Did that mean they were going to Hell for staying in bed all morning instead of getting out to church?
“So I guess you don’t want coffee, then?”
“No, but you go ahead. I’m sure Riley will want some.”
Molly crossed to the kitchen table and sat, as if she dropped by all the time. And what did he know? Maybe she did. Valium wandered in from the living room, twining around her legs and meowing pitifully until she picked him up to snuggle. Other than cooing to the cat, she didn’t say a word.
Molly Montgomery was a master interrogator.
Not wanting to incriminate himself any further than being caught all but in flagrante, and knowing she’d get to her point in her own time, Liam made more coffee, pulling the creamer and prepping a mug with sugar exactly how Riley liked it. When she walked in a few minutes later, her hair tidied into a neat pony tail and dressed all the way down to her shoes, he handed her the coffee.
His mother beamed.
Riley held the mug like a shield, every line of her body tense. He reached out automatically and began to knead at her neck muscles. She flinched, her expression freezing like a deer in the headlights.
“Oh relax, honey. It’s just me,” Molly said. “You’re practically part of the family.”
It was Liam’s turn to freeze. Please, dear God, don’t let her start talking about weddings and babies.
“I’m sorry to just drop by like this, but I just couldn’t wait. It’s too good an opportunity.”
“What is?” Riley asked.
“Norah snagged me after church to tell me about the latest project Peyton Consolidated has planned, and it’s big. There’s going to be a ton of construction going on downtown for the next several months, and that means lots of workers. You need to go for the treatment and vaccine contracts. Exclusivity on a project that size would be a real boon to the business.”
“It would be. But don’t you think it might be more sensible to wait until the repairs are finished, in case the man in charge wants to come visit the pharmacy to check it out? We’re not exactly giving our best impression just now.”
“This is true. But I wouldn’t wait too long.”
Liam dragged out a kitchen chair and sat. “When is the project announcement going public?”
“In a couple of weeks. The details of what they’re building are being kept under wraps, but the general announcement will still go out. Nobody’s going to be giving Walgreens a heads up. You stand a good shot. From everything Norah’s said, Gerald Peyton believes in local business. This kind of agreement would be right up his alley.”
“I’ll start putting together a pitch.”
“And I’ll dive into demolition tomorrow,” Liam said. “Have y’all decided on flooring?”
They discussed details of the renovation for a few more minutes before Molly put Valium down and rose. “I apologize again for barging in. I just wanted to let you know ASAP so you can move on it.”
“I appreciate it Really.” Riley’s smile was still a little stiff around the edges. “I’ll, um, see you at work.”
“Sure thing. And if you need to take some more personal time, please don’t hesitate to let me know.” She winked. “I really want grandchildren.”
Liam covered his face. “Oh my God.”
“Ta!”
The door shut behind her.
Riley’s face was frozen in a mask of mortification. “I can’t ever go back to work.”
“I’m sorry. I should’ve expected that.”
“It’s not that she knows we have a physical relationship. It’s that we know that she knows, and she knows that we know that she knows, so nobody can just politely look the other way and pretend this isn’t the twenty-first century.”
“Could be worse,” Liam suggested. “The Casserole Patrol could be stopping by with a covered dish and an already started baby blanket. I heard Miss Maudie Bell totally did that after Cam and Norah got engaged a couple months ago.”
“She wanted to give Norah her choice of the yarn color.”