As Nathan and Quinn approached the café, he felt equal parts excitement and nerves. He was happy to escort Quinn to the café, he didn't care who saw them, but he also didn't want to be the subject of gossip, especially if it impacted Allie. He wondered how long it would take Rosemary to start talking about them.
Stepping into the kitchen behind Quinn, Nathan saw Bill at the stove staring down into a large pot, "You know they say a watched pot never boils Bill," he said, surprised when Bill jumped, startled. He apologised quickly, "Sorry Bill, are you okay you must be distracted."
Bill turned and looked at Nathan, peeved that he had been able to sneak up behind him. "I am fine, thank you very much; what are you doing sneaking in the back door of the café anyway?" He knew he was overreacting, Nathan often came in that way, but Bill had been wondering about what happened between the two of them and was standing there deep in thought, trying to work out what he had missed.
"I ran into Quinn at the Mercantile, and I offered to walk her home," said Nathan, smiling at Quinn, passing her the basket of goods.
Bill looked at Nathan, really looked at him, and he had to admit, he looked happy. He was smiling; his eyes were shining. Bill couldn't remember seeing him like that, and there was something else; he seemed lighter somehow.
"I hope you didn't have to walk her home because she bought so many things for the office," he said. "I told her I don't like clutter," Bill said, his words harsh, but not his tone; there was a smile in his voice. Who was he trying to kid? Everyone knew he never threw anything out?
Quinn looked at them, smiling, "You will be happy to know I hardly bought anything at all, Bill, you won't even notice it. You can trust me, you know," she said, glancing at Nathan, her smile turned teasing. She said, "I don't think Nathan trusts me to pack the correct picnic food, Bill, even though I have already saved a couple of slices of Minnie's chocolate cake, so if everything else I bring is no good, there will be that to eat at least."
"You didn't say you were going on a Picnic with Nathan?" he said, his brow furrowing, "you're going today?"
"Yes, we are; why do you sound so shocked, Bill? We are also going to be fishing on the picnic." She replied as if it was an everyday occurrence that she and Nathan went on picnics. "Nathan, this picnic is never going to get packed, and we will all be late for church if you don't get out of here and let me get on with it." She walked over to Nathan and, taking his arm gently, steered him toward the door, "we will see you at Church later this morning," realising she had committed herself to actually fishing.
Smiling, Nathan allowed himself to be shooed out the door, "Alright, I am going; I will see you soon," he said, the smile not leaving his face.
Despite hurrying Nathan out earlier, it would be daunting walking into the Church and meeting all the Hope Valley residents she had yet to meet; it would be nice to walk in with a friend. Walking down the stairs after checking her appearance one last time, she realised Bill was waiting for her. Bill looked up at the sound of her steps, "Ready to go, Bill?" she asked cheerily, "I really don't want to be late the very first service I attend."
Walking toward the Church, Quinn made small talk with Bill, asking about what to expect the following day and the type of work she would be doing.
Bill stopped mid-stride and waited for her to turn toward him. "Are you ever going to tell me how you ended up going on a Picnic with Nathan?"
Quinn looked at him, shaking her head, "Do I need to explain how it works, Judge? He asked; I said Yes," she replied, conveniently leaving out the part where Allie would be joining them. Laughing at his frown, she walked quickly to the Church.
Bill followed Quinn slowly up the stairs and into the Church.
Quinn looked around the Church, trying to be discreet while attempting to place people she had heard about but hadn't met yet. Hearing her name called, she looked around into the smiling face of Allie standing at the end of the row she was sitting in. Unable to contain her smile in the face of Allie's excitement, she returned her greeting maybe a little too loudly.
Quinn blushed when she heard Allie say, "look, Dad, there is room for us next to Quinn. Can we sit here please?" she watched as Allie looked over at Nathan, pleading for his permission. Looking up, Quinn saw Nathan standing in the aisle of the Church behind Allie, looking for her reaction to Allie's request. Quinn couldn't help but smile and say, "of course there is room, Allie, please, sit with me," she intended to leave room for Bill as well. Allie squealed in delight and climbed over Quinn. Quinn laughed, then covered her mouth, realising she may have been a little too loud again. Allie settled into the seat beside Quinn, whispering loudly, "don't you think it's amazing this is also my school".
Nathan smiled indulgently at Allie, every now and again, she got a little excited and forgot that she was almost a teenager, and he never wanted that to stop. He was also thrilled that Allie had made his job easy and managed to have them sit next to Quinn without him even trying. Nathan looked down at Quinn, seeing her smiling at Allie; he waited for Quinn to look back to him before he presumed to sit down.
Quinn sensed Nathan waiting, but she needed a few moments to prepare herself. She looked up, swallowing, really looking at him. She should have known no matter how long she had to prepare; there was no changing the effect he had on her. Nathan's crooked smile once again set off the butterflies in her stomach. Quinn slid across the seat toward Allie without a word, making room for Nathan. As she slid across, her smile froze, realising her presumption; Nathan had no choice now but to sit next to her, not next to Allie. Quinn felt the familiar blush rising in her cheeks.
Nathan watched Quinn, seeing the look on her face the moment she realised that moving across next to Allie meant she was putting herself between he and Allie, and they would be sitting together. Nathan was not complaining, after last night, holding her hand, and this morning he wanted to be close to her.
Nathan sat, sliding into the seat, unable to contain the shy smile forming on his lips. He looked at Quinn, pleased to see a similar one reflected on her face. He cleared his throat, tugged at his collar, and then settled into his seat next to her.
Bill looked down at Nathan, Quinn, and Allie. He looked at Nathan, saw the smile on his face, how he was looking at Quinn and knew…he had missed this. In his defence, this happened fast, and he hoped it wasn't too soon. Nathan had moved on without Bill noticing. At least he wished he had moved on, he thought. Now wasn't the time, but he would talk to Nathan about this; he didn't want Quinn hurt.
Bill heard Allie call his name, "Uncle Bill, please come sit with me; I will make room." He could never resist Allie, and he smiled at her, one of his very few genuine smiles. Bill indicated to Allie that he would go around the back and slide on the other side, waiting for her to nod before heading back down the aisle. As he walked toward the back of the Church, he saw Elizabeth and Lucas standing just inside the door; he hadn't realised they had returned from their trip to visit her family in Hamilton. He noticed a frown on Elizabeth's face and wondered what had caused it; following her gaze, he saw she was watching Nathan, and Nathan was looking at Quinn, a look of adoration on his face.
Quinn hadn't expected to concentrate on the service with Nathan so close to her; she was keenly aware of his presence. Despite the distraction, Joseph did hold her attention. He was an excellent preacher; his genuine care for the people in the Town showed in his sermon.
During the service, she reflected and considered what she would do during the picnic. She had decided that she would be herself and enjoy Nathan and Allie's company no matter what. Sooner than she liked, the service was over, and it was time to leave; she was sorry that she had to go, leaving the intimacy of the pew and how it felt, sitting between Nathan and Allie.
Nathan stood at the end of the pew, waiting for Quinn to stand and walk out with him; he had enjoyed sitting through the service with her; it felt like a family and made him want things with Quinn that he hadn't allowed himself to hope for in a long time. He loved the sweet smile Quinn gave him as she moved to walk down the aisle in front of him, and he realised he wanted to see it a lot more often; he knew his answering smile lit up his face. He hadn't felt this happy in a long time; being here with her felt natural and easy.
Walking behind Quinn, he could sense the curiosity of those townspeople who hadn't met Quinn yet. He didn't blame them for being curious; he would have been too, in their shoes. He realised people were surprised to see them together; thinking about that, Nathan realised Quinn had only been in town a short time, so she was still a stranger to many people, but she didn't feel like a stranger to him.
He saw Bill and Allie waiting for them near the doors to outside; he and Quinn reached them just as Allie asked excitedly, "what time are we leaving to go fishing, Dad? can we go now?"
Nathan laughed at her happiness, "slow down, Allie, we have plenty of time; the fish aren't going anywhere today. Besides, Ms Standing looks far too lovely to go fishing; I am sure she would like to change into something more appropriate." He looked at Quinn, who blushed but smiled at the compliment.
"Your dad is right, Allie," she laughed, "I don't think I have dressed appropriately for fishing, and I was hoping to talk to you about what I should wear. Can you give me some ideas, please." expecting Allie to be full of ideas for her Quinn was surprised when Allie screwed up her face.
"I don't think I am the best person to recommend clothes, I never wear dresses unless Dad makes me, and you don't look like you have overalls in your closet," she said sincerely, looking Quinn up and down.
Quinn tried not to smile in the face of such frankness from Allie; she was right; Quinn didn't own a pair of overalls. "That is true, Allie; I don't, but I do have some clothing I wear when I ride Misty and other things that might be okay; I would still appreciate your ideas if you would share them with me."
A smile once again lit up Allie's face, "of course I will", she said. "Let me say goodbye to my friends, and I can tell you about them on the walk home," she said quickly before darting off to where her friends were waiting for her.
Nathan quickly dropped his head to hide his smile, not wanting Quinn to realise how happy he was that Allie had so innocently secured her company for their walk home. He knew Quinn wouldn't tell Allie no. Glancing up, he saw Bill watching him shrewdly; they needed to talk about what was happening. "You'll walk home with me, won't you, Bill, save me from all the talk on clothes?"
Before Bill could acknowledge Nathan's comments, they were interrupted by Lucas. "Bill," he said, "I am sorry to inform you the Saloon won't be opening for lunch or dinner today. I hope that is not an inconvenience for you." The smile on his face, while pleasant, was not sincere. He didn't care about the inconvenience.
Bill looked at him in annoyance, "Don't pretend to care, Bouchard; if you did, you would have told me early enough so I could buy supplies for the additional people I have to feed." Bill knew it wouldn't matter what he said to him; nothing would change, he was selfish, and he only apologised to maintain his facade in front of other people.
Elizabeth heard Bill as she walked over to join them, "Bill, that isn't fair; Gustave is ill and cannot cook; it isn't Lucas's fault." she said as she threaded her arm through Lucas's. "We only arrived back late last evening, so there hasn't been time to get a message to you until now." her tone reprimanding.
Bill rolled his eyes and looked at Nathan and Quinn, "shall we go? I have a lot to do this morning." He didn't bother to hide his annoyance with the couple; he didn't understand how Elizabeth could have changed so much. Looking around, he saw Allie strolling toward them, not bothering to hide her lack of enthusiasm at joining them.
"Allie, hello", exclaimed Elizabeth, "how are you?' she asked, a broad smile on her face, her voice high pitched with enthusiasm. She waited expectantly for Allie to answer her, deliberately ignoring the lack of expression on the young girl's face. "Are you going to introduce me to your new friend?" she queried, her eyes flicking toward Quinn, who was still standing next to Nathan.
Nathan spoke up before Allie could and said firmly, "Elizabeth, Lucas, I would like to introduce you both to a friend of ours, Miss Quinn Standing. Quinn, this is Elizabeth Thornton and Lucas Bouchard." He smiled down at Quinn while making the introductions, barely looking at Elizabeth and Lucas. He deliberately did not explain the relationship between them.
Quinn had stiffened when Elizabeth had joined them, immediately knowing who she was. Looking at her, Quinn took in her stylish clothes and appearance. She was beautiful, with long dark hair, artfully styled and lovely clear blue eyes which missed nothing. Holding out her hand to Elizabeth first, she said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Thornton." She held her breath as Elizabeth waited for a second too long to grasp her outstretched hand and then clasped it only briefly, frowning as she did so, "Mr Bouchard, nice to meet you also," she said offering her hand for him to shake. As he shook her hand, Mr Bouchard was much smoother, a thin smile on his face as he acknowledged the introduction.
With the introductions complete, Nathan looked around at the group and said, "Well, we need to be going," nodding his head at Elizabeth and Lucas. He held out his arm for Quinn to take on one side and his hand for Allie to hold on the other. Bill walked away with them without saying goodbye, heading back to Town.
Allie had only taken a few steps when she remembered she needed to talk to Quinn about her fishing clothes. Dropping her father's hand, she ran around behind him, so she was on the other side of Quinn, grasping her hand instead. "Tell me about the clothes you wear when you ride?" she said, looking up at Quinn smiling, "I am sure we can figure something out."
Nathan laughed at his daughter and her seriousness in discussing clothes, not something she ever did, except to complain about wearing a dress. He knew this was his opportunity to talk to Bill, so he said, chuckling, "if you ladies don't mind, I am going to talk to Bill about anything other than ladies fishing clothes." Amused as both Quinn and Allie rolled their eyes at him, he reluctantly let go of Quinn's arm and slowed his walk to match Bill's.
He watched Quinn chatting animatedly to his daughter, both enjoying their conversation, holding hands as they walked back to Town. He didn't realise it, but he wasn't the only one watching them; several people were. Elizabeth watched them, her eyes slightly narrowed in curiosity as to who Quinn Standing was to Allie and Nathan; Lucas watched as well, hoping Quinn's presence would bring an end to Elizabeth's ongoing involvement in the lives of the Constable and his daughter.
Other townspeople looked on with joy and happiness, including Faith and Fiona, who had shared a knowing look after seeing them sit together in Church. Rosemary and Lee also looked on the trio with fondness, happy that Nathan was finally moving on, it was about time, and he deserved to find true love, thought Rosemary. They really were a perfect-looking couple, she thought.
Bill said plainly, "I am sorry, Nathan, I had no idea. This morning, when Quinn talked about going to the Saloon last night, and she had that look on her face, you know the one," he said grimacing. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "and then I realised it was you she was thinking about, and I almost told her about Elizabeth, what happened, and that you were still in love with her. I couldn't stand it if she got hurt, or you" he said truthfully. Bill took another breath and said, "I didn't realise that had changed; I could have ruined it for you both."
Nathan was quiet as he walked beside Bill, listening to his confession. His emotions were up and down like a roller coaster. His heart raced when Bill said Quinn had that 'look' on her face thinking about him; he knew that look too; he had seen it. His heart plummeted at the thought that what he hoped to have with Quinn may have ended before it began. He knew he had to talk to her about Elizabeth before she heard it from someone else who didn't understand.
Nathan knew Bill was waiting for a response; throwing his arm around Bill's shoulder, he said, "So you think she had "that" look on her face for me?" he queried, laughing as Bill shook his head.