Hotshot and Hospitality by Nora Everly
Chapter 11
Molly
Whenever I was upset there was one thing that never failed to make me feel better, aside from Abbie’s hugs, of course. And that one thing was pie. Any flavor—it didn’t matter. I always got it from the Donner Bakery instead of Daisy’s Nut House because when I needed pie, I required the whole pie, not a slice of pie, and no one questioned buying an entire pie in a bakery the way they did in a diner. Been there, done that and bought the mother-effing pie anyway. I refused to be pie-shamed by anyone.
Eating my feelings was way better than feeling them and I was about to have pie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And freaking dessert and snack time too, because I had a lot of feelings right now, dammit. I might even need two pies.
Currently, I was parked at the downtown bakery location contemplating if I was decent enough to go in. I mean, at least I had pants on now. As I flipped open the visor mirror, I cringed at my reflection and slammed it shut. I opened the glove box to grab my oversized sunglasses and a hair clip. One messy bun later, I exited my vehicle, tied the hem of Garrett’s at-least-four-sizes-too-big T-shirt into a huge knot at my hip and marched through the parking lot with my stolen flip-flops slapping angrily over the pavement. I was officially on my quest for emergency pie. I may even buy three pies; I was seriously perturbed and might need a midnight snack or maybe second breakfast. Come to think of it, elevensies sounded like a winning idea too. If my life plan now had to include adopting the eating habits of a Hobbit, so be it. I could adapt and buy bigger clothes. I already had this damn T-shirt, right? It was a start.
I would get my pie, go home, eat some pie, send Garrett an “I’m sorry for running off on you” text and go back to avoiding him like I had been subconsciously doing all this time. Things were easier when they remained stuffed into my subconscious. I hated conscious feelings; they were harder to fight. Avoiding him would make everything go back to normal. Except this time the avoiding would be conscious and deliberate, well thought out and surreptitious. I was about to get tactical up in this bitch and no one, especially Garrett, would see it or me coming. Molly Hazel Cooper would become a ghost in this town. Ghosts were dead, and nothing could hurt them. I needed to go back to being dead inside.
Problem solved.
The end.
Except he would be working at the inn for the next few weeks. In and out, all day long, looking sexy with his tool belt, big muscles, and crew of hot guys. I couldn’t take a vacation, not with construction going on, and it was too late to cancel the renovation or hire someone else. I wrinkled my nose and shook my head in dismay. Ugh!
Why did I ignore my instincts? I knew getting close to Garrett again would be a bad idea and I was correct. Now I had feelings that were probably too big to bury, I was doubting the power of pie, and people were looking at me. I had stepped through the bakery entrance beneath the adorable striped awning and I was garnering stares. Was it because of the gossip going around town about me, Garrett, and the kiss at Genie’s bar? Was it my weird attire? The huge round sunglasses indoors? Or the fact that the story going around had become juicer with the arrival of Lacy? I didn’t have time to care. I needed pie and solitude. I needed to be alone with my thoughts so I could silence them one by one with each bite of pie I shoveled into my face.
I stopped and stood in line in front of the counter. It smelled wonderful in here, all cinnamon and sugar, coffee and chocolate. Heaven on earth in the form of delicious baked goods. Honestly, it was better than therapy and just as effective. Or maybe it was just easier and more fun to eat my feelings instead of talking about them.
“Hey, Molly.” I jumped at the interruption of my thoughts, because that was totally sane. No wonder I was getting so many looks. If my expression matched what was going on in my brain, someone would end up calling 9-1-1 while I was here.
“Oh, hey.” It was one of the Tanner twins behind the counter today. They were most notable in the Green Valley gossip circles for having dated and then been dumped by Jethro Winston, who was notable for a lot. Among other things, being married to Green Valley’s only movie star, Sienna Diaz. I never could tell which Tanner was which, but that didn’t matter since both twins had been with him. I checked her name tag; this one was Blaire.
I sighed. It was heavy and dramatic, and it tickled my sinuses until I sneezed.
“Bless you. I guess you’ll be needing a pie? More Chris troubles?” She smiled, both with sympathy and empathy—she’d been there. We had both been scorned once or twice over the years. Viva la sisterhood, girl power, and all that crap.
I shoved my sunglasses up to sit on the top of my head and leaned an arm on the counter with three fingers up. “Yes, and obviously, my man trouble will be eternal and devastating. I’ll take three pies to go, please, and I’m not particular about which kind, so feel free to surprise me. And a slice of that lemon cream to eat here while you box them up.”
Her eyes got big while her smile got sweet with commiseration. “Sure thing. Coffee?”
“Why not? I should live a little, right?” I tapped the counter and grinned at her to hide my discomfiture at the fact that she was on to me and my pie-eating ways.
She slid a cup of coffee across the counter. “I’ll get your slice of pie and meet you at the register.” I paid, gathered my sweet bounty and looked around for a table. Spying one in the corner, I raced through the maze of tables, chairs, and faceless bakery patrons to snag it, beating a mommy/daddy/baby-in-a-stroller combo on the way. I didn’t even feel bad; I needed immediate pie in my face more than they needed this table. They had each other, and what did I have? Nothing but heartbreak and pie. That, plus three older brothers and a Leo who would be all up in Garrett’s business if they ever found out my feelings had been hurt. It wouldn’t matter whose fault it was, either. I shoved a bite of pie in my mouth with a scowl on my face. Disgruntled, thy name is Molly.
As I ate and sipped and waited for my boxed-up pies to go, the bell over the door would occasionally bing and someone would come in. I could hear it better than the conversations happening around me. All the voices blended together into one big background word smudge, but that freaking little bing popped my head up every time.
After my last bite of pie, the bing happened again and Lacy walked through the door. My first instinct was to dive under the table and hide, but that would be neither tactical nor surreptitious since she had spotted me the second she crossed through the doorway. Did she know about me and my pie? Was nothing sacred in this town? I couldn’t help but feel like she was looking for me.
“Molly! Hey, girl!” Her smile of greeting was huge and so sweet it had to be faux, as per usual with every interaction we’d ever had. Her wave was exuberant and done with her left hand. She excitedly flashed her ring finger at me with a little “squee.” I saw the sparkle on that finger, and it made me want to barf up the pie I had just consumed. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you around town!” she said cheerfully, like she was happy to see me. As if she hadn’t just witnessed my mortifying and pantsless escape from Garrett’s cabin this morning. As if she didn’t have her engagement ring back on her finger and was quite obviously here to taunt me with it. I had never realized she had an inner mean girl. How silly of me. “Can I sit with you?” she sing-songed as she claimed the chair across from me.
“It’s a free country,” I answered and sipped my coffee. I decided to be breezy. Easy-breezy Molly could handle anything. Easy-breezy Molly was going to be cool and collected until she could go home and dive face-first into a pie, or cuss and break stuff. At this point it could go either way.
“I think it’s so great that you and Garrett are friends again. Friends are so important, especially to Garrett. He’s so happy to have you back as a friend.”
Friend. Friend. Friend.
I was growing to hate that frickin’ word. “Yeah, well, we’ve known each other forever. Bonds like that never die, you know what I mean? It will always be there no matter who comes and goes.” I decided to channel some Hill sister sass and throw it back at Lacy. “Funny how he didn’t mention you coming back. What a fun surprise.”
“Pity you had to dash off like that. We didn’t get a chance to chat.” Her eyes glittered in the overhead lights as she glared at me until I flinched. I had the feeling she hated me.
“Well, I had places to be and people to see, crap like that.” She wasn’t the only one who could fake a smile, dammit. I pasted my best fake sparkler on my face and let her have it.
“Molly, your pie is ready!” Blaire called from behind the counter.
“I gotta boogie! Maybe we can do lunch sometime?”
“Oh yeah, sure. Bye now!” She took her phone from her pocket and started furiously texting someone.
I had made it through my encounter with Lacy without violence or tears, which was a win in my book. “Thank you.” I took the pies carefully; I was short and busty, and this was a tall stack of pies. It would be tragic if my boobs knocked the pies out of my arms.
She leaned over, arms on the counter. “Watch out for Lacy, Molly. She’s full of crap. I would take everything she just told you with a grain of salt.”
“I’ve already forgotten the entire conversation. I’m good, or at least I will be. Thanks, Blaire.” I hiked my purse up my shoulder and hugged the pie boxes to my chest to leave, sparing one glance behind myself to see Lacy ordering at the counter.
Halfway to my car I felt a hand at my elbow. Spinning around, I found Ruby with her little brother Harry. She reached out to steady my boxes with a smile. “I heard everything,” she said. I hadn’t even seen them in there. Maybe I should take sneaking-around lessons from her.
“What did you hear?”
“There’s no time for games, so I’ll cut to the chase. Ever since Sabrina married Wyatt, I’ve gotten to know the Monroes. They don’t do this. They don’t spend time with one woman, then give a ring back to another the same morning. Something is up with Lacy.”
“How do you know about this morning? Already? How does this keep happening?” If I hadn’t been holding boxes of precious pie, I would have thrown my arms out in a frustrated mini-tantrum.
“Gracie told me. Plus, that one nosy waitress from Daisy’s Nut House who lives across the street from Everett saw you on the porch this morning in just a T-shirt and told all her friends, one of whom is Mrs. MacIntyre, who called Sabrina to check on you. I don’t know about anyone else.” I slammed my eyes shut to reboot my easy-breezy-Molly vibe. In this town, someone always knew your business, and apparently, it was my turn to be the spectacle.
“Uncle Garrett is nice. He wouldn’t trick you,” sweet Harry helpfully added.
“I know he wouldn’t trick me. That’s not the type of person he is. Thank you, Harry.” I didn’t think that was the type of person Lacy was, either. Garrett wouldn’t have been with her if she had been one hundred percent bitch. Would she try to trick me? I didn’t know if I had it in me to fight that kind of battle—or if I even wanted to.
“I’m okay, Ruby. Thank you for watching out for me. I’ll see y’all later.”
Halfway to my Beetle, I spotted Garrett, waving at me from the passenger side of Barrett’s truck. Since I was now only hanging on to my sanity by a thread, I started hauling butt to my VW, shuffling rapidly over the parking lot on my pilfered flip-flops. I couldn’t deal with him right now. Plus, I had pies to put in the fridge, dang it.
Even the fact that I was leaving him at the bakery with her inside of it didn’t stop me. A girl can only take so much. “I’m okay now! I’ll text you!” I shouted before I got inside my VW and took off for home, where I would most likely not text him. And I was definitely not okay. I was such a liar.