The final rays of light faded as the starry night took over. They had long since finished their delicious soup and gone over their plan and the possible discoveries numerous times. It was fool proof. They quickly made it to the back of the vehicle where Seth had put the rear seats down so they wouldn’t feel so tight.
While he fidgeted with the buttons, she caught a glimpse of something familiar. Upon closer look, she noticed it was a bag from her store between an emergency kit and the rear seat that was slowly folding down. As the seat gave way, she saw not one, but several and each contained…you guessed it - books!
She picked one up and looked inside, gaining his attention. She picked up a second one then another. All full. Confused by her findings, she turned to Seth with question only to find his surprised face and him stumbling for words.
“You haven’t read any of these? They’re still in the plastic sleeve.” Confusion and maybe what sounded like a bit of hurt laced Molly’s question.
“Uh, no. Not yet, I uh…haven’t got to those yet.” He had about as much confidence in his own words as he did that Nora was a saint.
She pulled out more bags and found more books, all still carefully placed in their protective sleeve. “Seth, this is…this is like everything from the last few months”
Her face dropped from confusion to what looked like sadness. She didn’t understand. She wasn’t sure she wanted to understand because there was not a good reason for something like this, not one she could decipher anyway.
“Some of these are the special editions I ordered in. We talked about these books; you told me your favorite parts. I don’t understand, what gives?” she asked.
Seth was reeling, panic was settling in because he hadn’t thought this far ahead, never imagined her finding them, so he didn’t have a good excuse, “I just haven’t read them yet.” Lame excuse, but all he had for now.
“Seth, then why keep coming in for more?”
He looked around, aware of their surroundings and the high chance that Nora could swoop in at any moment and catch them…again.
“Here,” he grabbed her hand and helped her into the SUV, following close behind, “Let’s get in before we get caught out here.”
They climbed in, Molly somewhat reluctant, not sure what to think of her discovery. As they settled in she couldn’t help but notice the cooler, the same cooler he had packed with food, snacks, and drinks for every one of their super snooping outings and her heart warmed.
“The books?” she asked, hoping there was good reasoning in his behavior.
“The books.” He looked out the window then to his wringing hands before he looked at her, “I don’t read.”
“Don’t read?”
“I mean I can read, but don’t like to…read.” He finished on a quiet note, embarrassed by the admission knowing she would piece this together and figure out his weakness.
“I don’t understand. If you don’t read, why keep coming in, why all the books?”
“Uh, look. I don’t like reading, it’s not my thing, never has been. I like…you.” He confessed feeling the weight of his secret and insecurities lifting from his weighted shoulders.
“Me?”
“You. I would come in to see you.”
“Seth, but we talk books, you seemed…”
“Interested?” he interrupted, “I was, am, in you. I would come in to ask you out and never quite got the courage. You would start talking about books, get so excited and you were so passionate about it – I just…bought them.”
“That’s a lot of books, I’m not that great at sales.” She laughed.
“I was there to see you. The books were just means to see you, Molly.” He let out a deep sigh, feeling relieved to finally tell her what he had been wanting to tell her for months, “You took my breathe away the first time I saw you. You were painting the store front, covered in paint, days before opening. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since.”
“Seth, that was nearly nine months ago.”
“I know, I just thought I’d eventually get the nerve and then…Nora.” He admitted. “I didn’t have to ask you out. Molly, I’ve spent the last nine months falling for you and I don’t think there’s anywhere else to fall. You’re always on my mind; morning, noon, and night. My best days are spent with you. When I’m not with you, I can’t stop thinking of you.”
“Seth…I don’t know what to say.”
Disappointment crept in as he anticipated what was to come. What she was about to say, and what had she thought about his declaration? He tried to read her expression, but she wasn’t giving anything away.
“I didn’t think…I didn’t know, Seth.” She said quietly, finding his eyes again with hers.
This, Seth thought, is where it happens. Where she says she isn’t looking for anything but friendship. This, he thought, was the big letdown, so he braced himself for what she was about to say. Here was the friend zone speech.
“I didn’t think you wanted to date me. I thought this was just…it. I mean, we had fun, but I thought that was all it was for you.” She admitted.
“You what? You just want to be friends then…with benefits or something?” his tone was a little harsher than he intended but it was the best he could do, he was about to get a broken heart.
“No. I wanted you too, Seth.”
And there it was, the words he had been hoping for and thought he would never get, “You…want me?”
“I have been chasing something for years, looking in all the wrong places. Then there was you. I’ve never had someone listen to me, protect me, care for me like you do. You wanted me for me. I thought what I saw in you was an image of what I wanted, not what I could have. I thought this was just about…Nora.” Her words warmed him as much as they stung. The time they had wasted playing cat and mouse when they could be something so much more was frustrating, but he would find a way to forgive himself for that later.
Right now he was going to kiss her and he did. Long, hard, and full of new intention. For a man of few words, he had plenty to say tonight but not nearly as much as this kiss spoke to her heart. He held her close, no intention of letting her go, but every intention of telling her what he needed her to know more than anything else tonight.
With her sweet face in his hands, he held her stare and said, “Molly, I lo…”
Before he could finish his thought, his emotional declaration, he was interrupted by Molly yanking him down as headlights entered the parking lot, scanning for a place to park. Nora Kinkaid.
CHAPTER 14
Her timing really was incredible. It never ceased to amaze him. That woman ruined everything. Sitting low, peering over the ledge of the rear hatch, they watched Nora make her way to the rear entrance of Stan’s Soup and Service. She paused at the door, sweeping the lot with a quick glance before stepping inside, the door closing behind her.
They stalled a moment in surprise. They actually caught her. They only needed to figure out what they just caught her doing. Several minutes passed, she was still inside, so they moved in. It was time to bury this, once and for all.
Seth stood at the rear entrance of Stan’s, back to the wall, Molly to his left. He checked the door and found that his tape trick had held; the door wasn’t locked. Another quick win for Seth and Molly. It seemed this was their night, and they were on a roll. They moved inside, their clandestine skills well-polished as they were still undetected; score three for team Seth and Molly!
Muffled voices could be heard in the distance as they entered the building. One was male, one female, the rest they couldn’t make out. Slowly moving in the direction the sound was coming from, the voices got louder, nearly clear enough to understand when they suddenly stopped. Each leaning back against the wall in a rear hallway, across from the bathrooms in the back of the Soup and Service, they waited, hoping it wasn’t a sign they had been detected.
Straight ahead were the store front and dining area. It appeared dark and not the likely location of the
ir person of interest. Only a few feet ahead of them was a lit hallway, which ran behind the dining and kitchen, leading first to an office then to double doors that led to the shop where he serviced vehicles. They crept along to that hallway, checking before rounding the corner. Not a soul could be seen, but a light cast along the area, coming from the office.
“They must be in there, the office.” Seth whispered, barely audible.
“This is it isn’t it? We’re about to find out what she has on Stan!” Quiet excitement rushed through Molly as revenge sat just a few feet away.
Their excitement grew to a near giddy as they crept along, nearing the office. Molly quickly grabbed Seth’s arm just before the door, stalling their effort ever so briefly, so she could hand him her cellphone, camera ready to capture the big moment. She wanted to document the surprised look Nora was certain to display when she realized she was had, and they moved there way in on her secret.
Seth smiled and winked before proceeding the final few feet to where all hell was about to break loose. The office door was only partially closed but still too much so that they couldn’t get a good look as it was. Shadows and the sense of a presence were about all they had. Gently opening the partially closed door to expose the view they were seeking, side by side, anxiety was high.
Seth began snapping as many pictures as his thumb could manage on the trigger, pictures they wished they could unsee, pictures that would haunt them for days to come, pictures that told a much bigger story than either had anticipated. They caught Nora alright, in the passionate embrace of Stan who was branding her with his mouth as his. Ewww.
Awareness dawdled as it was only when the loud gasps of surprise escaped the young couple that Stan caught them out of the corner of his eye and went rigid from surprise attracting Nora’s concerned attention. She followed Stan’s gaze, turning to look behind her to match his view, only to find a stunned Seth and Molly watching the jaw dropping sight. Crusty cranky Nora Kinkaid was making out with Stan. Score one for Nora.
“What on earth?!” Nora shrieked, not missing the cellphone directed right at her.
“W..w..we can ask the same thing!” Molly stuttered before finding her confidence to question Nora right back.
“I beg your pardon, young lady?!” Nora fired back, dark soulless eyes pinned on Molly. If this didn’t play out right, it was clear, Molly would have to leave town because this woman was pissed.
“You’ve been harassing Molly for months now on Facebook. You have lied about her, smeared her name, and for no reason at all.” Seth defended, Molly wasn’t in this alone. This was one Molly got to win.
A maniacal chuckle seethed through partially gritted teeth as Nora responded, “Please, I’ve only shared my findings, like I do about everyone!”
“Lies, Nora. You spread lies!” He retorted.
“So, Nora, we know you sneak out nearly every night, after dark. Now we know why.” Molly took the phone and turned it so the screen was facing Nora and she could see the picture Molly had Facebook ready, one click away from revenge, “Lucky for Stan, your face is really the only one I managed to get in this shot.”
She took pleasure in revealing her plan in such a way and sealed it with a wicked grin and ornery wink.
“Well, I… I…” It seemed Nora was speechless for a change, and a lone tear streamed down her cheek before finishing, “I never meant to hurt anyone. I just…I don’t even have an excuse.”
“Then why?” Molly almost felt bad for the old broad.
“Well, I have buried two husbands in my life, but had three loves.” She admitted, turning to look to Stan, clearly the third love.
“Three loves?” Molly looked from Nora to Stan several times waiting for her to elaborate. She started to assume this was one of those gut twisting stories that would make her change her mission. Man she hoped not.
Stan smiled sweetly at Nora, swiping the tears that were slowly dribbling, “Nora and I, we were sweethearts once upon a time. We planned a life, but the war happened. I was gone for a long while.” He looked to Nora again, “Too long. I came back and Nora was married, had just had a child.”
“Oh my.” Molly replied.
“My first husband and our son, they didn’t make it…home to me one night. I was a young, childless widow. By then Stan was married, had a family of his own. I was happy for him.” Nora smiled and patted Stan’s hand that was resting on her shoulder. “Then my Harvey came along. We didn’t have any children, but we had each other. Those were some of the best years of my life. Then he passed suddenly, just a few years back. Age.”
Stan picked up her story where she left off and filled in the blanks, “We were both widowed by then, we rekindled a friendship, helped each other through the hard days.”
“Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays that would otherwise be spent alone.” Nora finished as if they could read each other’s minds.
Tears streaked Molly’s face. Hearing their story was so heartbreaking, but equally breathtaking, the kind you read about. “You’re in love.”
Stan chuckled pulling Nora into a tight embrace, “So it seems!”
“Oh it would be indecent to carry on like a couple fools.” Nora replied.
“Why? You’ve waited a lifetime – what’s indecent about that? Everyone deserves to love and be loved.” Molly reasoned.
“Perhaps. Well there you have it. My big scandal to go with that picture.” And ornery Nora was back.
“Nora…” Seth said.
“No, no…do what you set out to do. Do you think I didn’t know it was you, with the toilet paper; that I didn’t see you parked down the street that night? Who do you think called the Sherriff?”
It was all coming together for Molly, “That’s why you were home, not at the Garden Club meeting with Chichi.”
“Well, that isn’t entirely true. We went out of town ourselves that night,” Nora admitted, “Hiding in this office gets a little… We just get away when we can where no one will recognize us or our vehicles.”
“Ahh, you come here because your car blends in. It’s a service station and always has a handful of cars around.” Seth offered, pieces all falling into place for him too.
Stan chuckled, offering a sweet smile like he always did. “Whelp, seems you blew our cover!”
“We should go, Molly.”
The young couple turned to walk out of the door, not sure how to reconcile all that they learned. Molly stopped, having one last thought on the topic to share.
“Nora? You can have love again. My mother died of a broken heart, never getting another chance at love; you have the chance. Its standing right next to you. You…deserve it.” And she walked away after leaving them with a sweet smile and her sincere thoughts.
***
The ride home was long, even if only five minutes or so. There were so many emotions to consider, too many new realizations. Molly and Seth had their own epiphany only hours before, but that felt like old news given what they just learned about Nora and Stan.
Nora may be wicked in nature, but her bitterness was born of heartache and loss. It certainly didn’t justify her behavior, but it absolutely explained it. Love, a love like that was rare. Molly saw its power through her parents and had wanted that all-consuming passionate love herself; it is what brought her to St. Helena in the first place. She was chasing the past, seeking her own happily ever after like her parents once had, and like Nora, had a chance at again, even if she is a mean old lady.
“You okay over there?” Seth asked softly, grabbing Molly’s hand in his.
She smiled back at him, giving his hand a squeeze, “Yeah, I’m good.”
“What’s next?” he asked full of hope
“I don’t know, but I think this is a start.” Molly pulled up the pictures of Nora and Stan on her phone and deleted every last one of them.
“Agreed. It wouldn’t change a thing, and hey…she brought us together.” He pulled her hand to his lips and dropped a sweet kiss across her knuckl
es.
“Yeah she did.”
CHAPTER 15
Molly stood behind the counter at Reading Grounds the next morning, in between customers. She was searching Facebook to see what damage super sleuthing did last night. To her surprise, Nora’s first status update of the day was a profile update that read, ‘In a Relationship.’ Molly smiled, pleased that maybe she had something to do with that. As if on cue, Nora walked in to Reading Grounds, her hand in Stan’s. They ordered coffee and a morning pastry, something she had never done before.
“Can I get you anything else? Help you find a book?” Molly asked, pleased to have them in her store.
“I don’t read that pornography you young people read.” Classic Nora, it was good to see her.
“I’m sure you don’t; there are some new mystery novels in the first row and a few westerns just behind there that you might enjoy Stan.” Molly said, gesturing to the shelves she was referring to.
“You read me like a book, dear…” Stan winked before walking in the direction he was referred.
Clearly they still weren’t friends, probably never would be, and that was okay. This was, however, some sort of statement, a truce perhaps – Nora style. Her phone pinged; it was another Facebook notification from Nora.
‘Enjoying coffee and a good book at Reading Grounds, but the scones she gets from the Sweet and Savory are dry. Have you all seen the ungodly sight in the park? Perhaps the groundskeeper should get a book on gardening. The fall mums are atrocious.’
Molly found herself laughing out loud. She’s still Nora, alright.
“What’s so funny?” The familiar voice of Seth warmed her heart and put the kind of smile on her face that was hard to break.
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