Mollywood (Carved Hearts #2)

by L. G. Pace III

  “Joe, the trip to Napa... I told Molly it was way too much.” He blushed and I immediately held up a hand.

  “Let me stop you there, dude. I had nothing to do with it. That’s one hundred percent her. I got you a gift card to The Home Depot.” He smiled and a surprised laugh tumbled from him.

  “She’s awesome.” He admitted, and I nodded in agreement. Molly had a compulsion to nurture that seemed infinite. She was generous to a fault, but I hadn’t bothered to argue when she told me her plans to send S&S on a foodie honeymoon. Sanchez truly had Molly’s back and had even threatened to kick my ass when he thought I might hurt her. That made him good people in my book. Stacy wasn’t afraid to stand up for Molly either, as she’d proven when she’d used the stun gun I bought for Molly one night. Some drunk had dared to climb aboard their truck when they were feeding the bar crowd down on Sixth Street. Molly told him to get the hell out, but had barely spoken the words before Stacy lit him up like a Christmas tree. I felt a whole lot better knowing the two of them were on Molly’s team.

  Sanchez excused himself to change and I found myself left with Pablo for company. He gave me a machismo onceover. I decided it was best not to test my patience and turned back to the bar. I ordered another glass of sweet tea and had almost finished it when Molly reappeared at my side, her face lit with excitement. We joined the gathered crowd in forming a human gauntlet for the newlyweds to run. Someone pressed a bag into my hand and I found myself throwing glitter at the happy couple along with everyone else. Glitter. It was like a stag party exploded on them as they left.

  With the happy couple’s departure complete, our obligation to stay was over. I offered to help carry gifts to Stacy’s mother’s van, but Molly shook her head and asked if we could go. She wasn’t feeling well again, which worried me. Over the last few weeks, she’d complained more frequently of being tired. As usual, she’d resisted all of my suggestions that she take time off and rest. She hadn’t even bothered to slow down. That night she looked a bit paler than usual as she leaned into me heavily.

  “Come on, big boy.” Her playful lilt lacked its usual enthusiasm. “Take me home.”

  Making our goodbyes, I caught Graham and Anne shooting concerned glances in our direction. I figured we were a few moments away from some sort of an intervention and decided that this day needed to be over. Putting my arm around her, I smiled and waved at them as I led her out to the car. After she’d climbed inside, I leaned across and belted her in. She must have been feeling particularly bad, because what normally would’ve earned me a snarky comment barely rated an eye roll.

  I thought about bringing up the “Elaine issue” again, but one glance at Molly and I chose to save that conversation for later. Her ex-husband’s new wife had been calling her phone incessantly, and the tension that bitch had created between us made me want to punch something. Easing through traffic, I concentrated on getting us home smoothly with no quick lane changes. It wasn’t an easy feat in Molly’s Mini Cooper which handled so well compared to my truck that it begged to be raced. I tried not to let my concern show on my face, but I doubted I was doing a very good job.

  We rode for a good distance in a comfortable, peaceful silence. I decided that tonight I would just concentrate on taking care of her. No fights, no arguments. That plan didn’t even make it all the way off the drawing board.

  We were a few exits away from home when her phone went off. The ring tone, Tainted Love, made me arch an eyebrow. It wasn’t a ringtone I’d ever heard from her phone before. The look on Molly’s face said everything else. Flipping her finger over the screen, she sent the call to voicemail. Glancing up from her phone, she gave me a guilty look.

  “I texted Dan to find out what Elaine’s number was. She changed it after I moved. I wanted to know when it was her calling.” My chest tightened as rage swelled inside of me. I was still pissed at Dan. He never should have given Molly’s new number to Elaine.

  I would never have guessed Dan would betray her trust like this.

  “So were you planning on telling me about that?” I fumed. She looked away and it was clear she hadn’t intended to share this information with me.

  “I’m not keeping secrets, Joe. Don’t make me wish I was.” I didn’t like her intimating that I was someone that she couldn’t be honest with. Molly kept her eyes locked on mine, not giving an inch. “You may as well just go ahead and say it.”

  “Say what?”

  “The usual. How I lack common sense. How I’m a bad a judge of character. Whatever other little gems you have up your sleeve.”

  “You said it, not me.” I mumbled. I expected an explosion of anger, but she simply shook her head.

  “None of it matters. I made up my mind. I’m going to talk to her.”

  Frustration consumed me, but I tried to push it away. She was sick and the last thing she needed was me piling an argument on top of that. Then that annoying ring tone started again and I snapped. Reaching out, I plucked the phone from her hand and turned it off. She stared at me in shock and red rose up her skin like the mercury of a thermometer. My heart dropped to my feet.

  “Molly, I don’t want to start somethin’.” She flipped her hand dismissively at me staring straight ahead out of the windshield

  “Then quit acting like a controlling jerk!” I could see that I’d really upset her. I fought against the urge to verbally lash out. The whole damn point was that I didn’t want Elaine upsetting Molly, and here I was only making it worse.

  “I’m sorry.” I held her phone out to her. The abruptness of my surrender seemed to take the wind out of her sails, and she gently pulled the phone from my hand. “This whole situation is surreal. She comes to you for help after what she did to you? I know she was your friend, but I don’t understand why you would put yourself through this.”

  She blinked at me and I saw tears welling in her eyes. Turning away she wiped her face.

  “If it were just her…” Her voice came out soft and guarded. Elaine had been Molly’s sous chef before her divorce. She’d even sold that bitch her share of the restaurant in Seattle, before finding out that Elaine had been Draven’s mistress. Now that he was in prison for stalking and threatening Molly, Elaine was divorcing him. She was building a case for full custody of their baby, and she’d had the balls to ask for Molly’s assistance in doing so.

  Molly turned and I could feel the weight of her gaze on me. “There’s a child involved. That bastard has no business anywhere near a little kid. If he gets any sort of visitations or God forbid some sort of custody… Joe, if it will keep Draven away from her son, I’m going to do what I can to help. I’d think you of all people would understand that.”

  Her delivery was harsh and biting, and I felt my anger flare again. As what she said rolled around in my head, I pictured a brief flash of “the Jack that might have been”. It’d been a while since I had dreamed about my dead boy, but the image of him dashed my anger out like a bucket of water on a campfire.

  We rode in a much less comfortable silence until we got to our apartment. Putting the car in park, I unclipped my seatbelt and climbed out of the car. I went around to her door and opened it. Offering her my hand, I helped her to her feet and pulled her into my arms.

  “I’m sorry, baby.” I held her gently against me, stroking her hair. “You should go with your gut. If you think that you need to help then you should. But what if she gives him your new number? It’s hard for me to believe you would give her any trust after what she has done. But I’m on your side, never doubt that. I just worry about you. What can I do to make things easier on you?” I stroked her cheek with my thumb, and the sad expression on her face faded into a devilish grin.

  “Let’s see…you could distract me somehow… take my mind off of all my woes.”

  I cocked an eyebrow at her and gave her a crooked smile “I think I can help you with that.”

  Grabbing our things, we headed upstairs to the apartment we shared over my shop. Dropping our stuff just ins
ide the door, I locked the deadbolt and then turned to see a flash of leg disappearing into the bedroom and I set off in pursuit.

  By the time I appeared in our bedroom doorway, she’d lit the two candles that sat on top of my dresser. The flickering glow revealed her kicking off her heels one at a time.

  “Unzip me?” She asked, presenting her inked shoulders and back to me. I eagerly did as she asked and watched her pastel gown fall to the floor. She pulled the jeweled combs from her hair, and it tumbled down her back in dark, silky waves.

  “Baby girl. You are so damn beautiful.” I whispered, pushing her hair aside and planting several small kisses along the length of her neck.

  She peered back at me over her naked shoulder. “You think so?”

  “I know so.” I tilted my head as I raked my eyes over her porcelain curves. She turned around to face me, her blue eyes sparkling in the candlelight.

  “Well? Are you just gonna stand there, or are you going to do something about it?”

  THANK GOD IT’S Friday.

  The lunch rush had just fizzled and I’d managed to only run out back and vomit twice. I used my water bottle to rinse my mouth out and chased that with two pieces of minty gum before I climbed back aboard the truck.

  “You need to go home, Molly. I don’t have time to be sick.” Carly, Sanchez’s assistant chef, made a cross with her fingers and held it up at me like I was a vampire coming for her jugular. I didn’t hold it against her. Her kids were in high school and if anyone made me look like I wasn’t overscheduled, it was Carly.

  “I’ll live.” I replied, washing my hands with extra soap. It felt good to be away from the smoldering grill, but I was still sticky from the humidity outside.

  “Molly. There’s nobody here. We can handle closing the day without you.” Isaac agreed. He was truck two’s version of Stacy: cute, quick with math, and too smooth for his own good.

  “You’ve been working sick all week. Didn’t you promise Joe you’d go get a checkup?” Carly placed a fist on her boxy hip and fixed me with a scolding glare.

  “She sure did.” Joe’s voice carried through the food truck’s window and caused Isaac to start with surprise. I tilted my head to the side to see Joe’s jade eyes peering out from under the black bill of his ball cap.

  “Look what the cat dragged in.” My eyebrow hitched skyward and I folded my arms.

  His full lips twitched with a self-satisfied smile. “You’ve got an appointment in twenty minutes, so we’d better high tail it.”

  I shook my head and pursed my lips, but it was impossible to hide how pleased I was to see him. He was concerned enough about me that he’d called the clinic and made an appointment for me. My ex had never done anything like that. But Draven had been a snake. The poisonous variety. And Joe…well Joe could be pretty swoony on occasion. “Yes, sir.”

  Ditching my apron and tossing my purse over my shoulder, I descended the steps of the food truck. Joe snatched me right off the steps and swept me into his arms. I let out a surprised squeal and laughed so hard it hurt my raw throat.

  “I’ve been throwing up all morning and you come along and toss me around like a sack of potatoes? You are one brave soul.” I wrapped my arms around his neck as he made his way to his truck with me in his arms like some defective Disney princess.

  “My truck or the Mini Coop?” He asked, pausing between our two vehicles.

  “Truck.” I replied, feeling a little lightheaded. When Joe drove my car, he had way too much fun, and the thought of him zipping through traffic like a stunt driver held little appeal. He turned away from the cherry red Mini Cooper and placed me on my feet beside his restored Ford.

  “You’re too good to me.” I murmured. “But you don’t need to treat me like a damsel in distress.”

  “I wouldn’t have to if you’d take proper care of yourself.” His retort was off the cuff and I was glad I was looking out the window when it came because it made me frown.

  Just what the hell did he mean by that, exactly?

  I managed to keep my lips clamped shut for the duration of the journey. We got to the clinic about three minutes before I was scheduled to be seen. When they called my name, I climbed to my feet and Joe stood right along with me. I raised my eyebrows and my expression must have been a bit withering, considering his deer in headlights reaction. He slowly sat back down and I trudged away in the direction of the nurse.

  I was relieved to see I’d only gained four pounds, not five. Still, it made me cringe. The doctor had warned me it could be a side effect when she started me on the pill. That being said, I was happy that their scale had better numbers than mine. Maybe I’d just lost a pound from all the vomiting. The stomach bug had its advantages.

  “So, Molly. Tell me. What brings you in today?” The nurse stuck a thermometer in my ear.

  “I’m sleeping too much. I have no appetite. The smell of my own cooking makes me wretch. I think it might be the flu or an ulcer. I’ve thrown up a few times today. Oh…and my boyfriend thinks I’m depressed.”

  “Oh yeah?” She smiled at my eye roll.

  “Yeah. Or he thinks I have cancer.” I sighed. “He’s been on Web MD.”

  She chuckled. “How long have you felt like this?”

  “Three weeks, maybe?” I shrugged. “It seems to be getting worse.”

  She looked at my chart. “That’s a bit long for a virus. Are you on any medications?”

  “I have a prescription for Xanax, but I haven’t used it in over a month. I started taking birth control pills a few weeks ago. I can’t remember the name. It should be in my chart.”

  She took my vitals and said my pulse was a bit fast but that my blood pressure was very good. Then she asked if I felt like I could give her a urine sample.

  “I’ll try. I haven’t been keeping much down...”

  “It doesn’t have to be much. When you’re done just leave it in the window.” The nurse instructed. “Then go back and change into the gown, alright?”

  “Okay.”

  After the loveliness of struggling to catch urine midstream was done and I was in my ugly plaid gown, she came back into the room and informed me that the doctor wanted her to draw some blood. It was over before I knew it, but I got a little lightheaded afterward and she made me lie down. I started to heave, and as if on instinct, she grabbed a small plastic basin and shoved it in front of me just before I vomited. Somehow I managed not to get any on myself or her, which was something, I guess. When I got myself under control, she asked if I wanted glass of water. I nodded, swiping at my streaming eyes.

  “Can you send my boyfriend back here, please?” I asked her on her way out the door. She nodded.

  “Which one is he?”

  I managed a smirk, but it was a weak one. “He’s the super good looking one. You’ll find him.”

  I took several slow deep breaths, but I could feel my heart racing in my chest. Having my blood drawn had never bothered me before and I started to worry that maybe something really was wrong with me. There was a rap on the door and the nurse reappeared with Joe, who wore a look that was both surprised and concerned.

  He closed the door and looked at me over his shoulder. “I thought you wanted me to stay in the waiting room.”

  “What if I do have cancer?” I blurted. With a heavy sigh, he scooted the chair close to the examine table I was lying on and took a seat.

  “Molly, you don’t have cancer.” He sounded mildly amused and I looked down at my lap. He tipped my chin up to face him, his expression loving and confident. “They’ll figure this out.”

  I nodded. He leaned in, but I turned my face away. I could smell his spicy cologne and thankfully it was the only smell today that didn’t make me sick. “Trust me. You don’t want to kiss me right now.”

  Joe gave me a crooked smile and pecked my forehead just as the doctor tapped on the door as she entered.

  “Well, hello, Molly. Long time no see.” She quipped, giving Joe the same head to toe perusal all
straight, red-blooded woman did.

  “Yeah.” I huffed. “Right.”

  “I’ve got good news. I know why you’re sick.”

  “That was fast. I thought you had to send the labs off somewhere.” I replied with a frown.

  “The urine test was plenty. It’s your birth control.” She replied, and relief washed over me.

  “Okay. So I should stop taking them?” I asked.

  “Yep. Pregnant women shouldn’t take the pill.” She responded dryly, and I recoiled as if she’d struck me.

  “What?” Joe’s tone was flat and his face expressionless. The doctor cocked an eyebrow at him and took a seat, plugging in her computer.

  “There must be some mistake.” I stammered, turning from Joe to the doctor.

  “HCG in the urine doesn’t lie.” She tapped at her keys without looking at me. “Remember when I said you needed a backup method for the first month on the pill?”

  My stomach dropped like I’d just crested the top of a roller coaster. “Yes.”

  “That wasn’t a suggestion.” She scolded. I turned to Joe, whose eyes were wide.

  “But…we did.” He took the words right out of my mouth. His eyes narrowed and then darted from left to right, as if he were replaying every time we’d ever had sex.

  “Every time? For the full four weeks?” The doctor stopped typing and turned to us. She looked doubtful.

  “Yes…” I nodded. “Religiously.”

  “Hmm…” She crossed to me and started pushing on the area below my belly button. “Any condom malfunctions?’

  “Not since she’s been on the pill.” Joe’s serious face left no margin for error.

  I remembered the broken condom a couple of weeks before I started the pill and when Joe’s eyes met mine I could see he did, too.

  “Well…we did a urine pregnancy test the day I wrote you the prescription. It’s possible that you might have been too early for it to detect the HCG.”

  “Wait.” Joe sat forward, his sharp eyes fixed on her. “Are you saying she’s been pregnant since before she started the pill?”