Page 14

Chapter Fourteen

Molly practically floated through the next morning. Bryce had woken up in a great mood, eager to get to school and tell Joey all about boat picnics and constellations.

Although Miles hadn’t sent her a text about getting home, she forgave the oversight. Being clingy wasn’t the way she’d start her first real relationship with a decent man.

Instead, she kept rewinding last night, feeling like the star of every romantic song and book ever written. All those claims that a woman would recognize her Mr. Right as soon as he kissed her suddenly seemed valid.

The way Miles kissed—as if he couldn’t get close enough—she was sure this was the real deal. Her experience was limited, but she was confident he’d wrecked her for other kisses. Her heart was in every thought, every moment, whether they were together or apart.

And maybe she was jumping the gun a little, but she wasn’t about to second-guess everything just because he didn’t text her as promised.

She had bigger things to be upset about. Like the update from her attorney. She’d have that meeting before going to the flower shop.

Miles had a life and an active business. They both had concerns that went beyond their date. It was completely logical that something distracted him as soon as he got back to his place.

It was almost a relief when the lawyer called to report that her case was not on the calendar for a family court hearing. “That’s good news, right? I don’t need to make plans to appear?”

“It should be good news, yes,” he replied. “But it raises the question as to why you received the custody challenge at all.”

She was starting to wonder if the concussion would forever slow her down. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“I’m not either,” Wilt said. “Have you been contacted by child services?”

“No.”

“That’s unusual as well. There are processes that must be followed.” He sounded pensive. “My team is working with the court to sort out the confusion. And I’ve reached out to the legal team representing the Graingers.”

Legal team? She sank down into a corner of the couch, feeling small. “Thanks for being on my side.”

“It’s a pleasure, truly. Everything indicates your case is strong. Whatever spurred them to do this, having never met the boy will not win them any support with the judge.”

“Even after those pictures?”

“Yes.” He sounded as angry as she felt about it. “We’ll get to the bottom of that nonsense, I assure you. Sadly, it’s not the worst stunt I’ve seen, but I will not let it affect your case.”

It was lovely to have one more person on her side, making her feel important. Secure. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Ms. Trumble. If something else happens or you need anything, just reach out to us here. ”

With some time left, and feeling amazing, Molly did a load of laundry and some light cleaning before it was time to meet Nina and Hailey.

She’d barely walked in before Nina launched into an interrogation about her date. “Quick, before Hailey gets back. Tell me everything.”

“Where did Hailey go?”

“Not important,” Nina waved it off. “Details, stat!”

“You’re ridiculous,” Molly accused, but she told her almost everything. The closer she got to the end of the event, when Miles had promised to text, the disappointment returned.

“You don’t look like a woman reliving the best kisses of her life,” Nina observed. “What did he do?”

“It’s silly.” Molly dropped an apron over her head. “I’m being silly.” But Nina got the rest of the story out of her in record time. “See? Silly. If he wasn’t so darn capable, I might believe something happened. I might be worried,” she groused. She was worried and imagining his reaction only irritated her. “It’s not like we just met. I know him. He’s one of the good guys.”

“Not entirely true,” Nina countered. “Yes, of course he’s a good guy. But you two have just met as a romantic couple. That changes things. It changes the expectations and the way you communicate. It colors his interactions with you and Bryce.”

She had not looked at it like that. “You make a good point. It still feels wrong to have a sudden rush of high expectations. Officially, it’s only been one date.”

“Let’s be real. He’s the one who changed the rules,” Nina said with a laugh.

And he’d made the change during a vulnerable time for her. Not that her answer would have been any different. She enjoyed Miles, but she had to make sure she enjoyed him as an adult and not merely an adult who liked and mentored her son.

“We both know he doesn’t owe me anything,” she said. “We don’t even know if we’ll work out together. It’s been so long since I’ve dated anyone.”

“Wow.” Nina gawked at her. “You’ve got it bad.”

“I really do.” She turned away, covering her face with her hands. “I’m in way over my head here.”

Nina walked over and rubbed her shoulders. “You’re not. Not really. This is just several layers of change all at once.”

“With someone who is familiar. A friend.” Molly suddenly thought the whole thing was a bad idea. “Do I really want to put that in jeopardy? Whatever happens, I need to make sure Bryce is protected from any messy fallout.”

“You will.” Nina gave her a gentle shake. “Though I doubt it will get messy in a bad way.”

Where was Hailey when she needed the distraction?

“I hope you’re right.” She couldn’t bear to think about how she’d manage if things went wrong and Miles broke her heart. She needed to avoid that at all costs. For Bryce, but also for herself. “Am I supposed to be so nervous? I really thought when I started dating, I’d be cool about it. Something about Sharon’s amazing, independent chill should’ve rubbed off on me.”

“Have you talked to her?”

“She gets back Sunday.” Molly shook the tension from her hands and Nina eased back to her workstation. “Thanks for hearing me out. And for letting me come in. I needed to focus on something other than new romance and inappropriate custody nonsense. At least Mr. Devaney has that under control.”

“Good. I’d like to hear more about that.”

Molly shrugged. “Later? I’d rather think about fun things. Like new design skills. ”

“That’s fair.” Nina lifted her bottle of water in salute. “But first, kudos to you for getting on that boat. I know that’s not your thing.”

“Thanks. Bryce was so excited.” She shook her head. “I would’ve walked barefoot over broken glass to not disappoint him.”

“I get it. Addison’s still tiny and oblivious to all of my issues, but I’m completely devoted to her happiness.”

Molly felt another pang of wistfulness for the relative simplicity of mothering an infant. “She’s precious,” Molly mused.

“You want another one,” Nina accused.

“No,” Molly denied firmly. “This is not the time for that kind of surprise.”

“But there will be, right? You’re so young. I bet Bryce would love having a little sister or brother. I’ve watched him hold Addison.”

“Bryce is a people person. Young or old, he’s all in,” she said. “That’s not the same as having a sibling around all the time.”

Nina’s gaze narrowed. “You don’t believe you’ll just be Bryce’s mom forever?”

“It would be enough for me.” She meant it. “I was too young and someday I’ll have to explain my choices, my mistakes. Even now he asks about his dad occasionally. That’s only going to get more frequent as he gets older.”

“Hey, you’ve built a good life here. Romance and love can be part of that life.”

“I know you’re right.”

“But?”

“I’ve been wondering what it looks like for me.” Molly wasn’t sure why she was hesitating. Nina was her friend as well as her boss. “For me, romance and love has to include Bryce. Even before this custody mess, I didn’t want to date casually. Whoever comes into my life comes into his life too.”

“I get that.”

Molly tucked her hair behind her ears. “Until last night, I would’ve told you that finding someone like that around here was impossible. But Miles went above and beyond to make it a great evening for both of us. That’s not making an assumption he’s in love with me. It’s just?—”

“Love,” Nina interjected.

“Thoughtful,” Molly corrected. Everything in her life already felt too rushed. She’d known Miles for some time and been conversing with him regularly for the better part of the year. Still, labeling the feelings zooming around inside her as love seemed like a recipe for disaster.

“Maybe for you, that’s where love starts, with someone being thoughtful and taking the time to care.”

She hadn’t looked at it that way. “You may be right,” she said, growing more uncomfortable by the minute. “Thanks for being such a great friend.”

“Don’t forget, the most amazing boss.”

“Never.” She smiled. “When is Hailey supposed to be back?”

“It’s Hailey. She has her own time zone,” Nina laughed. “Seriously Molly, if you need something more from your career, we should talk about it.”

Molly frowned. “But this is the perfect job for me, remember? The hours, the pay, and the flexibility when I’m sued for custody,” she added wryly.

Nina snorted. “That’ll pass. As long as you’re not feeling held back or stuck. There’s not a ton of upward mobility.”

She didn’t need that. Life was good. Simple, but good. “I’m thrilled with my role here,” Molly assured her. “Especially after you boosted me to manager. I enjoy our daily routines and all the interesting projects that come along. I’m not interested in branching out with my own shop. I don’t have your business sense.”

“You can learn business.”

Molly didn’t disagree. “It’s easier if you are truly interested in a topic.” Her son was proof of that.

“Right.” Nina hefted a box of greenery up onto the worktable and started unpacking. “I sort of came by it naturally, growing up in a family-owned business. But there are options, Molly. Ways for you to grow doing what you love with flowers.”

Molly walked over to help, separating the banded stems of lemon leaf. “Are you suggesting I go to design school?” She’d considered and dismissed the idea a while back, unable to justify the expense or the time away from Bryce and Sharon.

“Only if you want to. You’re doing amazing on your own. You’ve got a great eye for design. I suppose if you wanted to compete like Hailey does, formal training would help.”

Molly couldn’t imagine traveling for design competitions.

“Of course,” Nina continued, digging into the topic. “If there’s an aspect of the business you really like, you can always find a way to turn that into a consulting gig. You could team up with wedding planners, tourism events, and stuff like that.”

“There’s a market for floral consultants?” She assumed everything went through established shops.

“Absolutely. You’d be self-employed, but you’d also have complete control over your schedule and your income.”

Nina paused and Molly knew she was brainstorming a business plan. It was just the way her mind worked. “It’s not a bad plan. Something you could work into. Maybe start it as a side hustle and if you like it, let it grow.”

“Bloom where I’m planted?” When the lemon leaf was ready, they moved on to a fresh box of leatherleaf fern.

“You’ve been blooming, Molly. Maybe it’s time to start thinking about creating a new dream for yourself. You should thrive where you’re planted.” Nina gave her a wide smile.

“I’ll give it some thought,” Molly promised. Right now, thinking about new dreams and the changes that would follow only made her head hurt. Dr. Nyland had warned her to heed those signs and back off when necessary. She didn’t want to share that with Nina and cause any worry. Or worse, get sent home where she’d only sit with her thoughts and worry about other things.

Like what was going on with the glitch in the court scheduling. She was plenty grateful she didn’t have to take Bryce to Tampa or sit down with a social worker, but that could change in a moment.

The bell over the door sounded as a customer entered. Normally the door was propped open with a bucket of flowers and a sign encouraging folks to take one. But the current rainy weather prevented it today.

Before Nina could tell her to sit back and relax, Molly wiped her hands on her apron and hustled out to greet the customer. Seeing it was Knox, she smiled, until the expression on his face stopped her in her tracks. “What happened?”

To his credit, he didn’t dismiss her intuition. “Miles walked home from your place late last night, right?”

“Yes. It wasn’t that late. He wanted me to have the car for this morning. Sharon’s out of town.”

“Coming back tomorrow?

“Sunday. What happened?” Molly demanded, untying her apron. “I was right to worry. I knew it. He keeps his promises.” She didn’t care that she was rambling. “Where is he?”

“He’s at the clinic. Someone jumped him. It’s not serious,” Knox said. “He’s okay.”

She didn’t hear anything else. If Miles was at the clinic, he wasn’t okay. Blasting by Knox, she grabbed her purse and the car keys, and drove as fast as she dared. Her entire body trembled, a leaf in a hurricane. She reached the front desk and Diedre, the nurse on duty, didn’t even ask, just ushered her straight to Miles.

Maybe there was some advantage to the notorious island grapevine after all.

Her steps faltered at the door, catching her first glimpse of him in the hospital bed. She wasn’t sure what Knox considered serious, but she disagreed. Miles looked terrible. His breathing was shallow and labored, there was an IV in his arm, and his face was puffy and stained with bruises.

“Go on in,” Deidre encouraged. “He was asking for you.”

She stared at the nurse. “How? Did he?—”

“Come on, Molly. It’s obvious you’re a couple.” Diedre winked. “I can’t give you details about his condition, but he can. He’ll be awake again in a few minutes, I’m sure.”

“Right. Okay. Thanks.”

She stepped inside the room, swiping her clammy hands across her jeans. There was a chair next to the bed. She assumed Knox had recently vacated the spot to come find her. She sat down, her purse in her lap, wondering what to do or say while Miles slept.

Just as the nurse promised, she didn’t have to wait long before he woke. Groggy, he blinked a few times. “Molly?”

“Yes. I’m here.”

“Thought I was dreaming,” he managed.

“We really need to stop meeting here,” she said. “Who did this?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t text you when I got home. Lost my phone.”

This man. Next time—let’s hope there was never a next time like this—she’d trust herself. “You didn’t actually get home yet, so there’s nothing to apologize for.”

He started to laugh, only to wince and grab at his side. “Laughter might not be the best medicine right now. ”

Contrite, she apologized.

“You were mad at me.”

And now she felt guiltier. “Confused, maybe. I thought I was being silly to worry, or clingy to want you to text. But here you were in trouble. What happened?”

He shifted in the bed. Paused to catch his breath. “Got jumped from behind walking back from your place. I got in a few good licks though and the doc should cut me loose soon. He wanted me to have some fluids on board.” He jerked his chin toward the IV bag. “Almost done.”

“Are your ribs broken?”

“Just banged up. Sore as hell.” He smiled through his busted lip. “Tell me, is it true?”

She frowned. Had no idea what he was talking about. Did he have a concussion?

“Do chicks really dig scars?”

Laughing softly, she stood up and kissed him on the forehead, careful to avoid the worst of the bruising around his eye. “I’m sure any scars will be sexy as hell.” She touched his arm, avoiding the angry scrapes across his knuckles. “What can I do?”

“Not much,” he said. “Knox is working on it. With the chief.”

Hopefully they’d have better luck finding his attacker than they’d had finding the driver of the truck who’d driven into her. “Is it tied to the vandalism on your boat?”

“We don’t know yet.” He looked up at her with such earnestness. “It’s possible this is related to some work I did for the Guardian Agency a while back.” He caught her wrist. “I can’t talk about it in any detail. But if that’s the case, you’ll need to keep your distance.”

“Let’s hope that’s not it, because I’m not going anywhere, Miles.”

“Molly. ”

She stared him down, her fingers drifting lightly over his forearm. “Would you leave me to deal with some kind of trouble on my own?”

“No, but that’s?—”

“Exactly the same thing,” she said before he could put his foot in his mouth and make her mad. “You changed the rules last night,” she reminded him. “Unless you’re breaking up with me?”

“No.” He tugged her down for a soft kiss.

“You two better be behaving in here.” Dr. Sanders walked in with a sly grin. “If you’re feeling well enough to kiss your girl, I guess you’re well enough to go home.”

“I can take you,” she volunteered.

An alarm sounded from Molly’s purse. “Oh, I need to go get Bryce. But…” Her voice trailed off. She didn’t want to leave Miles. “Normally, I’d call Sharon,” she said.

“It’s all right,” Dr. Sanders said. “Go on and pick him up and by the time you’re done there, you can swing back this way to take Miles home. As long as that suits you.”

Miles nodded. “Works for me.”

“Great. It’s settled.”

“It could be another hour or so,” Molly warned him. “The pick-up line is slow.”

Dr. Sanders nodded. “That’s fine. We’ll have plenty of time to get him up and ready to be on his way.”

“Great. Thanks.” She turned, reaching for her purse, but Miles held on tightly. “Where’s my goodbye kiss?”

She felt heat flood her cheeks. At a loss for words, she bent to kiss his cheek only to have him steer her lips to his.

“Better.” His smile was slow and sexy, despite the discoloration along his jaw. “See you soon.”

As declarations went, Miles had made his point. She hurried away, avoiding eye contact with the doctor and Diedre .

Miles was moving so fast. Too fast? She wasn’t sure.

It felt as if they’d gone from friends to lovers overnight. They had. Except they weren’t lovers, just good kissing partners.

Good? Ha. Kissing Miles stirred her imagination and her hormones enough that she was willing to break her rules and settle for an impractical fling if he couldn’t promise a lasting relationship.

Her lips felt too hot all the way to the school and through the slow-moving line. When Bryce climbed into the car, he immediately asked to go down to the marina.

“We have an errand to run first.”

He groaned. “I want to see Miles.”

“He wants to see you too.” Catching his eye in the rearview mirror, she smiled. “In fact, that’s where we’re going.”

“To the boats?”

“No. Miles is at the clinic.”

“He’s sick.”

He wasn’t well. “He had an accident last night.”

“Like the accident we had?”

Pretty much. “Sort of,” she replied.

The question swirled around in her brain. Miles had made the outrageous suggestion that she might distance herself from him, but what if her troubles had rubbed off on him? He’d been attacked after their date. Those pictures, the threat, proved someone had been watching her and Bryce. Her lawyer said things were off with the custody case.

Someone was messing with her life, but who? And why?

Suddenly, the heat of the kiss was gone. She was cold all over as a new fear chilled her from the inside out.

“Mom!” Bryce hollered for her attention. “Was it a car thing? Was he wearing a seatbelt?”

“No. Not a car. He was walking home. I don’t have all the details. I just need you to be really careful around him, okay? He’s super sore.”

“Careful with him like with Addison? She’s fragile.”

“Yes, please. That’s a great comparison, sweetheart. I’m sure he’ll appreciate that.”

Miles was ready to go when they returned to the clinic. He was waiting just inside the door in a wheelchair, chatting with the nurse.

Bryce, stopped short, tugging on her hand. “You said he was okay.”

“He is.” She glanced at Miles then crouched beside her son. “Leaving in a wheelchair is one of the rules when you leave the clinic sometimes.”

He didn’t look convinced. “Really?”

She held up her pinky, waiting for him to hook his little finger around hers. “I promise.” When he relaxed, they walked through the doors together.

Miles greeted Bryce as if nothing was wrong.

“Your face looks scary.”

“Thanks, kiddo.” Miles puffed up his chest. “You should see the other guy.”

“Where is he?” Bryce searched the waiting room as if the other guy might show up any second. “Mom said you had an accident. You look like you got in a fight.”

“Nothing gets by you.” Miles grinned. “It was kind of an accidental fight.”

“Who won?”

Molly ushered them toward the car. “We can sort that out later. Let’s get Miles home.”

Once everyone was situated in the car, she realized she didn’t actually know where he lived. She always saw him in town or around the marina at the sailing school. “I’ll need directions,” she said, trying not to make it awkward.

Miles nodded. “Head over toward Parker’s. ”

“Are we getting something to eat?” Bryce asked. “Can we go see the boats?” Several more questions and answers followed between her son and Miles, until Molly asked him to pipe down so she could hear the directions.

She was nervous about seeing Miles’s home. He’d been to her place frequently, even before the recent escalation of their friendship. Something about going to his house felt more intimate or invasive. Or… something. A girlfriend should feel comfortable with it and she didn’t.

Her odd nerves seemed like a weird reason to break up. They’d barely even started a relationship. Better to brave it out. Wait and see. It might resolve itself once she shared her theory that she was the problem.

Bryce asked about dinner again when they passed the sign pointing to Parker’s Fish Camp.

Miles pointed. This is the turn.”

She’d never paid attention to the small lane that diverted from the main road to the restaurant. “Isn’t this a county service lane or something?”

“No. It’s privately owned by the Parker family.”

She drove deeper into the marsh. Trees dripping with Spanish moss lined one side of the narrow lane while an expanse of swaying marsh grasses, glowing gold and green in the afternoon light, stretched out on the other.

Around a bend in the road, a house appeared. The Cypress siding was weathered to a silvery gray, fitting in perfectly with the surroundings. The house had clearly been well-maintained. The steps were straight, the wide porch wrapped around the house like a hug. To one side of the door a swing floated with the breeze. On the other, two chairs flanked a low table. A very southern welcome, it left her wondering who came out to visit and use those chairs.

“Do you get a lot of company?” she asked.

“Mostly Eddie Parker,” he replied. “Knox swings by when he’s in town.” He gingerly twisted to look at Bryce in the back seat. “You want to come in?”

“Do you have hushpuppies?”

“Sorry, fresh out.”

“Cookies?”

“I’m human, aren’t I? As long as your mom approves, I’ll share.”

Bryce leaned forward. “Please, Momma?”

“We have cookies at home,” she hedged. “We’ll just get Miles settled and?—”

“I’d like it if you’d stay and have cookies,” Miles interrupted.

“You don’t need to play host today of all days,” she argued.

“Come on in.” He eased out and opened the back door. “I’m up for the full tour. With cookies,” he promised as he unbuckled Bryce from the car seat.