Molly's Cop (6 page)

"If you have guests, Michael, please feel free to use this room as if it was your furniture. I won't mind." Of course the guest had better be male, she told herself, suddenly jealous at the idea of any female with the tall, handsome man.

"I have a college roommate who has been promising to come for a visit for ages, Molly. Now that I can offer him more than a sofa to sleep on, he might be more anxious to come for a weekend. Thanks."

"May I see the rest of your house?" she asked, curious to see his home.

Michael started with the upstairs since they were already there. Another bedroom had been set up as an office, and he had built in bookcases behind a large desk. There was a nice reading area set up on the other side of the room, and it was obvious Michael spent a lot of time in the room. The next room he showed her was a bathroom. "I had a lot of help in here with the plumbing, but I did all of the tiling myself," he said proudly.

"It's beautiful, Michael!" Molly exclaimed. "You could do this for a living!"

"It's more fun to do this as a hobby."

His bedroom was next, and Molly thought it a bit too masculine for her taste, but she could see Michael enjoying the room. He had a large television in there, and she suspected he liked to lie in bed and watch the screen until he fell asleep. There was also a master bath, and it was every bit as nice as the guest bath in the hallway. "Seriously, Michael, you are very good at this!"

"Thank you." He was pleased. The main floor was a lot of work, too. He showed her around and then said, "The kitchen isn't done yet, Molly. I saved it for last. It works well enough for me, but it needs some serious remodeling. I'm going to knock out a wall and make it larger when I get around to starting demo."

"I would love to help you!" she said enthusiastically, and then blushed. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to invite myself..."

"I never turn down help," Michael said with a smile. "Relax, Molly. You're completely safe."

"Maybe I don't want to be safe," she replied, shocking herself to the very core of her being. What on earth was she doing? It sounded like she was throwing herself at him! She didn't play those kinds of games!

"I didn't mean that the way it sounded, Red," Michael told her. When she looked at him in confusion, he explained, "I meant that I will care for you; I'm not one to play games. I will be truthful with you and I expect the same from you. We just met yesterday but I feel as though I've known you a very long time. It is as though I recognize you, Molly. I want to take this slowly and yet, I want to take you in my arms and hold you forever and never let you go."

"I feel the very same way, Michael. I would never tell a man that I didn't want to be safe with him! You are different; I feel as though you belong to me... Very silly considering how we met..."

"Not silly, honey. Ma always said that when I met the right girl I would know deep in my soul, and that is exactly how I feel." His dark eyes were serious as could be. "I won't rush you, Molly, but I am going to see that you are cared for while we explore our feelings for each other."

"Gramma would love you, Michael," Molly whispered, her green eyes filling with tears.

"We can visit her and invite her to come to the dinner tomorrow," he suggested, and then felt bad when he saw the pain in Molly's eyes.

"Gramma doesn't recognize me often anymore; she has Alzheimer's, and is in the advanced stages of the disease. She won't be with us much longer," Molly admitted, saying the words aloud for the first time. "Every time my phone rings I expect the worst."

"I didn't know, Molly. I'm so sorry."

"That is why her care is so expensive," she added, telling the truth.

Michael made up his mind to see if he could find some financial help for Molly, but wisely kept his mouth shut. The little redhead had entirely too much pride. He pulled her close and gave her a comforting hug. "It has to be hard on you. I can't even imagine being alone and dealing with something so devastating."

"I owe her so much, Michael. She raised me and never complained. She did without so much just to give me what other kids had. And, somehow, she helped me through college. I had grants and scholarships, but she did the rest. I don't think she had more than two or three outfits at a time, and never more than two pairs of shoes. She took care of me, with every bit of love she had, and now I take care of her... with all my love." Molly started crying. "I hate to see her so helpless and lifeless, Michael. I hate that I can't introduce you to her."

"I'll go with you, honey," he promised. "It is the right thing to do, showing her respect."

Molly nodded. "Aren't you supposed to call your Mother?" she asked, reminding him of the time.

"You do like spaghetti, don't you?" he asked, grinning. "Ma's is the best," he added, taking out his cell phone and hitting a button.

"I love spaghetti," she assured him. She loved to eat, period, and right now she would be very hungry indeed if not for the kindness of the O'Keefe family.

"Ma, you'd better make plenty of spaghetti! Molly said she can eat more than I can..." He was teasing them both and Molly's mood immediately lightened. She heard him promise to be there by one o'clock, and reminded her that he would bring wine. Once he hung up he suggested they go and fill out a change of address card at the post office. That errand went quickly, and once Michael was sure Molly had no other errands to run, they returned to the O'Keefe home. He insisted on carrying the boxes into the house and upstairs to Molly's room, but he sent his brother Timothy out to get a couple of boxes, too. Her possessions and clothing was soon piled on her bed, and Molly got to work settling herself into the large bedroom and making it hers. It didn't take long. She didn't have many clothes or toiletries. The few other items she owned she scattered about the room. There were a few books, her diary, and her laptop. She hoped the house had wireless connection. She belonged to a couple of message boards, and the Internet was a wealth of information just for asking. She could also watch television shows online, and since she didn't own a television, or have money for cable, it was wonderful to have that form of entertainment at her fingertips.

"Are you all settled in, Molly?" Mary stood in the open doorway to ask. Her heart ached for this young woman. Michael had already told her how little she owned and that all of her money went to care for her Grandmother, and she vowed she was going to see to it that Molly had some motherly attention and affection. It was rare to see someone so young take on such a responsibility at a time when most young people were selfishly investing in themselves. Molly needed nurturing, and Mary was good at nurturing. She also realized that Molly would soon be her daughter-in-law, and she meant for her to find loving acceptance in their family.

"Yes, I am, Mrs. O'Keefe. It is so kind of you to allow me to stay here. Frankly, I don't know what I would have done if not for Michael and all of you."

"Now, we'll not be worrying about that. The important thing is that you are here now and you are welcome. I am anxious for you to meet the rest of our family. They can be overwhelming at times, but I love every one of them," she said with a smile. "Come on down and I'll put you to work."

Molly liked Mary O'Keefe, and hurried after her. The next couple of hours passed so quickly it was a blur. Molly met more of Michael's siblings, and realized it was going to take her a while to get to know all of them and remember their names and their place in the family. Mary's spaghetti sauce was to die for, and she felt stuffed from eating so much! It was an unusual feeling to be so full. Once they finished eating, everyone pitched in to do the clean up while Mary bossed and supervised, and Seamus sat there looking on with a pleased expression in his dark eyes.

"Molly, lass, we need to have a serious discussion now," Seamus said. "Come and sit at the table, and don't look so frightened. I don't bite," he added, smiling at her. As if he told them to leave the room, Michael's brother and sisters scattered about... a couple of them off to work, others to enjoy the day with friends. Michael sat at the table with her.

"You are an adult, and the rules for adult children in this house are very simple. Be respectful of the children still living here. That means no excessive drinking, no smoking, no drugs, no sleepovers. Now, Michael wouldn't have brought you here if you did any of those things, but that is a rule. Be respectful of Mary; if she asks for help I expect it to be done promptly."

"Molly has already done that, Seamus," Mary spoke up. "She is not one bit lazy, and her bed was made before ours today," she added with a smile. "I already told her we pick up after ourselves."

"Good. The only other thing I ask is simple courtesy for all of us. If you are going to be late, a telephone call is expected. If you are staying out, please call us. We will not ask questions about what you do or where you go... You are an adult... but we do not want to be awake half the night wondering if you have had trouble of some sort because you are not home. Does this sound fair to you?"

"Very fair," Molly promptly answered. "Michael has told me that you would be offended if I offer to pay board, but since I am not..."

"It is best you don't offer money, child. You're living under my roof by my rules and I'll not take a dime from you when you are struggling to care for your grandmother. I think someone your age needs family and you are family now. Mary and I agreed upon this. If you wish to help out around the house, that will be all that is needed, Molly, to earn a place in the family."

Molly had a huge lump in her throat. "Thank you," she barely managed to whisper.

"Oh, you'll not be thanking me the first time you forget to call home," Seamus promised, and she could see he wasn't teasing. "I will treat you just as I would any of my daughters, and I do not put up with female attitude, either. You've been warned, and this is the only warning I'll give." He got to his feet and smiled at her. "Welcome to the family, Molly Henderson." He came around the table, leaned down, and kissed her on the top of the head. "We are delighted to have you here, Molly. My sweet Mary and I are sad that so many of our children are leaving us... And having you here will be a blessing." He looked at Mary and said, "Is there anything you require of me this afternoon, darling?"

"Only one thing, dear. I managed to get the duster thingy stuck on the chandelier in the dining room. Could you unstick it? It looks ridiculous up there!" she said, giggling.

"Well, if that is all I need to do to make you happy, Mary, I'll gladly do it, and then I'm going down to my workshop for a while and work on my project." He pulled her from her chair and turned her around and gave her a playful pat on the bottom. "Lead me to that ridiculous chandelier, young lady."

"Was your father threatening to spank me if I'm late getting home from work and forget to call?" Molly whispered to Michael.

"He'll scold you," Michael answered. "He probably won't resort to spanking unless you scare the daylights out of Ma. Sassing Ma, backtalk, cursing, temper tantrums; Pa would spank you in an instant. Of course, I can't see you treating Ma like that. You're a grown woman, and it is easy to see that you already like Ma and respect her." He paused and then said, "Molly, I wouldn't have brought you home to my family if I didn't know for a fact that you were a good, decent person. If the situation was reversed, and Natalie was the one who needed help, I would have deposited her on the doorstep of an agency. Pop would have blistered her and soaped her mouth within two minutes of meeting her." He grinned, "Not that I would have minded seeing that!" He reached out to touch her cheek. "I love my family and would never bring someone into their home who wasn't special and you are very special."

"Oh Michael... I hope I am everything you think I am. I don't know how to be in a family," she whispered. "I don't want to disappoint you."

"I don't want to disappoint you, either," he admitted, clearly surprising her. "Hey, I'm human, too. You're special. You matter. What you think matters. I don't go around spanking just anyone."

"Your Father said he spanked your Mom when they first met... Do you know the story?" she asked, trying to make sense of these men who believed in spanking grown women. It seemed that they equated spanking with love, but it was difficult for her to grasp that concept.

"The entire family knows the story," he said, shaking his head. "I guess Ma was a bit of a firecracker when she was young. Pop was really young, about twenty-one, and working construction. They were putting a roof on a house, and got started really early in the morning. Ma was in her senior year of high school, and she didn't appreciate the hammering next door on a Saturday morning when she wanted to sleep in. She opened the window and started yelling at them, and her language was pretty blue. Pop told her she was too pretty to talk like that. She gave him even more sass, and when they kept right on hammering, Ma lost her temper and decided to fix them. She got dressed, went outside, and started throwing eggs at Pop's old pick-up. He yelled at her to stop; she ignored him. He came down the ladder, and she threw an egg at him, and it smashed on his shirt. He was really mad then; she tried to run, but he caught her, knelt down right there in her front yard and spanked the sass out of her. He then made her wash his truck. But she started feeling feisty again and was mad because he treated her like a child. She turned the hose on him, soaked him, and the other guys on the crew were laughing, which only made him angrier. Ma tried to run again, but he caught her, and after soaking her with the hose to 'cool her temper', he put his hand to her backside again. This time she went inside, crying. Ma said his hand was harder than a board, and I can swear that is true," he ruefully added. The next day was Sunday, and after Mass, Pop picked up some flowers and went and knocked on her door and when she answered he handed her the flowers and asked if she would like to go see a movie. She accepted, and they got married a few months later. Ma refused to go to college; said that all she wanted was to be a wife and a mother, and she got her wish."