sister, she's the maid of honor, of course. Then I have Taryn, V. and Emily. I kind of had to ask her," she added.
"You might not want Quinn and I even there," Zander said. "Not if you have Emily and Sean. Otherwise, a restraining order may apply in your wedding."
"How did that go?" Paul grinned. "Was it Sean that had you arrested that day?"
"Of course."
"I'm sure he would have the decency to behave at a wedding," Paul said.
"I'm not as sure, but you could be right."
Oksana wanted something big moved, and took Zander and Paul off to help with it.
Quinn saw Gia, who came over to talk to her. "Elizabeth has gotten stuck with Emily the bridesmaid too," Quinn said to Gia.
Gia looked around. "Are there any Quartermaines here?"
"Joanna is bringing AJ, but there're not here yet," Quinn said.
"Well, I hope it goes OK," Gia said to Elizabeth. "With her around, you run the risk your wedding becomes about her."
"I'm not so worried about Emily, as her escort," Elizabeth said. "I wonder if he'll still be in the picture by then."
"There is hope that not. Nobody lasts that long with Emily," Gia observed. "But you look wonderful, Quinn. Where did you find your dress?"
A while later, a band started to play in the big room they used for photo shoots. The models came out one by one, onto the catwalk, dancing to the band. When that was over, everyone could dance.
"Didn't you ask that girl with the funny name to come?" Zander asked Tim.
"No. I don't dance that well."
"An Irishman who can't dance?"
"Here, I'll teach you," Quinn laughed. She took Tim out onto the dance floor.
Zander watched them awhile, feeling happy. He saw Diana and asked her if she wanted to dance.
"He's doing better," Zander said, when he and Diana had come closer to Tim and Quinn.
"I think he might even be ready for another partner," Quinn said. "Are you brave, Diana?"
Diana laughingly agreed. They switched partners.
"Good work," Zander said. "I knew that girl with the funny name wasn't working out."
"What's good work?"
"A good match. Tim and Diana. See, look at him now. He's having fun and he's not nervous."
"He's comfortable with her because she's a friend."
"Which is a good start. There, over there, another one of our successes."
Alexis and Jerry were dancing, and looked like they were having a good time.
Peter saw Taryn with Elizabeth and Paul. "Tim can dance, after all," he said to Taryn.
"Yes, he's not bad at all," she agreed.
A slow dance began to play.
Elizabeth and Paul looked like they wanted to go out to dance. "Come with me," Peter said to Taryn. "I'll show you the pictures of the models in the gallery."
"This is the garden at our house," he said. There were several shots of Gia and Cheryl and a few other models taken from the garden at Oksana's house.
"That's a big garden," she said. "It must be a big house?"
"It is," he said. "Lisa's the gardener."
"You have a gardener?"
"Yes. There's the house, in that picture."
"I've never known anybody who lived in a house like that," Taryn said.
"This is the Quartermaine's garden, I think," Peter said, when they had come to a new set of pictures. "They live down the street."
"Oh, that's the type of neighborhood you live in."
"You look like you think it's a pretty bad neighborhood."
"Well, in some ways, maybe."
"You can come over some time to check it out to see if it's as bad as you think."
"Oh, thanks, but I wouldn't fit into that neighborhood."
"Oh, it's not that hard. Especially at our place."
Taryn just smiled, a little distantly, and looked at the next photograph.