“Why are you moving so suddenly? You’ve taken on projects before that didn’t require you to move. You travel here and there, but you always come back to the city.” Her eyes narrow as she tries to see inside my brain and read my thoughts. “What happened with Molly?”
“Nothing,” I sigh as I plop down on the couch. My shoulders sag under the weight of everything that’s happened.
“Oh, you better not have fucked with her heart because she’s the sweetest person ever. And Tilly will murder you.”
“It’s not that,” I tell Kim, and she takes a seat on the couch next to me. “She told me not to hurry back.”
“So?”
“So what if I’m making a mistake?” I look at my sister, and she seems confused.
“I don’t get it.”
“The job is long-term, as in I’ll be working on this project for the next few years. I’ll need to be close so that I can oversee it while it’s happening. The town next to Cheerful asked me to take the lead in rebuilding the bridge in phases. I was meeting with them last night, and when they offered me the job, all I could think about was moving to Cheerful and making a life with Molly.”
“Whoa,” Kim says as her eyes widen.
“I didn’t hesitate when they made the offer. I told them on the spot I’d take the job, and then I came straight here and started packing. But Molly kept telling me not to hurry back, and when I texted her that I got hung up with work, she kind of blew me off. And this morning, she hasn’t answered any of my messages other than to tell me good morning. I’ve sent her a bunch, and I’m starting to worry that she doesn’t want me to come back. That she doesn’t feel the same way I do.” I hang my head and close my eyes, thinking of everything I’ve said and done since we’ve met. “I know I’m not great at communicating?—”
“You think?” Kim says sarcastically.
“But Molly has a bad habit of saying one thing but feeling something entirely different, and I just wonder if she got caught up in what we were doing, and now she doesn’t want me.”
“Or maybe she’s downplaying how much she wants you so she doesn’t get hurt?” Kim says, and I nod.
“Could be.” I glance around the empty space that was never really lived in to begin with. “All I know is I’m loading up my car and driving back to Cheerful with no contingency plan.”
“That’s a bold move, brother.” Kim reaches over and pats me on the shoulder like she’s some kind of sports coach. “But I can’t wait to hear how it works out for you.”
“You need to work on giving advice,” I tell her, and she laughs.
“Honestly, I wish I could watch it happen in real time. Hey, maybe I can text Belle and get her to record it.” She takes out her phone and starts tapping on it as I roll my eyes.
“And they say I’m the asshole in the family.”
Kim smiles at me softly as we stand up. She gives me a quick hug before patting me gently on the cheek. “I’m going to miss you being here in the city, but I think I might actually see you more in Cheerful with how often Coco and I visit.”
“Well, depending on what happens after I confess my love to Molly, I might have to move into your cabin. At least until I can convince her that I’m worth the effort.”
“You’ve really got your work cut out for you,” Kim tells me before she goes to the front door.
I give her another hug goodbye as the movers grab the last of the furniture and take it to the donation truck. There was never much here to begin with, but the apartment requires it to be empty before they release my contract. Although I was here for a few years, it was only ever a place to lay my head.
After I leave my key at the front desk and go out to my car, I put the destination in the GPS and take a deep breath. For better or for worse, I’m headed to Cheerful. All I can do now is hope that the woman I love has the courage to say what she really feels out loud.
Chapter Fifteen
MOLLY
“Never again.” Tilly leans back in her chair, rubbing her stomach. “That is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.”
Oddly, it was difficult for Tilly to score each dessert. She was all over the place. I had a hard time because I could see the hopeful expressions on the contestants' faces and I wanted all of them to win. That wasn’t Tilly’s problem. She was a hundred percent focused on the food. She even had to go back and retry several things. That could have been a ploy for more treats, but who knows.
"All right, I'll count you out for next year. I'm sure I can find someone else to help judge."
"Slow your roll. We don't need to get carried away. I think I'll push through the next one."
"Are you sure? Maybe?—"
