Chapter Thirteen
Ben tried to concentrate on the game on TV but kept glancing at his phone or looking out the window. It was midnight and Molly wasn’t back yet. He should text her and ask her if everything was okay, but he didn’t want to come across as possessive. He knew her shift ended around dinner, but he also knew that sometimes she’d take on extra hours.
He ran his hands through his hair and shut the TV off. Maybe he’d pour a drink, he thought, then decided against it because he felt like he’d been drinking too much lately. He’d go down in the basement to his gym to burn off some steam, but then he’d miss Molly coming home.
He’d been trying to return to normal life after Molly told him…about what had happened to her; it wasn’t going well. He kept replaying their conversation; her words tormented him and followed him around all day. Her face, the tears, the insecurity. He was helpless. And now, he was awake worried about her. If she knew that he was sitting here worried about her, she’d be livid. She’d use this as an example of how they could never be a normal couple again.
He spotted headlights and held his breath, relief hitting him as she pulled into the driveway. Now he needed to pretend he’d been up late…doing something. He turned the game back on.
“Hi,” she said, walking through the door.
“Oh, hey. How was your day?” he asked, trying to look casual as he got up and crossed the room to greet her properly. He wanted to kiss her and second-guessed himself for a second as she hung her coat and took off her shoes. No, he wasn’t going to do that. She wouldn’t want him to.
“Long. I ended up stopping at Addie’s,” she said, looking up at him. “She’s almost ready to open. I think I’ll drop by there tomorrow before the fair.”
“That’s good. I’m glad you’re seeing her again.”
She nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Melody showed up, too. It was…good.”
He didn’t want them to be this formal, but he knew she felt vulnerable and exposed and he was fine with letting her take it slow. She was home. In his house.
He closed the gap between them and leaned down to kiss her. “I missed you,” he said, relieved when she kissed him back. Relieved and grateful that she still wanted him. He weaved his fingers through her hair and deepened the kiss. God, how he’d missed this woman. She held on to him, and when she pressed closer to him, he forced himself to ease up. There was no rush. He wanted no regrets.
“I should get ready for bed,” she said, still standing in his arms.
“Do you want to sleep with me?” he asked, kissing her temple, feeling her stiffen. He pulled back to look at her.
Her face was red, and she looked panicked. “I um…I don’t… Ben, I think we need to talk about…expectations and—”
“No expectations. I mean, just sleep in my bed. Nothing more,” he said, framing her cheek with one hand.
Molly gave him a smile that made him so damn thankful she was here with him.
…
“This place looks awesome!” Molly said, walking into Addie’s store. Somehow her sister had managed to finish stocking and styling the store overnight. Molly and Melody had left at midnight, and it didn’t look anything like this. Their evening together had turned out to be fun. Melody hadn’t asked her anything really personal, and when Addie had brought up Ben, Melody hadn’t made a comment at all.
But when Molly had gotten home last night, she’d found Ben waiting up for her. She had seen the worry in his eyes, even though he’d pretended to be watching TV. But he’d been the guy she knew he was—he’d given her the space she needed. He’d waited for her in his bed, and when she’d curled up beside him, his arms had circled around her and he’d done nothing else, as promised. It had been amazing to sleep with him, to feel his strong body against hers. It had taken her a long time to fall asleep because she kept trying to come up with a solution, to find a way they could possibly be together.
“I’m so jacked up on caffeine, my hands won’t stop shaking,” Addie said, running by her. Come to think of it, her sister did look a little frizzy. Her glossy dark hair was pulled high into a top-knot that was ready to come completely undone.
“Do you want to go…um, change maybe and freshen up before you open? I can do something for you while you’re getting ready?”
Addie was giving the already clean floors another round of sweeping. The wide-plank floors retained their rustic character while looking clean and polished. White, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves made the space seem larger than it was and cozy at the same time. The big bay window at the front of the store showcased a vintage robin’s egg blue table and chairs loaded with books and some of the educational toys she sold. They’d helped her hang the big white banner that read, Grand Opening.
“Thanks,” Addie said, putting the broom in a small closet behind the cash. “Coffee. Can you brew decent coffee?”
“Of course.” She took off her coat and purse. “Um, are you sure coffee is a good idea?”
Addie nodded dramatically, her top knot finally coming undone. “Always a good idea. Make a full pot. I’m not charging for coffee today, but who knows if they’ll even be one taker besides me. How do you think the kids’ section looks?” she asked, spinning around and running toward the stairs. She didn’t even wait for Molly to answer. “I’ll be back in ten minutes.” She ran out the door that connected the store to the upstairs apartment. “Five! I’ll be back in five minutes!” she yelled from the stairs.
Molly laughed, despite the worry over her relationship with Ben weighing her down. She’d missed Addie’s crazy antics. She’d always been in some kind of unwanted mischief growing up. Her mother didn’t have patience for all her mishaps and had berated her unfairly. It had only endeared Addie to Molly and Melody.
Molly finished counting the appropriate scoops of coffee and shut the lid. She gasped as she turned to look at the kids’ section. Last night, Addie had kept it dark, saying she wanted them to see it once it was completely finished. It was magical. Addie had a mural of a forest in bright greens, along with pinks and yellows and blues painted on the two corner walls. On top of the bookcase shelving she’d strung pale blue gauze and hung white twinkling lights through it. A half-dozen beanbag chairs lined the perimeter, and a round rug sat in the center.
“Do you like it?” Addie asked, running back into the store.
“Oh, Addie. This is unbelievable. If I were a kid, I’d want to sit and read here for hours.”
Addie beamed. “Really? I hope so. I mean, that’s what I want. I want it to be a place for families to come, for parents to browse and buy books while their kids get entertained with stories. There was never a place for kids in town. The library had horrible hours, and it was always miserable looking. I want kids to come here and escape. Maybe after a bad day at school they know they can come here and get lost in a book.”
Molly’s heart squeezed because she knew Addie was talking from experience, knew how badly her sister had been bullied and tormented in school. “They will. When word gets out, I bet you’ll be packed every day.”
Addie glanced down at her watch and then looked up at her, panic in her blue eyes. “What if no one shows up? What if I open that door and not a single person walks through and I have to drink the entire pot of coffee and all the truffles from The Chocolatiers?”
“Okay, first off, I would never stiff you and make you eat and drink all that yourself.”
Addie smiled. “Thanks.”
“Second? Who wouldn’t walk in here? You busted your butt to get this place ready for the day of Harvest Fest; the town will be swarming with people. Trust me, people will walk through here. Do you have any staff lined up?”
Addie nodded. “Yes! I have this lovely retired lady who was recently widowed. She wants to get out of the house and earn a little money. I told her I don’t know if I can guarantee hours until I see how business is. But I have backup at least. She’s coming in an hour.”
“That’s perfect. Is it time to open yet?”
Addie nodded and took a deep breath. “Yes.”
Molly gave her a nudge. “Then get to it, sister. Flip that sign to open.”
Addie gave a firm nod and marched to the door. Sure enough, there was already a little girl peering through the window. She looked vaguely familiar, but Molly couldn’t pinpoint exactly where she’d seen her before. Addie unlocked the door and greeted her first customer. Soon the place was buzzing with customers, and Molly was thrilled for her sister.
She glanced at her phone, knowing it would be a good time to make her way to the fire station and see Ben. Then she’d go home and get ready for tonight. She would tell him she couldn’t make promises, that whatever this was could just be temporary.
She gave Addie a wave, but she was busy with customers.
She was almost out of the store when her colleague, Drew Barrett, came running in, looking frazzled.
“Molly, have you seen a little girl with dark brown hair come in here?”
It dawned on her then, why that little girl had looked so familiar. She looked exactly like her dad. “Yes! She’s back there with my sister, reading.”
He shut his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. She had never seen Drew look anything other than calm and collected. The poor man must have been frantic. “Thank God,” he said.
“Come on, I’ll show you where they are,” she said, leading him to the back of the store.
“Bella! You can’t run off on me like that,” he said, approaching them. Molly’s heart squeezed as his little girl looked up from the book that Addie was reading. The little girl looked so solemn, very much like her father.
“Sorry, Daddy,” she said with a sigh, standing up.
Drew ruffled the top of her head and kissed it. “Thank you for looking out for her,” he said to Addie.
Molly stepped forward. “Drew, this is my sister, Addie. Addie, this is Drew Barrett, we work together. He’s the new surgeon who joined the hospital.”
Addie extended her hand and he shook it. “Nice to meet you,” she said, smiling, her cheeks slightly flushed.
“Well, it was nice to see you and nice to meet you, Bella. I’ve got to run. I hope you have a great time at the Harvest Festival today,” Molly said.
“Thanks, you too,” Bella said.
“Oh, let me walk you out because I forgot to tell you about…that thing,” Addie said, bolting toward her. Molly shot her a look.
“What thing?” she asked as they walked to the door.
Addie looped her arm though Molly’s. “Who is that man? He has to be the best thing I’ve seen in maybe my entire life.”
Molly laughed and snuck a look back at Drew. Addie yanked her arm. “Don’t look obvious,” she hissed.
“Okay, yeah, he’s definitely good looking. The entire female staff at the hospital is talking about him. I don’t really know that much. He moved here from one of the country’s most prestigious hospitals. I don’t know anything about his personal life. He keeps to himself. Doesn’t date. So he’s either divorced or widowed.”
Addie tapped her finger on her bottom lip. “Maybe widowed. That would be sad. Tragic. But didn’t his adorable little daughter look tragic? So sad.”
Molly tried not to laugh. Her sister’s imagination always ran away with her. “Addie, I think you’re getting ahead of yourself.”
“Of course, of course. He’s way out of my league anyway,” she said, adjusting her cute red sweater.
“That’s not what I said,” Molly winced. She knew that years of living with their mother had taken a toll on Addie’s self-esteem. She’d hoped she’d moved on by now. But she knew some scars ran deep.
“No, no of course you wouldn’t say that. I’m fine. He’s not my type. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to find a nerd to my liking.”
Molly swallowed her laugh. “Stop. You’re not a nerd. I don’t even think that’s a word now, is it?”
“It’s a classic. Okay, listen, go have a great day. Enjoy your evening with Ben, and drop by tomorrow because I want all the details. See if Ben knows any nerdy firemen. What am I saying? They aren’t nerds. They’re all hot,” she said.
“You’re hot, too, Addie. You’ve got to stop thinking of yourself as a tween at Mom and Dad’s house.”
Addie smiled. “I don’t. Now go. Enjoy your day.”
Molly gave her a wave and made her way out the store, happy for her sister that her shop was already getting noticed. She walked in the direction of the firehouse, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the usually quiet town. The scent of fall was in the air, and she could see the tents in the distance that housed all the different vendors and food trucks.
When she came to the firehouse she stopped outside, taking in the sight of children and their parents walking and admiring the shiny red trucks parked outside.
“Avoiding me?”
She jumped and spun around, smiling into Ben’s gorgeous face. He was wearing a T-shirt and jeans. “I was hoping to get to ride in the truck.”
He laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling, and she wanted to reach out and kiss him. That’s what she would have done in the past, without giving it a second thought. She would have hugged him and kissed him and now, nine years later, a grown woman, and she could barely touch him without second-guessing herself. “Anytime, sweetheart,” he said, still smiling. He reached out and took her hand, moving closer to her. Her pulse started racing, and she could smell the scent of his cologne. He was delectable enough to eat.
“I like the way you’re looking at me,” he said, his voice low, sending a shiver of desire through her.
Her gaze dropped to his mouth. “You’re a pretty easy man to look at,” she whispered.
He made a sound that seemed to ignite something inside that she didn’t want to dissipate. She tried to concentrate. “So, I will meet you back here tonight?”
“How about we meet by the dance grounds?”
She nodded. “Okay. I guess I should let you get back to you crowd,” she said. “And you’re introducing me to your boss, right?”
“Right. I had no idea at the time that I wasn’t going to be faking any of this.”
Her heart felt ready to burst. How was she going to be able to walk away from him? “Right. I guess we’ll be seeing everyone tonight?”
He shrugged. “Pretty much. I was talking to Chase Donovan. He and Julia will be coming. All the Baileys I’m sure.”
She smiled. “It’ll be nice to see everyone again.”
“Yeah. Oh and Finn. He’ll be there. It’ll be his last night with free time. He’ll be starting my back deck soon, too.”
“Back deck?”
He nodded. “I haven’t gotten around to building one, so seeing as he owes me, I thought I’d get him to do it.”
She shook her head, smiling. “I have no idea how you two manage to maintain a good relationship.”
He shrugged. “We do our best to irritate each other.”
She glanced over at the large crowd in front of the old building. “Okay. I’ll see you tonight,” she said.
“You bet,” he said with a wave.
She turned around and made her way back to her car. She had to go home and get ready. Tonight, everything was going to change.