Chapter 11
Molly sat at a table in the corner of the cafe while she took her break.
Katie was at the counter making coffee. They had gotten into a good routine of relieving each other at regular intervals.
Katie thanked her constantly for her help at the cafe, which was more than Molly could ask for.
Being thanked for doing her job was a foreign concept to her, and one she had grown to love.
She never thought she would leave her parents’ company, but one day she sat in her apartment and realized how exhausted she was.
Before she realized what she was doing, she was looking at job listings.
The post for the bookstore popped up. She had never been to Storyville, but she applied for the job anyway not expecting anything to come from it.
Molly immediately forgot about applying, but received a phone call only a few days later from Katie to schedule an interview. Her first time visiting Storyville was when she drove in for the interview. It was at that moment, she fell in love with the small town.
She sat with her notebook and sketched out an idea for the bookstore website.
They had a small one that displayed their hours and directions, but the presence wasn’t appealing.
She hadn’t said anything to Eli or Katie about it, but thought she might sketch out an idea to present them with in hopes of drumming up more business on the book portion, with the possibility of an online store.
“Hey.”
Molly looked up to find Eli smiling down at her. She smiled and leaned back in her chair, flipping her sketchpad closed. “Hi.”
Eli sat down across from her and leaned close. “So, I was hoping we could get together tonight. Are you free?”
“Yes, I think that would work. Which restaurant should we show up to this time?” Just the thought of going out for the sake of showing off to Lauren had Molly feeling sour. Even if she knew Eli wanted to be with her, and it wasn’t just because of Lauren.
“I was actually thinking about making us dinner at my place, if that’s okay.”
A smile spread across her face. It wasn’t just for the sake of showing Lauren they were together. This would be a private moment just for them.
“That sounds great.”
His smile matched her own. “Great. I’m looking forward to it.”
She watched him walk away, and she swore a permanent smile was glued to her face as she got back to work.
Molly knocked on Eli’s front door and smiled when he pulled it open only seconds later, as if he had been standing there waiting the entire time. She smiled shyly at him. Her nerves were through the roof. She wasn’t sure what to expect being at his place.
In the past, she was so busy with work that she didn’t spend a lot of time with her boyfriends. They typically worked in the same field as her, so they were just as busy. It was more like they were roommates or only dating on the weekends.
But with Eli, it was different. They had time to spend together. To get to know each other.
He pulled her into his arms and took a deep breath.
“Hey, beautiful.”
Warmth spread through her, and she wrapped her arms around him, melting any lingering hesitation. “Hi.”
He stepped back and held an arm out for her to step inside. “Welcome to my humble abode.”
She looked around the small living room as he shut the door behind her.
It was cozy with furniture that looked soft enough to sink into.
There were very few things hanging on the walls.
A large bookcase caught her eye. It was filled with books, with several more double-stacked in front and piles on top of the shelf.
“I see you like books.”
He snorted. “Crazy, huh? I’m sure that blew your mind.”
She giggled.
“Let me show you around.” They walked through the house, with him showing her the small kitchen off the living room and then walking down a hallway to the two bedrooms. The main bedroom was the only place with a bed, as the other room was used as an office.
“I like your place.”
He laughed. “I’m pretty sure it screams bachelor pad.”
She laughed with him. “It does.”
“I made us dinner. Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
He took her hand and led her to the kitchen, where he had spaghetti waiting. He dished up their plates and placed them on the small table in the dining room. “I’m not much of a cook, but I make a mean spaghetti.”
She took a bite and closed her eyes as the flavor hit her tongue and moaned. Italian was one of her favorite foods. She would never get tired of eating it. “This is perfect.”
He smiled and took a bite of his own.
Molly twirled her fork in the noodles. “Have you always wanted to run the bookstore?”
She had realized on her date that he was the one primarily asking questions about her life, and she hadn’t heard much about his background. Tonight, she would remedy that.
He finished swallowing before nodding. “Mostly. It’s all I knew. I grew up going there before and after school. I would help when they were busy or short-staffed. It never really left me with thoughts of doing anything else.”
“Do you think you would have wanted to do something else?”
He shook his head. “No. Reading has been a part of my life forever. I love it, and I love sharing books. I can’t really imagine doing anything else.”
She wished she had felt the same way about her parents’ company. Maybe she should have tried to pursue something else right out of school, but she always thought she had an expectation to take over the company, so she never allowed herself to dream of doing anything else.
“Did you ever want to do anything else?” His question startled her out of her thoughts.
“No. I never allowed myself to consider it.”
“And now?”
She thought about it. Ever since she had left Denver, she considered what she wanted to do. Then, after Eli saw her drawing and mentioned selling them, she had considered it even more. “I think I might want to do graphic design.”
“Oh yeah? I think that’s a great idea.”
She smiled. “I would need to go to school for it.”
“Maybe. Or you could be self-taught. Teach yourself how to do it or take online courses. Your work would speak louder than any degree. Or so I would think, anyway.”
It was something she had considered, but hearing Eli say it validated how she felt.
“That’s probably true. Thank you for saying that. I’ll think about it.”
He smiled warmly at her. “I’m always happy to help. In fact—” He got up and walked out of the room before coming back with a gift bag. “I got you something.”
He handed her the bag and took his seat back at the table.
“You got me something? Why?”
He smiled and shrugged. “Because I wanted to. Open it.”
She stared at it as if it were a foreign object. She had received gifts before, but only ever for Christmas or birthdays. Never had she gotten one “just because.”
Molly reached inside the gift bag and pulled out a rectangular box. She stared at the front of it and her mouth dropped open. Eli had bought her a drawing tablet. But not just any tablet, the best digital tablet on the market.
She closed her mouth and opened it again, wondering if she looked like a fish out of water. But perhaps she was. This was territory she had never been in before.
“You got me a drawing tablet?” Her eyes met his, and tears sprang to her eyes.
Never in her wildest dreams did she think she’d ever meet a man who could know her so easily in such a short amount of time.
She had only just told him about her idea of going into graphic design tonight, but he bought her the tablet after she told him it was a hobby.
She was overwhelmed with emotion, and the tears fell, but she hardly noticed them as she clutched the box in her hands.
He smiled and tilted his head. “I think it could really help you. I thought it might be fun to try, but now that you might go into graphic design, maybe this will help even more.” Eli stood and walked around the table, taking Molly’s hand and tugging her so she stood.
She set the tablet on her chair and looked up at him.
“Is it okay that I did that?” he asked, his fingers swiping her falling tears away.
“Yes. Thank you. I’m just stunned and so grateful.” She stared up at him and whispered, “Thank you so much.”
His hands moved from her cheeks down to her neck, one slipping behind her head as he dipped his face to hers. Their lips met, and she immediately slid her arms around his neck.
His lips were soft, and as his tongue slipped between her lips, hers met his eagerly. After a moment, he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since the moment I met you,” he said softly.
“Oh, yeah?”
He tugged her closer. “Yeah.”