Taking the Fall (17 page)

Molly turned to walk away, but Jess grabbed hold of her shoulder and spun her back around.

“You can’t do that!”

“I most certainly can. I am your mother, and I have gone above and beyond trying to compromise and giving you the benefit of my doubts. But each and every time, you show me how very wrong I was. So, I’m fixing it now.” Molly did manage to get a few feet away before she said softer, “You live under my roof so you will follow my rules until the day you are eighteen.”

“Oh, so now your dictatorship rule not only applies to in this house but who I can hang out with outside these stupid four walls, too,” Jess yelled.

“That is the way it goes. Someday when you are a mother, you will understand, but until then, young lady, I expect honesty and respect. Something you haven’t shown me in a long time.” It hurt Molly to have to do this, but she just didn’t see any other way around it. “As far as Marc goes, I don’t like him, Jess.”

Now Jess pulled out the tears.

“Why? You don’t even know him!”

Molly tried to remain calm, but it was becoming impossible to do so. “I know him well enough, or at least his reputation, and I’m sure if I went down to the sheriff’s office, I could find out things that I really don’t want to know.”

“You don’t know anything about Marc. He cares about me, and I’m starting to realize he is the only one.”

Don’t react as she wants you to.

“He is too old for you.”

Jess dried her eyes with the outside of her hand, and now she was angry. Emotion was easy to read on the teenager. If she only knew how very similar to her mother she truly was. “He is seventeen, far from the statutory category.”

Suddenly, the intensity of this argument just took on a whole other implication.

Oh God, is she having sex with him?

Molly’s fear was unable to be contained inside her head as she whispered pained, “Are you being safe?”

“My sex life is none of your business!”

Oh God, a sex life!

Now all the niceties she tried to cling to were gone! Back was the anger Molly felt from the moment Tracey had called her.

“You are fifteen years old, young lady. You can bet your next birthday it is!”

There was a stare off for what seemed like forever before Jess stomped down the hall, screaming, “Whatever,” before slamming the door shut to her bedroom.

Molly stared at the closed white door for a few minutes. She hated fighting like this with Jess, but it seemed no matter what either of them did, this was how they always wound up as of late.

She finally made her feet move and headed back to the kitchen. Taking her cell phone out of her pocket, she dialed Tracey back. “Hey Trace, just wanted to let you know Jess is home and I think rather than making matters even worse, I am just going to leave her here than bring her over to your place.”

“Oh, thank goodness she came back. I was worried.”

“So, if you could put Bob on the line, I’ll discuss with him another day he can have the girls.”

“Well, actually Molly, Bob isn’t home yet. But I’m sure he would love another time with Jess to make up for tonight.”

Even though Molly knew it wasn’t Tracey’s fault, the annoyance couldn’t be held on her tongue. “So he isn’t even home at almost 7PM on the only weeknight he sees our daughters? But yet you are telling me how confident you are that he would want another night to make up for this missed one? The missed one that
he
is the one who is missing!”

Tracey was silent on the other end of the phone.

“You know what . . . have Bob call me and he and I will discuss this and what we are going to do about Jess. Now if I may please speak to Sammy.”

“Oh, well she is curled up with the boys watching a movie, but if you are really insistent I can interrupt their slumber party.”

Wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.

“No, don’t interrupt them if she doesn’t want to speak with me. Just tell her that I will see her after school tomorrow.”

“Will do. Oh and, by the way, happy birthday Molly!”

“Yeah, thanks.” Molly disconnected the call more annoyed now than when she dialed the phone.

Thanks for the reminder that I’m not only another year older but the highlight of my day is fighting with my daughter over the possibility of her having sex with a punk ass kid, and my ex-husband’s lackluster attempts to spend time with his older kids. Add in the fact that another birthday I will go to bed alone with hopes that maybe the next one will be different.

Grabbing a quick glass of water from the fridge, she headed downstairs knowing only a few more hours until she could finally put an end to this less than spectacular birthday and start working on those unlikely hopes.

The fight with Jess stuck with Molly for the next couple of hours. Thank God, it was closing on 9PM, closing time, and Molly had intentions of a cold bottle of wine, a bubble bath, and the newest hot read that awaited her on her Kindle. She just had to get through the last ten minutes. As she prayed that no one would come in.

“Hey there, Birthday Girl, mind if I step out a few minutes early?” Greg asked as he stuck his head out of the kitchen doors.

Molly turned from where she filled salt and pepper shakers at the counter. She had a tray full of ones to fill and another with four ready to make their way back to the tables

“Absolutely! Be gone, you! I’m tired of your ugly mug,” she shooed him away lovingly with her hand.

He walked out and took the two steps to where she stood and placed a kiss on her forehead in a fatherly way.

“All parents live through it.”

She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and leaned into his warmth before accepting another kiss and another bid of happy birthday. Greg had just walked back into the kitchen when the front door opened.

Hunter.

She thought her heart stopped when he came in. Immediately, his eyes found her, and he walked in carrying a small white paper bag. He looked good. Like drool-forming-on-the-chin good in his black, tailor-made suit. Didn’t matter if he was in trousers or track pants, his long legs were lean and muscular regardless of the fabric that covered them. His suit coat was open, revealing the crisp white shirt he wore under and his blue paisley tie, which shared the same hue as his eyes. The ever-present scally cap was on his head, revealing only the sides of his dark hair and his five o’clock shadow gave his already handsome face an extra dark boost into the delectable division.

He made his intent obvious, reaching the counter quickly and taking the seat in front of her, being sure not to touch the trays between them. When he sat down, he unleashed the thing that would make the strongest of adversary’s break—his smile. It was warm and showed a line of straight white teeth. That wicked dimple popped out through his scruff and his whole face just lit up.

Molly’s knees threatened to buckle. Thankfully, she had the counter to lean against for support.

She knew she should say something, but the words just wouldn’t come. Silently, she removed the trays from the counter and placed them over at the end, at the moment not caring when she got back to them. When she returned to where he sat, he placed the white bag on the counter, indicating with his hand for her to open it, as he placed his hat on the stool next to him.

She pursed her lips together and delicately opened the bag. A surprised and sincere smile overtook her face

“Happy Birthday . . .” he spoke in his smooth timbre, sounding as if he wanted to add something to the end of his greeting but didn’t.

She knew exactly what he chose to leave off, and for some reason, it bothered her immensely.

“You remembered it was my birthday?” she stated staggered.

She pulled out the large cupcake decorated with basket weave white fondant and an incredible and intricate pale pink open rose bud atop. When she removed the bag and held the cupcake in her hand, it gave the impression she was cupping a real flower.

“Guilty.”

“Thank you, Hunter,” she beamed, uncovering another level of bewildered at the hand of this man.

Not knowing what else to say, she got out a plate for the cupcake as she continued to stare at the unexpected and completely touching surprise.

“Actually, it is one of the days of the years that I never forget. Do you remember the first birthday present I gave you?”

Of course, I remember, it is still deemed one of my most beloved treasures.

Molly had flattened the pink rose between the pages of a book on her bookshelf since the day he gave it to her, twenty-one years ago.

A beautiful pink rose. Just like the cupcake he brought her.

“Yes, I remember,” she murmured, unable to look away from those intense eyes of his.

“Beauty needs beauty . . . no less,” he stated simply enough.

Hunter put his hand into his inside breast pocket and pulled out a small white candle and a lighter. Placing the candle in the soft pink center of the rose, he clicked the lighter to ignite the wick.

She smiled, completely tickled at his gesture, as she watched the tiny light grow in size. She knew instinctively that she had to address the elephant in the room.

“Look Hunter, I’m really sorry for reacting the way I did at the park. It’s just . . .”

With a kind smile, he assured, “No apology needed. I caught you off guard. Some might react with a left hook, so I’ll take panic any day over one to the kisser.”

Too kind, as usual.

And like she needed a reminder of his kisser.

But it was time that she no longer hid, either. Hunter had made reference to taking too long for him to finally tell her. Well, he wasn’t the only one who had been holding onto things that should have been said decades ago.

“It was nice to hear you say it,” she stated softly, as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

He grabbed on the left side of his chest and feigned pain. “Nice? Maybe you should pop me.”

Rolling her eyes at him but smiling the entire time, she replied, “Nice and appreciative and I’m . . . glad I’m not alone on that particular island.”

Her non-admitting confession was enough to make him smile. Sensing her unease, he dramatically pointed to the candle in the cupcake and asked, “Shall I sing?” mirth etched upon his face.

“Not if you want to see tomorrow,” Molly answered smugly, silently appreciating that he downplayed her less than stellar behavior.

“Okay, no singing then . . . Happy birthday, beautiful. Make a wish.”

With her eyes locked on his for a moment or two longer, Molly raised her hands holding her hair back to her shoulders. Closing her eyes, she gently blew out the candle and made her wish. The same wish she’d made every year since she was fifteen, hoping such a wish if it were to come true would be as easy as it seemed in her dreams.

The fact that he was here with her and hadn’t yet disappeared should have been enough to sway her to the other side, but no such luck.

Molly insisted that they share the cupcake, both enjoying the decadent dessert in silence in each other’s company. Hunter took Molly up on her offer for coffee, where she opted for a cup of tea.

They discussed his day and Leah coming to visit in detail. He was so excited and had already had planned on taking some time off from the hospital to be able to spend as much time with her as he could, including the Memorial Day Festival.

“It’ll be the first time Leah will be here to see the festival.” He beamed with excitement, mentioning the town’s annual festival.

“Well, it sounds like you have every moment she is here all mapped out, and the festival just happens to still be one of my favorites,” Molly said as she took the last bite of the most delicious cupcake she had ever had.

Hunter stared at her mouth, and she instantly felt her body react to such intense scrutiny.

“You, uh, got some cupcake right there,” Hunter said as he raised his finger, indicating her chin.

Molly raised her hand wiping at her chin and sure enough, some fluffy remnants of vanilla cupcake had indeed stuck with her.

Embarrassed at her less than classy eating habits, she tried to make a joke. “Hey, I was saving that for later.”

“My apologies then.” Hunter smiled.

When the plates and forks were cleared and she had dutifully wiped down the counter, Molly looked at the man sitting across from her, afraid of what he would see. “That was delicious, Hunter. Thank you. But I know for certain that didn’t come from the bakery over on the other side of town.”

“Such a special occasion deserved something other than the usual from the town bakery.” He drained his cup before standing, grabbing his cap, and then said, “Well, I better get going, I’ve kept you to myself long enough. I don’t want to keep you from the girls and whatever you have planned.”

At the mention of him leaving, Molly suddenly wanted nothing more than for him to stay.

“No, nothing planned. Sammy’s with Bob tonight.”

“Where’s Jess?”

“Unfortunately, Jess is currently up in her room, which tends to be where she spends most of her time, mostly by my doing. And if I know my daughter, I’m sure she is contemplating how I’m ruining her life.”