Chapter2
After a couple weeks of being cooped up in the house, Molly couldn’t take it anymore. The house was gorgeous and there were still a lot of things that needed to get done before they could actually feel like it was their home but she needed a break.
“I want to spend the weekend at my parents’ place. Would that be all right? You’ll be busy working this weekend anyway. So it’s not like we’ll see much of each other.” She batted her eyes at Kevin, as he sat behind an oversized mahogany desk in his office. His eyes were fixated on his computer screen. After a moment of silence (except for his fingers at the keys), he finally turned to her.
“Your parents?” he repeated. “Sure. Just a couple of days, right?”
Molly nodded. “I can’t get into any trouble at my parents’ house. It’ll be a nice break. When I get back, I’ll be refreshed and ready to finish the house.”
He nodded. “Sounds reasonable,” he said. “I’ll have Miguel drop you off at your parents’ place. Just let him know what time to pick you up on Sunday.”
“Thanks, honey,” she said. She bolted up from the leather chair and ran around his desk to give him a hug but he stopped her before she could make her way around.
“I’ve got a lot of work to do, babe. I’m sorry.” He waved her off. She pursed her lips and nodded.
He’s always so busy, she thought. It’s only cause he’s under a lot of pressure. This will be a good break for the both of us. Besides, he’ll be so excited to see me when I get back. She sighed as she listened to her footsteps echo in the hallway. She made her way to the bedroom and began her nightly ritual. The house was so big it almost seemed lonely, even when he was at home – which was a rarity, in the two weeks that they had already been living together. He’ll miss me, she repeated to herself.
* * *
Maribelle Richards wasn’t an insufferable woman. Molly knew that Maribelle had her best interests in mind. Or at least, that she wanted her daughter to be supported after she got married. Inside, however, Molly felt as though she wanted to be able to support herself. She never really felt like an adult, having her parents pay her bills for her and her fiancé, taking over that task once they got married. What type of life was that?
Molly sat in the backseat of the car and contemplated her life as Miguel drove her to her parent’s vacation home, which (luckily) was only a couple of miles away from Pine Falls. She could feel his gaze on her every now and then and wondered if he was judging her just as bad as she was judging herself.
“What is it?” she finally snapped. The tone of her voice surprised her. Her intense gaze quickly softened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… I just… Did you need something?” she finally spat out.
Miguel shook his head. “No, ma’am.”
“Oh, good gawd, please don’t call me ma’am. I’m not old enough to be a ma’am, am I? Call me Molly, please.”
He nodded. “Yes Miss Molly.” His eyes smiled at her through the rear view mirror.
She let out a small chuckle. “I’m having some kind of quarter life crisis, I think,” she said.
“My wife went through something like that a couple of years ago.”
“Oh? What did she do to relieve all of this anxiety and self-doubt?” Molly asked, hoping for an easy answer.
“She switched careers,” he replied. “When she finally boiled it all down, it turns out she wasn’t happy with where she was going with work. So she ended up starting her own business.”
Molly flopped her head back against the headrest. “Unfortunately, that’s not going to work for me. Kevin doesn’t want me to work at all. As far as profession goes, I think I’ll be filling the role of ‘baby maker’.”
“If you don’t mind any suggestions…” he started. He paused for a moment. She assumed that it was in case she wanted to object but she was all ears.
“By all means,” she said. “I’d love some advice.” She saw his eyes turn to her in the rear view mirror. She smiled sweetly and sincerely at him.
“Well, that doesn’t mean that you can’t start a side job. Your own little business. You don’t have to open some sort of storefront in order to be a business owner. If you’re crafty, you can start a small Etsy shop or something. What do you like to do? You’re…” His voice cut out for a moment. He cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind me saying… You’re in a unique position. Not everyone gets the chance to be where you are. You have money at your disposal, time to do the things that you want… Please stop me if I’m out of line but I really think that you shouldn’t waste this opportunity.”
Molly nodded. “I guess I never really looked at it that way.”
“Not to say that it is healthy to-” He stopped. “Nevermind.”
“What?” she asked. He piqued her curiosity. He couldn’t just stop there. “You’re not out of line or anything. I’m not offended.”
“I just don’t want to cross the line, miss,” he said simply. He pulled up in front of a large lake house and parked the car.
Molly looked at the large cabin home. It was more modern than any of the other lakeside homes and she was sure that the neighbors absolutely hated her parents for that. Maribelle and Dominic were rarely there to hear any complaints though. When Molly heard that her mom and her boy toy were going to spend a few weeks here, she thought it was a perfect time to take her little trip. She didn’t feel like staying at their place in the city and having to organize a ride down to Pine Falls.
Miguel opened the door for her and helped her out of the backseat. “In the end it really amounts to one question.”
“Oh?” Molly said. As the syllable slipped out of her mouth, the edges of her lips curved upward. “What’s that?”
“What makes you happy?” He shut the door behind her and popped the trunk with a button on his key ring. The trunk hatched clicked and the lid sprung upward, gaping open so that Miguel could snatch her brown Louis Vuitton from inside. He followed her up the walkway to the front step.
“Are you going to follow me inside too?” she asked. “I was going to stop by the bathroom since this trip took a little while but…”
He laughed softly. “I was just told to walk you to the door and make sure that you got to your parents all right.”
“Well, you can be on your way as soon as you hand me off,” she said, half- jokingly and half- bitterly.
The door opened and a brightly dressed Maribelle welcomed her daughter with open arms. Her hair was shoulder length and straightened except for the end, which curled outward. She wore a coral colored flower clip on one side, which matched her yellow sun dress. She looked like a Stepford wife. “Oh sweetheart,” she said as she hugged her. “Oh, honey, you haven’t been gaining weight, have you? You’re not married yet, you know. And that doesn’t necessarily mean any things these days.” She let go of Molly and waved her arms in the air in a dramatic fashion. “And who is this?”
“This is Miguel. He drove me here.”
“Oh, thanks hon,” Maribelle said. She reached into her pocket and grabbed a couple bills, then handed them to Miguel.
He nodded, almost bowing, and stepped back. “I will see you on Sunday. You said 7PM, is that right?” he confirmed.
Molly nodded. Her eyes pleaded with him that he take her away from her crazy Stepford mother – perhaps this was all a mistake. She couldn’t tell if he understood but he did smile playfully as he turned away to walk back to the car.
“Come on in,” Maribelle said. “We’ve done a bit of redecorating since you were last here.” She walked inside, intending that her daughter follow her, and kept on talking.
Molly wasn’t paying attention. She was still facing Miguel, who now had his back toward her as he walked away. “Fine just leave me here,” she said in a loud whisper.
“You made your bed, Miss Molly.”
“Let’s go away for the weekend. You don’t even have to be my chauffer. You can vacation with me. We’ll go to the coast this weekend,” she purred, almost pleading.
He waved goodbye. “You have a good time, Miss.” His grin was friendly but his eyes twinkled with mischief.
She dropped her shoulders and rolled her suitcase into the foyer, shutting the door behind her as she passed it. “I wonder how much time I have to spend here before I can ride into Pine Falls,” she said to herself.
“Did you notice the new drapes in the kitchen?” her mom squealed from the other room.
Molly listened to her mother’s whole interior decorating spiel as they moved from room to room. The house had never felt so big in her life. It was as if the rooms were never ending. Then, as if the interior of the house wasn’t enough, Maribelle took her outside to show her what the landscaper had done. As they walked around the back Molly caught a glimpse into the open shed and saw her old bicycle.
It was beckoning her. “You kept my bike,” she said as she ran to it.
“Oh, yes. We were going to get rid of it but I guess I’m glad that we kept it. It’s good exercise for you, sweetie,” she replied.
That one stung a little, Molly thought as she stumbled over her feet. She composed herself and pulled the bike out of the shed. This does give me an out though, she pondered. “Well, maybe I can take it out for a spin now. It’s nice out and I could use some fresh air. I mean, exercise.”
“All right. Dinner will be ready by five.” Maribelle smiled. “Heh, it’s just like when you were a teenager. Talk about déjà vu,” she said with a chuckle.
Molly laughed and hopped on the sea foam green bicycle. It even had the brown wicker basket in the front. Her parents had taken good care of it. The white walls were still a bright white. She waved goodbye at her mom as she rode off. Further down the street, she stopped to empty her pockets into the basket: wallet and phone. It had been a while since she felt this much freedom. She leisurely rode through the small lakeside town and down a small side rode that looked as if it cut right through a dense forest. Every now and then there were small offshoots from the paved road – all of which were dirt paths. Some led to houses. Others led to horse ranches while other led to dirt bike and off road vehicle paths.
The sun beat down through the canopy of leaves creating a warm light show in front of her. She could see rays of sunshine all around the small paved road and they flashed in her eyes. It was still early spring so this was still a welcome weather phenomenon for the Pacific Northwest. Rumor had it that this was one of the only places where you could cite “The sun was in my eyes” on a traffic accident claim for auto insurance and have it be a viable excuse.
After about fifteen minutes the road finally opened up to a two lane road. She veered right and hopped up onto the new sidewalk. The sign in front of her read “Welcome to Pine Falls” It was small and green with a plain white lettering. They had replaced it since she last saw it. The sign used to be one which was hand crafted by one of the local artisans. She continued to ride past a few neighborhoods until she reached the center of town: the town square. She veered right again, following the sidewalk to a familiar looking bookstore:
“Mr. Yaeger’s Book Stop”
She parked her bike in the bike rack in front of the store. There were three bikes already parked there. None of which had any bike locks on them. It was that sort of town.
“I thought I remembered that bicycle,” said an old man as Molly opened the door. The glass door rattled a bell that hung above the doorframe. A short, stout, balding gentleman with a crown of white hair walked out from around the corner. He pushed his round, gold framed glasses up his nose and gave Molly a big hug. “Molly Richards, I didn’t think that I would get the pleasure of seeing you again. It has been a couple years, hasn’t it?”
“I came by last year,” she said. “You weren’t here though. Your son was. He told me that you were in China.” She was almost gitty with excitement. It was like running into your favorite teacher from high school.
“Oh, yes,” he said, letting her go. “I spent some time looking around the old shops and I even got to walk on the Great Wall.”
“That’s impressive,” she said. “How far did you get?”
“Not far. Just far enough so that I can say that I walked on the Great Wall. These old knees won’t let me get good mileage these days.” As they continued to chat, a thin woman walked out of the back room. “That’s Susan. She is my extra hand during the week days.”
Molly waved an awkward hello and walked with Yaeger to the back bookshelves.
He leaned in. “Are you looking for anything in particular today?”
“Not really,” she replied. She ran her fingers across the spines of a few books as she passed them.
“That’s a pretty fancy ring on your finger,” he said, holding up her hand.
“I got engaged a couple of weeks ago. The wedding is in a year. I’m excited. I love summer weddings and now I get to have one of my own.” She gave him a quick side hug. “You better be in the country for it because I’m obviously going to invite you.”
Yaeger nodded. “I will do everything in my power to be here on your big day.” He tilted his head down and as he did, his glasses slid down his nose. His big green eyes looked up at Molly. “He treats you well, right?”
“I couldn’t ask for more,” she said.
“Your voice,” he said. “I am not convinced. You’re hesitant and that doesn’t bode well. Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” he said after a brief pause.
“He is a good guy and he gives me everything that I could ever need. We even just moved into a new house.”
He nodded but Molly noted that he didn’t really look convinced. “Are you happy?” he asked.
“I won’t be happy until I can fill that wicker basket, on my bike, with books,” she said, trying to avoid the question.
He winked at her. “I can take a hint,” he said. “We just got a new shipment of books in so I’ll be in the back if you need me.” He gave her another warm hug and waddled over to a door, which led to some magical book storeroom. Her eyes followed him as he opened the door to the dark room and snuck in, only turning the light on after the door was mostly shut again.
When she was little, Molly would often try to sneak back there to see what types of books he kept for himself but she always got caught. The more often she was caught, the more curious she became – but it was all for naught because she was never really able to sneak a peek. It was one of those mysteries from her childhood that she treasured.
The back section of the bookstore was always her favorite – the travel books. She would often imagine what it would be like to travel to exotic places. Of course, now she had all that money. Maybe she could just jet off to some exotic place sometime. If Kevin let her, it would be a great way to spread her wings a little. She picked up a book about Spain and began to thumb through it. In the distance, she heard the chime of the bell as another customer walked in through the door, but she didn’t even care to look up. As far as anyone else was concerned, she was already in a foreign country, meeting new people, trying new things, eating new foods, and finding what was missing from her life.
With “The Traveler’s Guide to Spain” and “The Single Woman’s Guide to Adventure” (sure, she wasn’t single any more but she wanted something that could teach her how to be safe while alone in another country) tucked under one arm and “The New Homeowner’s Guide to Décor” under the other, she found herself browsing the romance novel section of the bookstore. It was fairly new territory for her since, when she was a child, this was the last place that she would end up. Tales of teenagers finding love amongst vampires, sure that was something that she was interested in when she was a teen, but now her tastes seemed to have matured some. She flipped through a handful of books, trying to find something that called to her. Molly wasn’t exactly sure of what she wanted, but she did know what she didn’t want: sappy women looking for a man to rescue her. She was tired of those. They were all over the movies, and a favorite staple in a lot of literature. She wanted a book that could empower her.
“This one,” said an unfamiliar voice. Molly looked up from the book that she had cracked to find a shaggy haired man standing a couple of bookshelves down. Not looking away from a book that he held in one hand, he held a book for her to inspect with his other hand. She hesitantly reached for it. As she did, her fingers brushed against his, sending a small tingle up her spine. His skin was bronzed and weathered slightly, like he spent too much time outside. But she didn’t get that from his fingers. No, her eyes didn’t leave his face.
Behind the shaggy hair was a pair of intense greyish blue eyes. His angular features were chiseled and masculine, and his five o clock shadow helped to soften those sharp edges. His eyes glanced over at her, piercing her gaze. She looked away and at the book that she now held in her hands. The books that she had been holding onto tumbled onto the floor.
“Oh,” she said in surprised, her voice soft and a little squeaky. She bent down and stacked her books on top of each other before picking the stack up off of the floor. The man had moved and was about to help her but she moved quickly because of her embarrassment. “Um, thanks,” she said, holding up the book he had recommended with her other hand.
He took the top book from off the stack, which she held up with her other arm. It was the romance that she was thumbing through when he interrupted her. “You don’t want this,” he said. To motioned toward the other books that she held. “Based on those books, you don’t want this one. It’s sappy and the main character is this whiny little bi-” He stopped and cleared his throat. “She’s whiny and annoying.”
“You don’t seem like the romance novel type,” she said.
He grinned. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Then he shook his head. “I read them to my granny.”
Molly’s gaze finally left his face and worked its way downward. Down his grey long sleeved shirt, with the sleeved pushed up just above his elbow. The shirt didn’t look old but it looked worn and had a small oil stain toward the bottom. His jeans were also slightly damaged. They were made of a dark denim and had lighter patches around his cuffs, where they met with his brown boots.
“What? I don’t seem like the granny type either?” he said.
Her eyes met his. He didn’t seem offended, at least she didn’t think he did. “No, sorry. I think it’s lovely that you spend time with your granny. I’m sure that she appreciates it.”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure that she knows who I am half the time,” he said. He inhaled and motioned toward the book again. “It’s a good book. The chick, um, Sophie… She goes on this adventure to go find herself and all that.”
It was then that she noticed that he had a copy in his hand also. The same book: An Adventure for Sophie Graham.
“You’ll like it,” he said. “You look like you could use some adventure in your life.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” she said. “I don’t look like the adventure type?”
He laughed. “No, actually. You don’t.” He walked past her and headed toward the counter. “You look like you could really use some.”
“You don’t know me,” she said softly, trying her best to sound offended as she smelled his cologne.
He stopped right beside her and leaned toward her ear. She could feel his hot breath against her skin and it gave her goosebumps. “I don’t know you,” he said. “I’d like to though.” He took another step, stopping briefly to look at her and gauge her reaction before actually walking away.
When he finally left, Molly suddenly realized that she had stopped breathing. She let out a breath slowly and tried to fathom what had just happened. She turned the book over in her hand and read the back cover to herself. “Sophie Graham had it all: great job, wonderful husband, and a perfect little cottage in the middle of the tiniest town in Nevada. But then tragedy strikes and rocks her whole life, sending her on an amazing adventure that will help her realize just what has been missing in her life.” Molly turned the book over again and eyed the front cover. No Fabio. Just a woman with a backpack, hiking up a trail. Her black hair flowing in the breeze. “Hmm,” she said. Behind her, the bell rung again. She turned around to find the man gone, having already paid for his book. She wasn’t sure what she was hoping for but that wasn’t it. After all, she was engaged already. The man of her dreams was waiting for her at home.
Molly decided to pay for her books and head down to her favorite coffee shop before it closed for the day. The day was still fairly young and she wanted to sip on a latte while the sun was still out.
“Did you find everything you need?” asked Susan.
“As far as books are concerned, yes,” Molly said with an amicable smile. She watched Susan as she picked up the book about Spain. She seemed intrigued. Maybe I can find a travel buddy, Molly suddenly thought. Kevin doesn’t seem like the type that would like Spain anyway.
“Oh, good,” she said. “Mr. Yaeger says that you’ll be back again before you head home.” She typed a few prices into the cash register by hand and slipped the travel books into a paper bag. He had, had the same bags since she first started to shop there as a little girl. Thin paper bags that didn’t stand on their own. They were like little envelopes without the flap. What they did have, though, was his signature stamp in the corner, which read:
Mr. Yaeger’s Book Stop
Opening Minds Since 1973
“I’ll definitely stop by tomorrow. Unfortunately, I’ll be leaving again tomorrow night, otherwise I would stop by every day this next week.”
“I wish that we had customers like you that lived in town.” She picked up the romance book but then set it aside instead of putting in the bag.
“Oh, wait, I want that one too,” Molly said.
“I know,” Susan said. “It’s already paid for.” She picked up a different copy of the book and set it inside the bag. “That gentleman bought it for you. I’ll just put that one back on the shelf for you.” She smiled sweetly. She also handed her a small napkin with a note scribbled on it.
Enjoy the book. Hope you find the adventure you’re looking for, she read to herself. She could feel the heat from her cheeks as she blushed. It was silly for her to get so flustered but she couldn’t help herself. She almost felt like she was in high school again. “Does he come by here often?” she asked.
Susan shook her head. “I’ve never seen him in the store before.” She thought for a moment, then nodded her head as if to finalize her statement.
“I’d like to thank him,” she said. Molly found herself gazing out of the window, hoping that she might see him across the street. But she didn’t.
* * *
She sat down at the table and looked out at the town square. It would be a few more hours before the sun would set. She imagined that she still had a couple of hours before she had to head back. Searching through the bag, she passed over the travel books for the smaller romance novel and opened it up, almost expecting an even more personal sentiment scribbled inside the front cover but there was nothing there. No matter, it was still a nice gesture. She opened the book to the first page and read it to herself. The waitress came out and set her cappuccino down on the table and asked her if she needed anything else. Molly shook her head and thanked her.
He was right. The book was great. It felt like the author was writing about her. She suddenly felt incredibly vulnerable. How did this complete stranger know that she would love this book so much? There wasn’t even a way for her to get a hold of him, to thank him. She continued to read until she hit her own particular time limit and had to ride home. The sun would set soon and she didn’t want to be caught in the woods in the dark.
“How was the bike ride?” James, Molly’s stepfather, asked at dinner. He was a regal man, very proper, who sat upright in his chair. She had never met anyone with such proper stature before. Just watching him made her back straighten in the chair.
“It was pleasant,” she said. “The roads out here are so quiet. It’s almost surreal.”
“That’s what I love about this place,” he said. “This little town is great, isn’t it? There isn’t the hustle and the bustle of the city. People move at a much slower rate out here.”
“Mom says that you’re only staying here for a couple of weeks, is that right?”
James nodded.
Maribelle sighed. “I do love it out here, but it almost feels as though your entire life could pass in front of your eyes without you even noticing.”
James laughed. “Your mother is definitely a city girl.”
“I’m guessing that you never thought about moving out here, then?” Molly asked. She played with the peas on her plate. She could never quite get herself to like peas. She was never really a vegetable loving child but she just assumed that she would grow out of it. For most vegetables, it turned out to be true. She loved leafy greens and carrots. It was peas – peas and Brussel sprouts – that she could never learn to love.
“Your mother would have nothing to do with this house if I suggested that we move out here. As it is, once a year is almost too much for her. She busies herself by redecorating and lounging out in the sun. But then again, that’s another thing that is great about this place,” he said, his voice was as deep and rumbled like a distant train. “There aren’t any expectations of you out here. You can just lay back and relax. Read a book. Do some art.”
“You were never really into artistic things, were you, mom?” Molly suddenly asked.
“I don’t have one artist bone in my body – except for interior decorating. If you can consider that an art.”
“You should open your own interior decorating business,” Molly said, very matter of factly while she pushed her peas in a little pile. It took her a minute before she realized that the room was silent. Her gaze slowly moved up, worried that her parents might have died at the table and she hadn’t even noticed. They were both staring at her. “What?” she asked, mouth full of potatoes.
James was the first to speak out. “Your mom? With a business?” he said.
“When would I have the time?” Maribelle sputtered. “What put that silly idea in your head, child?”
“Why can’t she have a business if she wants?” Molly asked James, completely avoiding her mother’s question.
“It’s not a matter of why not,” he said. “She doesn’t have the patience to go into her own business. She also doesn’t have a degree in interior decorating. Or anything of the sort. And…” His voice trailed off. He wanted to say what everyone else already knew, Molly just knew it. She just wanted to hear it out loud. “Your mom. That’s just too much work for her.”
“I wouldn’t have the time,” Maribelle said again.
Molly looked over at her mother. “What do you do all day?” she asked.
“I keep up appearances at the house and with your father. I cook. I clea- Well, I manage the housekeepers as they clean. I buy what we need. I make sure that our social calendar is full so that we are prominent members of our neighborhood and social circles. I… There’s just so much. You don’t know because you haven’t had to deal with it yet. Just wait until you get married. Then you’ll see it first hand.”
Molly nodded. “I understand,” she said. She did. She did understand. Her mother was a socialite by profession and nothing else. What kind of legacy did she want to leave? That they were popular? Were they still in high school? “Thank you for dinner,” she said, finally. “It’s very good. The meat was tender and the mashed potatoes were creamy.”
“Thank you,” Maribelle said. “I had some new recipes that I wanted to try out.”
Molly caught her mother’s eyes and they connected for a split second and Molly tried to read the expression on her face. Was she embarrassed? Was she worried? Did she feel trapped? No. She was content. Molly smiled. As long as she is happy, she thought.
That night, after dinner, she sat on the porch and finished the rest of the book. At least, she tried to. The last two pages were torn out of the book. With any other book, that would have been fine. It would have been the equivalent to missing the end credits at a movie. But this was an important scene. She needed to know Sophie went back to the love of her life or continued on to start her big art career.
“I guess I’ll just head back to the bookstore and ask for the other copy tomorrow,” she said. She stood up and stretched her legs. The back porch looked out over the water. The reflection of the moon twinkled against the ripples in the water. She looked around. It would be darker if it wasn’t for the fact that it was a cloudless sky. The stars shone so bright out here. She never saw this type of beauty in the city. Of course, the city was a different type of beautiful. The city lights, the midnight cityscape twinkled like the stars. These “stars” also seemed a bit out of reach. Just as much as the stars up in the sky. By the time you could actually touch them, they were no longer stars after all. She loved the city. But it was then that she realized that she loved the city in the distance.
She wasn’t like her mother. She didn’t like how fast the world moved out there. Sure, it seemed great when she was in the thick of it. But there was something about this life – where it was quiet and where you could move at your own pace. You didn’t have to rush through traffic in order to get to work or make it home. She wondered if it would still feel the same way in the gigantic house that Kevin bought them. Would Kevin bring the city life home with him when he came home from work? Would he still expect her to move at that pace while living outside of the city? Was it okay for her not to? She yawned and stretched her arms before sliding her hands in her jacket pockets. That’s when she felt it; there was something in her right pocket. She pulled it out and found the note from the handsome stranger.
Enjoy the book. Hope you find the adventure you’re looking for, she read again. It was scribbled on the back of a napkin. Flipping the napkin over, she saw that it was from the small diner that was across the street from the bookstore. Across the street and next door to the coffee shop. Maybe he had been there when she received the book after all. Her mind raced as she thought about her chance encounter with the mystery man. She thought about the gleam in his eyes, the dimple in his chin, his furrowed brow… He wasn’t the type of guy that her mom would approve of. It’s not that she didn’t like white guys. Kevin was white after all. It had nothing to do with his race and everything to do with his status. He didn’t seem like the rich and powerful type.
But there were so many things that she already admired about him. He was tall and slender with longer, slightly unkempt hair. His rugged features were only highlighted by his 5 o’clock shadow. She wanted to run her hands through his long hair, but why…? Molly let out a long, exacerbated sigh. “I just got engaged,” she muttered. “What am I doing?” Then she looked down at the napkin. She was in the mood for some good diner food. Maybe she could just stop by for some coffee while she hung out in town.