Chapter 14
Molly tapped her fingers on the counter as she stared out the window. The cafe was in a lull between the lunch and dinner hours. Katie had left to take a late lunch, so Molly was holding down the fort.
Lauren hadn’t been to the bookstore since she had been arrested.
She hadn’t been held for more than twenty-four hours before being released and told she couldn’t return to the bookstore after being trespassed.
They all wondered if she would come around, but apparently the law coming down on her had done the trick.
Jameson had filed restraining orders against her for both Molly and Eli. Between that and her winding up in jail, it seemed to get through to her that she needed to back off.
Molly sighed and reached for her purse under the counter, pulling out her tablet. Once in a while Eli would come visit her, but otherwise one of them was usually too busy to go see the other. It was rare when they both had a lull at the same time.
She powered it on and grabbed the stylus, looking over the design for the new website she wanted to pose to both Katie and Eli for the bookstore.
It had been ready for a few weeks, but she couldn’t bring herself to show them.
It felt deeply personal to show work she had done when she wasn’t even a professional.
Plus, she wondered if she had overstepped by redesigning their website without their permission.
“Whatcha doing?”
Molly jumped and spun around to find Katie leaning against the counter with a smirk on her face.
“Oh my gosh, Katie. I’m sorry. I was bored and thought I’d pull out my tablet to work on something.”
Katie waved a hand in the air. “I don’t care about that. What I do care about is what’s on your screen.”
Molly flipped the screen cover over the top of it. “Oh, uh, it’s nothing. Just doodles.”
Katie tilted her head, studying her.
Molly frowned at herself. She had every intention of showing it to Katie at some point, but here she was downplaying it. It was now or never. “Actually, it’s not. I want to show you something.”
“It’s about time,” Katie said.
Molly furrowed her eyebrows. “What?”
“It’s about time you showed me what you’re working on. You think I’m oblivious to you doodling on your breaks? I’m so curious and have been wanting to see, but figured you would show me when you were ready. But, girl, I’m running out of patience.”
Molly laughed. “Seriously?”
Katie held out her hands and beckoned for the tablet. “Yes! Now give it to me. I cannot wait another moment.”
Molly hesitantly handed the tablet over and then crossed her arms, as if that could protect her from potential criticism.
But she knew that was ridiculous. She didn’t need protection.
She knew her sketch was good. Molly had even researched how to create a website using all the elements she drew.
It was something she had dabbled in during high school and college, so she was already familiar with it.
While she knew it wouldn’t be easy to do, it was something she was willing to learn again.
Katie swiped her finger on the screen to view the different pages Molly had made. Molly fidgeted as she waited, but before she could hear what Katie thought, a customer walked in. She stepped up to the counter and smiled. “What can I get for you?”
While Molly made the customer’s coffee, she glanced over at Katie frequently, who had a smile on her face.
Then Katie motioned for Eli to come over.
Molly felt the heat crawling up her neck.
Eli had already seen her sketch of the bookstore, but she hadn’t shown him anything since.
Facing both of them at the same time was daunting.
Molly passed the drink off to the customer and thanked them for coming in before walking over to where Katie and Eli were looking at the tablet. They were whispering, and suddenly Molly felt self-conscious. She hadn’t given thought to the idea that they might not love it as much as her.
She tugged at the sleeves of her sweater and fidgeted as she waited for them to notice her. Finally, Katie looked up. She handed the tablet to Eli and took a step forward, pulling Molly into a hug.
Molly stood frozen for a moment, stunned into silence. Then she reacted and hugged her back.
“Um, does this mean it doesn’t suck?”
Katie pulled back. “Are you kidding me? This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. And to think you did that for us. It’s incredible.”
Molly’s eyes caught Eli’s, and he smiled brightly before stepping forward. He set the tablet on the counter and then his arms engulfed her.
“I told you that you’re talented.”
She smiled against him and held him tighter before releasing him. “I was thinking I could turn it into a website for you, if you’re okay with that.”
Katie and Eli exchanged a look.
“We are more than okay with that,” Katie said.
“I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about doing online sales, but I have thoughts for creating an online store for you to mail books around the country too,” Molly said.
Eli nodded. “I think it’s a great idea. I could package orders during lulls, and I’m sure Michelle could help if things get too busy.”
Katie clapped her hands together and bounced up and down. “This is so exciting! I can’t wait to see the final result!”
Eli smiled at Molly, and she couldn’t help beaming back. She planned to start building the website when she got home that night.