Chapter 11: Molly

I got up slowly the following morning, tracing a dying rose with my finger as I blinked sleepily. I didn’t get home too terribly late but was so used to staying home at night. Nothing I’d done for years had been as exciting, or as confusing as last night. I knew how badly Robert wanted me but he didn’t press me. I could feel the tension in his body as we kissed and the way his erection was pressed against my thigh, intimidating and large. God, how would that ever feel inside of me?

I blushed as I took a quick shower and dressed for work. I told him about Lance. That was embarrassing the more time passed and I looked back. I knew that it still hurt me at times but that didn’t make it all right to just talk about it on a first date.

I pulled my hair into a messy bun and glossed my lips with a deep pink color before heading downstairs. Noel was waiting for me with curiosity burning in her eyes as I groaned softly. “So, how was it?”

“Your mom told you, I see.” Noel wasn’t home and I hadn’t told her about the date after work.

“Yes, when I got home. How was it?” She demanded as we walked through the garage to the car.

“It was…intense. It was fun. He’s so charming, Noel but he’s forty-two!! That’s so much older.” I looked at her as she got into the driver’s seat.

“You know, it really isn’t. You’ve always been mature for your age, much more so than anyone that we knew in college,” she assured me as she started the car and raised the garage.

“Was I mature when I was catering to Lance’s demands?” I asked before dropping my head back against the seat.

“You fell for the wrong man, Molly. It happens to the best of us and I am so glad that you didn’t sleep with him. You knew it was wrong. It won’t always feel that way.” She drove into town and turned to head to the cafe as I let out a sigh.

“I told him about Lance. The gist, anyway.” I looked at her as she parked next to the police car. “Things got heated and I kind of freaked out. It just spilled out.”

Noel smiled at me and turned the car off. “Did he run screaming from you and bring you right home?” I shook my head. “He gets a point, then.” We got out and greeted the officer as he watched us go inside and lock the door behind us. I yawned and went to make coffee first thing while Noel went back into the kitchen to get things started in there. I got two steaming cups and brought them inside of the kitchen as I helped her mix some batters, pouring them into the baking pans carefully. Everything had to look good and I turned on all the ovens before sipping my drink. “It’s tough having a life with this schedule, isn’t it?”

“Worth it. I think that as time goes on, we can get some more people on here and maybe get a break. I don’t want to just work and have nothing else, and neither should you.” She smiled at me as I slid a pan into the oven.

“You’re right. I have been hiding out for too long.” We baked and talked about Robert as she swooned, telling me that she was going to trade Nate for him.

“Older men are so sexy. They know just what they’re doing and they do it so well. Right?” She asked as I raised an eyebrow.

“When did you go out with an older guy? And all I did was kiss him, but he was so good at that.” I thought back to it as I smiled dreamily and Noel squealed.

“I did in college but I never told you. I met him at a bar and we hooked up a few times. It was amazing but just a fling.” Noel shook her head sadly. “Now I can live vicariously through you.”

“We will see if he takes me out again. He might have come to his senses,” I joked as she shook her head at me.

I walked out to brew all the coffee and start the fire as I looked around. I did love this place and was proud of it and I checked around the dining room as I sang along to the song on the radio. Despite being tired I felt happy, even hopeful. Maybe this would work out well and we could become something.

My core ached as I thought about him and I hoped that I’d get to see him again. I finished and walked over to the front door to unlock it, grinning as Mike walked in. “Morning.”

“Good morning, beautiful,” he greeted me with a wink as I shook my head. I turned the sign on and walked with him to get his order as Noel brought out the second tray of baked goods and said hello. She gave him a fresh muffin and I got his coffee as he tipped us and walked away. I watched Mike, guessing that he was around sixty or seventy. He was retired I was guessing since he was here every day and told us that he used to work for the mechanic in town. He seemed happy here.

Could Robert be? I knew that he wasn’t retiring tomorrow but he could make a life here unless he decided to transfer. I knew how the military worked that way and he could move almost anywhere if he wanted to.

I pushed the thought away as the door opened and more people came in, forcing a bright smile on my face as I helped them. At the end of the day, this cafe was my constant in life. I shouldn’t think about anything more.

The morning still seemed to drag even with the steady flow of regulars coming in and I let Noel sit down for her break first to eat since Nate came in to see her. I watched them, thinking how cute they were together.

I grabbed some soup for my own break and took it to the same table that I sat at when Robert was here. I still felt the electricity in the air from that day and my phone chimed when I was mid-bite. I checked it to see a message from Robert asking if I was free tonight. My heart soared. He wanted to see me again. I replied that I was and he said that he would pick me up at six again if that was enough time after work for me.

I agreed and returned to my lunch with a smile on my face. Noel noticed and asked if lover boy contacted me for another romantic date as I blushed deeply. “Yes.”

“For tonight? He’s into you,” she smiled at me with bright eyes as I shrugged and took my place at the counter.

“Maybe,” I agreed as the lunch crowd started to leave and we cleaned up. I wiped down the tables and cleaned the glass as I hummed the song that was playing over the speakers. I was tired but the adrenaline running through me, along with the coffee, seemed to balance that out. I knew that I should sleep a little bit when I got home but I wanted time to get ready for Robert.

We walked in to smell a roast cooking slowly in the oven as my stomach growled. “How was it last night?” Marta called out as Noel and I glanced at each other curiously.

“Who do you mean?” Noel called back with a wink as her mother poked her head out of the kitchen.

“Both of you, sillies.” She laughed as we went into talk to her. Noel told her about the dinner she’d had with Nate and his roommates before she looked at me like the cat that swallowed the canary. “And your night?” Marta asked, trying to contain the laughter at the look on Noel’s face.

“It was nice. We went to that Asian place in town and had a nice dinner,” I replied as I felt them both staring at me. “He’s a good man.”

“I’m sure that he is. One thing I will say is that Robert is a gorgeous man!” Marta told me as I smiled at her. “He seemed pretty smitten with you.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” I told her as Noel smirked at me.

“He asked her out tonight as well. Does that sound like something a confident, older man would do if he was smitten?” Noel challenged me as I rolled my eyes.

“Why, yes it does. Where are you going?” Marta asked as she leaned on the counter.

“He mentioned the movies last night, but I’m not sure.” I shrugged, feeling like a child. I had no idea what I was doing and last night still had me reeling.

“I don’t know if you’re ready for this, but I made a huge roast for dinner. He’s invited to stay and eat before the movies,” Marta offered as Noel clapped her hands.

“Oh, my goodness.” I imagined sitting at the table with the two of them watching us and Keith interrogating Robert. He looked at me as a daughter now and he’d protect me as fiercely as he would Noel. “No. We can’t do that.”

I got ready, dressing in some gray slacks that were perfect for dinner or the movies, paired with a lavender shirt that buttoned up over my curves. There was no time for a nap since the idea of him eating dinner here got me all worked up, so I freshened up my makeup and hoped for the best. I was just slipping my feet into some black flats when I heard the doorbell and groaned. There was no way that I would make it to the door before anyone else, so why bother trying?