That Thing You Do (A Crystal Lake Novel Book 2)

by Juliana Stone

  “You volunteer at the shelter?” Nate asked Kyle, not bothering to hide his surprise. Molly knew what Nate was thinking—the guy was a player, always had been, and this right here didn’t jive with the Kyle that Nate knew.

  And he’d be right. No doubt about it, Kyle wasn’t the type to spend Sundays volunteering at the animal shelter, and she knew it. Just like she knew what his ulterior motive was. But truthfully, she’d take anyone’s volunteer hours for whatever reason if it meant helping an animal in need. She could more than handle Kyle. And sure the guy was a total man-whore, but he was also fun, charming, definitely easy on the eyes, and she enjoyed his sense of humor.

  “Kyle’s just helping me out because everyone else I know was at Stu’s last night,” Molly said.

  “She’s right. I’m allergic to just about every animal with fur. Took me a triple dose of antihistamine just to get the job done.”

  “Job?” Nate prodded.

  “The only way I could get Molly to agree to go out with me was to drive six hours yesterday to some place out in the boonies and grab a litter of pups and their mama from a kill shelter.”

  “I didn’t know you guys were dating.” The question was directed at her, but Kyle answered—which pissed her off. She hated anyone speaking for her, especially a man.

  “Molly doesn’t date,” Kyle said dryly. “She drives the guys around here crazy until they’re willing do to stuff like drive cross-country just for a chance to get her alone.”

  “Does she now,” Nate replied, his eyes narrowing as they settled on her.

  “I’m standing right here,” she said brusquely.

  “What?” Kyle chuckled. “It’s not like it’s not the truth.” He cracked a smile and winked. “You just make sure you’re ready Friday morning, and we’re good.”

  “I’ll be ready,” she replied lightly.

  Kyle said his goodbyes and then disappeared around the corner of the house. “What’s happening on Friday?” Nate asked.

  Molly looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “It’s the Friday before Labor Day weekend.”

  “And?”

  “What have we been doing that same exact weekend since we were twelve?” Had he really forgotten? Was he so far removed from Crystal Lake that their traditions and things held sacred didn’t matter? Had New York City scrambled his brains?

  Nate looked confused for all of five seconds and then his eyes flattened, and his lips thinned. “You’re floating down the river with Kyle?” He sounded as if it was the most unbelievable thing on the planet.

  “I am,” she replied flippantly. Screw Nate.

  “Seriously?”

  “Seriously.”

  “No one said anything to me about the float.”

  Was he really giving her attitude? “Why should they? Pretty sure they expected you to join in like always. We’re all on board. Zach and Jessica. Stu and his wife. The guys and their girlfriends.”

  “So it’s all couples.”

  “Pretty much,” she replied in a clipped tone.

  “And you’re with Kyle.”

  “I’m with Kyle.”

  “What about the vet clinic? Do you close up shop?”

  “Dad’s retired, but he covers us in the clinic every now and again if we need it.” Molly shrugged. “Well, he’s semiretired. He teaches hot yoga.”

  Nate nearly choked.

  “And regular yoga too, except his regular yoga involves goats. Mom says he’s really flexible.”

  “I didn’t need to know that.”

  A heartbeat passed between them, and Molly was not only out of breath, she felt strangely exhilarated, and that couldn’t be good, not where Nate was concerned.

  “You two haven’t changed at all.” Samuel Jacob laughed. “It’s still hard to get a word in edgewise. But you’ll have to excuse us for a minute. Your grandmother wants me to check on something in the house.”

  Nate’s father followed Hazel and the puppy up the steps, and they disappeared inside, leaving Molly alone with a man who had turned way too intense. She didn’t like the way he was looking at her. It made her nervous.

  “So. You and Kyle. What’s that about?”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, trying to think of a successful way to change the subject.

  “It can’t be serious.” Something in the tone of his voice got her back up, and she bristled. Did he think she couldn’t get a guy like Kyle? A tall, good-looking man who could pretty much have any woman he wanted? Actually, he probably had but that was an entirely different conversation.

  “Define serious,” she replied, sticking out her chin and crossing her arms over her chest.

  For a few seconds, Nate went silent, though his eyes never left hers. “Are you sleeping with him?”

  Holy. Mother. Of. God.

  “You did not just ask me that question.” Anger made Molly’s voice shake a bit, which only made her angrier.

  “Yeah,” he said taking a step closer. “I did.”

  “I’m not going to answer that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s none of your business.”

  He was closer now. So close she could see flecks of gold in his dark eyes, which held hers hostage longer than she liked, and then dropped lower to her heaving chest. When he raised them again, they’d flattened, and an unfamiliar expression clouded his features. It put her on edge, and her jaw clamped so tight, pain spread up the side of her face.

  “I think you’re not answering the question because you’re not sleeping with him.”

  “Think what you like. It’s still none of your business.”

  “He’s not the right guy for you, Moll. I’m just trying to be a good friend. He could hurt you.”

  “Not the right guy? Since when are you any kind of expert on relationships?”

  Nate rolled back on his heels and shook his head incredulously. “You did not just say the R word. Especially not where Kyle’s concerned.” His voice softened, which pissed her off even more. “He’ll use you, Moll. That guy only wants one thing, and we both know what it is.”

  Molly was livid and it took some effort for her to even speak.

  “First of all, I don’t understand why you even give a shit. It’s not ten years ago, Nate. I don’t need you running interference for guys like Kyle who made bets on who’d be the first to pop Bones Malone’s cherry.” Even now, the hurt of that hit her in the chest, and she had to take a moment.

  “Molly. They were all idiots.”

  “Yeah. They were. But we’ve all grown and moved past that. I’m not a naïve little girl anymore. I’m an adult, and part of growing up is knowing that I can do what I want. That the only person I have to answer to is myself. If I want to screw Kyle into next week, I damn well will. I don’t need you to tell me who I can or can’t sleep with. We haven’t been that close in years.”

  For a moment, Nate looked dumbfounded, but then he slowly exhaled and something about him changed. He leaned closer. “That’s not what you said in Vegas.”

  “I don’t remember much about Vegas.” Liar.

  I want you. I love you.

  Her jaw was so tight, it barely worked, and the panic button, the one controlling her emotions, was fully engaged. “I was running on zero sleep and a lot of booze. So even though I don’t remember that night, anything I said doesn’t count.”

  “Fair enough,” he eventually said, which made Molly relax a little. At least he wasn’t going to bring up the single most humiliating moment of her life. Yet. He swore and muttered something under his breath, but she couldn’t hear it.

  “Why are we even doing this, Nate? Why do you care so much?” She didn’t realize her heart was pounding so damn heavy until it filled her ears with a rhythmic beat that came fast and hard. She searched his face, but he gave nothing away.

  “Molly, you’ve been one of my best friends since we were kids, and I’m looking out for you. That’s what we do.”

  “I don’t need you lookin
g out for me.”

  “That may be, but it’s not like I can just shut that shit off. Remember when Trish fooled around on Brad? It was me who told him, because the guy had a right to know. It’s what we do for each other. You’ll always be one of the guys, Moll, and I’ll always look out for you.”

  Ouch. One of the guys.

  Nate cocked his head to the side. “Can you answer me one thing?”

  “Sure, why not? It’s not as if I have to be anywhere important like the shelter, where there are nearly thirty animals that need to be fed and looked after.” The sarcasm was so thick, she was surprised Nate couldn’t taste it. But like always, he ignored what he wanted to ignore and carried on with what he wanted to carry on with. Which, as it turned out, was Molly.

  Again.

  “What the hell was up with you last ni—”

  “Chess.” She cut him off crisply. “And if I have to explain the why of it to you, then you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”

  He actually looked surprised, and something inside her wilted.

  “Moll, I know she was a bit of a bitch back in the day, but like you said, we’ve all grown up, including Chess. You were outright rude to her.”

  “Whatever.” Molly moved past him, but his arm shot out, and he grabbed her elbow.

  “Why the hell are you so mad?”

  “Are you two still bickering?” The screen door banged behind Samuel, and he stood on the deck looking down at the two of them.

  “It’s what we do best,” Molly said with a smile she didn’t feel as she yanked her elbow from Nate’s grasp. “I’ve got to get back to the shelter. Tell Hazel I’ll bring her more supplies tomorrow, but she should be good to go with what I’ve left.” Molly took a few steps and spoke over her shoulder. “And no human food or treats.” She looked at Nate, thinking she had to defuse whatever the hell it was they’d just done. No way could he know how deep and hot her feelings ran.

  “I’m not mad, by the way, Nate. Like you said, as one of the guys, it’s what we do. I’m just calling it like I see it. Chess’s trouble, and you’d better be careful with her is all I’m saying.”

  With that parting shot, Molly headed around the house and was inside her truck and backed out of the driveway in less time than it took to pop a quarter in the old jukebox at the Coach House.

  She drove faster than she should have and parked in front of the animal shelter less than ten minutes after leaving Hazel Jacobs. Jade Davenport, another volunteer, was inside cleaning out the dog pens. A young mother with a six-month-old son, Teddy, she came to the clinic on Sundays for a few hours to clear her head, give her son more time to bond with her husband, and to help the animals she loved. At twenty-four, she was five years younger than Molly, but in so many ways, she seemed older. Like her Gran would say, Jade was an old soul.

  “You look worked up.” Jade paused and tucked long caramel hair behind her ear.

  “Do I?” Molly strode past her and pushed into the exam room. In addition to the dog and pups Kyle had brought this morning, she had a bag of kittens that had been found on the side of the road to check on. She’d already examined them this morning, and other than being dehydrated, they’d been healthy. They were huddled together among a swaddle of blankets, and Molly got busy preparing five syringes with a small amount of formula in each of them. She had a foster mom coming in less than twenty minutes and wanted to make sure they were all fed before they went off to their new temporary home.

  “I’ll do a couple,” Jade said as she set aside her broom and scooped an orange-and-white kitten into her hands. Molly grabbed the lone black one, and they got busy feeding the little critters.

  “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” Jade asked after they’d finished feeding the kittens.

  Molly grabbed a large tote for the supplies she was sending to the foster mom. “Men can be assholes.”

  “You’re just figuring this out now?”

  She tossed in three canisters of formula. “I mean, really? He thinks he can tell me who I can see or screw or—”

  “Wait.” Jade stepped in front of her. “You’re having sex with someone, and I don’t know about it?”

  “I’m not having sex with anyone, but he thinks I am.”

  “And he’s jealous?”

  “No, he’s…” Wait a minute. Was it possible? Was Nate Jacobs jealous that Molly might be having sex with Kyle? She gave that scenario all of two seconds to knock around inside her head before shoving formula dispensers into the bag. “No, it’s more like he doesn’t approve of who he thinks I’m having sex with, and that pisses me off. Like, what gives him the right?”

  “Who are we talking about exactly?”

  “Nate.” She all but spat his name.

  “Oh.”

  Molly whipped around. “What do you mean by that?”

  “By what?” Jade looked uncomfortable.

  “The way you say ‘oh’ made it sound like you have an opinion or that you know something I don’t know.”

  Jade held up her hands, palms facing Molly, the universal sign of surrender or ignorance. Take your pick.

  “Hey, I don’t even know the guy all that well. I’ve just…”

  “Just what?” Now Molly was beyond pissed.

  “I’ve heard things about him is all. And you.”

  “Me and Nate?” Molly made a pfffttt sound. “There’s nothing to tell. We’ve been friends since we strapped on our first pair of skates when we were four. It’s never been more than that.”

  “What about Vegas?”

  Okay. This was headed into territory that made Molly more than a little uncomfortable. But she’d started the whole conversation, and she was going to have to shut it down. “What about Vegas?”

  “I heard you two spent the night together.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Molly exploded, mortified at the thought of anyone in Crystal Lake thinking she’d slept with Nate. The only thing more embarrassing than being turned down by him that night after she practically served herself up on a platter was for folks to think they’d actually done the deed and that he’d tossed her aside like yesterday’s garbage. “Who in hell told you that?”

  Either Jade couldn’t remember or she didn’t want to throw anyone under the bus. But considering her husband was Stu’s brother-in-law, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where the gossip came from.

  “Look. Jade. I got drunk one night, which I never do. We’re talking really intoxicated, and Nate looked after me. That’s all there is. He’s never been interested in me that way, and why would he? I’m nothing like the women he dates. I mean, come on, he brought Chess Somers to Stu’s get-together last night. That woman has more curves than River Road.”

  “You don’t give yourself enough credit. Geez, you could be a model if you wanted to.”

  “Because I’m tall and skinny?”

  “Yes. And because you have great skin and gorgeous eyes and a mouth that would make the Kardashians jealous, and with the right bra, your boobs look amazing.”

  “Anyone’s boobs can look amazing.”

  “True. But then you’ve got that hair.”

  Molly didn’t reply, because what could she say to that? She would always see Bones Malone in the mirror. Always.

  “But, if like you say, he’s not jealous, then he’s trying to control you or impose his opinion onto you and that means you need to teach him a lesson. No man has the right to run a woman’s life.”

  Molly couldn’t lie. She kind of liked the idea of teaching Nate Jacobs a lesson.

  “How do I do that?”

  Jade smiled. “Shove whoever it is he thinks you’re sleeping with down his throat. Make him squirm.”

  A buzzer signaled the arrival of the kittens’ foster mom—thank God. Molly was just about done with all of this. She pondered things for a few moments, though. Teach him a lesson. Make him squirm. She thought of Nate and Chess together, of that woman pressed up against the one man Molly wo
uld never have. The only one she’d wanted since as long as she could remember. And maybe it was the devil nipping at Molly’s heels, but she whipped out her cell phone before she could her mind. It rang exactly once before he answered.

  “Hey, sexy.”

  She smiled and rolled her eyes. “Do you have plans tonight, Kyle?”

  “Nope. What’s up?”

  “You want to come to dinner with me?”

  “Babe. Is that even a question?” She wasn’t sure when he started calling her babe, but it wasn’t the time to ride him for that.

  “Good. Wear something dressy. Pick me up at five.”

  Whatever his response was, she cut it off by tucking her cell phone back into the front pockets of her jean shorts. The Malones and Jessica’s family, the Bakers, along with the wedding party, were doing dinner at the golf course across the lake. She’d been dreading it since last night because she knew she’d be the only single in attendance, Nate would most likely bring Chess.

  But now she had a plan. Now the tables were turned.

  She turned as Mrs. Beckett, the kitten’s foster mom, slipped into the room, and felt lighter than she had in days. Let the games begin.

  Chapter Four

  In Crystal Lake, the Coach House was an institution of sorts. The place had been around since horse-and-buggy days, when it had been both an inn and the only place for miles where a man could belly up to the bar and slam back a whiskey or two. There were also rumors

  that at one time, it had been a house of ill repute, never substantiated, though it made for a good story.

  Nate smiled wryly as he jogged up the stairs to the entrance and pushed into the place. He was hit by that odor only an establishment as old as this could give off, a mixture of beer and grease. With the neon signs hanging on the walls, the black-and-white-checkered dance floor, as well as the dimly lit stage watching silently from the far corner, it felt like coming home to an old friend. The Coach House hadn’t changed a bit, and considering pretty much everything else in Crystal Lake seemed to have changed over the last ten years or so, this felt good.