What she hadn’t counted on was A) Nate showing up alone. Or B) Kyle turning into a raging Neanderthal who somehow thought he owned her. He kept ordering her drinks, even after she made it very clear she didn’t enjoy fancy cocktails with fruit and an umbrella—she much preferred a beer or a Jack and coke. And on the patio, he’d actually stuck his tongue in her ear. Her freaking ear! By the time they made it to dinner, she regretted bringing Kyle with all the heat of a thousand suns.
Then there’d been the awkward dinner conversation, which ran the gamut from inappropriate to condescending.
Yes, to Jessica’s mother when she asked Molly if she was still single. Are you dating anyone? A quick heck no, even though Kyle stared bullets at her. A look that said, Are you serious when Jessica’s father asked if she was the receptionist at the vet clinic. And finally, a big hell no to some cousin in the wedding party when he asked if she wanted to hook up later. When she got rid of the Neanderthal, that was.
After that, it was all downhill.
Nate was distant, and her brother spent most of the night shooting her looks she didn’t understand. If the guy wanted to say something, then he should damn well do it.
Her nana had too much punch because she thought it was non-alcoholic (or so she said, but everyone knew Nana loved the booze) and fell asleep in one of the bathroom stalls. And her mother threw out her back trying to wrangle Nana Malone from the toilet seat.
By ten o’clock that evening, Molly had had enough. She called a taxi and left. Which she got flack for. From her brother, her parents, and from Nate.
Something is seriously up with you. From her brother.
That was rude to leave so suddenly. Her mother.
Kyle is leaving with one of the bridesmaids. Again, her mother.
And he’s so handsome. I think you just blew it. Guess who?
At that point, Molly was about to throw her cell phone out the window, but it pinged again.
Where the hell did you go? We need to talk. That was from Nate.
How could she talk to Nate about whatever it was they needed to talk about, when in fact she didn’t really know what that something was? Liar. She was in love with him. No way around it, but he was not in love with her. He was trying to be a pal. A good buddy. If she wasn’t careful, her behavior would alert folks that something was amiss. And if her secret didn’t stay that way, that would just about kill her.
Molly decided the best course of action was to keep her head down and avoid anything that had to do with the wedding. Or her family. Or Nate, for that matter.
And she’d been successful. It was Friday morning, and she’d managed to avoid Nathan and her brother, who’d taken time off from the clinic leading up to his wedding, for the entire week, and with her mother on the mend, things were looking up.
God love Millie Malone, and Lord knows Molly did, but her mother sure liked to complain. Loudly. To anyone who’d listen. And that was when she wasn’t interfering with Molly’s personal life.
Molly did one last stretch and checked her watch. She had a couple of hours before she was to meet up with the gang downtown at the park. It was where they’d launch their tubes and flotation devices to float down the river to the next town over, where they’d have dinner at the pub on the water before buses pulled up to bring them back to Crystal Lake. She had her gear ready to go, and the only thing to do was shower when she got home and leave.
She was about to head back the way she’d come when a small dog ran out from underneath the tall grass that hugged the side of the trail. It was white and wiry and ran around her, barking up a storm as its tail wagged crazily.
She recognized it immediately. The little schnauzer mix belonged to Nash and Honey Booker. They’d adopted the little guy a few months earlier and lived not far from Molly.
“Hey, Zeus,” she said softly, bending down and offering her hand for him to sniff. “How’d you end up so far from home?”
“She followed me.”
Molly froze and looked up at the sound of a very deep, very British voice. A man stood a few feet from her, dressed in running shorts and not much else. He was tall, muscled, with myriad tattoos that covered most of his chest and abdomen, as well as an entire sleeve of ink down his left arm. His hair was on the long side, the ends damp with sweat, and his eyes blazed blue when he smiled at her.
The guy could have been a criminal, a murderer, or a rapist, but Molly found herself smiling in return because there was something about him. Some gentle quality that hung in his eyes maybe?
He was one hell of a specimen.
He nodded over his shoulder. “Been following me for a while now, and then she ran ahead. I guess she heard you.”
Molly scratched behind the dog’s ears and straightened. “I know the dog, and she’s a he, and his name is Zeus.”
“Oh.” The man laughed and looked at the dog. “Pardon me, mate. I guess the pink collar had me heading in the wrong direction.” He winked at Molly. “I’m Link, by the way.”
“Molly.”
“You look like a Molly.”