Page 17 of October (New Orleans #10)

After they both took the brochures with the shelter’s information, slipping them into Molly’s purse and Finley’s pocket, they walked down the street to the restaurant where Finley had made a reservation.

Once inside, Finley gave the hostess her name, and the woman grabbed two menus and some silverware wrapped in paper napkins and walked them to a table by the street-facing window.

Molly sat down, and the hostess handed her the menu.

Finley followed, and Molly caught her staring.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing. I’m just looking at you,” Finley said.

“Do I have dog hair on me or something?”

“No, Molls. You’re just really pretty, is all,” Finley said with a smile before she blushed a little and looked down at the menu as she opened it.

Molly blushed, too, and hid it beneath her own menu.

Had she just made Finley Storm blush? Had Finley just called her pretty?

This was all happening way too fast. It was somehow also way too slow.

She’d wanted this for so long, since the first time she had seen Finley at work.

Here they were at dinner together after all this time, though, and it felt like it was happening too quickly.

Molly couldn’t process that this was a date, even though she knew it was.

“So, what are you in the mood for?” Finley asked.

“I don’t know,” she said.

She’d been staring at the menu but hadn’t retained anything she had read.

“Appetizer?”

“Whatever you want,” she said.

“They don’t have potato skins here,” Finley replied.

Molly lowered her menu and smiled, letting Finley know that she’d gotten the joke.

“We could try the calamari,” Finley suggested. “Do you eat seafood?”

“Sometimes. I like calamari.”

“I’ll get that, then.”

When the waiter approached, Finley ordered their appetizer and a beer for herself, and Molly just said she’d have the same, but she changed her mind at the last second.

“Actually, can I have wine instead?”

“Wine?” Finley asked.

“Yeah. Um… Red,” she said to the waiter. “The house wine is fine.”

“Sure,” he said and walked off.

“Wine?” Finley repeated her question. “I thought you were a beer girl.”

“I can do both,” she said.

“Oh, okay.”

Finley seemed confused but didn’t say anything else.

When the waiter returned with their drinks and asked them for their entrée orders, Molly thought about what India might have ordered here.

She didn’t know why, and she tried to push it out of her mind.

Finley had even told her that she liked that Molly was an eater. Still, she couldn’t stop herself.

“Can I get the chicken Caesar salad with the dressing on the side?”

“Salad?” Finley asked her, looking confused again. “Do you at least want extra dressing?”

“No, I’m okay,” she replied and took a sip of the wine she didn’t want.

Finley ordered as well, and their waiter walked away.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“You just ordered wine and a salad a day after ordering all delicious food and drinking beer with me,” Finley pointed out.

“I like different things,” she lied.

Finley nodded and said, “Okay.”

Molly knew why she was acting like this.

She thought back to that day in the parking garage where she’d watched Finley and India kiss.

It had hurt worse than almost anything in her life.

They had only just broken up after years together, and now, Finley was suddenly ready to move on with Molly of all people?

It didn’t make sense and, likely, wouldn’t lead anywhere good because inevitably, they’d get back together.

Even if they didn’t, Finley needed more time to get over the breakup.

Everyone needed time to process and move on, and Molly wouldn’t be her rebound girl.

“Molls?”

“Yeah?”

“You’ve gone silent on me. What’s going on?”

Molly stared down at the salad she hadn’t eaten much of and pushed it away.

“Oh, nothing. I guess I wasn’t that hungry, after all.”

“You’ve eaten one piece of the calamari, and I think, like, half a piece of lettuce. It’s nine at night, and you haven’t eaten since that cookie unless you got something at home before I picked you up.”

“I didn’t. Just not hungry. Big breakfast.”

“Molly, something happened. What is it? We were having so much fun at the puppy thing.”

“We were. I had a great time.”

“Had?”

“No, I mean, I’m having a great time. This is great, Fin. Thank you for making the reservation.”

“You’re thanking me for booking a table?”

“Can I get you two anything for dessert or some coffee?” their waiter asked, arriving just in time to help Molly avoid this conversation.

“No, thank you,” she answered for them.

Finley just nodded in understanding, and within fifteen minutes, they were back in Finley’s car and on their way to Molly’s building.

“So, I’ll see you at work?” she said when Finley pulled up.

“I’m not walking you to your door?”

“Oh, it’s just up there.” Molly pointed and opened the car door. “I’m fine.”

“Molly, what–”

Molly leaned over and quickly kissed Finley’s cheek before getting out of the car right after. Then, she leaned down and looked at her, wishing she had no self-esteem issues.

“I had a great time. Thank you.”

“If you had a great time, why am I getting the brush-off right now, Molls?”

“You’re not. It’s not a brush-off. I–” She thought of a lie. “Well, I honestly didn’t come prepared for tonight, and that’s a problem because I just started my period, and I need to get upstairs to take care of that. So, I’m–”

“Oh, shit. I get it. Yeah, go. Why didn’t you just tell me before?”

“It’s embarrassing, Finley. I normally carry tampons in my purse, but I ran out, and the restaurant didn’t–” Molly stopped. “Anyway, I’ll see you at work.”

“Okay,” Finley replied. “Good night, Molls.”

“Night,” Molly said and closed the door.

She hated lying to Finley. That was now the second lie she had told her, and when she got up to her apartment, she stared at the photo of her with her dad in their Saints’ shirts and thought of the first lie.

Then, she flopped onto her sofa and decided that it was for the best. Either Finley would get bored with her and end up with someone else anyway, or she would just get back together with India, but Molly couldn’t put herself through that kind of pain.