Chapter 10
Molly
It’s a gorgeous day, and the only way I could enjoy the walk more is if I was holding Collin’s hand.
A silly thought, since we’re not together. I’m going to have to keep reminding myself of that fact because a very stubborn part of me doesn’t seem to want to let it sink in.
Not together, Molly. Not. Together.
“How are those shoes working for you?” Collin asks, smirking down at my feet.
I couldn’t bear the thought of putting my cowboy boots back on, so Collin offered me a pair of flip flops. They’re at least five sizes too big, and I’m struggling not to trip over them, but my blistered feet are grateful.
“Better than the boots.”
I want to thank Collin again for taking care of my feet—and of me—last night, but the words dry up in my mouth. I’d almost rather not acknowledge my behavior. Talk about total humiliation. This man has officially seen me at my worst.
And he still hasn’t run away.
Yet.
He holds the door open for me. “After you, Molly-girl.”
I brush past Collin, and it’s silly the way I take a deep inhale to catch his scent. I’m acting like some kind of feral werewolf, trying to memorize the way he smells.
For the record, the way Collin smells reminds me of walking into the store in Austin where I bought my cowboy boots.
Leather, warm and comforting, but in Collin’s case, mixed with something spicy and masculine.
Of course, even his scent is irresistible.
My inner werewolf gives a little howl of approval.
You’re not together, Molly.
“You okay?” Collin asks, stepping close to where I’ve stopped just inside the busy diner. “You’re making a face like something grossed you out.”
Hardly. “I’m fine.”
“You’ll be better once we get some food in you. Morning, Nan!” Collin waves at an older woman balancing plates along her arms. She walks by with a smile, and I wonder if Nan is her real name, maybe short for Nancy, or if it’s because she has that whole grandmother thing going on.
“Good morning! Your usual table is open,” she says, tilting her head toward an empty booth near the back. Every other table and most of the seats at the counter are filled.
Though a few people wave and smile or call out greetings to Collin, only one group actually stops us on our way back to the table. It’s three older men, two with dark skin and one with sun-speckled white, all three with gray hair.
“This is Molly,” Collin says, and though he doesn’t give me the girlfriend title, I like not being introduced in relation to my brother for once. “Molly, meet Bob, Bob, and Bob. Otherwise known as the Bobs.”
Is he … kidding? Or is that some kind of acronym for something? Some kind of small-town private joke?
The men gloss over his introduction and offer me quick but pleasant greetings. I guess he isn’t kidding.
“Do you plan to hit up any of spring training?” one of the Bobs asks Collin. “They could use an extra set of eyes on those boys. Not sure about the team next year. We’ll be losing a couple of good seniors.”
Are these older men talking with such seriousness about … high school football? I’m guessing they are.
“I thought Pat was still helping coach,” Collin says, scratching his jaw.
“He is,” a different Bob says. “But they’d never turn away another Graham.”
“And you’ve got the training experience considering your fancy gym and all.”
Collin looks suddenly embarrassed. “Oh, I really don’t think—”
“Plus, you played football longer than Pat,” the first Bob says. “You’d be an asset. The boys would love to have you. What do you say?”
Rather than answer, Collin turns to me, his eyes communicating something I don’t quite understand before he hooks an arm around my waist, pulling me close.
Oh, are we playing this game again? I don’t mind in the least and lean closer, placing a hand flat on Collin’s chest. It’s nice for once to be helping him rather than the other way around.
The Bobs impressively manage to shoot their eyebrows up almost in unison, and I don’t miss the way they eye Collin and me, then exchange glances with each other.
Collin’s arm tightens around my waist. “It’s been lovely catching up, but I promised Molly the best breakfast in town.”
“Are you just visiting Sheet Cake?” one of the Bobs asks me.
“Um,” I say, unsure of how to answer, given my current confusing status.
“She just got a job with Brightmark,” Collin says. “You know, the production company.”
He sounds proud and looks at me like he’s showing me off. I don’t hate it. Not even a little.
That’s the problem with this whole situation—I like it all.
But, to beat the very dead horse, we’re not together. This is not real.
The job is real, sure. But the lie that job is based on is ballooning out into something monstrous. I’m building my entire existence here in this town predicated on a lie.
A lie we’re still perpetuating, considering Collin’s arm around my waist and the way he’s looking at me now. Which seems a little too sincere.
I take a step away, and Collin’s arm falls right along with his smile. “It was nice to meet you all,” I say, forcing a bright smile as I edge away.
Collin gives them a wave, promising to think about it, and follows me.
If he notices me being weird, he doesn’t comment on it.
I’m glad. Because we’re going to have to talk through this—that’s what he said we’d discuss over breakfast, after all—and I’m not even sure what to say.
Where to start. Where to end. What I want.
Actually, I think I do know what I want. Collin Graham tops my current wish list. He might be the only thing on it, now that I’ve secured a job that will allow me to stay.
But I cannot have Collin.
Can I?
He is single. And he’s been really great.
But what kind of relationship could we have after the weird, awful start we’ve had?
I mean, I roped him into being my fake boyfriend before I even recognized him—something I’m still embarrassed about.
Our brief time together includes him literally carrying me out of a bar, doctoring my blistered feet, and putting me to bed.
Though he hasn’t made me feel like a burden, that’s exactly what I am. A big one.
The woman who greeted Collin appears at our table almost immediately with two waters and two coffees.
“Thank you, Nan,” Collin says with a smile. “This is Molly.”
“Nice to meet you. I made an educated guess about the coffee,” she says, smiling as she sets a mug of coffee in front of me. “But if you don’t like coffee, I can get you something else.”
“This is perfect, thank you,” I tell her.
“And if you need the fancy creamer like this one here”—she gives Collin a playful glare—“I’ll have to get it from the back. Big Mo always keeps it on hand just for him.”
“Big Mo is the chef,” Collin explains. “If we’re lucky, he’ll bring out our food, and I’ll introduce you.”
Wow. Is this treatment because this is how it works in a small town, or is it because Collin is Collin Graham, Sheet Cake royalty? Either way, it’s both endearing and slightly intimidating.
“So, where did you two meet?” The woman gives Collin a sly look, and his eyes widen.
I jump in. Despite the fact that he was just acting like my boyfriend in front of the Bobs, he seems reluctant to claim me in front of this woman. “I’m Chase’s sister, if you know Harper and Chase.” It’s an educated guess, since Kalli knew them.
“Of course!” Nan says, her smile widening. “I can see the resemblance now that you mention it. What will you two be having this morning? Or do you need menus and a few minutes?”
“I think we’re ready. Do you mind if I order for you?” Collin asks me.
I’m probably in the minority, but I don’t mind a guy ordering for me. I’m not picky, and I hate making decisions, so it feels like a relief.
But I like even more that Collin asked before assuming.
“You said you had the perfect breakfast in mind.” I leave out the hangover part. “I have no allergies, and I like just about everything. But no jalapenos.”
If we were in Kansas City, I wouldn’t need to add the last part. But this is Texas. You just never know what Texans will add jalapenos to—even breakfast. While out to dinner with Harper in Austin the other night, I found myself picking sliced jalapenos off my mac n’ cheese.
“We’ll take two Howdy Sunshines,” Collin says, then grins at me. “Hold the jalapenos on Molly’s, please.”
“Coming right up!” Nan says, disappearing back into the kitchen.
There’s a long moment of silence left behind as Collin and I both take sips of coffee. The awkwardness surprises me, but maybe it shouldn’t.
Before yesterday, Collin and I barely knew each other. Now, we’ve been through a lot of unusual circumstances. I find myself longing for the comfortable ease I felt around him last night.
My memories might be a little fuzzy, but what’s very clear to me is how much I like Collin and how much I’d like to be liked by him.
If not romantically, at least as a friend. Though on my side it would be friendship with a heavy dose of crush feelings.
I set down my mug. “I have a serious question for you.”
All traces of humor leave Collin’s face. He suddenly looks exhausted, and I fight the urge to reach across the table and take his hand. It felt so easy yesterday, but today … I don’t know where we stand.
“Ask me anything,” he says.
Tempting. But I go with what I planned, keeping my face expressionless. “Why do Texans put jalapenos on everything?”
A laugh bursts out of him, long and loud. A tightness I’d barely registered in my chest loosens. A few people glance our way, but most people in the packed diner seem to be happily ignoring us. I relax into the booth, circling my hands around the warm mug of coffee.
“I was expecting a different kind of question,” Collin says, wiping his brow as though feigning relief. “An actually serious one.”
“I’m actually serious. Jalapenos don’t belong on breakfast, Collin.”