“It’s not what you think,” Molly told him.
“Good, because I don’t know what to think.”
“Do you remember the ring?”
He picked it up. “Of course.” He’d only ever bought one wedding ring in his life. It had been for Janet, back when he’d known that if he had to try to go on without her, he would die. Obviously, he’d been wrong. Time was a great healer. So were life’s lessons.
“I got it for your sister,” he said.
“Then you gave it to me, the day she got married.”
He nodded. Thinking that actually seeing part of the ceremony would heal the last of his wounds, he’d gone to the church. Molly had come out to tell him goodbye. He recalled tossing her the ring, but he couldn’t remember why.
She drew in a deep breath. “I didn’t want you to go. There were assorted reasons, but the only one I was willing to tell you was that you’d promised me an adventure when I grew up. So you handed me the ring and said that when I was ready for that adventure, I was to bring this to you.” She cleared her throat. Color stained her cheeks, and she ducked her head so that she was staring at the table. “Well, I’m ready if you’re still willing.”
Chapter Two
Molly felt as though someone had installed a blender in her stomach. As if the almost violent sloshing and churning weren’t enough, she had the horrible feeling she was going to throw up. Now that would be a pleasant visual for Dylan to remember.
Nerves, she told herself. It was just nerves. That and tequila on a very empty stomach. Whatever had she been thinking? The problem was, of course, she hadn’t been thinking. She hadn’t allowed herself, because no normal, sane person would have asked Dylan what she’d just asked him. She wouldn’t be surprised if he excused himself and called 911—asking that they bring those people in the white coats.
She forced herself to look at the way his dark eyes had widened slightly. He didn’t exactly look ready to bolt, which was very nice, considering. She doubted she would have been as polite in his position.
She cleared her throat. “If it makes you feel any better, I can’t believe I said that.”
“So we have something in common.”
At least he hadn’t lost his sense of humor. “Okay, it’s crazy—I admit that. You probably think I’m crazy, too. Maybe I am, but don’t worry, I’m not dangerous.”
He rested the ring in the palm of his hand and stared at it. Molly found her gaze drawn to the row of calluses at the base of his fingers. He’d obviously spent a lot of time doing physical labor. She had a feeling that the first few years he was in business, he’d done most of the assembling himself. Probably late at night, alone in a warehouse somewhere. Dylan had always been determined and driven. She doubted that had changed. He wasn’t the sort of man who gave in easily, nor did he get to be as successful as he obviously was by listening to harebrained schemes. He was going to tell her no.
She turned that thought over in her mind. She was surprisingly okay with it. It was enough that she’d asked. For once, she’d taken the initiative—she hadn’t waited. She’d gone after something that was important to her. Maybe there was hope. A sense of pride filled her and she squared her shoulders. This was a tiny step toward the new life she wanted for herself.
“Here you go,” the waitress said, placing huge platters with oversized burgers and a mountain of crisp, golden steak fries in front of each of them. She pulled bottles of catsup and mustard out of one apron pocket and a handful of extra paper napkins out of the other. “Enjoy.” She gave them a broad smile and left.
The food smelled great. Molly’s stomach growled in anticipation, but she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to choke down a bite.
Dylan applied mustard to the inside of the top of the bun, then settled the bread in place. But he made no move to pick up his burger. He raised his gaze to her face.
“Why?” he asked.
She knew she could pretend not to understand what he was asking, but that was too much like cheating. Why? A simple question. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a simple answer. At least not one she was willing to share with him. It was too personal and too humiliating. But he did deserve an explanation of some kind.
She took the mustard and shook out a dollop, then smoothed it on the toasted top bun. “I’ve reached an impasse in my life. There are a lot of things I have to think about, some decisions that have to be made. I can’t seem to focus on anything, so I decided to get away. I go to Janet’s every year for Christmas, but I didn’t want to disrupt her family for two whole weeks beforehand. I had no idea what to do or where to go.”
“There’s always the North Pole,” he said.
She gave him a half smile. Her lips were still a little numb from the margarita. “I suppose, but I think I’m a bit old to run away to the North Pole. Besides, I’ve never been that fond of penguins. They scare me.”
“Pretty sure they live at the South Pole,” he said.
“Polar bears, then.” She picked up her burger, then set it back on the plate. “As I said, I hadn’t decided where to go, but I figured inspiration would come to me, so I started packing. While I was going through my drawers, I found the ring. It gave me an idea, so here I am.”
If the truth be told, she was starting to be a little sorry she’d given in to the impulse. What on earth had she been thinking? She supposed she actually hadn’t been thinking at all. “I’ve already confessed that it was crazy. I don’t usually give in to impulses, so I can’t explain this one. I guess I shouldn’t have come. I’m sorry, Dylan. Forget I ever said anything. I’m sure you’re as busy as everyone is over the holiday season.”
She pushed the plate away and wondered how she could make a graceful exit. After all, they’d driven to the restaurant in Dylan’s sleek, expensive car. Even if it wasn’t too far to walk back, she didn’t have a clue where his office was.
He picked up a steak fry and ate it. “I haven’t said no yet.”
She felt her eyes widen. “You can’t be considering what I’m asking.”
“I might be.” He grinned.
This smile was different from the one he’d given her when he’d first seen her. That one had been pleasant and welcoming, but more impersonal. This one was a thousand watts of male trouble in the making. She felt the heat clear down to her toes. She was sure that if she looked, she would see little puffs of smoke drifting out of her loafers.
“You realize if you even consider doing this you’re crazy, too,” she said.
“It won’t be the first time someone has called me that.” He took a bite of his burger and chewed. Molly told herself to stop staring, but she couldn’t seem to make her eyes behave. Some of her sadness and fear lifted. It was enough that he hadn’t flat-out refused her. No matter what, she would remember this brief time, and when reality got too ugly, she would pull out this memory to make her smile.
Sunlight filtered into the restaurant through the painted window. A sunbeam illuminated Dylan like a spotlight on a movie set. He was handsome enough to be the leading man, she thought, pleased that although he’d matured, he still looked as wonderful and perfect as ever. There was something very pleasant about spending a few hours in the presence of a good-looking man. It didn’t matter that they were physically mismatched or that she wasn’t even close to being his type. This wasn’t about wanting him in the way she had when she’d just been fourteen and deeply enamored with all things Dylan.
Aesthetically, he appealed to her. The dark hair, worn short—not even to his collar. Years before, it had touched his shoulders. She decided she liked the more conservative style better. His eyes were as she remembered, although there were a few faint lines in the corners. His mouth was firm, his jaw well shaped. The gold earring was gone. He’d filled out a little. From the hints of movement under his dress shirt and suit slacks, he was in the same
great shape as before. He was still the most amazing man she’d ever met.
He had a confidence about him that spoke of his power. It was probably for the best that they didn’t go away together. After all, she doubted her hormones were any more controllable than they had been fourteen years earlier. The last thing she needed in her life was to deal with having a crush on him. It would be silly.
A voice in her head whispered that right now she could use a little silliness, but she ignored the words.
Maybe they could skip the trip and simply fall into bed together. A night of great sex would clear her sinuses for a month.
Molly picked up her drink and took another sip. What was wrong with her? She knew better than to wish for the moon. Men like Dylan Black were interested in women like her sister. They wanted leggy, slender females with model-perfect faces. She was not that.
Some people thought her wavy-curly hair was unusual, but she thought it was a pain, which is why she usually tied it back in a braid. Her hazel brown eyes were what she referred to as the color of “rain-washed mud.” She had a decent smile, even though her mouth was too small. Her nose was too big, but her ears were cute. Her skin was clear now—adolescence had not been good for her skin. Then there was the matter of those twenty pounds she’d been trying to lose since she was born. In a world of size-eight beauties, she was a frumpy size twelve.
“You’re looking fierce about something,” Dylan said.
“It’s not important.”
His good humor faded. “Are you in trouble, Molly? Are you on the run from something?”
She was, but not in the way he meant the question. Besides, she wasn’t about to explain about all that.
“If you’re asking if I’ve committed a felony, the answer is no,” she told him. “I am on the run, but only from myself. I haven’t done anything wrong.” And that was part of the problem, she thought. If only she had a few regrets about things she’d done, rather than wasting all her regret on what she’d never gotten around to doing. “I just wanted to get away.”
Which she was still going to do, regardless of what he said. She put down her margarita and leaned toward him. “Haven’t you ever felt the world closing in on you? It’s like no matter where you turn or what you do, there’s no escape. It feels like nothing is changing or is ever going to, yet the reality is that nothing is the same.” She shrugged. “I know I’m not making any sense.”
Dylan stared at her. “You would be surprised at how much sense you are making.”
“I just want to run away for a few days,” she continued. “A week or two, tops. I want a chance to clear my head, to think things through.” She gave him another half smile. “Maybe I’ll get lucky and figure out a way to be someone else.”
“Who would you want to be?”
“Anybody but me.”
“Why is it so bad being Molly Anderson?”
Ah, more questions she would not answer. “You’re going to have to trust me on that one, Dylan. It just is.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes. Molly thought about eating a French fry, but she really wasn’t hungry. It must be the nerves. Gee, if she kept this up for a few months, she might lose those twenty pounds.
“Your timing is interesting,” Dylan said, and leaned back in the booth. He picked up his bottle of beer and took a sip.
“In what way?” she asked.
“I’m wrestling with some difficult decisions myself. Mostly about my business.” He made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “I won’t bore you with the details, but for many reasons, I’m at a crossroads right now, too.”
His dark gaze was intense. She felt as if he were staring into her soul. She wanted to look away because she knew he wouldn’t find a whole lot there to impress him. She wished she were someone different, someone wonderful and interesting, so that a man like Dylan would want her. But she knew the truth. She was just Molly—bright but not brilliant, nice, sometimes funny. She wasn’t wildly attractive, or witty, or charming, or any of those things that usually drew men like him. She was, at best, ordinary.
If only she were beautiful, like Janet. Or skinny, again like Janet. She bit back a smile. If Janet were here, she would tease her sister about being way too annoying to love. Her humor faded as she thought about how wonderful her sister had been through all this. Molly was so grateful they’d finally come to terms with their relationship and that they were close.
“What did you have in mind for your adventure?” Dylan asked.
If Molly had been drinking at that moment, she would have spit across the table. As it was, she could only stare at him in wide-eyed shock. “Excuse me?”
“Your adventure.” He picked up the ring and held it out. “That’s why you’re here. What did you want to do?”
Had she suddenly lost her hearing, or had Dylan really asked that question? Was he serious about this?
Molly opened her mouth, then closed it. Her mind stayed blank. “You’re agreeing?”
“I’m considering. There’s a difference. I want to know what you had in mind.”
Molly shifted in her seat, torn between wild excitement and bone-numbing trepidation. It was one thing to think about an adventure with Dylan—fantasies were fun and safe. But this was real life. Was she actually willing to go away with him? After all, she hadn’t seen him in fourteen years. He was a stranger. She would be insane—
She sucked in a deep breath. No, she wasn’t insane. She knew about his basic character. She’d promised herself no more regrets. She already had too many to live with.
“I didn’t have any place in mind,” she told him honestly. “I don’t care where I go or what I do. I just want to be away. My only stipulation is that I have to have a cell signal. I’ll need to check my messages every day.”
“Let me guess. You’re trying to make a boyfriend jealous. You want to scare him into proposing at Christmas.”
If his statement hadn’t been so painfully far from the truth, she might have laughed. “It’s not that. I’m not currently seeing anyone, and even if I were, that’s not my style. I’ve never been very good at those kinds of reindeer games.”
“Good. I didn’t think so, but I had to ask.” His gaze sharpened. “I’m trying to figure out how much of the Molly I remember is hiding in there.”
“Enough. I’ve grown up, but I don’t think I’ve changed that much.”
He still had the ability to make her heart pound, although she wasn’t going to share that particular fact with him.
“Two weeks,” he said without warning. “I could take off that much time. I’ll choose the first place we go to, then you can pick activities once we’re there. We’ll negotiate for the destinations after that.”
He paused expectantly. Molly could only look at him as she tried to absorb what he was saying. Had she really heard him correctly? Her heart pounded, but for the first time in weeks, it wasn’t from fear but from excitement.
“Okay,” she said cautiously, not sure if he was actually telling her he was agreeing or he was simply tossing ideas around.
Oh, but she wanted it to be true. Dylan had always been her fantasy. They had both changed and matured and she seriously doubted if she still had a crush on him. But she would really like the opportunity to find out how the grown man was different from the man-boy she remembered.
“We’ll have separate rooms and split expenses fifty-fifty,” he said. “Agreed?”
Molly had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. No doubt the poor guy was terrified she was going to come on to him the moment they were alone. She sighed. It made sense. After all, she had had a serious crush on him all those years ago and he was still incredibly gorgeous. However, she would do what she could to control her wayward self in his presence.
For a moment, she allowed herself to believe that his statement a
bout separate rooms was made in order to make her feel safe. If only it were true. If only Dylan would look at her and find her attractive. But she knew about wishing after the moon. All it ever got anyone was a crick in the neck.
“That sounds fair,” she agreed.
“Then I guess that’s it,” he said. “Do we have a deal?”
“You’re willing to do it?” Molly asked, then felt instantly foolish. But she wanted to be sure. “We’re really going to take an adventure together?”
“I’m game if you are.”
Be careful what you wish for, a voice in her head whispered. She dismissed it and smiled. “I’m already packed.”
“Great.” He held out his hand. “Let’s shake to seal the deal.”
His long fingers engulfed hers. Heat flared between them, warming her from the inside out. She felt a faint tingling rippling through her body, and she didn’t care that her reactions were the result of a drink on top of no food, or even remnants from her crush all those years ago. She didn’t mind that she was the only one having all the reactions. It was enough that Dylan had agreed.
When he released his hand, he picked up his burger. “I’ll need the rest of today and most of the morning to get my business affairs in order. We could take off just after noon tomorrow, if that’s all right with you.”
Molly was suddenly starved. She poured more mustard on her bun, then smoothed the bright yellow sauce in place. “That’s great. I’m ready to go anytime, and I don’t have anywhere to be until the 22nd. If you’ll give me your phone number, I’ll call and let you know where I’m staying tonight.”
He swallowed his food. “You can stay with me.” He grinned. “I have a huge house up on one of the hills. I fell in love with the view, but the place is way too big for me. There are five bedrooms, and a couple are made up for guests.”
Molly hesitated. “I wouldn’t want to intrude.” The truth was, she was uncomfortable at the thought of staying with him under any circumstances. Being at Dylan’s house would be so intimate.
The Christmas Wedding Ring (Hqn) Page 3
