Chapter 17 #2
“All of that is for other people. What do you want, Molly?” Sadie asked.
“I want a break,” Molly said. “And I want the stove sink thing in my God-I-hope-they-drop-the-price new house.”
“When’s the last time you took a break?” Sadie poked further into her turn than Molly was pretty sure was allowed in this game.
“I take breaks all the time.” Molly tossed her hands to the side, which had the unfortunate consequence of sloshing a bit of her mimosa through the drinking hole of her beverage.
She lapped it from where it’d sloshed on her wrist before saying, “I sleep in every morning because it’s a little break I enjoy.”
“And because you’re up most of the night worrying about everyone else,” Sadie murmured. “Or working. Which is essentially the same thing.”
“I don’t like this game,” Molly announced.
“You’ll like it when we play it for someone else,” Rachel
said, sly like a fox, ready to go in for what she wanted. “That’s true,” Molly said, conceding the point. She
was always much more comfortable sticking her nose in everyone else’s business than she was doing it in her own.
Some things were just better left alone.
Her business was simply one of those things.
“Molly wants a real first date,” Rachel said. “The kind that doesn’t involve setting her guy up with someone else.”
“Nope. That’s not what Molly wants,” Molly countered.
Was it? Was that what she wanted?
“I think it might be,” Sadie added, looking at Molly with the intensity she probably used when evaluating someone for jury selection.
“Fine.” Molly shrugged. “I’ll call Dan.” She made gigantic eyes at Kaiya as though she tried to broadcast, dare me.
“You can’t.” Kaiya shook her head. “I licked him. He’s mine.” Her cheeks didn’t even turn the slightest shade of red at that assertion.
“You licked him?” Molly asked, jaw dropping. “You didn’t say you licked him!”
Also, yay! Kaiya was claiming Dan the Man as her own.
Yes, yes, yes!
“Yeah, well, I did. I enjoyed it. He enjoyed it. He’s mine now.” Kaiya crossed her arms like she was standing her ground.
“Fine.” Molly held up her hands—careful this time not to spill anything. “Dan’s off the market.” She couldn’t help it, she grinned. Huge. Loved this for her friend.
“Besides, we need someone you will absolutely not be tempted to set up with someone else,” April said.
“And we all know who that man is.” Sadie batted her eyes over the rim of her drink.
“Really?” Molly asked. “Do tell. Because I don’t know.” That wasn’t true—she knew. She just didn’t like that she knew. And she liked it even less that she actually considered it as an option.
This was not an option. Not at all.
“Your problem is that you are always looking for long-term,” Kaiya said, like she was the dating guru here. “Don’t think of this thing as long-term. Think of it as a free trial before you decide if you want to purchase the month to month, the yearly package, or the lifetime discounted version.”
“She makes a good point.” Rachel nodded. “We should all listen to her.”
“You’re married to Travis. You already bought the lifetime package,” Molly pointed out.
“Yes, I did. And I enjoyed the hell out of my free trial before I signed up for this one. Besides, I have the boys tonight.” Rachel nudged Molly’s purse toward her.
“I know you have your boys tonight; we made plans to eat dinner together,” Molly said.
“I’m just saying that Gavin probably doesn’t have plans,” Rachel said, like Molly was intentionally being dense.
“So, you just want Ollie to come over without me?” Molly asked.
“I figure he can come over and have dinner with us. I’ll still make pizza. It’ll be great. Everyone is happy.”
Ollie loved it when Rachel made pizza. She added a special herb and garlic seasoning to the crust that was to
die for.
“Will you save me a slice?” Molly should hedge her bets, just in case she needed to come back home to a novel and a glass of chardonnay. At least then she wouldn’t have to order her own sub-par pizza when she could have a slice of Rachel’s awesomeness.
“It’s like you don’t even know me.” Rachel pursed her lips. “Of course I’ll save you some pizza, silly.”
“In the interest of clarity—” Molly definitely needed this written in crayon because she was certain she was misunderstanding everything that happened after she sat down on the blanket at the park. “You, his ex, think that I should ask Gavin out on a date?”
Rachel nodded and gave a pointed glance to the purse that had moved a few inches closer while Molly wasn’t paying attention. “Your phone’s right there, chickadee.”
“Ask him out,” Sadie said, staring at Molly’s purse like she could open it with only her mind and X-ray vision.
“Ask him out,” Kaiya chanted with Sadie.
“On a date,” April added with the same tone as the other two.
“The genuine kind,” Sadie amended. “No fakey fake nonsense.”
“Because Sadie’s right.” April had no problem adding that little nugget.
Yes, they were still chanting all of this like a well-choreographed flash mob ready to dance right into her romantic life.
She reached for her phone, but then logic—thankfully—took over. She dropped her purse like it was on fire.
“I cannot ask Gavin out on a date.” Couldn’t and
wouldn’t were the same thing here. “It’s against everything I believe.”
“Is it, though?” Sadie asked, tilting her head to the side. “Because it seems to me you are the one who always believes that others should be happy, and yet here you are… unhappy. Take. The. Free. Trial.”
“I’m happy,” Molly insisted.
Am I, though? Maybe? Maybe not?
But that was for her to deal with alone when she finally addressed it.
“Okay, I’m going to ask Gavin if he wants to hang out. But only because it will further cement that anything real between us is a bad idea.” That made sense, right?
Yes, it made sense.
“Molly?” April asked as Molly’s thumb hovered over the screen, unwilling to actually follow through on what Molly’s brain was telling it to do.
“We just want you to be happy,” April finished. “What if this makes me miserable?” Molly asked.
“Then you’ll know,” April said, like she was sage with wisdom to toss around like glitter bombs at a strip club.
But April was right. Then Molly would know. Knowledge was good.
Wasn’t that a bumper sticker somewhere?
Molly: Hey! What are you up to tonight?
She really should’ve thought that out before actually pressing send. It wasn’t witty, and it wasn’t flirty.
Then again, this was Gavin. She didn’t need to be witty and flirty with him unless they were on the web show.
Gavin: …
“Dots,” she announced. “He’s typing something.” The dots disappeared briefly.
“He stopped typing,” April said, watching Molly’s screen right along with her.
“Maybe you should give him a little more. Maybe he thinks you want him to watch Ollie with his boys?” Sadie asked.
“But his kids are with Rachel. Why would I ask him if I know his kids are with Rachel?” This was a bad idea. Bad idea straight from the beginning. Her friends were full of bad, bad ideas.
“But he doesn’t know that you know, right?” Sadie asked, like this made sense.
“She usually knows where my kids are.” Rachel shrugged. “It’s kind of our thing. We know when and where and how they got there.”
“But he doesn’t know, right?” Sadie asked again. “True.” Rachel finally agreed with Sadie. “He doesn’t
know that I would’ve told you, so you know. Actually, he has no idea what you know. So go forth and act as though you don’t know.”
“I have no idea what this conversation even means.” Molly would just change her number and move.
“Clarity, girl.” Sadie lifted her eyebrows. “Give him some clarity.”
Molly: Was thinking maybe you might like to get together.
There. That was clear. Clear like a freshly cleaned glass window.
Gavin: …
“More dots.” Molly scowled at the chat bubble when it disappeared again without delivering even the slightest message.
That’s it. She was going rogue.
Molly: Unless you’re busy.
There, now it would not sting so badly if he said he wasn’t interested in anything but their agreed upon and required meetings. Dates. Whatever.
Gavin: …
“Oh my gosh, more dots.” Molly flopped back on the grass, willing the earth to open up and swallow her.
To hell with this. She was a dating guru—she knew how to ask a guy out. To be clear, this was not how to do it.
She’d just pivot. They could get together and talk about the gala. Make the plan. The event was black tie, and she’d never done black tie before, except at weddings. But that was totally different. And even then, black tie wasn’t mandatory.
Molly: I get it if you’re busy. Was just thinking we have lots to talk about before the gala.
Just in case he was worried about her taking up too much of his time.
Gavin: …
Dots. More dots. She was going to die on a hill of dots.
Molly: We could meet someplace simple like the coffeehouse? You can bring a book, just in case?
Yes, good job, Molly. That didn’t sound desperate. Come, hang out with me to discuss the fact that I’ve never been to a black tie event, maybe make out, and if it’s not fun, you can just bring a book?
Bonus, perhaps I’ll set you up with a woman who you’ll really enjoy being with.
Gavin: …
Molly: This is Molly. I forgot to say that.
Duh, he knew it was Molly. He’d texted her before.
They’d texted each other. Way to go, Molly. “I’ve got dots.” Molly waited. More dots. The dots disappeared.
Kaiya’s phone, however, dinged.
She grabbed it, then she cackled. That’s the only way Molly could think to describe the sound that came from her mouth.
It wasn’t a laugh. It wasn’t a snort. That was most definitely a cackle.
“What in the world?” April asked, obviously as confused as Molly about whatever made Kaiya’s screen so much more interesting than hers.
Actually, this was good. She could just put her phone away and they could focus on Kaiya for a while. Maybe Dan proposed via text and then they could all plan another wedding and forget about Molly’s lack of a love life.
“Holy crap.” Rachel read over Kaiya’s shoulder.
She wasn’t being snoopy, that wasn’t Rachel’s way. Kaiya was holding it so she could see while she tapped out something on the screen.
“You think that’s the right one?” Rachel asked. Kaiya nodded. “I’m sure.”
Molly focused on the three dancing dots as they stopped and started and stopped again.
Yes, whatever was happening on Kaiya’s cell screen was way more interesting than her own. She should just get in on that and forget about the wreck of whatever she’d just done with Gavin.
“What is going on over there?” she asked.
Rachel bit her lips together and gave a subtle headshake. “I can’t tell you.”
Kaiya continued typing on her screen. Sadie glanced over her shoulder.
Then the sound Sadie made was like a surprised giraffe had read a particularly funny comic strip. Seriously, that’s the best way Molly could describe that sound.
What was going on with her friends? “I’m going to tell her,” Sadie announced.
“Tell me what?” Molly scooted closer to her friends. “Gavin asked her what emoji was appropriate in this
situation,” Sadie said, holding her palm over her mouth. “Are you kidding me?” Molly’s entire body went still. “I cannot believe you actually took him as a student.”
Sadie shook her head at Kaiya.
Kaiya continued typing. “I took pity on him after the whole thumbs-up thing.”
Then what the hell was she saying to him that was making Molly’s dots go on and off and on and off?
Molly looked at her screen. Well, off. Her dots had completely stopped dancing.
This stunk. Dating sucked. She should just go do something else with her life. Maybe she could give advice to other mothers like April did. April gave tips to stay calm; Molly could give tips about how to retrieve Skittles from their kids’ noses.
Seemed like a good idea.
Then the group of women moved from Kaiya’s cell to Molly’s in unison.
“Gavin has never been a fast typer,” Rachel said while they all waited.
“He’s just taking his time to be sure it’s right,” Kaiya insisted. “He’s got this.”
“What did you tell him to say?” Molly asked, supremely leery of anything they could’ve actually told him.
“I can’t tell you that.” Kaiya frowned. “It’d violate trust.”
“Whose side are you on?” Molly asked, hoping that she wasn’t wrong and Kaiya was still on Molly’s side if there was ever a need to actually pick sides in this mess.
“I can tell you.” Rachel popped her hand up like she was at school, sitting in the front row of class.
Before she could say anything, though, Molly’s phone chimed.
Gavin: Would enjoy that. Sounds good.
Uh.
“C’mon, Gavin.” Kaiya was so antsy, she swayed from side to side. “Just like I told you.”
Molly’s phone chimed again.
A cinnamon roll emoji and…Molly glared at Kaiya.
There was a droplet emoji, too.
Kaiya seemed to have a need to explain, saying, “There’s not an actual emoji for mois—”
“Don’t even finish that word,” Molly said, but she couldn’t help the lightness in her chest.
“So is this a date?” she asked the group. It felt like a date.
Except all she’d done was ask Gavin if he wanted to get together to talk about black tie.
This wasn’t a date. No. Not a date at all.
“Aren’t you the dating guru?” Sadie asked. “Shouldn’t we be asking you that question?”
“Maybe I should ask Gavin?” Molly wondered. Yes.
That’s what she should do.
Molly: Is this a date?
Gavin: …
All eyes moved to Kaiya and her cell.
It didn’t ding, but Kaiya still stuffed her phone in her purse. “He’s on his own with this one.”
Molly’s phone chimed.
All eyes were on her screen. Including hers.
Gavin: Do you want it to be?
Molly: That’s why I asked you out. So it would be a date.
Gavin: Then sure. Date it is.
He sent the last message with a brick emoji.
“What the heck?” Molly asked, looking to Kaiya for some clarification.
Kaiya scrunched her forehead together. “I don’t know that one. Maybe it’s a mistake?”
Gavin might not know that the thumbs-up could also be taken a totally different direction, but she was pretty certain—and she didn’t quite know how she was so certain—that he meant whatever the brick thing was.
Tearing her down or building her up?
Dang. Or breaking a window? Planting some succulents around a fire pit?
Or maybe his thumb just slipped, and he put the wrong one in there?
Molly didn’t know because, ha, funny thing—now that she had some clarity, she was even more confused.