by Rachel Hanna
“What do you say that we crawl up into your bed - totally platonic of course - and watch a marathon? I’ll go make us some popcorn and we’ll just lock ourselves away from the world tonight.”
“That sounds perfect,” she said. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.
“Then that’s what we’ll do. Let me get changed,” he said as he stood up and walked to the bathroom. When the door shut, Molly sighed.
“And you’re perfect too.”
Austin stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. What was he doing? Instead of moving further away from her, he was moving closer. He was moving into her bed.
But she’d been crying. He couldn’t tell her that they could only be friends, that he wasn’t capable of trusting another woman with his heart. His mom had seen to that a long time ago.
Seeing her in a ball on the floor sobbing had ripped his heart out. He never wanted to see that again, and he certainly didn’t want to be the one who caused her to do that.
Yet he knew it couldn’t happen. He had to find her catfish and fast so that he’d have a reason to move on.
The only problem was, he didn’t want to move on and that scared him to death.
Chapter 12
Molly sat on her bed nervously waiting for Austin to return to the room. She could already smell the popcorn, so it wouldn’t be long.
She had changed into her favorite pair of pajamas, a soft gray set with blousy pants and a long sleeved top. She turned on the gas logs in her fireplace, a perk of staying in an old antebellum B&B, and slid under the covers with only the light from the TV flickering in the room.
Platonic. He’d said it from the outset. Did he want it to be platonic? Did she? Was he just saying that to be a gentleman or because he was afraid she wanted more? Did she want more?
The questions were making her head spin.
“Hey, I hope you wanted some sweet tea. It’s the only way I can eat popcorn,” he said as he lightly kicked the door open and then closed it with his hip.
“Of course,” she said, reaching across the bed and taking the tea. “Sweet and salty, the perfect combo.”
He smiled. “We must have been separated at birth.”
He put the bowl of popcorn between them and slid under the covers on his side of the bed, and Molly suddenly felt nervous because she had no idea where the night was going. There was a good two feet between them, but she could’ve sworn she felt the heat from his body radiating toward her. Maybe it was the warm popcorn in the bowl between them.
Austin reached for the remote and turned the channel to the marathon. “So, we’re on the episode where Ross finds out Rachel has feelings for him,” he said, taking a mouthful of popcorn.
“Do your male friends know you like this show?” she asked laughing.
“No, and we’re not going to tell them,” he said cutting his eyes at her. God, he was beautiful, especially when he smiled. That deep dimple made her feel weak every time she saw it.
“My lips are sealed,” she said pretending to zip her lips.
They watched the show in silence, except for the sound of chewing popcorn and the occasional laugh. She’d seen these episodes a thousand times, but they never got old, and Austin seemed to be enjoying himself. When they both reached into the bowl at the same time and felt each other’s hands instead of popcorn, she realized they’d reached the bottom.
He put the bowl on the nightstand and finished off his tea. And then he did something that shocked her. He patted the bed next to him and waved for her to come closer.
“I swear, I won’t bite,” he said softly. She wanted to ask if he might reconsider.
She scooted closer as he slid his arm around her, sending nerve impulses shooting through her body like never before. His hand came to rest on her shoulder, and she put her head down on his as they continued to watch the show. For a moment, she was convinced that he was smelling her hair again, but then he seemed to be looking at the TV.
All she knew was that this was the most confusing - but best - night of her life so far.
Stop smelling her hair. Stop it! She’s going to think you’re some kind of weirdo, Austin thought to himself.
But he couldn’t help it. What was that shampoo she was using? Strawberry, maybe? It smelled like heaven, even over the popcorn smell that was currently permeating the air in the room.
He was in bed with Molly. What was he doing? What kind of idiotic idea was this? Thank God he had a thick blanket over his waist or else she really might think he was a weirdo and that smelling her hair wasn’t only one thing on his mind.
She was so perfect, right down to her little button nose and high pitched girly voice. She had a smattering of red freckles across her nose once her makeup was rubbed off a little, and her oversized pajamas were adorable on her.
Dear God, please divert my attention to this dang TV show. Help me continue to pretend I’m watching it and not daydreaming about her hair and nose, he thought.
He had been trying to do a good thing by comforting her, but now he’d gone over the line. He couldn’t even see the line anymore. It was about ten miles back under a stack of burning tires.
How was he ever going to get out of this mess, especially when he had absolutely no desire to do so?
She could smell the faint scent of popcorn as she nuzzled her head deeper into the pillow. It was dark, except for the flickering light of the fire in the corner of the room. She pulled the cover up over her and sighed as she opened her eyes, and that’s when she realized she wasn’t lying on a pillow at all. It was Austin’s chest.
He seemed to be asleep, only the faint rising and falling of his chest to let her know he was still alive. She could make out the silhouette of his strong jawline and those full lips of his as she popped her head up enough to see the clock on the nightstand. It was two thirty in the morning. The TV - thank goodness for sleep mode - had apparently turned itself at some point.
She surveyed her current situation. She was on her right side with her left leg slung over his knee. He was tilted toward her with both of his arms wrapped around her like she was a teddy bear. At some point, he had removed his shirt and her cheek was pressed against his bare skin.
Heaven. On. Earth.
She knew she shouldn’t have done it, but she snuggled in closer, aching to just feel the warmth of him a while longer. Sooner or later, he’d wake up and realize they were entwined in each other’s arms, but for now she had him all to herself.
Apparently, her little bit of movement alerted his body and he leaned in more, pulling her closer and pressing his lips to the top of her head. She froze in place, wondering what game she was playing. This wasn’t how things were supposed to end up. He was her “pretend” boyfriend, only around to drive her parents crazy and keep them off her back. Things didn’t seem so make-believe anymore.
As he leaned toward her and pulled her closer, she could feel something she hadn’t expected. It was obvious he was either very attracted to her or having an amazing dream - or maybe both.
And then it happened. His hand reached down and tilted her chin upward toward his face, and his eyes looked straight into hers. He said nothing, just let out a breath and then what sounded like a growl and his mouth was on hers, pressing, searching hers.
She fell onto her back as he leaned over her, his elbows rested on the bed on either side of her head as he held her face.
“What are we doing?” she asked, barely able to get the words in between his urgent kisses.
“Pretending?” he asked with a hint of humor in his voice.
“But no one can see us…” she said as she ran her fingers up his back and drew him closer to her.
“Better to be safe than sorry,” he said, kissing down her neck. “Good actors always practice, practice, practice.”
“Oh, well don’t let me stand in the way of good acting then,” she said as she arched her head backward and gave him better access.
“Unless you want to stop?” he as
ked as he froze in place and looked down at her. “I don’t want you to do anything you don’t…”
She reached up and put her finger over his mouth. “You’re interrupting a perfectly good scene, Austin. Take two!”
The sunlight peeked through the wooden plantation shutters. Molly was on her left side now, Austin spooned around her like a blanket. He was still sleeping, at least judging from the heavy breathing she could hear.
She reached for her phone on the nightstand, careful not to wake him up in the process. It was almost seven in the morning, and she needed to get to work. Thankfully, Rebecca was taking the early morning shift today so she still had an hour or so to get ready and grab breakfast.
“Hey,” she whispered as she rubbed his arm, which was draped over her like he was in protection mode.
He made a grumbling noise, obviously not ready to wake up and leave their cocoon.
“Shhhh…” he said as he pressed his lips into the side of her neck and then up to her cheek. “Let’s pretend we don’t have jobs and aren’t responsible members of society…”
“Austin…” she said, sounding like a purring kitten instead of a grown woman. He had a point. Being responsible and hard working was really a drag sometimes.
“Fine,” he said as he pretended to let go but instead flipped her over onto her back and pressed his lips to hers. “Have we got just a few more minutes?”
She wanted to say no. She really did. But she couldn’t. Her mouth had forgotten how to say those words to him.
Molly couldn’t stop smiling no matter how hard she tried. Her cheeks were literally hurting, and she was sure that early wrinkles were on their way.
Even Rebecca had eyed her as she walked into work, asking what was going on with her. No way was she about to spill the beans on her beautiful, wonderful night with the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen.
Still, she worried. Where did this leave them? Were they dating? Was that just a one night stand? Did he just feel bad because she’d been crying?
So many questions and absolutely no answers.
And then, like a bucket of cold water, her mother appeared. Instead of hearing the happy little bell on the door of Jolt, it sounded like one of those scary gong noises you hear in the movies.
“Hello, Molly,” her mother said. She was always so formal. Hello. How about “hi” or “howdy”?
“Good morning. What can I get you?” Molly said, trying her best to sound disinterested and not at all affected.
“Can we talk?”
“We talked last night.” Molly continued wiping down the counters around the cash register and hoped that another customer would walk in and break up their little chat, but that was unlikely. The lunch crowd, if you could call it that, wouldn’t be in for at least another hour or so.
“I’m sorry you got so upset last night,” her mother said. It wasn’t really an apology for her behavior. It was an apology only that Molly got upset. Maybe her mother didn’t think she was smart enough to pick up on that, but she was.
“Can we not do this again? This is my workplace, and even though this isn’t important work as far as you’re concerned, it is important to me. Please try to have even the tiniest amount of respect for that.”
“I do respect your work, Molly. I just know that you’re meant for greater things.”
“Mom, this is my life, and I’m going to live it the way I want. Now, either you can deal with that and be happy that your only daughter is so content in her life, or you can just not be in my life at all.” She couldn’t believe she said it out loud, even though she’d thought it a million times before.
Her mother just stared at her with her mouth gaping open. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“Well, I mean it. Respect goes both ways, and it’s about damn time I demanded it.” She walked around the counter and started wiping tables.
“Molly James, don’t you curse at me!”
Molly slowly turned around and walked toward her mother, leaving very little space between them.
“My whole life you’ve criticized me and pushed me around. No more. I’m not like you, any of you. I’m my own person, flaws and all. Either accept me for who I am, or get out of my life. It’s very simple. The plane is going down, and I’m saving myself.”
With that, Molly walked around the counter and started cleaning the espresso machine until she heard the door close behind her mother. She took a deep breath, wiped away a stray tear and continued cleaning.
Austin sat behind his desk in a daze. He was tired but wired, still high from being with Molly the night before. He thought he’d have regrets, and he’d feel a hell of a lot better if he did, but there were none. Every part of him was screaming that she was the one. THE one.
She was the elusive soulmate that he didn’t even believe existed. Until today, soulmates were a myth that people made up to justify their choice in a mate. Now he knew he’d been wrong.
When he heard a knock at the door, he assumed that it was Molly coming by for a mid afternoon rendezvous, but it definitely wasn’t Molly.
It was her mother.
“May I come in?” she asked. The woman was as stuffy as they came with her white wool coat and her straight skirt that fell just above her knee. He was surprised she didn’t wear a fur muff and white gloves too.
“Of course. Come in. What can I do for you?”
“Stop seeing my daughter and convince her to come home.”
“Wow. Way to cut to the chase, Mrs. James.”
“I don’t believe in mincing words.” She sat down in front of him and held her purse close to her chest as if he was going to mug her or something.
“And why would I do that?”
“Because her life is in Seattle. She doesn’t know what she’s doing, and she needs some time to think about what she really wants in life.”
“I think Molly can decide that for herself.”
“She chased a complete stranger all the way here, and he didn’t even exist!”
“I do exist,” he said, trying to keep up the charade.
“You’re not Blake, and I’m not an idiot. Your name is Austin York. I do my homework.”
“What do you want from me?” he asked, leaning back in his chair.
“Let my daughter go, and I’ll give you fifty-thousand dollars to start your own business. Start a brand new life.”
“Excuse me?” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“I think it’s a very reasonable offer. I’ve done some digging. I know you’ve had a rough past, and that’s not what I want for my daughter. This is your chance.”
“You mean it isn’t what you want for your family. A kid who was abandoned by his drug addict mother, passed around from foster home to foster home. It’s pretty seedy, huh?” he said, leaning over his desk as she clutched her purse tighter. “Well, let me tell you something. I can’t be bought. I love your daughter, and that is worth a hell of a lot more than whatever you can offer me. Now get out.”
She stood up slowly and walked toward the door, but not before turning around one more time.
“If you love her, then do the right thing for her. She has a bright future ahead of her… unless you take that away from her.”
She walked out and shut the door behind her, and Austin was left reeling. Not from what she’d said as much as what he said. He loved her?
Damn it. He loved her.
Chapter 13
Molly sat in her room wondering where he was. He was usually home by now, but it was getting dark and he still wasn’t there. What was that about?
She decided to take a walk, clear her head. The altercation with her mother had really rattled her, and she needed to talk to someone but Austin wasn’t there. He was just gone.
She walked past Jake’s Bar and decided to go inside to get a glass of wine, and then she saw him. Austin was sitting at the bar nursing a beer and staring up at the TV. There was a football game on, but he seemed to be looking rig
ht through the screen.
“Hey,” she said softly, touching his shoulder. He jumped, almost as if she’d burned him with her hand.
“Hey.” He didn’t even turn around, just kept drinking. He smelled like he’d been drinking for a while, and when she sat down she could see that his eyes were bloodshot.
“You didn’t come home.”
“First of all, that isn’t home. It’s a freaking bed and breakfast. And it’s a room. And it’s not even my room.” He was definitely slurring his words.
“Okay…”
“And second of all… Damn it, I forgot the second thing.”
“Austin, let’s get you… back to the room…” She pulled on his arm, but he jerked away.
“You’re not my wife! You’re not even my girlfriend! So back off.”
Tears welled in her eyes. How could she have been so wrong about him? Why was he hurting her after comforting her last night?
Apparently he wanted one thing, and when he got it… it was over. She felt like a fool.
“Austin, I don’t understand…”
He turned and looked at her, quickly averting his eyes away from her face. “Molly, I tried to tell you that this isn’t going to work. You need to move on.”
She stood there, embarrassed and confused, as he slapped the bar and attempted to order another beer. The bartender shook his head.
“Dude, you’ve had enough. Why don’t you let your girlfriend take you home?”
“I’m not his girlfriend,” Molly said softly and then walked out.
Austin woke up in his own bed across the hall from Molly. It was one in the morning and he felt sick. He couldn’t remember everything that had happened, but he knew it wasn’t good. The only way to make her hate him was to make him hate himself at the same time.
His eyes felt like they were covered in sandpaper, and his tongue had some kind of coating. He wasn’t a big drinker normally, so this wasn’t a good feeling at all. He felt sick and nauseous and hungry at the same time, but he wasn’t about to eat anything for fear of running into Molly.
