Tangled Up in Daydreams (5 page)

“What?” Following Molly to the kitchen. “Coffee? Now?”

“It seems like a good idea.” Opening the fridge and retrieving the grounds.

“Molly, what are you doing?” Trying to get Molly to look her in the eye. “Just stop a minute and talk to me.”

“Milk?” Fiddling with the coffeepot. “Sugar?”

“Molly, come on. Stop with the fucking coffee!” Jay, yelling.

As Jaycee reached for Molly, Molly reached into the cupboard and brought down two mugs. Their arms' collision was a minor train wreck and both mugs came to a crashing accident on the floor.

“Fuck!” Molly screamed as she leaned down to clean up the broken shards of pottery. “Fuck me.” Starting to cry again.

“Shush, here let me help.” Leaning down to help her friend. “Molly, maybe you should go lie down for a while. I'll deal with all this. I'll have this place spick and span in no time. You need to just chill.”

“Thanks, but I don't have time to lie down. I'm leaving as soon as I can. I have to get out of here.”

“Where are you going?”

“Home. I want to get on the road as soon as possible.”

“You should really wait and get some sleep. You're in no shape to drive, what, like sixteen hours? And besides, what about …”

“I'm going. I have to go pack.”

With that Molly left the kitchen and walked into her bedroom leaving Jaycee holding a broken handle. In her room, Molly carefully folded and packed her things. There was something soothing in the methodical motion. Perhaps order and neatness could come to replace the chaos even if it was only in color coding her thongs and tank tops. Not really knowing how long she would be gone, she overstuffed two bags with her cream cashmere sweater with the moth hole on the left sleeve, her brown flat-front pants that looked better than all her black ones, her favorite five pairs of jeans, and her collection of rock T-shirts from concerts she had never been to. The bags barely zipped, but Molly did not want to leave anything else behind that she thought she would need. She was already leaving him behind. That was enough. She peeled off her clothes, fell into a clean T-shirt and sweats, and dragged the bags into the living room. Jaycee then helped Molly bring them to the car, and they carefully packed the trunk of her beat-up black Land Rover.

“Are you sure this is the right move?” Staring at her friend. “You really think just picking up and leaving is a good idea? I don't really get this. It's not going to all go away just because you bail.”

“Well, I already told his mom that I had to go for a while. Elizabeth understood.” Throwing her purse into the backseat along with her suede coat. “I have to get the fuck out of here. I can't breathe.” Running her hand over her back.

“You shouldn't. You need to deal with all this.”

“Maybe not.” Looking at her friend. “Jay, I'm holding on by a thread.”

“But,” biting her lip, “I don't want you to go. I …”

“Look, I have to.” Getting into the car. “You know something? Last night, I think he was going to ask me to marry him.”

“Oh, God, Molly.”

“Today I should have been sleeping in, feeding him the fresh baked scones I was going to whip up, and staying in bed all day making love. Best day of my life.”

“Molly, all of that could …”

“Nope, it's done, over. He broke it all. Smashed everything to bits. He promised me.”

“How do you know he broke the promise? You told me on the phone that Zander was driving. What aren't you telling me?”

“Jay, I gotta go.”

“Molly.” Touching Molly's arm. “What's really going on here? There's something else. I was there before, don't shut me out now.”

“Look, please just let it go.” Staring Jaycee right in the eye. “I will call you and we can talk, but right now I just can't.”

“Okay, fine.” Letting go of Molly's arm.

Molly stared back at her apartment.

“We were going to be a family.” Taking a deep breath. “But I refuse to be some long-suffering wife of a magical guy who may or may not come home every night. I can't do it anymore, pick him up, and fix everything. I don't want to have four kids artfully named after beat poets running around the yard who only know their dad because I play them some song he wrote for me before they learned to walk.”

“Okay, Molly, okay. I love you. Go, but just come back.” Approaching Molly and hugging her. “But I thought you wanted to name your kids after Jane Austen characters?”

“Cute.” Molly, squeezing Jaycee back. “What can I bribe you with to clean up?”

“Nothing. I'll do it now.”

“Will you also watch the place? Get mail, et cetera?” Handing her a spare key.

“Now you are pushing it.” Smiling at her friend, trying to lighten the situation. “Call me when you get there, and give your sister-in-law a special pat on the tummy for me.”

“I will.” Shutting the door and turning the ignition. “Thanks.”

“Hey!” Jaycee banged on the window. “What should I tell him?”

“I don't care.”

As she drove away, Molly didn't look back even though she could feel Jay's eyes on her as she drove down the block. Thank goodness at least Liam's mom had understood her need to vacate the premises since Jay really didn't. Molly was relieved not to have to really explain. She felt grateful to have Elizabeth in her life, that she had gotten to know such a unique woman was a bonus to dating Liam. Not only was she smart and vibrant, she was also the kind of woman who'd been there, done that, and never judged. It was always easy to talk with her about anything. Elizabeth McGuire was a woman much like her own mother, which is why Molly felt so comfortable around her. Put together, accessible, and eager to be better, do better, and make the world better.

Elizabeth and Liam's dad had split up when he and Teddy were young and she had charted her own defiant path. Liam's father went on to remarry and have another family, but Elizabeth dedicated herself to her sons and her constant need to create instead. Elizabeth was able to make a living from her sculptures, and that, coupled with a sizable inheritance from her parents, allowed her boys to explore whatever struck their fancy. She never placed importance on making money and being a buttoned-up, well-suited professional; all she wanted from her boys was a faithful striving for beauty and truth. Part hippie, part intellectual snob, and part earth mother. Molly felt instantly at home with her, and was probably also partly why she immediately felt at home with Liam. Unlike Teddy, who rebelled from his mother's modernized sixties artist commune ideology and became a lawyer, Liam embraced Elizabeth's ideals and passions. He acted, painted, and of course played music. All the people who filtered into his life through his mother, he quizzed, collected, and catalogued. Liam ravaged other artists or writers or chefs for their knowledge and incorporated all he learned into his own creativity.

Molly remembered the first time she went up north to meet and visit with Elizabeth. Liam and Teddy had planned a sixtieth birthday surprise for their mother, who had just moved to a new house in Napa. She was living in this old Craftsman with a large back studio. Her new boyfriend was an acclaimed chef at one of Napa's most celebrated restaurants. With his help, the boys organized a multicourse small dinner party in the restaurant. There would be ten guests, and Molly was nervous that her first meeting with her boyfriend's mother would be at such an important special event. It had taken Molly an entire afternoon to even pack. When Liam came over to get Molly for dinner the night before they were leaving, Molly was barely visible under a mountain of shoes and clothing.

“Molly, we are only going away for a few days.” Liam, eyeing the piles. “What are you doing?”

“Don't ask.” Grabbing another dress from the closet and holding it against her body in front of the mirror. “What do you think?”

“It's pretty,” Liam responded.

“Pretty? That's it?” Tossing it on her bed.

“I don't know. I like it, it's fine.”

“I can't be just fine.” Half disappearing into the back of her small but overstuffed closet. “I have to be fabulous.”

“You are.” Shoving everything aside and sitting on the bed.

“What are you doing?” Yelling at him.

“What do you mean?”

“All of that had an order, a system, and you just fucked it up!” Refolding.

“Molly, you must chill.”

“Easy for you to say.” Getting more hyped up. “I can't go to dinner. Go without me.”

“Molly, Elliot is meeting us with his new girlfriend, Maggie. You promised. You are being a little dramatic.” Starting to laugh.

“No, I am not!” Glaring at him.

“Watch out, you may give Joan Crawford a run for her money.”

“Stop!” Trying to glare through her now forming grin. “You're not helping.”

“NO MORE WIRE HANGERS!” Grabbing one off the bed and leaping up. “NO MORE WIRE HANGERS!”

Liam began chasing Molly all over the bedroom while Molly bobbed and weaved through the maze of accessories.

“Stop!” Molly shouted, laughing. “I mean it.”

“NO MORE!” Getting louder. “Come here, my pretty, I won't hurt ya!!”

“Liam!” Molly shrieked.

Then he pounced. Everything fell to a large mound on the floor, and Liam began tickling Molly. They wrestled and soon Liam had Molly pinned.

“Say uncle.”

“Never!” Trying to wiggle from his grasp.

“Say it!” Pinning her hands with one of his and tickling her with the other.

“No way!”

“Uncle, easy enough word.” Letting his free hand roam up the hem of her skirt.

“Nope, do what you may, but I will never give in. Alex trained me well.”

“Really?” Moving his body off hers and moving slowly down her torso, all the while still keeping her hands pinned. “I have my ways.”

Soon enough Molly caved under his kisses, and they made love on top of the mess.

“You don't play fair.” Molly sighed.

“I never much liked playing by the rules.” Rolling off her.

“I'm still not close to being packed.”

“How about this?” Dislodging a turquoise Chloe print chiffon dress from beneath Molly's elbow. “I always liked this on you.”

“Where did you find that?”

Liam shrugged.

“Will your mom like it?” Sitting up and readjusting herself.

“Molly.” Pulling her back down to him. “She's going to love you.”

“You think?” Looking at him.

“I know.” Kissing her slowly.

After that it took Molly all of about five minutes to throw her stuff into a bag. They were out the door fifteen minutes later to meet their friends.

When Molly and Liam finally arrived at Elizabeth's house, Molly started to feel seasick again. Her stomach swelled and her lip was tender from where she had been biting. This was the very first time she was meeting a boyfriend's parent. Molly had never done the meet and greet before. All the rest of her boyfriends had been briefish affairs or they were from places on the East Coast. This would be a first, and luckily for Molly she couldn't have had better. Elizabeth immediately swept Molly into a hug. She could smell the gardenias on Elizabeth's clothes and her large turquoise necklace pressed against Molly's chest.

“I'm so glad to meet you, Molly. I've heard such wonderful things.” Pulling Molly into the house.

“Me too.” Letting Elizabeth lead her.

“Liam.” Turning to her son. “You never mentioned how lovely she was.” Winking at Molly.

“That's just a bonus, Mom.” Looping himself through his mother's free arm. “Are Teddy, Anita, and Paige here yet?”

Anita was Teddy's wife, a poet and teacher, and Paige was their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter.

“Yeah. I put them to work in the kitchen making snacks. Paige is taking a little nap on the sunporch. Come on, we may need some extra hands.”

The rest of the weekend went as smoothly, and Molly felt right at home. Things only got better after Molly gave Elizabeth the gift she had brought. Molly had deliberated long and hard about what to give her. She wanted it to be unique and thoughtful, but that was difficult when you didn't really know someone. Initially she thought about an art book or candles, but all of that seemed impersonal. Then Molly found this gorgeous leather-bound journal with heavy handmade cream-colored paper at an Italian paper store in Beverly Hills. The front was embossed with small flowers and had a long leather tie to keep it carefully closed. It was something Molly would have loved to receive. Molly also bought a set of sketching pencils and wrapped everything together in a piece of vintage silk fabric and tied it with a large satin bow garnished with a cluster of felt rosettes. The gift itself was a little piece of art and Molly's fingers were crossed that Elizabeth would enjoy it.