Protecting Her: A Romance Bundle

I had dark brown hair and whiskey colored eyes that were a bit wide for my taste. My skin was a shade darker than hers and I was curvier than Noel was, too. I joked with her about how much it irritated me that she could eat double the pastries that I could and not gain a pound while it went right to my hips, but it was mostly in jest. I exercised by hiking around here and doing some exercise tapes at the house, so I was a bit toned. Noel just never stopped moving to begin with.

I sighed and got back to cleaning the tables that were empty, thinking about the Starbucks that was located near the university. It was always packed with lines of people and didn't offer anywhere to sit, a fact that I brought up to Noel when she first suggested this. I didn’t want that.

She’s laughed and assured me that this town was smaller and slower. A coffee shop would do great but we wouldn’t be slammed like some of the places you see on every corner in other places. It would be a great place for people to warm up and relax on cold days and just chat on the warmer ones. The hours were early morning to the afternoon, so we had a lot of free time if there was any energy left after baking in the early hours of the morning. We were closed early on the weekends, only staying open until one as opposed the three o'clock like we did during the week.

By the time we were closing for the day, Noel had gotten a message from her date. He wanted to go to the movies tonight and she asked me what I thought about it as I drove her Jeep home to the large house.

“Apart from the meal, he sounded nice. I say give it a try,” I told her as I drove down the main road lined with shops and restaurants.

“When are you going to give it a chance?” Noel asked me as I stared forward at one of three stoplights in our little town. “It’s been two years, Molly. You’re not in college anymore.”

“I know but I am not ready,” I told her in a tone that made it clear I didn’t want to discuss this. I didn’t want to think about Lance and what he did to me in junior year; what any other man could do to me if I gave him the chance. I didn’t want to face any of it and I jammed on the gas pedal a bit hard when the light turned green, jerking forward as I pressed my lips together. “Sorry,” I told her, gripping the steering wheel tightly as I focused on the road. I was here because of her; working and driving this car, with a roof over my head. I didn’t want to ruin any of that and I forced the past out of my mind as I drove the rest of the way home.

Keith and Marta Jones were her parents. They were high school sweethearts that got married right after graduation, with Keith going to work for a construction company while she stayed home and did bookkeeping in their home office. He moved up to management and she got more clients and once they had kids, they moved into this house and made it in a small town. It was a dream for some people and Noel had a great childhood. Mine wasn’t awful and my parents were kind people, but we didn’t have a lot of money. I worked hard in school to earn a scholarship for college and sometime

s wondered if it was worth it now.

I was working in a coffee shop. I loved it but it seemed like something that should be a part time job while I pursued my dream, but what was that? I could read a lot now, but I suppose I always thought I might work in a famous library or teach. I’d never say that to Noel, though. It was a fun job and I loved the customers but life was just a little stale sometimes. It seemed like I should have more being twenty-three with a bachelor’s degree, but a lot of people just worked normal jobs. Didn’t they?

2

Molly

We had roasted chicken and sweet potatoes for dinner that night. I was pretty tired and was going to go to sleep early but Noel rushed out of the house for her date as her mom just shook her head. Noel looked a lot like her though she had her father’s nose and eyes. “She was so mad last night about him and look at her go.” We were washing dishes together and she handed me a plate to dry.

“She said she’d never go to dinner with him again. Maybe she is just going to try different scenarios now,” I joked as I wiped it clean with the yellow towel and added it to the pile beside me.

“How are you doing, Molly?” Marta asked as she looked at me with warm brown eyes.

“I’m great. Everything is going so well at the cafe. We’re busy enough to make something without being insane,” I told her as I glanced at her with a smile.

“I know. I am glad it’s doing well but what about you? Are you happy here?” She pressed as I looked out of the window to stare at the meadow in front of their house.

“It’s beautiful here. It’s small and I am getting used to such a small town. Home was slightly bigger.” I paused as I licked my lips. “I just feel like I should be making more of a difference in my life.”

I grew up wanting the college scholarship and then to move to some big city for an exciting job. I only had some of that.

“You are, Molly. Noel loves having you here and everyone is crazy about the cafe as well as you girls. It’s a big thing for people to have a regular place to go. I think that humans need a schedule and you provide them somewhere to go.” She laughed. “If you think about it, we just work here too. I work from home doing the books for clients and Keith’s business. It isn’t all that exciting.”

“You’re happy, though. You have Keith and a family,” I told her as she looked into my eyes.

“Is that what you want for yourself?” She asked as I shrugged. “Noel said that you had a bad experience in college with a boy. Is that why I haven’t seen you dating anybody?”

It was so much of the reason and I blushed as I thought about Lance. His blonde hair and bright blue eyes still haunted my mind and I blinked to force the image out of my mind. “I’m just settling in. That’s all.”

“This is a small town and you’ve met everyone that lives here in the last eight months since you opened the shop. There’s not much settling to do, although you will get a bit of a trickle from the air force base nearby.”

I hadn’t heard about the base. I suppose nobody had come in that was obviously in the military. “Really?”

“Be careful with that, though. Those boys are here for a time and gone and it won’t do you any good to fall for someone like that.” Marta shook her head. “Noel’s sister fell for that back when she was a senior in high school. He broke her heart in half!”

“Oh, I won’t fall for that.” Charm was something I’d never fall for again. Lola was now happily married with twins so she survived it. Maybe I would as well.

“It’s hard sometimes. They can be so charismatic. Lola’s guy had all of us fooled and then one day he was gone. She never heard anything from him again. It was a relief when she met Jack at the diner! She fell so in love with him and now they gave us those beautiful babies. Life happens the way that it’s meant to.” Marta smiled as she looked around. “I think we’re done. Want to have some tea with me? I made a chocolate cake that Noel is now going to miss out on.”

We settled in the big living room to watch some television with our plates and big mugs of tea. I was wearing some yoga pants and a sweatshirt and felt cozy by the fire as I laughed at something that a character said on the movie. This really was a relaxing life and I was lucky to have a successful business in such a gorgeous town. I could end up with a big house like this down the line with a family. I could end up happy and I was only twenty-three. I had a lot of time to build my life and tonight, I was just going to enjoy this environment.

I went to bed when the movie was over, sleepy from the fire and the TV. My room was on the third floor and spacious with a king-sized bed and a window overlooking the lush, green grass. I had a small attached bathroom that I changed in, pulling on my favorite sleep pants and a worn gray Henley before I walked over to my bed. I had a Kindle that I usually read before going to sleep and I grabbed it before I snuggled against my pile of pillows. It was only ten thirty and I wasn’t sure when Noel was going to come home, but she’d have energy for work no matter what. She always did. Her room was on the second floor so I never heard her come into the house but she was always ready when we left at four to go to work.