Chapter4
“Wait, what happened?” Nattie said as she walked into the living room with a glass of wine in her hand. “You met a man?”
“I didn’t meet a man,” Molly said, walking in behind her. She had been back in her house for approximately five minutes when Nattie knocked on her door with a bottle of wine in her hand. “I’m getting married. Of course I didn’t meet a man.”
“Well, what was this then? You go away for the entire weekend and you don’t even bother to text your best friend the whole time? I thought had gotten, like, eaten by a bear or something.”
“Oh don’t be ridiculous, Nattie,” she said.
“Well, I don’t know why you would go out into the woods otherwise… Dancing with wolves or… Well, if ‘Dances with Wolves’ era Kevin Costner was out there, then yeah.” She stopped suddenly and held her hand out. “This guy, did he look like Kevin Costner?”
“There is no…guy. And no.”
“No?”
“No, I didn’t see anyone that looked like Kevin Costner. And ew.”
“He was kind of rugged,” Nattie said defensively. “With that wild mane. He kind of looked like a young, American version of young Ralph Fiennes.”
“Oh stop,” Molly said, shaking her head. “Just stop talking.”
Nattie sat down on the white couch. “Fine. I’ll stop talking if you tell me about your guy.”
“Fine.”
“Yes! I knew there was a guy!”
“There wasn’t a guy. There was just a nice…person… who bought me a book…” Molly continued on, telling her the story of the torn out pages and ending with the two waitresses and their incessant belief that she was going to come back for him.
“Well, of course you’re going to go back there,” Nattie said.
“What? That’s ridiculous. Doesn’t everyone remember that I’m getting married?!” Molly set her wine glass down on the coffee table and sat down on the couch.
“Think of it this way. You need to sough your wild oats before you get married so that you don’t go out and do something stupid. Don’t you want to be a little adventurous while you still can?”
“I am adventurous.”
“You are not. You’re afraid of the world. You don’t even have your driver’s license.”
“I live in the city. I don’t need my driver’s license.”
“But you don’t live in the city anymore,” Nattie reminded her. “You don’t want that silly driver following you around all day, do you?” She patted Molly on the back. “We should get you your driver’s license. I bet Kevin would buy you a car if you asked him.”
Molly shrugged. “I don’t really care if I get it or not,” she said. Her voice was distant. She had lost interest in the conversation already. Her mind drifted back to the bookstore.
“I’ll drive you then,” Nattie said. “Tell Kevin that we’re hanging out together this weekend. Give him some sob story about how sad I am or throw the word ‘period’ or ‘PMS’ in there somewhere. That should scare him enough that he won’t ask any more questions.”
They both laughed. As it turned out, however, she didn’t even need to do that. The next night at dinner, Kevin received a phone call – not a surprising occurrence for Molly – and left the room for a moment. She got up and cleared the dishes from the table. While standing in the kitchen, hovering over the sink, she looked out through the window which normally gave her a view into their backyard property. However, since it was night out, she could only see her reflection. All she could see was her mother. The yellow floral dress. The straightened hair. It was something that she never thought she would see. Her mother was always just a socialite. Not a socialite/house wife. This wasn’t what she envisioned that her mother wanted for herself but she looked so happy. What did this mean for her? She worried that she was destined for the same fate. She rinsed off the dishes then stared at them for a while.
“Hey,” Kevin said, poking his head into the kitchen. “I’ve got some bad news. I know you just got back but now it’s my turn to go out of town.”
“Huh?” she said, snapping back into reality.
“Yeah, a handful of us need to go check something out in Denver. It’s just a hop, skip, and a jump away. So I won’t be long. Flying out tomorrow and back by Sunday night. Four days tops,” he said. He kissed the top of her head. “Sorry, babe.”
“Oh,” she said. She felt as if some higher authority was betting on what she would do. Was there a right answer, she thought. Of course there’s a right answer. She mentally chastised herself. “Just do what you have to do,” she said. “I’ll be here when you get back. Or…”
“What’s up?” he asked. “You know that I can’t bring you along. Well…” He thought about it for a moment. “I can if you want but you’re just going to have to keep yourself occupied.”
“That’s kind of what I wanted to say. I mean, I don’t feel like being alone this weekend.”
“You want to go back to your parents’ place?” he asked. “I didn’t think you were a big fan of your mom.”
“I’m not,” she admitted. “Maybe Natalie? I was thinking of staying with Natalie. She’s going through a breakup and I don’t want to seem like an unsympathetic friend since I’m always on about the wedding now…” No, I’m not. What am I saying, she thought to herself. “I’ve just been so happy; I keep forgetting that she hasn’t found someone like you for herself.” She nervously batted her eyes – a nervous tick. She rarely lied so it wasn’t one that was obvious to her friends or her family. But it was a secret that she had kept to herself. She had a lot of those lately.
“Oh, sure,” he said. He looked hesitant. His eyes looked deep into hers, she assumed that he was trying to figure out if this was some kind of ruse.
“We’re on the same cycle,” she blurted out. “So she’s going to start PMSing soon and who knows what kind of crazy stuff she’s going to end up doing when-”
“It’s fine,” he said, suddenly flustered. His eyes stopped being curious and he just backed away. “I understand. Girl stuff. You go ahead and be with her. Just be home before Sunday so that we can spend some time together when I get back.”
Molly agreed.
* * *
The sun was setting in Pine Falls. The one token bed and breakfast was now preoccupied with Nattie’s incessant phone calls to the front desk and her demands for new linens and champagne. She told Molly that if she was going to be stuck in a room for the rest of a Friday night, she was going to at least be comfortable. Of course Molly hadn’t anticipated on what Nattie needed to be comfortable. The things that she thought were a necessity held a different level of value to Molly – and to most other people, for that matter. Luckily for Molly though, she didn’t need to deal with it.
It was Friday night and she had already left – on her bicycle – to go to the diner to meet the mystery man. She wore a sleeveless dress. The top was a cream, lace knit over a thin, white, satin lining. The skirt was blue with a white and orange floral pattern. Tiny orange flowers fluttered with her skirt as she cycled through town. Oh, that’s right, she thought. I don’t even know his name. This isn’t right. It’s not even safe. What if he’s a serial killer? She thought about the rest of the town and how the patrons and staff at the diner thought that he was a wonderful person. They knew that she would end up coming back to go on this date with them. How did they know that? How did he know that she would like that book? Was this town filled with clairvoyants?
She parked her bike and walked up to the French doors. Through the frosted glass on the door, she could see silhouettes of the patrons and staff. The dining area was filled with people. Each booth was occupied – or so it seemed. Before she could open the door, however, she took a step back and made her way back down the steps to the sidewalk again. She was debating on walking home again when she stopped and looked at one of the windows of the diner. There he was. He was patiently waiting in one of the booths, sipping on a water. What would they even talk about?
Molly suddenly found herself inside the diner. A number of the patrons stopped what they were doing so that they could look at her, but only for a split second before continuing on with their dinner and some private conversation with their partners.
She caught her mystery man’s eye and he waved her over before standing up. He wore a white t-shirt and a pair of dark denim jeans. There was something classic and handsome about a man who could wear something that plain and look attractive. He waited for her to sit down before he sat down also. His gaze went from her to the waitress behind her. She smiled at him and nodded. He smiled back, bigger this time, showing off his pearly whites.
“What’s going on?” Molly whispered.
His smile suddenly disappeared and his face softened as he tried to answer her question. “Abigail,” he said, motioning to the waitress. “Said that if you showed up tonight, I’d have to be more gentlemanly.”
She turned to the waitress, who ended up being the small Asian girl that had helped her earlier in the week. She filled Molly’s water glass and nodded. “I’ll give you some time to order,” she said and quickly walked away.
Molly took a deep breath. “Everyone’s just been acting so weird,” she said.
“It’s a small town,” he said. “Word gets around.”
“Why do they care so much? I mean, about you?” She suddenly felt the need to clarify. “I mean, you seem nice enough. I just…”
“Everybody’s always in my business. I don’t understand it.” He rolled his eyes. “You starving?” he asked.
“Actually, I’m not all that hungry,” she admitted.
“Let’s go then,” he suggested. “
Molly couldn’t take her eyes off of his face. His blue eyes were striking. She didn’t normally like facial hair but his beard, which was starting to grow out, was a lighter color than the rest of his dark brown hair. From a distance, it looked as if his beard was short at well-kept but up close it almost looked a little unruly, even as short as it was. Small blond hairs pointed in different directions. It was endearing and for some reason, she didn’t find it to be off-putting.
“What?” he asked.
Molly suddenly realized that she had probably been staring at him for a good long time. She held her hand out to him. “My name is Molly Richards,” she said plainly.
He took her hand. It was a firm handshake, but not too firm. Just enough to let her know that he was there. “Hi, Molly Richards. Want to go for a walk?”
“Only if you tell me your name too,” she said. “I don’t like to walk with strangers.”
He chuckled, still not letting go of her hand. “I’m Justin.” He let go and stood up. Since there was only a water glass on the table Molly assumed that he hadn’t ordered anything yet. Justin walked toward the door without even a second glance at her. At first she didn’t know what to do. Was she just supposed to follow him? Her head turned to watch him. Justin opened the frosted glass door and held it, presumably waiting for her to join him. So she jumped up and scampered over.
The air was crisp, as it was starting to get dark. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, which also meant that it might get cold out that night. She hadn’t thought about that when she slipped that tube top dress on. She had already been sweating bullets because of what she was doing.
“Is that your bike?” he asked, motioning toward her sea foam green beauty.
“Yeah, why?”
“I was just checking,” he said. He picked it up and walked it over to a Jeep Wrangler. He gently placed it in the back. When she walked over to inspect what he was doing, she noticed that there wasn’t a backseat in the vehicle at all. The back wheel stuck up in the air.
“Hop in,” he said, walking around the side. The Jeep was dark blue with a tan soft top that was folded down. Molly hadn’t ridden in a Jeep before and she didn’t know what to expect. This one didn’t even have any doors on it.
“Hop… in?” she asked. “It doesn’t have doors on it. That can’t be safe.”
“It’s safe as long as you have your seat belt on,” he said as he hopped in the driver’s seat.
“But what about bugs and stuff?” she asked.
“They’ll hit the windshield before they even consider going for your teeth,” he kidded. “Come on. There’s nothing to be scared of.” He started it up.
Molly stood back. “I’m not getting in a car without doors on it.”
“You travel around on a bicycle. You’re really worried about being in a jeep with no doors?” he said, putting it in gear. He began backing up. “Come on. I really don’t want you to have to chase the Jeep there. That would just be bad date etiquette.”
Molly rolled her eyes and got in. She sat down in the bucket seat next to him. She pulled her hand away from the damp roll-bar that she had used to help hoist herself into the seat. The bar was muddy. She quickly buckled herself in as he hit reverse and pulled out into the road.
The wind blew through her hair as they drove through town. Molly collected her wildly flowing locks and tried to hold onto them with one hand as they drove around. The sky was getting darker and was getting to the point where you could almost see stars. She waited with anticipation.
“Let your hair down a little,” he said to her, raising his voice a little so that she could hear him above the sound of the wind and engine.
Molly hesitated before letting her hair loose again. She had to admit, it did feel nice to just let it out. The wind felt amazing as it combed through her hair. She closed her eyes and let the breeze caress her cheeks with his fingers. She opened them again as they began to slow down. They were lakeside. It was more of a boggy pond but it was the closest body of water to Pine Falls. There were a handful of cabins all around. All of which were smaller than her parents’ neighbors.
Justin parked at the end of a dirt road. The dirt turned into grass and the road widened into a small plot of grassy land which led to the lake. They were mostly surrounded by trees. As soon as he turned the engine off, the lights on the lampposts (there were two of them) turned on, illuminating the small parking area. There were two other cars parked there as well. They could see a couple huddled together at a picnic table and another couple of older kids playing on the swing set.
“Is this okay?” Justin asked. “I figured that it was a nice quiet place to get to know each other. Better than the diner, where we’ve got a half dozen people trying to stick their noses in your business.”
“And by ‘your business’, you really mean your business,” Molly corrected.
Justin nodded. “Yeah. They knew my dad pretty well.”
“Knew?” Molly asked.
“Yeah, he died a few years ago. Cancer.” He shook his head. “I didn’t really know him that well.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. So everybody looks after you now?”
He shrugged. “They’ve always been like this. Mom said it’s cause they’re like a giant family. I mean, I guess they are. Always asking questions and in your space when you don’t want them to be.”
Molly took a deep breath and let it go really slowly. “Tell me something else about you. Something happy,” Molly said.
“Happy, huh?” He thought for a moment and leaned his head back in the seat. Molly watched his jawline as he clenched his teeth for a moment. “I don’t know.”
“Well, tell me a favorite of yours.”
“I like to read,” he said.
“I already know that. What’s your favorite book?”
“Um… That’s hard. I’m a fan of One Hundred Years of Solitude but The Hobbit is another favorite. But then again…” his voice disappeared.
“Oh, have we come to that already?” she asked. “The book that you love but won’t tell anyone about?”
“Ulysses.” He squinted and pursed his lips as he looked away. “Please don’t think that I’m self-deprecating or anything.”
“Maybe in a charming way,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll admit though. I’ve never read it.”
“Not a lot of people like it. I can suggest some great ones if you’re in the mood for some classic literature.”
She leaned away from him. “No offense but you don’t really seem like a classic literature kind of guy.”
He grinned. It seemed as though he had heard this before. “What do I seem like then? If you had to pick a book that you thought I would enjoy, what would you have picked when you first met me?”
“Well, not a heartfelt book like the one you suggested for me, that’s for damn sure,” she said, letting a laugh escape between sentences. “But I’d definitely go with something like Fight Club or Infinite Jest.”
“Oh, so you thought I was a douche bag.”
“Ha! No, no… You seem like you’re a hard ass on the outside and super literate on the inside.”
“Well, I’ll admit that I’ve read Fight Club – it was okay. But I’ve yet to pick up Infinite Jest. Jonathan Franzen, right?”
She nodded then shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t read it either.”
They both laughed. He unbuckled his seat belt. “Walk with me?” he asked.
“How do I know that you won’t end up killing me? I don’t know that you’re not a serial killer.”
He nodded. “True, true. Obviously you may be a bit confused about my personality – Infinite Jest,” he said with a snicker. “What will make you feel better?” He motioned toward the other couple at the picnic table. “There are witnesses. We can walk toward them and hang out with them if you like.”
“Well, we don’t have to hang out with them but… Not into the woods.”
He nodded.
“And I’m bringing the mace in my purse,” she said, tugging on her purse strap.
He nodded again. A small smile appeared on his face. He almost looked as if he was making fun of her in his mind.
“Okay,” she said. Molly unbuckled her seatbelt and instinctively reached for a door handle that wasn’t there. She leaned into it and nearly fell out of the Jeep but caught herself at the last moment, landing with both feet on the ground instead of on her feet and her butt.
“Nice dismount,” Justin said with a chuckle. He held up eight fingers. “Russian judge give you eight,” he said with a fake Russian accent.
“Whatever, that deserved at ten.” She pointed to her dress. “No mud stains.” Then she held her hands up. “And I didn’t even have to use my hands.”
“Well, I guess that deserves another half of a point,” he said. He stuck his pinky up in the air. “Eight and a half.”
Molly laughed. She met Justin around the front of his Jeep then took his arm without asking. He looked surprised at first but quickly eased into it as they started to walk toward the water.
They chatted about everything: favorites (she loved Italian and he was a fan of everything, especially Thai), pet peeves (she hated running late and he hated pompous rich people – which made her a little worried), and their childhoods.
“You don’t seem to have had a real childhood,” he said as they sat at the picnic table – the other couple had since left to go to a more private space (or so Molly thought).
“What are you talking about?” Molly said, taken aback by his reaction. “I had a great childhood. We went to Disneyland and Japan. My parents spoiled me rotten with any toy that I could possibly want.”
“Okay, okay,” he said. He turned to face her and looked her straight in the eye. “How often did you get to go to the playground as a kid? Rough estimate,” he added.
“Well,” she started. “I… I mean, my mom always bought me pretty dresses and whatnot. She didn’t want me to get them dirty.”
Justin raised his eye brows. “Wait, you never got to go to the playground?”
“I did. Every now and then. I mean…” Her voice trailed off. She didn’t know how to explain it. “I went to the park; I just didn’t usually get to play on anything…”
“Well then what’d you do there?” he asked with a snicker.
“Tag. Or I’d sit on the benches with my friends and we’d braid each other’s hair.”
“Come on,” he said. He grasped her hands in his and pulled her up from the picnic bench. He led her over to the swing set and motioned for her to have a seat. It was a three swing set with two black rubber seat bands and a small boostered toddler seat. She dusted off her dress and looked at the rubber swing belt seat on the right.
“This is silly though, isn’t it? I’m a full grown woman. I don’t need to be sitting on swings.” She scoffed at the thought but didn’t fight it when he pulled her toward the swing set. Her shoes sank and swam all over the sand that surrounded the playground apparatus. To the right, of the swing was a lamp post that shined an orange light down, shining the way.
“Your childhood was lacking. I’m determined to right that wrong,” Justin said. He pulled her over and had her sat down. “You know how to swing, right?”
“Of course I do,” she said, clinging to the swing chain with both hands. Her knuckles were almost white; she was grasping at them so hard.
He walked around her and gently placed his hands on her lower back. She could feel a tingle run up her spine as he put just a tiny amount of pressure there. She lifted her feet off of the sand and let him push her slightly at first. She swung back and forth. As soon as her legs had the clearance, she began to kick them back and forth.
“Kick with the movement,” he said. “When you’re swinging backwards, pull your feet back and when you are going forward, kick your feet out in front of you.”
She did as he suggested and she quickly began to gain momentum. She couldn’t help but let out a small giggle as she swung higher and higher. It was a sensation that she wasn’t quite used to. She looked up at the sky and then let her gaze fall toward the rest of the lake out in front of her. It was a new view when shew as up there. Justin grabbed the swing next to her and swung back and forth – not quite as high. Molly stopped kicking, which quickly made her lose momentum. She soon leveled out and swung at the same pace as her date. They swung in tandem, careful not to swing too hard – just in case the swing set couldn’t hold their weight.
“It’s secure,” he said.
“How do you know? These aren’t made for adults.”
“I know because I set it up. Community service when I was in high school. I was caught vandalizing the property so they made me install new equipment with some volunteers. This thing is rock steady.”
“What’s the point of vandalizing something anyway?” Molly asked after a brief silence.
He shrugged. “I was an angry kid, what can I say… My dad just died and I was stuck living with a woman that I hardly knew.”
“Your mom?”
“Naw, she was gone a long time ago. Left when I was still a baby. Dad’s second wife wasn’t too fond of her troublemaker son and liked to steer clear of me.” He shook his head. “Enough about that though. We’re talking about you. I’ve got a surprise for you if you can get away for a few days.”
“A few days,” she repeated before shaking her head. “I can’t. I…” Have a husband…, she finished in her head. “I can’t. I’m too busy and besides, I don’t live around here anyway.”
He nodded. “You’re definitely an out of towner, yeah,” he said. “I can pick you up if you want. Where do you live?”
“Live? I’m out in Rodmeyer.”
“That’s only, like an hour away.”
She shook her head. “Speaking of which,” she said. “I should probably get back home before my carriage turns into a pumpkin.”
“You can leave your pumpkin in the back of the Jeep and I can take you home,” he said. He stopped swinging all together and waited for her to stop as well. “Will I get a second date?” he asked.
“I…”
He stopped her with a kiss. His hands left the chains on his swing as he leaned toward her. They were a bit cool to the touch because of the metal but quickly warmed to her flustered cheeks. At first she was going to pull away but that desire left quickly and she was left leaning toward him as well. It was both passionate and raw. One of his hands fell to her neck and shoulders as he kissed her opposite cheek and worked his way down her neck.
No, no, no, her mind whispered to her. This is wrong. This is so wrong. “Stop,” she whispered softly. “I can’t.”
He stopped and pulled away. “Sorry, I don’t know what – Of course I do. I didn’t mean that. I am sorry though. I didn’t mean to push you…” His voice trailed off and an eyebrow cocked to one side.
“It’s not that,” she said.
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what it is. I like you too much to push you into a place that’s uncomfortable for you. You’re intriguing Miss Richards.”
He dropped her and her bike back at the diner before driving off. She went inside for a milkshake before they closed. She was then informed that they didn’t close. A 24 hour diner in a tiny town like this, she thought.
* * *
“How was your date last night?” Nattie asked. “I didn’t hear you get back last night.” She was sitting back on the couch, clutching a small coffee cup in her hand.
Molly was wrapped in one town and was trying desperately to dry off her hair with another. Specifically, with one of the most non-absorbent towels she had ever used in her life. When she finally gave up, she just let it fall to the ground. She plopped down next to Nattie on the couch. “It was great,” she finally said. “He was a complete gentleman. He said that he found me intriguing.” She grinned at the ceiling as she stared off into space. “We talked about everything. I don’t think anyone has ever been so interested in my thoughts and likes before. I bet he knows more about me than…” She paused for a moment.
“Kevin,” Nattie finished for her. “Than your fiancé Kevin.”
Molly turned to her best friend. Nattie’s eyes twinkled as she burst out in laughter. “Hey, in my defense,” she said. “I haven’t had someone pay that much attention to me in a long time. He didn’t touch his phone once.”
“And neither did you, Missy. I texted an emergency getaway to you and you didn’t even bother to tell me that you didn’t need it.”
“Sorry. It was in my purse. I had the ringer turned off and I forgot all about it…”
“Lucky for you, he’s cute. Otherwise, I wouldn’t let you get away with treating your best friend like that.”
“You saw him?” she sputtered. “Did you follow us?”
“Yeah, I saw you guys drive off in his gross car. He could have at least put the doors back on for you. How are you supposed to get it on in the backseat if the mosquitos are watching you?” She shook her head. “So how was he?”
“What do you mean, how was he?” Molly asked. “I didn’t sleep with him.”
“Why not? Why else would you go out on a date?” Nattie almost appeared defensive. “If you don’t sleep with him and drop him like a bad habit, it’s like you’re cheating on Kevin. You know that, right?”
“What are you talking about?”
“If you sleep with him and then drop him, you’re just sowing your wild oats before you get married. If you actually date him and see him more than once, you’re straight up cheating on Kevin.”
“That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Molly, it sounds like you’re falling for him.”
“Well it sounds like you’re lecturing me,” Molly snapped. “I don’t need that right now. I’m confused enough as it is.”
“Crap,” she blurted out. “You are falling for him.” She threw her arms up in the air.