by Cora Davies
"Jesus Molly, are you serious? Right now you want to talk about the lights?" Jack stared at her, brows furrowed. Molly searched for something to say. Nothing.
She looked at Rachel and Brian, at the edge of the sidewalk. Rachel laughed at something Brian said. The stranger turned around and winked at Molly. "You sure you don't want to come back with me? Keep a man nice and warm on his vacation."
Molly felt of a pit of fire in her chest and stepped back. As much as she kept telling herself the man was drunk and harmless, his gaze frightened her. Before she could open her mouth to speak, Jack stepped between them. She watched his fists clench at both sides, always the defender. He was easily twice the man's size in broadness, and Jack’s presence made her calm immediately. "Come on now man, let's get you in the warm car."
She wanted to slip her hand into Jack’s and pull him back to protect her. Instead, she squeezed her hands together as if she was ringing out a cloth. "Thank you, Brian and Rachel." Then, after forcing the name to her lips, "Jack."
Jack smiled at her, a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless, and her heart broke all over again. Jack turned around and helped Brian escort the man to the back of the cruiser. As soon as his attention was diverted, she turned around and ran inside of her shop, securely shutting the door and checking the lock three times.
Molly leaned back against the door and surveyed her winter wonderland. The joy she felt decorating washed away with Molly's confused feelings. Bing Crosby crooned through the shop's speakers, and when the song was over she finally turned and looked outside. Brian's car was gone. So was Jack.
"Jack," she whispered, liking the way his name sounded on her lips. How had things gone so wrong?
She jumped as her phone began to vibrate. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the screen before answering. "Jeremy, how are you, babe?"
As her boyfriend began to speak, she forced herself to tune into the current conversation. Stop thinking about Jack! The guilt washed over her about the thoughts that had been running through her head about Jack.
"Molly! Are you even listening to me?" Jeremy asked.
"I'm sorry, something just happened and it kind of spooked me-" Molly was interrupted.
"Okay, that's great babe. Look, I know I said I was taking some time off in December-"
"You aren't coming home anymore?" she asked, Jack suddenly far from her mind as she felt the desperation to see her boyfriend who she had not seen in two months.
"Shit, will you let me finish? Damn, always running your mouth; it's a wonder I can tell you anything," Jeremy barked into the phone, and Molly felt her shoulders shrink. Jeremy's promotion left him stressed and angry lately. It was only for a little while. He promised. They were going to hire another person to split the workload, and then things would be back to normal. "As I was saying, I’m still coming home; I just have to bring work with me. I'm going to be staying at my parents because there is no room at the crap, sorry, craft store for my setup. I'll have an office there."
"Okay, I understand," Molly said, backing away from the window and taking her eyes off Jack's front door at last. Molly heard her voice crack as she climbed the stairs to her loft. She told him had happened with the man in her window.
"Babe, just put a curtain up." Jeremy laughed. "Look, I gotta go; they're waiting on me for this meeting."
He hung up as Molly glanced at her clock. A meeting at ten o'clock at night?
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About The Author
Cora Davies is a military veteran and holds a BA in English Literature. She currently lives in Cheyenne Wyoming with her husband, 2 children, and their many stuffed animals. Cora started writing in a journal at the age of 5, then graduated to short stories a few years later. You can find her late nights next to the fireplace with a glass of wine and her laptop as she channels steamy romances onto the page.
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Acknowledgements
I am an especially lucky writer because I am surrounded by friends and family who support me. I want to thank everyone I know for their support.
My husband and two daughters for their constant encouragement.
My writing buddy DMPaul, though our imagined worlds are millions of miles apart, the support and guidance I receive from you is more than I could ever hope for.
Bonnie, for all of your encouragement and support. I wouldn’t have made it to the finish without your kind words.
Angela, who has been since day one, one of the most supportive and honest friends I’ve ever had.
To all my friends and family who put up with my dramatic mood swings as I throw myself back in forth between my imaginary worlds and my very real grown up world.
