Jake:I’m sure.
Molly:Okay. Do you have the address?
Jake:Yes. It’s on the order.
Molly:Thanks. I’ll let Gloria know.
As she walked toward Gloria’s door, another text came through.
Jake:Are you OK?
She closed her eyes against a wave of emotion.
Molly:Fine. No harm done.
18
With damp hair and face scrubbed clean, Molly stepped through the sliding door to the backyard and sank into a beanbag on the deck. Usually, this was her happy time and place—immediately before dusk, when the afternoon light softened. She gazed up at the sky as rain clouds moved in from the west, filling the air with an anticipated dampness.
What a chaotic day. First, her self-invite to Jake’s mini master class. Next, the contact between them, so close she’d almost heard his heartbeat, and finally, the intrusion of Hazel the Horrible with her holier-than-thou attitude.
Then, that one word:Ava.
A soft breeze filtered through the lacecap hydrangeas, sending goose bumps rippling over Molly’s skin as she replayed their conversation in her mind. He’d hit the nail on the head with his observation. He did confuse her. Now, even more so.
As for Jake’s mother, the emotions currently swamping Molly weren’t so much from hurt as from humiliation. The woman hadn’t even attempted to be civil.
Molly opened her social media and absently scrolled through the day’s posts. When a text alert pinged, she swiped back to her home screen to check her messages.
Jake:I have something for you. Is it OK if I drop it off? I’m at Gloria’s.
Shit!Was he serious?
For a second, she considered ignoring his text, but if he was already at Gloria’s, he’d realize Molly was home, so instead, she scrambled to her feet and hurried inside.
Molly:Sure. I’m at the end of the driveway.
With no time to dress, Molly padded through the kitchen and opened the door just as Jake reached it.
He stood before her, wearing dark jeans and a light, ribbed sweater with sleeves pushed up to the elbows and carrying a handled brown paper bag. “Hi. Cute little setup you have here.” He offered her the bag.
Wonderfully naked underneath her robe, Molly pulled its tie tighter before accepting his gift. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He buried his hands in his pockets. “And I’d like to apologize for my mother’s reaction earlier.”
Molly shrugged. It wasn’t his job to apologize on his mother’s behalf. “There’s no need. I understand where she’s coming from.”
Jake sighed. “Yes, but still…”
“Anyway, thanks for thinking of me. I’d invite you in, but I’m not allowed gentleman callers—Gloria’s rule, not mine.”
“No one’s ever called me a gentleman before, so does that rule still apply?”
She remained in the doorway and studied his expression. Despite her curiosity, there was no need to ask who Ava was. Molly knew the score, and it really wasn’t her place to initiate that conversation. “Even more so.”
“I just don’t want there to be any confusion over what happened at the patisserie.”
“Is that so? Sounds like you’re the one who’s confused, Chef Sinclair, not me.”
