Chapter 32
32
With Jake away, Molly’s days dragged, her campaign for the city council laborious and her mood flat. She didn’t have her own office at SpinWeb—just a small desk partitioned off from her co-workers by a row of snake plants sitting atop a half-wall painted in boring-ass sage green.
With the trees still bare, if she craned her neck far enough to the left, Molly could glimpse the distant Carter Bay through the side window. Otherwise, there was nothing to see—nothing to inspire her creative process—and some days, she found that and the lack of privacy all very depressing.
Molly picked up her office phone when it rang. “Molly Parker.”
“Hey, Molly.” It was Nathan from reception. “Alexia Cunningham’s here to see you.”
Alexia? Molly checked her watch with a sigh. It was already after one, and she’d been so busy she hadn’t even stopped for lunch yet. “Okay. I’ll be right out.”
As she walked along the short corridor, Alexia turned from chatting to Nathan and flicked her hair over one shoulder.
“Alexia. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Molly had been in her presence for only a few seconds and was already presenting a fake version of herself. Still, “I can’t deal with your bullshit right now” was not an appropriate greeting in a business environment.
Alexia addressed her with a “hi hon,” an air kiss, and a limp hug. “I was wondering if we could have a brief word. I need to run something by you.”
With limited space in her life for the Alexia drama-school model, Molly forced a polite smile while quickly weighing up her options. “Sure. Come through.”
Molly led her into the boardroom, a seldom-used internal space with intense lighting, bright blue carpet tiles, and a lingering new-build odor. Alexia sat in the offered chair and cast a critical eye around the room before she spoke.
“Thanks for seeing me, hon. I really do appreciate it.”
Molly held her smile tightly in place and waited for Alexia to continue.
“I’d like to talk to you about Jesse… totally off the record, if you get my drift.”
“Jesse?”
“You do know I’m contesting his will?”
“Yes, so I’ve heard.”
Alexia played with her very long thumbnail. “Hazel mentioned that you’re a beneficiary, so I felt I should fill you in. After all, if I’m successful, your share will be much less, possibly even nothing.”
Molly remained silent. She’d met with Annabelle two days before and asked to be taken out of the will. The email confirming that she’d been removed had come through that very morning, but there was no need to discuss it with Alexia.
“Anyways, I just wanted to give you a heads-up. Because, despite what Jake says, Jesse and I were super close before he died. I’d floated an idea for a new social media account to him, and he was so impressed that he said he’d do anything to help. We didn’t talk figures or anything, but he basically implied he wanted to invest. But then Jake arrived home from France, and Jesse suddenly clammed up.”
“As I said, this really has nothing to do with me.”
“Maybe not, but I loved Jesse, and Jake has a rep for making things difficult for people, so I can’t help but question his motives.”
“What do you mean?”
Alexia pulled an oversized designer water bottle out of her tote and took a long sip, her glossy nails tapping the side like she was filming a social media post. “Look, let’s just say the guy’s always had a giant crush on me, and he’s such a sore loser. It puts me in a delicate position, actually.”
Molly’s mouth went dry. She stood and filled a paper cup from the water cooler, drained it, and refilled it.
“Just between you and me,” Alexia continued as Molly returned to her chair, “I’m trying my best to keep him happy, if you know what I mean, but he’s such a stickler for the rules. That guy has a giant chip on his shoulder and needs to loosen up a bit, don’t you think?”
Molly had no idea what Alexia meant by “trying my best to keep him happy,” but again, she remained silent.
“Plus, Henry seems to dislike me for some reason. Still, the guy’s a jerk. Dad’s never had any time for him, which says a lot because my dad likes almost everyone.
“Anyways, no offense, but clearly Jesse was thinking with his dick when he included you in his will. I mean, no one had ever heard of you until recently.”
Molly bristled at her “dick” comment. This woman was a piece of work; how had she not seen that initially? “Sorry, but you said Jesse mentioned me.”
“What? When was this?”
“That day at the cemetery.”
“I don’t think so.” Alexia shrugged. “You must be confusing me with someone else. Anyways, I was just thinking, you’re a reasonable kind of girl, am I right?” She blew out a sigh. “So… yeah. I guess what I’m asking is for you to do the right thing here, hon.”
For a moment, Molly thought she must have misunderstood her meaning, but as she stared at the woman in front of her, that moment quickly passed. “You want me to remove myself from Jesse’s will?”
“Why do you look so shocked? Guilt, possibly?”
“What?”
Alexia smoothed both hands over her perfectly straightened hair. “Word is you left him heartbroken as soon as the going got tough. Now you’re swanning around while you wait for his money, and poor old Jake’s so infatuated that he can’t seem to think straight… Although, when I saw him last, he denied you guys were involved. Said you were just friends.
“Anyways, hopefully, this time away in Paris will give him a chance to come to his senses. Because, let’s be real here, you might have fooled Jake with this whole ‘substitute for Jesse’ gig, but you haven’t fooled me, and you certainly haven’t fooled Hazel.”
Her words gnawed at the pit of Molly’s stomach. Just friends. She checked her watch. “Is there anything else? I really need to get back to work.”
Alexia sat forward in her chair and tapped the table with a polished fingernail. “So what do you suggest I do?” Tears welled in her eyes. “I loved Jesse, and it hurts, you know, that he died and never acknowledged that love.” She sniffed. “It’s hard when someone you trusted and cared about turns around and sticks the boot in.”
“Mr. Sinclair’s the executor. Perhaps you should talk to him.” Molly clenched her hands to steady them. If Alexia didn’t leave soon, she’d be tempted to grab her oversized mint-colored water bottle and pour its contents over her head.
Alexia stood, picked up said water bottle, and shouldered her bag. She strode to the door and rested her hand on the doorknob. “You know what? I really thought we were friends. People say you’re a stuck-up bitch, but until now, I’ve given you the benefit of the doubt. Silly me! And he’ll never love you, do you realize that? Because, in his mind, he’ll always be second best to his twin, and for Jake, second best is never good enough.”
Molly didn’t have a chance to shut down the conversation before she added, “Oh, and you know he’s with that Ava over there, don’t you? She still lives in his apartment. That’s the only reason he returned to France. To see her. And let me guess—I bet he’s hardly even bothered to call you. Little Molly Parker, out of sight out of mind.”
Alexia’s blows left Molly struggling to breathe.
“Still, I did warn you, didn’t I?” Alexia continued her bitchy attack. “That day at the patisserie, remember? So, yeah, you have only yourself to blame.”
She threw the door open and marched out into the corridor as Molly followed.
When she reached reception, she yelled back for the entire office to overhear, “I hope you have the shitty day you deserve, Molly Parker!”
As she left, Nathan stared at Molly, his eyes wide in shock. “Whoa, brutal. And the full-name treatment too. I’ve always been wary of her. Stuck-up little bi-atch.”
“Funny, she called me the same thing.” Heat bathed Molly’s cheeks. “I’ve never been called that before.”
“And by an expert in the field.” He handed her a pack of tissues from his desk, his expression softening. “Are you okay? You’re shaking.”
“Thanks, I’ll be fine.” She steadied herself on the counter. “So you know Alexia?”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t everybody?”
“Seems that way.”
“Why don’t you go and grab lunch? Get some fresh air.”
She released an unsteady breath. “Yes, I should.”
Now more mortified than upset, Molly had almost reached her desk when Winston stormed out of his office. “What in Eve’s biblical garden was that all about?”
“Just a little misunderstanding. I’m sorry you had to hear that.”
“You’d better be. Next time, take your visitors downstairs to the coffee shop.”
“But their coffee’s disgusting.”
Winston flashed her a knowing smile. “And your point is?”
At home that evening, phone in one hand and Hozier playing softly in the background, Molly lounged on the sofa and contemplated her day. She’d never thought of herself as a stuck-up bitch or paired the words Jake and infatuation together. Was he… infatuated, or was she just his “out of sight, out of mind girl” as Alexia had said?
When it came to men, her judgment had been defective so often that she now saw it as her default status. And for all she knew, he could be infatuated with Ava, not her at all. Because, let’s face it, Alexia Cunningham was hardly a reliable source of gossip.
Tired of her restless thoughts, Molly was rummaging in the pantry for some chocolate when her text alert sounded.
CeCe: What’s up at the tiny house?
Molly: It’s chocolate o’clock. I’ve had a shitty day.
CeCe: How come?
Molly: Alexia paid me a visit at work. Called me a stuck-up bitch. She was vicious.
CeCe : What? No way!
Molly: Yep. My hands are shaking just thinking about it.
CeCe: Poor you. I reckon she’s obsessed with Jake and wants to scratch those long nails down his back. Draw a few drops of blood for her collection.
Molly: I reckon you’re right.
Having found what she was searching for, Molly broke off half a row and laughed at the three angry swear-word emojis that followed CeCe’s last message.
Molly: I came back to NZ for the quiet life. To bake sourdough and grow basil. Now this.
CeCe: Basil? As if! And what’s Mr Sexy Cakes got to say for himself?
Molly: I haven’t spoken to him in a couple of days. And when we did talk it was kinda awkward.
CeCe: Do I detect a sigh between those lines?
Molly: Just a soft one. Anyway, I’ve removed myself from Jesse’s will.
CeCe: Gosh, that’s brave considering you really could use the money.
Molly: Maybe, but…
CeCe: Hey, I totally understand. Good for you.
Molly: Thanks. Anyway, sleep well.