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Henrietta Brown: Do you hate me? WHY would you tag me in this?
“I metWren right before high school,” Mollie said as she fished out another cookie dough piece from the tub of ice cream. “And we instantly connected. She was working on the playgroundof my mom’s neighborhood, and I followed her around like a lost puppy under the guise that I was helping. She’s the kind of girl who can figure outanything,so I doubt she needed me.She’s the thing I miss most about Nashville. She’s so busy, though, that I’d probably miss her even if I was there.”
Mollie handed me the ice cream tub, and I took a bite of the vanilla that she was avoiding. “Is she different than she is on TV?”
“Not really,” she replied. “But I’ve hardly seen her date, so getting to see her fall in love is really nice.”
I bit down on my reply as I handed the ice cream back over. There was something about the romance in the show that was either forced or fake. But maybe that was my cynicism getting to me.
I was up way too late, but once Mollie had opened the doors of her past, she’d been giving me little details of who she was, and I finally got to see the whole picture. It was a stark contrast to where we’d been this morning, where I’d thought she’d pulled the wool over my eyes for money.
“Aw, man.” Her bottom lip poked out. “Is there no more cookie dough?”
“I’ll get the kind with extra pieces next time,” I replied, and took the container from her.
“Sorry that I didn’t save any for you.”
I hadn’t had a single piece of cookie dough since we’d gotten it out. I’d left them all for her.
“It’s fine.” I got off the couch and went to the kitchen to wash our spoons.
She followed me. “I’m not bothering you with how much I’m talking, right?”
“No.” I tried to keep my expression level, but I knew my own downfalls. “I asked to know more about you. You also haveto remember I’m terrible at talking, but I’m good at listening. I promise.”
“You’re notthatbad at conversation,” she said. “But I’m also not used to guys wanting to know much about me.”
“Is that something Trevor taught you?” I swallowed the instinctual feeling of rage. I’d worked on that over the years, especially since Eric had come into my life. It hadn’t worked out well for me to go after Donny when I’d found out what a piece of shit he was, yet I knew I would pummel Trevor if I saw him.
But Mollie didn’t need that. She needed someone to be here with her. To listen without making it about howIfelt.
It was another thing Jackie had taught me in the years since Donny had no longer been in our lives.
“Unfortunately, yes. He would play the part of listening, but I think he really wanted a girlfriend who never had problems. Who could be a trophy with no feelings or emotions.”
Fuck that guy. “Then he should get a blow-up doll as a girlfriend.”
Mollie laughed. “Now there’s an idea.”
I set the clean spoons aside and turned to find Mollie looking at me, eyes bright with hope. People usually didn’t look at me that way, and my mind immediately flashed to when she would be looking at me like everyone else did.
I tried to push it away, but I was too used to being let down.
“Actually, Mollie, there’s one thing weshouldtalk about.”
She nodded. “What is it?”
“It’s the whole boss and employee thing. If this doesn’t work out ... We should talk about what happens with my employment.”
“O-oh, right. I mean, should we really be worrying about if this doesn’t work out? We don’t even know whatthisis.”
“I don’t know about you, but if I’m sleeping with someone, there’s only one person involved. And it’s you.”
“There’s no one else for me either.”
“So, this is an exclusive partnership ... where you also pay me.”
“The farm pays you.”