“Probably,” she said curtly, blinking furiously. “Still, Rory is no concern of ours anymore. I’m sure he’s more than capable of sorting his own love life out.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” said Pippa, clearly finding it hard to keep a lid on her excitement. She rifled through the paper, pulling the pages open with a flourish. “Well, it certainly looks as though our Mr. Campbell is wasting no time in moving on. Look who he’s hanging out with these days.” She pushed the paper over for Molly to see.
Her whole world collided in a train wreck in front of her eyes. It was definitely Rory, looking as effortlessly gorgeous and sexy as she remembered him. Her stomach went into freefall, her heart picking up speed in her chest until it was galloping out of control. She peered closer, trying to make sense of the image. It was the same man who’d kissed her so passionately only a few weeks ago, but in all other respects he looked like a stranger. In black tailored trousers, black open-necked shirt and gray cashmere blazer, he looked every inch the movie star he was. Belonging to another world. A world Molly had no place in. Looking over his shoulder, a wide grin on his face, he held his arm around the waist of his companion as she looked up at him adoringly.
“Emma D’Santi,” swooned Pippa. “Didn’t I just say he could have any woman in the world? And that’s only what he’s gone and done. They make a fabulous couple, don’t you think? It would have made your job a whole lot easier if she’d turned up in the office too. Can you imagine?”
Molly nodded mutely. She could imagine only too well. She was grateful she was sitting down or else she was convinced her legs would have given way beneath her. The newspaper seemed to share Pippa’s excitement, judging by the headline, Campbell and D’Santi, the world’s most glamorous couple set to star together in Hollywood’s next big blockbuster.
“Just think how cute their children would be,” said Pippa, who was clearly getting carried away by the whole thing. “Maybe we could ask Rory to give us some sort of recommendation. We could have their photo up in the reception area. The perfect couple!”
“Would you just stop it!” snapped Molly. “It’s absolutely nothing to do with us. Besides,” she said, hurt tugging in her chest. “They’re old friends. Rory mentioned they grew up together.”
“Really? Wow! And to think that they’re both now huge movie stars. It’s almost like a movie of its own. So romantic.”
Molly shook her head dismissively.
“We have much better things to be doing than gossiping about Rory’s love life.”
Blind fury raged around her body, fury at Pippa for voicing every single emotion that she was thinking.
Molly had known instinctively when Rory spoke about Emma that she’d been so much more to him than just a friend. She’d heard it in his voice and seen it in those intense, dark eyes as they’d flickered momentarily with hurt and pain. Was the beautiful woman in the photo in front of her the reason why Rory had such problems with commitment? Had he been hankering over his lost first love for all this time?
Perhaps Molly should take credit for this latest development after all. Maybe talking about Emma to Molly had set things straight in his mind and that’s why he’d gone to America, not for his career but to reclaim his childhood sweetheart.
The thought lodged a cold shard of regret in her stomach.
Whatever the reason, Molly was in no doubt as to where it left her. Exactly where she’d been before Rory had walked into her offices all those months ago, but now she was nursing a huge sense of loss and disappointment she had no right to feel.
She scrunched up the paper roughly and dumped it in the bin. If only getting rid of all those tormenting emotions swarming inside her head could be so easy.
* * * *
A few days later, Molly was at her desk, reviewing an application form from a new client when there was a tap on the office door. Pippa poked her head round the corner, a tentative grin on her face.
“You have a visitor!” she mouthed, her face saying a thousand things her words couldn’t convey.
Molly’s heart leaped. People didn’t turn up at the office unexpectedly. Rory was the only person to have done that in the last few months. Her skin grew warm as her pulse quickened.
“Oh, hi!” she said, looking up from where she’d been straightening the paperwork on her desk.
“Well, don’t sound so pleased to see me!” Molly’s sister, Natalie, breezed through the door as Molly quickly tried to cover up her crushing disappointment.
“Don’t be silly. Of course, I’m pleased to see you. I’m just surprised, that’s all. What are you doing here? You should have called to let me know you were in London.”
Natalie hugged her sister before slipping off her coat and hanging it over the back of a chair, as if she intended to stay a while.
“Oh, it was a spur of the moment thing. Gary and I split up last weekend so I thought a bit of retail therapy to drown my sorrows might do me good.”
“Sorry to hear that,” said Molly, struggling to recall whether or not she’d even known about Gary. “You’re looking well on it though, if that’s any consolation.”
Natalie smiled, running a hand through her blonde hair, looking less like a woman with a broken heart than Molly thought it possible to. Even though Molly had grown up with Natalie, it always came as a surprise to her seeing her sister again after a break, realizing just how beautiful she was.
Where Molly had unruly red hair and freckles, Natalie had glossy long blonde hair, flawless skin and bright blue eyes. She also had an enviable model-type figure, being tall and willowy, whereas Molly had drawn the short straw and was petite and curvy. Anyone looking at the two women side by side would never believe they were sisters.
“It’s not much consolation,” sighed Natalie. “I honestly thought Gary might be the one. And now I’m right back to square one. I’m not getting any younger, Molly. I should be thinking about getting married and having babies, not jumping back on the dating scene.”
Molly pushed the box of tissues over to Natalie’s side of the desk.
“I know it’s hard, Natalie, but if it wasn’t right between you and Gary, then it’s much better to find out now rather than six months down the line. And you’ve got plenty of time to find that special person.” Molly couldn’t remember a time when Natalie had been without a man in her life so she couldn’t imagine her staying single for long. “When Paul and I broke up, I was devastated and didn’t know how I’d ever get over it, but looking back on it now, I can see that it was for the best, that in the long term it wouldn’t have worked out for us.”
Natalie let out a huge sigh, dropping her gaze to her interlocked fingers.
“Part of that was my fault though, wasn’t it? I still feel terrible about it, Molly. I’m so sorry. I should have said something sooner. Told you what he was really like, but it was difficult. I didn’t know how to.”
Molly gave a tight smile. “Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s all in the past.” She waved a hand in front of her face as though it were old news. “And as I say, much better it happened when it did rather than after we married.”
It surprised her just how much it didn’t matter to her any longer. She supposed that was progress of some sort. Paul was history and that was just the way she wanted it. Rory was very much in the here and now, or at least he had been until he’d left for America, but one thing she knew for certain was that she definitely didn’t want him consigned to history. She couldn’t bear the thought that she might never see him again, might never hear his voice again.
“Yes, but five years on and you’re still single, Molly. I don’t want that for myself.”
Molly screwed up her face, wincing at the slight. Natalie hadn’t lost any of her sensitivity, obviously.
“No.” Molly shook her head, joining her sister in a big sigh. “It doesn’t have to be like that for you though. Give yourself a breather. Spend a couple of months doing the things that you want to do and then you’ll be in a better
place to move forward and who knows, maybe meet the man of your dreams.” Molly had always found it much easier to sort out other people’s love lives than address her own.
“Hmm, I suppose you’re right. And if he doesn’t come along, then I guess I can always get my big sister to fix me up with one of the eligible men on her books.” She gave a rueful grin, her gaze floating up to the display of wedding photos on the wall. “Have you got any good-looking millionaires you think might suit me?”
Molly laughed. “I’m sure it won’t come to that, Natalie.”
The funny thing was, Molly knew that she could find Natalie a partner in an instant, if she needed to. She was the type of woman men gravitated toward. She was feminine and flirty and could pander to a man’s ego in a way that would have him eating out of her hand in a matter of moments.
“You’re so sensible and dependable, Molly. Honestly, I sometimes wish I could be more like you.” Molly smiled wryly, knowing that Natalie had meant it as a compliment, but wondering why instead it had felt like a character assassination.
Ever since she was a child, she’d felt sadly lacking in every aspect of her life when compared to Natalie, which she frequently was. She wasn’t as tall, she wasn’t as thin, she wasn’t as pretty or as charming and yet she had no reason to hang on to those childhood labels that still followed her into adulthood. She was a successful and independent woman, running her own business. Wasn’t that something to be celebrated in itself?
She’d been just about to get up to make some coffees when from the reception area she heard Pippa’s excitable voice carrying into the office.
“No, I’m very sorry she’s in a meeting at the moment. I don’t know how long she’ll be. Shall I ask her to call you when she’s free? No, don’t! No, you can’t do that. Rory!”
Too late, just as Molly realized who Pippa was talking to, he was there, as large as life and infinitely more gorgeous, standing in the doorway to her office, all the intervening months falling away in an instant.
There was nothing out of the ordinary about his clothes, faded blue jeans, black T-shirt and black leather bomber jacket, but the overall effect was mouth-droppingly extraordinary. Molly took a sideward glance at Natalie, who was clearly experiencing the same devastating effect, judging by the astonished look on her face.
Molly’s body responded in the way it always did in his presence. Her heart raced, every inch of her skin tingled in anticipation and a warm sense of longing and desire traveled her veins. She felt like diving into his arms. If she’d hoped some distance between them would have got her feelings under control, she’d been very much mistaken. Seeing him standing there in the flesh, she knew with an awful damning realization—if she’d ever doubted it for a moment—that she loved him. Oh goodness. The revelation hit her like Cupid’s bow through the chest.
She looked from Rory to Natalie unable to find any words, not even a hello. She paused. Could her day possibly get any worse? Her sister and Rory, the two people in the world who knew exactly how to press her buttons, were in the same room together. If ever there was a match made in heaven, it was this one.
“I’m not fussy,” said Natalie to Molly as quick as a flash, standing up straight to greet Rory. Her eyes were bright, and the wide generous smile and chest pointing upward were all present and correct in a nanosecond. “I’ll take this one,” she added, gesturing toward Rory’s tall figure.
“And you must be Natalie,” said Rory, picking up her hand and kissing it gently, an amused smile on his face. “I’ve heard all about you. And you’re every bit as beautiful in the flesh as your photo suggested.”
Molly’s stomach churned, but it wasn’t because of the easy flirtation being played out between the two of them, it was because she knew her heart was lost to Rory and there was nothing she could do about it.
“Really?” said Natalie, her cheeks flushing. “When did you get to see my photo?” Her puzzled expression flitted from Molly to Rory as she tried to make sense of the situation. “Are you a client of Molly’s?” she asked, looking hopeful.
“No!” they both said quickly in unison.
“No, we’re old friends,” clarified Rory. “I saw your photo at Molly’s place one night, the one with your mum. You can definitely see the likeness. Beauty clearly runs in the family.” His gaze flittered admiringly between the sisters, but Molly was unimpressed. Annoyance tempered her feelings of longing, her head buzzing with a whole host of rioting emotions. Who the hell did he think he was, turning up like this, expecting everyone to drop everything to see him? Her gaze dropped to her clasped fingers. She’d imagined this moment for so long, seeing him again, being able to talk to him, but now he was here, it was like meeting him again for the first time, only this time she had no idea what to say. She looked into his eyes, her expression asking a hundred unasked questions.
“Molly, I’m sorry to intrude like this. But I really need to speak to you. It’s important. I can see you’re busy now. When would be a good time to come back?”
“Oh, don’t worry about me,” said Natalie, picking up her handbag and putting on her coat. “I can make myself scarce. I’ve got some shopping to do. How about I come back in about an hour’s time?” she said to Molly.
“Thanks,” said Rory, unable to shoo her out of the door fast enough.
Damn! He’d traveled all the way from America with just one thought uppermost in his mind. He’d had it all mapped out. He would waltz through that door and take Molly in his arms and kiss her as he’d kissed her before, the memory of which was the only thing that had kept him going through these last few lonely weeks in America. And he’d tell her exactly how he felt, holding nothing back. What he hadn’t banked on was walking in to find her sister there thwarting his plans in an instant. Even though Natalie had done the decent thing and made her excuses and left, the heart-warming welcome that he’d half hoped to find was nowhere in sight.
“What are you doing here, Rory?” she said, more in exasperation than in expectation of a sensible answer.
He sucked in a breath, relief flooding through his bones that he was actually here at last. Nothing else mattered, not even her decidedly cool welcome. Just being in the same room as her made everything worthwhile. It was enough that he could simply stand and gaze at her in the flesh, soaking up every last detail of her beautifully delicate features that, however hard he’d tried to conjure up in his absence, he hadn’t quite managed to capture. Now, he felt as if he gazed at her for a lifetime, it wouldn’t be nearly long enough.
“Molly, I’ve literally just got off the plane. The first thing I did was jump in a cab to come here and see you. Why do you think I’m here?”
“I have no idea.” Although it was a warm day, goosebumps ran the length of her arms. She got up and walked over to the window, not meeting his gaze. She placed her hands on the windowsill, looking down into the busy street below. He could tell by the determined rise and fall of her shoulders that she was trying to steady her breathing, to quell the emotion that was clearly racking her body.
Rory’s gaze stayed fixed upon her. Her red hair, which was so much more vibrant than he remembered, cascaded into soft curls on her shoulders. His fingers tingled in anticipation at the thought of running his hands through them.
“Did you have a good trip?” she asked, still not turning to face him.
“It was great, thanks. Busy, but I got everything done I needed to. I came straight back.”
Hell, he hadn’t imagined it would be like this. In his head, it had been so easy. He would walk through the door and she would fall into his arms, overcome with happiness at seeing him again, realizing as he had even before he’d got on the plane, that his future didn’t lie in America, but in England with the quirky redhead who was currently giving him a hard time. Instead, she could barely even look at him.
How had he got it quite so wrong? He’d been so wrapped up in his own feelings, in the knowledge that he realized with an absolute certainty that Molly was the
woman for him that he’d naturally assumed she would share his strength of feeling too. Now, picking up on the tension she held rigid in her body, the uncompromising set of her shoulders, doubt crept insidiously down his spine.
But then he knew deep down in his heart that he hadn’t imagined the way she’d looked at him that last morning, the way her body had responded to his touch in his arms, the sound of those soft murmurings of delight that had escaped her lips.
“Good, so what can I do for you now, Rory? Don’t tell me you want to sign up with the bureau again, after all.” The fact that she wouldn’t look him properly in the eyes was driving him crazy.
“Molly! Would you look at me? I haven’t flown halfway across the world to sign up with your agency. I could have done that over the phone if I’d wanted to. I’m here because I meant every word I said to you in my apartment. I thought going away, putting some distance between us, might make me feel differently toward you. But it hasn’t. If anything, it just heightened my strength of feeling. It was sheer purgatory not contacting you, not jumping on the first plane home again, but I wanted to make sure what I was feeling was true and honest. And I needed to do that away from you.
“I came to you looking for a wife and hell, this was the last thing I was expecting, but I’ve found her. She’s standing right in front of me, Molly. Mission accomplished! No refund required.” He shrugged, laughing, still hardly able to believe it himself. “Whether you like it or not, Molls, I’ve fallen in love with you.” He dropped his head to one side, looking at her imploringly. “Do you have a company policy that covers that eventuality?” he asked with a small smile.
Chapter Eleven
Molly thought her heart might implode. Rory was standing in her office, brandishing outrageous declarations of love. Even as her heart was acting treacherously, racing rapidly, she tried desperately to keep hold of her escalating emotions, determined not to let Rory see the effect he was having upon her.
Molly Matthews Meddles in Marriage Page 14
