Even though Phoebe had winked mischievously, Molly froze with her chopsticks halfway to her mouth. ‘What?’
‘Oh come on. I might not be psychic, but I’m not blind either. Last time we met, when we hung out with Jilly and Rolo, you kept disappearing to have secret chats with someone, your phone lit up with texts that made you smile, and you had this look on your face half the time, like you had a very juicy secret. I was too wrecked to probe for details but I’m sober as a sausage now, so dish.’
Molly flushed and lowered her gaze. ‘Okay, you got me, but it’s nothing serious.’
Phoebe squealed, slapping the table. ‘So there is someone? God, I thought you’d die a virgin the way you bat off admirers like they’re scary wasps.’
Molly laughed, but hesitated. Phoebe was on the money because since it all began with Shane, she’d separated her life into two parts. Having fun with her friends and steadfastly acting like she didn’t have time for dates and romance – the need to study was her cover story. The other half was totally devoted to Shane who sated all her raging hormonal needs.
‘Yes… but it’s just a bit of fun and it’s deffo not going anywhere, seeing as I’ll be in the States by the end of the month.’
Phoebe tilted her head. ‘Well I for one am glad that you finally allowed yourself to have some guy-fun before you turn sixty! Anyway, who is it?’
‘Just someone who works at Mum’s company.’
‘Come on, Molly-Moo. I need more than that. Have you got a photo? Is he older?’
Phoebe instantly read Molly’s expression.
‘Oh my God, he is, isn’t he? How old… like, in his twenties old? Urgh, it’s not one of your mum’s mates, is it? Or worse, a married man?’ Phoebe’s eyes were like an owl’s, wide and watchful but loving a bit of gossip.
‘He is quite a bit older than me.’ Molly could feel herself blushing at her crafty avoidance of the truth.
‘Oh my God,’ Phoebe whispered. ‘How old?’
Molly laughed, but there was no humour in it and suddenly her courage waned, causing her to lie, again. ‘He’s nearly thirty, twenty-eight to be precise so… if I said he was married, too, would you flip?’
Phoebe’s hands flashed up to her cheeks, her face pure shock as she pondered for a second or two then answered, ‘Only if it was my dad but as ifanyonewould want to get it on with him!’ She gave a little shudder for effect. ‘So no, as far as I’mconcerned it’s a free world and none of my business so crack on, tell meeverything.I want all the gory details.’
Despite the awkwardness of the dad comment and the shudder, it suddenly felt so liberating, talking about Shane, but without actually mentioning his name, so Molly answered from the heart.
‘He’s just… more mature. He understands me. Makes me feel special.’ Molly twisted her napkin into a tight coil.
Phoebe reached out, serious now. ‘Hey. Don’t look so worried. I’m not judging I swear. You can tell me anything, you know that, right?’
A long silence passed before Molly spoke again. ‘We’ve been seeing each other for a while. Sleeping together. Meeting up in secret when we can.’
Phoebe blinked. ‘Whoa. Okay. So you’re actually really into him, not just, like, a fling?’
Molly bit her lip. ‘I think I was, into him, at first. He made me feel… grown up, I suppose. He makes me laugh and when we’re together it’s like we’re the only people in the world, which sounds like a line from a movie we watched when we were thirteen. But it’s true.’
Phoebe nodded slowly. ‘Do you feel bad about the wife?’
Molly paused. ‘Yes, I do but they were on the verge of splitting up before me, so I put her out of my mind and to be honest, that’s a whole separate thing I don’t want to talk about, if you get me.’
‘Yeah, I get it.’
Molly felt the need to explain, desperate now for Phoebe not to think too badly of her.
‘Having him in my life filled a space. And it made all that studying more bearable, having him to look forward to and… you’ll think I’m weird but it makes me feel powerful. Like I have this secret, you know? Something no one else has.’
Phoebe’s brow furrowed. ‘I get that. It’s a distraction, too, from what’s going on at home with your mum and Shane and if he helps you get through that, then good for him. You say you met him at ClearGlass?’
Molly nodded. ‘I used to work in the warehouse, a few hours a week when I was at school. Remember, Mum always insisted I earned my pocket money. She said that my dad believed kids should understand the value of money and hard work, and he left school at sixteen and grafted with his dad before starting the company so I loved being part of that. I always feel close to him there.’
‘And that’s where you met this guy, while you were sealing up boxes with your big tape gun?’ Phoebe gave Molly a nudge. ‘Très romantique.’
Molly laughed at Phoebe and her interpretation of a barefaced lie. Then the mood dipped suddenly when she changed tack.
