Chapter 5
The next day, Molly tried to focus on work, but her eyes continually strayed toward Eli.
The entire evening after talking to Becca, she had thought about pretending to be his girlfriend, but she couldn’t afford to lose this job if things didn’t work out.
Aside from loving where she worked, she didn’t want to worry about creating enemies in the small town.
In the short time she had lived there, it already felt like home.
It felt more like home than Denver ever did.
She stood at the espresso machine, steaming milk.
A steady stream of customers came into the shop all morning to get their caffeine fix before heading to work.
Molly loved the morning rush. It reminded her of the chaos of the corporate world she grew up in, but this one had an end in sight.
She always enjoyed being busy, but not to the extent of sacrificing her time day in and day out.
“It’s Molly, right?”
She turned around from the machine and smiled at the customer, whom she recognized as a regular. He had brown hair and piercing green eyes.
“Yes. Give me just a moment.” She poured the steamed milk into the espresso and made her best attempt at making a leaf before serving it to the customer. Then she turned back to him.
“Gavin?” she asked.
He smiled brightly. “Good memory.”
“You remembered mine. Seemed only fair.”
He leaned against the counter. “Yes, but I grew up here. I know everyone already, so learning one name isn’t a hardship.”
“That’s true. What can I get going for you?”
“An iced peppermint mocha would be great. Medium.”
“You got it.” She pulled out the cup and began making the order.
Katie rushed in shortly after. “Hey, sorry I’m late. My appointment ran over.”
Molly smiled at her. “It’s alright.”
“Everything go okay?”
“Perfectly great,” Molly said. She popped the lid on his cup and slid it across the counter with a straw. He swiped his credit card and paid for his drink before slipping a dollar into the tip jar.
“Hey, Gavin,” Katie said. “Molly get you all taken care of?”
He took a sip of his drink and smiled. “Perfect as always. See you tomorrow.”
Molly blushed as he walked away.
Katie smiled and raised her eyebrows. “So… he’s cute.”
Molly giggled. “Yes, he is.”
Katie continued to stare at her with a smile on her face.
“You were just encouraging me to date your brother,” she said softly. Her eyes darted toward the bookstore section where Eli was stocking inventory.
“Fake date him. And you don’t want to.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to. I’m just worried it’ll make things complicated.”
Katie waved a hand in the air. “I know. I get it.”
Another customer came into the shop and approached the counter, so Katie stepped over. “Hi, how can I help you?”
While Katie was with the customer, Molly looked back toward Eli. He was no longer at the shelf she had seen him at before. She craned her neck to see him, but he was nowhere in sight.
But Lauren was. She walked through the shop, looking down every aisle like a predator stalking its prey. Molly’s eyes flicked to the office door, which had just opened as Eli stepped out. He had no idea what was about to happen.
Before she could stop herself, Molly rushed out from behind the counter and over to Eli, immediately slipping her arms around him. She rested her chin on his chest and stared up into his surprised eyes.
“She’s here,” Molly whispered.
Eli noticed Lauren as soon as Molly said it, so his arms immediately wrapped around her and he smiled down at her. “Thank you. I owe you one.”
Molly’s stomach did a somersault. “Anytime.”
Lauren approached them. “So I see you two are together.”
Molly released Eli and stepped to the side to face Lauren, keeping her arm wrapped around his waist. “Yeah, it’s hard to be professional in the workplace sometimes. I had to come give my man a hug.”
Eli gave her waist a squeeze. “Is there anything I can help you find, Lauren?”
Lauren looked him up and down and ran her tongue over her teeth suggestively. “Not at this time.”
Then she walked out of the store.
Molly stared after her, stunned. “That was…”
“Awkward?” Eli asked.
Molly only nodded. Her arm was still wrapped around his waist, and his was still around hers. She cleared her throat and stepped away from him. “I should get back to it.”
Eli’s eyes looked past her to the cafe before looking back at her. “Yeah. Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome.”
And before she could stop herself, she walked back to the cafe. Katie smiled at her as she walked over.
“Give me the details. Was Lauren mad?”
Molly shrugged. “I’m not sure. She basically eye-fucked him and then left.”
A look of disgust crossed Katie’s face. “Enough said. I don’t need more details.”
Molly giggled. Then she looked over her shoulder to catch Eli watching her with a small smile on his face.