He had to jerk his gaze upward when Mollie started speaking, suddenly unable to do two things at once—not as long as one of those things was staring at Mollie’s legs.
“...my cousin’s wedding last year,” she was saying, but looking at her face wasn’t doing his concentration any favors.
Not when the last rays of sunlight glinted off her hair, turning every strand a fiery reddish-gold. Not when her lips were painted a bright crimson that should have clashed and yet didn’t. And certainly not when Charlie tried to nose her way through the open door, and Mollie bent to catch the dog’s collar. As she reached down, the bodice’s V-neckline gaped, offering a view of gently rounded female flesh that a true gentleman would have ignored, but no real man could resist.
And Zeke had never doubted that he was a red-blooded male with a healthy appreciation for beautiful women. Except this wasn’t just any woman. This was Mollie, his friend! One of his best friends. And she wasn’t supposed to be beautiful. She was supposed to be—Mollie. Cute, sure. Sweet, too. But not...
Sexy.
The description came out of nowhere, but try as he might, Zeke couldn’t deny it.
“Wait...if your cousin’s wedding was last year, why are you wearing that dress now?”
Mollie frowned as she stepped back into the living room. “Honestly, Zeke, are you feeling okay? You are acting really weird. Do you need a drink or something?”
He must have managed to nod because Mollie turned and led the way into her kitchen. Following along behind her, Zeke couldn’t shake the uneasy sensation turning him inside out. Everything was the same as Mollie moved about the small space, reaching for a glass in the overhead cupboards and pouring him a glass of orange juice that she kept around only because he liked it. But as she handed him the drink and their fingers brushed around the cool glass, Zeke knew.
Everything had changed.
He downed the juice in one continuous swallow, as if low blood sugar had anything do with the sudden rush of desire pulsing through him at the simple, innocent touch. Mollie was still eyeing him closely when he finished.
As he set the glass on the counter, she explained, “You asked what I was wearing. This is a dress I bought for my cousin’s wedding last year. I’m wearing it tonight because I’m going...out.” That natural blush was back, and Mollie avoided his gaze as she grabbed the glass and carried it over to the sink.
“What do you mean, out?”
Turning to face him, she huffed out a sigh. “You know, as in going out on a date. Or you certainly should know, considering this was all your idea in the first place!”
“My idea?” Zeke was a hundred percent certain he’d never had any idea that Mollie could look so... Jerking his thoughts away from the forbidden direction they kept taking, he asked, “How was this my idea?”
Her eyes narrowed in an annoyed expression he recognized despite the layers of makeup and inch-long lashes. “You were the one who said I need to get out more, remember?”
He had said that, hadn’t he? “But not with just anyone! I was going to set you up. With the right guy,” he stressed, which only earned him another withering look.
“How do you know Josh isn’t the right guy?”
“Josh?”
Mollie nodded. “Josh Sylvester, Amanda’s brother.”
Though Zeke didn’t know the other man well, he remembered Josh from high school and knew he had recently moved back to town take a job as the athletic director at Spring Forest High. Josh was friendly, outgoing and in great shape, thanks to his job. Zeke supposed most women would consider him handsome. That Mollie was going out with a Spring Forest local rather than some stranger should have made Zeke feel better.
It didn’t.
“How do you know he’s not the right guy?” she repeated.
“Because I know you, Mollie.” But he didn’t know what it was about that statement that had her rolling her eyes. Or what it was about the whole conversation that was making his heart and his head start to pound. “That’s why I wanted to be the one to fix you up.”
“Well, now you don’t have to. You can check that off your list of Things about Mollie that Need Fixing.”
Stung by her sarcasm, he argued, “I never said anything about you needed to be fixed.”
He held her gaze until her shoulders lowered ever so slightly and she lost the defensive lift to her chin. “Maybe you didn’t say it, and I know you’re just trying to be a good friend, but I don’t need your help, Zeke.”
Because she didn’t need him? Zeke sucked in a breath, startled by the swift pain in his chest at the thought.
“I’m a big girl now,” Mollie was saying. “All grown-up and able to make my own decisions.” She wrinkled her nose in a way that took him right back to the days when she hadn’t been so grown-up. “And choose my own dates.”
“I know,” he agreed. Logically, he knew full well that Mollie was a capable, intelligent woman. But she still was—and always would be—Patrick’s little sister. And he owed it to his friend to look out for her. He’d made a promise, and this was one he planned to keep. “I’m just trying to protect you.”
“From Josh?” Incredulity filled her voice. “He’s the brother of one of my best friends! I know him almost as well as I know you.”
The comment shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did. He and Mollie were more than friends. They were best friends and had been for years. Whatever she knew—or thought she knew—about Josh Sylvester couldn’t possibly compare! “And Josh?” he challenged as he stepped closer. “Does he know you as well as I do?”
The look she shot him, a look he didn’t recognize and couldn’t begin to read, gave the answer before Mollie did. “Honestly, Zeke, sometimes I don’t think you know me at all.”
* * *
Josh Sylvester was every bit as smart and funny and charming as his sister had advertised. On the ride to the restaurant, he kept her laughing with stories about growing up in the family restaurant.
“Of course, after Amanda jumped ship, the folks hoped I would somehow step into her shoes.”
“Any chance of that happening?”
“Not if they want to stay in business. The Sylvester talent for cooking skipped right over me. The Sylvester talent for eating, however, is alive and well.” Josh’s grin flashed in the passing streetlights as he glanced over at her. “I thought we’d try the new seafood restaurant over in Raleigh. It got a great write-up in the Chronicle,” he said, referring to Spring Forest’s paper, run by Ryan Carter, Amanda’s fiancé. “Unless...you don’t like seafood?”
Realizing he’d picked up on her silence, Mollie rushed to insist, “No, I do. I love seafood.” So, too, did Zeke, and she’d been holding off on trying the new restaurant until the two of them could go together.
Mollie didn’t want to think about Zeke, but the uncomfortable way their last conversation ended had been playing in the back of her mind. Perhaps she had overreacted, but his response to her finding a date of her own was too similar to the way her parents had treated her while she was growing up... Offering their approval only so long as Mollie followed their rules and did things their way. Needless to say, living in a fixer-upper on the outskirts of town with a pack of dogs was not the McFadden way.
Patrick had been the first to support her, encouraging her to use the money she’d received in their grandmother’s will to buy her own place and establish Best Friends. So had Zeke...
Because I know you, Mollie.
He thought he knew her so well that he could find the perfect man for her? Then how was it he missed seeing that guy staring back at him every morning when he looked in the mirror?
Honestly, she didn’t know how she stopped herself from clobbering him over the head with one of her pointy, uncomfortable shoes!
Wiggling her pinched toes inside of those shoes, Mollie held back a sigh. All that e
ffort. She would have thought Zeke might have at least said something about her makeover.
Josh did, her conscience goaded her, adding to the pinpricks of guilt for wishing the words had come from another man. Her date, who had arrived only minutes after Zeke left, had presented her with a bouquet of flowers and told her she looked amazing.
And he’d clearly invested a bit of effort himself. Instead of the typical jeans and T-shirt she was used to seeing him in around town, tonight he wore a pair of slate-gray slacks and a pale green button-down shirt.
“You know, I was really glad when Amanda brought up the idea of the two of us going out,” Josh said once they’d arrived at the elegant restaurant with its glowing lanterns and river-stone facade.
“You were?”
Josh chuckled at her surprise. “I like biking and hiking on the trails around town,” he said as he placed a hand on the small of her back and led her toward the carved double doors. “I figure with your dog training we might have similar interests.”
“You’re right.” Some of her favorite moments were the quiet times she spent outdoors, hitting the trails with Arti. Of course, more often than not, Zeke was with her on those hikes, so little wonder she took such pleasure in them.
Determined to shove the other man from her thoughts, Mollie focused on her date as the hostess seated them in a secluded corner of the restaurant. The crystal water glasses sparkled in the flickering candlelight, adding to the romantic ambience. Josh held out the chair for her, and Mollie smiled at the gentlemanly gesture.
As they discussed some of their favorite trails, Josh’s grin broadened. “I have a feeling if we went hiking together, you’d leave me in the dust.”
“We’ll have to see, won’t we?” she suggested, a little surprised by the flirtatious tone in her own voice.
Josh chuckled. “It’s a date.”
A second date, Mollie thought, a little amazed. Maybe this whole going-out thing wasn’t as hard as she’d thought.
The waitress stopped by to take their orders, and Mollie chose the blackened salmon with a side of hasselback potatoes while Josh selected the ahi tuna and roasted asparagus along with a bottle of Viognier. Though not much of a drinker, Mollie loved the mix of crisp and fruity flavors from the first sip to the last swallow as she finished off her second glass at the end of the night.
“What do you think?” Josh asked as the waitress came by with a platter loaded with a variety of decadent desserts—key lime pie, crème brûlée, cherry cheesecake, molten lava cake. “Did you save room for the best part of the meal?”
Mollie laughed. “I’m stuffed!” The flaky fish had been cooked to perfection with a blend of Cajun spices and the buttery potatoes had practically melted in her mouth.
“You know Amanda’s going to want a full report.” At Mollie’s startled look, he explained, “On our dinner...including what we had for dessert.”
“Oh, right.” She was pretty sure her friend would be disappointed if Mollie cut the night short. “I’m going to go to the ladies’ room. Why don’t you pick something and we can share?”
At Josh’s nod, Mollie pushed back from the table and made her way to the restrooms. She thought she might actually be getting the hang of high heels, as she only stumbled once.
As she washed her hands, she took a moment to check out her reflection in the gilded mirror hanging above the gold-flecked marble vanity. Somehow, the magic her friends had worked had lasted throughout the evening. Her hair was still swept back in the elegant twist and her makeup was still in place. She had barely exhaled a sigh of relief when the restroom’s frosted glass door swung open.
“If it isn’t Mousy Mollie McFadden.”
Mollie froze at the sound of the familiar voice—one that had tormented her during her freshman year of high school and then come back to haunt her in far more painful fashion years later. She jerked her hands back as the water suddenly turned scalding, and met Lilah Fairchild’s smirk in the mirror.
“Lilah... What are you doing here?”
The stunning blonde tossed her straight waist-length hair over a bare shoulder as she sashayed toward the second mirror. “Doing here instead of in Paris, you mean?”
The City of Lights was not exactly where Mollie had been picturing the other woman for the past two years, but she managed to mumble, “Yeah, sure.”
“I moved back a few months ago.” Her brows rose in fake surprise. “Didn’t Zeke tell you?”
Mollie’s fist clutched at the paper towel she’d pulled from the dispenser. Lilah loved pushing buttons, and much to Mollie’s mortification, the other woman had known for well over a decade how completely her feelings for Zeke tied her heart into knots. Unwilling to allow Lilah to get the best of her, Mollie finished drying her hands and tossed the wet towel into the trash before answering. “Actually, he didn’t. You must have completely slipped his mind.”
Lilah’s dark eyes narrowed. “Well, then, I guess I’ll just have to remind him, won’t I? Is he here with you tonight?” Lowering her voice to a supposedly confidential whisper, she asked, “Has he finally given in to that pity...date you’ve been longing for all these years?”
Though Mollie had spent most of the night wishing she’d been with Zeke—despite Josh’s perfectly charming company—she was glad he was miles away and safe in Spring Forest. “I’m here with someone else.”
Lilah smirked. “It’s about time you got over that pathetic crush of yours. Of course, if Zeke isn’t seeing anyone, I might just have to look him up.”
“Like you’d let something like that stop you,” Mollie muttered beneath her breath as the other woman strolled out of the restroom in a catwalk-like turn of blond hair and expensive perfume.
The dinner that had been so delicious a few minutes ago threatened to make a not-so-appetizing reappearance. Clutching the cool porcelain edge of the sink, Mollie forced herself to take deep breath.
Zeke was a smart guy. Sure, he’d made the horrible mistake of falling for Lilah in the first place, but Mollie had to believe he’d learned from that disaster. She had to. Because she would no longer be able to keep her silence if Zeke went back to his ex.
* * *
“I had a really good time tonight,” Josh said as he walked with her toward the front porch.
“So did I,” Mollie said, the words true so long as she didn’t count the many, many times Zeke had crept into her thoughts or how Lilah Fairchild had ambushed her in ladies’ restroom. But neither of those things were Josh’s fault.
After her run-in with Lilah, Mollie had lost whatever was left of her appetite, and Josh hadn’t pushed her to try more than a single bite of the decadent chocolate lava cake. If he noticed her silence on the ride home, he was gentleman enough not to call her on it.
As they reached the front door, the dogs were already barking their furry heads off. Mollie fought back a groan at the racket her mother had once described as sounding like feeding time for the hyenas at the zoo. “Sorry,” she apologized, “I have two new fosters and they’re—”
“Excited you’re home,” Josh filled in. “Who wouldn’t be?”
Her dogs, sure, but the thought of anyone else anticipating her return was a foreign concept for Mollie, and she felt her cheeks start to heat. Josh really was a charmer. She fiddled with the zipper of her purse as she sneaked a sideways glance. He was good-looking, too, with that easy smile and those laughing golden eyes. Mollie didn’t doubt a dozen or so Spring Forest women would be thrilled at the chance for a goodnight kiss from Josh Sylvester.
If only she felt that spark of excitement sizzle along her nerve endings when she looked his way. If only the sound of his voice shivered across her skin like a cool breeze on a warm day. If only the touch of his hand made her pulse pound and her heart race. If only...
Shoving aside that hopeless train of thought, she turned to face him as they reached t
he front door. “Thank you again for dinner.”
“You’re welcome, and I’m only sorry I didn’t ask you out sooner.”
Maybe it was the benefit of the two glasses of wine, but curiosity had Mollie questioning, “Why didn’t you? It wasn’t really because my brother warned every guy off ten years ago, was it?”
“Back in high school, maybe, but after that—” He shrugged. “I’ve never been a guy to poach on another guy’s territory.”
“Huh?”
“You know. You and Zeke Harper.”
“Zeke—” Mollie’s face started to flame, and she could only hope the porch’s dim lighting disguised the rush of color. “Zeke and I are friends.”
“Just friends?” he echoed as he studied her. “Because the two of you have always seemed so...close.”
Pity date. Pathetic crush. Even though Lilah had always known how to hit where it hurt, Mollie couldn’t deny the painful truth. She wanted more out of life, and she needed to stop hoping that more might happen with Zeke.
“We’re just friends,” she repeated firmly, as much to convince herself as to convince Josh. “I’m the little sister he never wanted.”
“If you say so,” Josh replied with a fair share of doubt. “But I have sisters, and I don’t spend nearly as much time with them as Zeke Harper spends with you.”
Chapter Six
Early the next morning, Mollie had barely stumbled out of bed and into the sun-filled kitchen before her cell phone started ringing. Amanda’s smiling face flashed across the screen, and for a long, guilt-filled moment, Mollie considered letting the call go to voice mail. Finally, she picked up.
“Well?” So much excitement reverberated through her friend’s voice that Mollie was surprised the phone didn’t start vibrating in her hand. “How was last night?”
“Last night was...it was good.” Tucking the phone into the crook of her shoulder, she focused on dishing out the dogs’ morning kibble. Arti and Charlie danced around her feet as if she’d hadn’t fed them in weeks while Chief showed a bit more restraint, lying patiently—if a bit pathetically—by his empty bowl. But as she dumped the cup of food inside, he, too, jumped to his feet and wolfed down his breakfast in a matter of seconds.
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