That Thing You Do (Crystal Lake 2)

Molly sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to wrinkle her dress. Her nana offered up the mug once more, and this time, she took it.

“Oh God,” she said with a grimace. “What the hell is that?”

“I don’t really know. Your parents’ liquor cabinet is sadly lacking. I mixed a green bottle with a brown bottle and added a dash of soda.” She held her hand aloft. “Voilà”

“Next time, you might want to add more than just a dash, Nana. That stuff could start an engine.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Nana Malone smiled and leaned close. “I don’t know if you remember or not, but I was quite a dish when I was your age.”

“A dish.”

“A fox. A doll. A beauty. A—”

“I get it, Nan,” Molly replied with a giggle. “You were hot.”

“I was.” She nodded. “Especially the summer of ’61.” She patted Molly’s hand. “That was when I met your grandfather, and the good Lord had never shone his light on another man the way he did Jack Malone. He walked into the dance down at the community hall one Saturday night, hair slicked back like he was in a gang or something, shoulders impressive in his tan sport coat. He took one look at me, and I was done for. I bet I fell in love that second. Why, within a week, I had our entire life planned, right down to the color of the drapes I’d hang in our sunny and bright kitchen.”

Her nana fell silent, and Molly cleared her throat. “That’s nice, Nana.”

“Jack looked at me the way your Nate looks at you.”

Startled, Molly got to her feet. “What do you mean?”

“That boy loves you, mark my words.”

“Nana, you don’t know…it’s not…he doesn’t.”

“Molly, men can be stupid when it comes to matters of the heart. He probably doesn’t know it yet.”

“We’re best friends, nothing more than that. It’s just, this time, we took it to another level, and it’s…honestly, it’s kind of weird now. Like we’re tiptoeing around each other.”

“The sex is good?”

Molly’s mouth fell open in shock. “Nana…I…”

“I do know what sex is, sweetie, and I’m going to assume from the color of your cheeks and the expression on your face that yes, you two hit it off in the sack. But it’s good you’re friends too. Because when the physical part wanes, the friendship thing sure comes in handy.”

“But he doesn’t think of me that way. Trust me, Nan, I’m nothing like the women he’s normally attracted to.” She glanced at the mirror and shrugged. “Even in this fancy dress, I’m not.”

Her nana got to her feet and shuffled over to stand beside Molly. “I don’t think you see the same thing we do when you look in that mirror. You’re a beautiful young woman with a lot of attributes.” Her nana angled her head a bit. “I’ll admit you’re a bit lacking in the chest area, but that’s all right, if your Nate is a breast man, there’s lot of ways to fix that. Just don’t go overboard. Double D’s are too big. Your grandfather used to say any more than a handful was too much.”

“Oh my God, Nana.” Molly laughed. “I am not getting a boob job.”

“Well, that’s good news, but we’re off getting off topic. What I mean to say is that you should never think that because you see things one way. Everyone else does too. Don’t put your weaknesses, your insecurities, onto someone else. It’s not fair.”

Nana Malone gave Molly a hug and a soft kiss to the cheek. “And that’s enough wisdom for me today. I need to grab a traveler for the church.”

“Nana, you can’t drink alcohol at the service.”

“Didn’t Jesus turn water into wine?”

Molly couldn’t argue with that kind of logic. She watched her nana leave and then scooped up the small clutch her mother had given her. She did one last turn in front of the mirror and swore when she caught sight of Zach standing behind her.

“You look beautiful, Moll.” He grinned, his face flush with excitement.

“So do you.” Molly walked to him and hugged him the way she used to when she was a kid. A big old knot was in her throat, and she worked hard to clear it. “I’m so happy for you, Zach. Jess is a lucky girl, and she’s perfect for you.”

“She’s the only one for me,” he said, taking a step back. “What about you?” he asked, suddenly serious.