I shouldn’t be jealous here. This is Jake. It’s fine if he’s attracted to Molly. What do I care?
Except that he’s going to father your child. Except that he just whispered dirty promises in your ear so hot that your belly is still a little weird and fluttery.
“Molly,” I say, trying to be a bigger person than I want to be. I let the kitchen door swing closed behind me and cross to where Molly’s sitting so only the wooden bar top is between us. “Hey!” The word is stretched thin, but the smile she tosses my way tells me she doesn’t notice.
“Ava, I was just telling Jake how awful dinner was. After you left, Dad tried to lecture me again and I blew up. We got in an awful fight and then he and Mom started fighting.” She shudders. “I needed a drink.” She shakes her head. “What a day it’s been.”
“I’m sorry about that.” There you go, Ava. Grab hold of that empathy you were feeling earlier. “Dad’s expectations can be impossible.”
“It’s my fault,” she says. “I only agreed to visit because I thought it would be better to ask the favor in person, but I never should have told Mom I had something I needed to talk about. I should’ve known she would assume it was good news.”
I swallow and shrug. “In her defense, it almost always is with you.”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, right. I think I’ve given Mom more than a few gray hairs. I’m surprised Dad doesn’t send me her salon bills.”
“Dad won’t budge on the loan, will he?” I ask, though I already know the answer.
She shakes her head. “I realize how bad this is to say when I’m here wasting money on alcohol, and I’m about to waste more money on a hotel when I’m officially a couple of strokes of bad luck away from being homeless.”
“Homeless?” Jake’s been standi
ng by, a silent observer, but his eyebrows shoot into his hairline at this. “Shit. What happened?”
Molly waves a hand. “Lost my job. Can’t find a new one—at least nothing that’ll cover my rent in Brooklyn—and I’m running out of time.”
“Can’t you just move home for a while?” Jake asks.
I wince, but Molly gapes at him. “You want me to move back to Jackson Harbor?”
He shrugs. “You wouldn’t be homeless.”
I drag my bottom lip through my teeth. “He’s right.”
“Nope,” Molly said. “It’s not an option. I’m a New Yorker. You can take the girl out of the city, yada, yada, yada.” She groans. “I thought your parents were supposed to help when you were having hard times, but I should’ve known Dad would be all about the tough love.”
“You can borrow some money from me,” I say. Her eyes go wide, and Jake looks shocked too, but hell, I’m competitive with my stepsister, not hateful. “Jill said she’d figure out a way to pay me back. It’s no big deal.”
Molly squeezes her fists together and presses them to her mouth. “Oh my God! You are so amazing! Ava! What did I do to deserve you?” Her eyes well with tears, and my cheeks heat. Her words feel good, even if I don’t deserve them. Her warm smile is full of gratitude and reminds me—yet again—that our so-called rivalry is one-sided.
“And you don’t need to get a hotel room. You can stay at my place while you’re in town.” I practically throw a hand over my mouth, because I cannot believe the words that just came out of there. Maybe it’s penance for years of unfair resentment.
“Get out!” Molly’s blue eyes are bright. More gratitude I don’t deserve. “Ava, you are seriously the best.”
I wave a hand. “It’s nothing. I have the room.” I turn to Jake, really getting into my role as the good sister now. “You have business contacts in New York, don’t you? Any chance you and Brayden could help Molly out?”
Jake blinks at me, then nods slowly. “I might have a lead on a job in the city,” he says, turning to Molly. “I can get some details if you’re interested.”
“Of course!” She pumps a fist in the air. “Way to turn a girl’s day around, you two!”
Jake’s gaze ping-pongs between us. “I think this could work out great, actually.”
I force a smile. “Molly, I’m going to head home. Are you about ready?”
She tilts her head to the side. “I don’t want to leave yet. Let’s have a couple of drinks and hang out.”
I shake my head. “I need some downtime. It’s been a crazy week, but you can stay and I’ll come get you later.”
“No, no.” Molly shakes her head vehemently. “I’m not going to drag you back out if you want to go home. If you give me the address, I’ll just meet you at your place later. I’ll get an Uber.”