Molly gripped her glass tighter. “Yes, Alexia told me.”
“Alexia?” He frowned. “When was this?”
“She paid me a visit at work the other day.”
Jake’s mood shifted, and his earlier warning about Alexia surfaced.Tread carefully.“And you never thought to mention it?”
“Of course I did, but…”
He sighed. “What else did she tell you?”
Everything.“Nothing much.”
Jake set his glass on the coffee table and sat back, his gaze fixed on her while three artisan cheeses sat tempering on the platter. “I’ve told her to stay away from you.”
“Why, in case we compare notes?” The words escaped before she could censor them, and her regret was immediate.
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing. It doesn’t matter.”
One hand lifted to his chin, and he stared her down. “You actually think I’m interested in Alexia? What’s brought this on?”
Molly pressed a hand to her chest as if that might slow her racing heart. “After our work dinner last night, I came by with my toothbrush. I saw her car parked in your driveway and?—”
“You assumed we were together? For shit’s sake, Molly. Why didn’t you call me?”
“Because… we’ve never defined our relationship. Between Ava in France and Alexia here, I’m at the stage where I have no idea what’s going on.”
Jake stood, grabbed the bottle of wine from the kitchen counter, and topped up his glass. He took a sip. Turned to look at her. “It’s not like that, and you know it.”
“Do I? How long has she been in love with you, do you think?”
He scoffed. “Who, Alexia? She’s not in love with me. The only person she’s in love with is herself, and if you can’t see that, maybe you’re not the person I thought you were.”
“I guess I’m not then.”
Jake sat again—forward in his chair and glass clenched in a steady hand. “Look, Alexia called by yesterday evening to discuss Jesse’s will, and she was wasted. I gave her a ride into town, and that’s why her car was here. She picked it up this morning, and I haven’t seen her since. And I don’t want to. She’s a pain in the ass whose claim to fame is stirring shit. So, just to be clear, she means nothing to me.
“As for Ava. We were together for three years before she left me for someone more suitable, her words not mine, and for the past few weeks, she stayed in my apartment—not because we were together, but because she’d had a fight with her boyfriend, and she needed somewhere to stay. It’s over between us and has been for months. Are we still friends? Of course. You don’t just throw away three years of your life and pretend it never happened.”
“So why the big secret? When we talked, you never once mentioned her.”
“She didn’t want anyone to know where she was, and I respected that. But I never meant to keep it from you, which is why I’m telling you now.”
Molly wasn’t ready to let things go. She’d thought seeing him might calm her insecurities, but as it turned out, the opposite was true. “I also met with your mother the other day. Did she tell you?”
Jake puffed out an annoyed sigh. “For shit’s sake. No, she didn’t. Who instigated that?”
“She did.”
“And what did my mother have to say?”
“Quite a lot.” Molly hesitated. “But basically, in between a few saccharine lines to soften the blow, she believes I’m using you as a substitute for Jesse and called our relationship a sad little betrayal.” Molly stopped herself from repeating what Hazel had said about Ava. Some things were better left unsaid.
Jake cursed under his breath. “You can’t be serious. I wish you’d told me this sooner.”
“Why, so you could fight my battles for me? Look, I don’t want to come between you and your family. Your mother loves you, and she’s already lost one son. You can’t choose me over her, and I would never expect you to.”
