CHAPTER ONE
MOLLY
Of all the things Molly Princeton understood for certain, there was one thing in particular she had no doubts about—a woman was only as confident as her underwear.
For real, she’d ask anyone to hear her out on this point. A girl could always spit shine the outside, but it was what lay underneath that told the true story.
This was the reason she generally wore lace.
Lace, unfortunately, that no one but herself ever saw. She sighed, a disappointed sigh that came from deep within the soul.
Today, however, her life theory was thrown into a bit of a pickle, seeing as she wore no underwear at all.
The no undies thing? Not her fault.
Well, maybe a little her fault. She was the one who had forgotten to pack undies that wouldn’t show through the silk sheath dress her bestie Rachel had picked out for her as the maid of honor at her wedding.
A wedding in the total boonies where there was no Nordstrom’s or even a Walmart to grab something that wouldn’t leave a panty line. Thus…she might as well join the Army because she was commando.
“Let’s ask Kaiya. I bet she has a whole new package,” Rachel said, looking up to the vaulted ceiling of the bedroom they were using to prepare for her fast-approaching wedding.
Her makeup artist applied a touch of jawline shadow before moving on to the powder foundation.
“Or you could just take me up on my offer.”
Nope. Nuh-uh. Molly had a firm don’t share underwear rule.
“I’m not asking Kaiya. I’m not asking anyone.” Molly said. Her issue was hers alone. Unfortunately.
And, really, it wasn’t a big deal. The dress Rachel had picked for her, in a gorgeous blue silk, kissed the carpet, so no one was going to see up her skirt, anyway. Even with a gust of wind.
Molly’s bestie and the bride-of-the-day did not need to concern herself with Molly’s undergarment situation.
She really shouldn’t have said anything.
Except they usually shared everything with each other, and she’d vented to her friend about her ability to forget something so important.
But perhaps this might even be the change she needed to get out of the rut her dating life had been in for the past nine years. Of course, no one knew how deep the rut had become. No one except Rachel, who wouldn’t ever say a word about it. Best friend code, and all that.
No one could know.
Molly gave dating advice on a popular YouTube channel as her profession.
Good dating advice, given the number of wedding invitations she’d collected from those who had used her tips in the past. Enough viewers tuned in regularly that she was able to pay her bills with sponsorships, and a few years ago had given up the nine-to-five office gig she had always loathed.
“Kaiya always brings spares of everything.” Rachel turned as the makeup artist adjusted her angle. “Brand new spares for just this kind of emergency.”
This was true. Kaiya brought extra of everything. For everyone.
She was their prepared friend.
Also, their multi-level marketing friend.
Kaiya discovered this skin care system when she was traveling through Eastern Asia, visiting her family there, and, honest to God, it was better than lace underwear that didn’t show through silk.
Kaiya brought the system to the States and sold the heck out of facial creams and serums. Rumor had it, they’d be branching into color cosmetics soon, too.
“I shouldn’t have said anything,” Molly said. “You’ve got other things to worry about other than my inability to remember important clothing items.”
“I,” Rachel said with a huge grin, “am not worried about anything. I have Evelyn for that.”
Evelyn was Rachel’s soon-to-be, and also former, mother-in-law. It was complicated.
“I love Evelyn,” Molly said. This was true. What she’d give to have someone with the persistence of Evelyn on Team Molly. They could move mountains together.
Rachel already knew what that felt like. The Evelyn thing.
“You only love her because you’ve never had her as a mother-in-law.” Rachel raised her eyebrows. “I happen to know all her quirks. Fake cat included.”
“And you don’t love her?” Molly asked. The fake cat Evelyn always talked about in lieu of her emotions was brilliant as far as Molly was concerned.
“Oh, I love her,” Rachel assured. “She wouldn’t have it any other way. But I still can’t believe I’m signing up for this again.”
And, willingly.
Mmm hmm, Rachel was marrying the brother of her ex. Some might think that was unconventional. Molly held a different opinion. She’d seen the spark from the beginning. Thus, this wedding was not a surprise, not to her.
Besides, Gavin—Rachel’s ex—was very…unappealing. Yes, that was a good word for him. The perfect word.
Molly absolutely understood why Rachel had ditched him.
Though ditched might be an extreme assessment.
There was no ditching. Their relationship had been like a wet sparkler: the fizzle at the end was spot on, but they’d never really had that initial blaze to push them through for any length of time.
Oh, for sure, Gavin was very attractive—in the carnal sense. Broad shoulders, black hair he kept just long enough to touch his ears, and a face that would make even Calvin Klein want to pan up from the boxer briefs, just to glimpse perfection.
But he was a nonstarter. The kind of guy who was perfectly pretty, but that was about it.
“You look like you’re thinking about Gavin,” Rachel said with a laugh. “Or you accidentally ate a bug.”
“Well, I was. The Gavin part, not the bug, ew.” Thinking of Gavin always made Molly’s mouth pucker like she’d indulged in one of her eight-year-old son Oliver’s Sour Patch Kids gummies.
“While I appreciate your commitment to me”—Rachel closed her eyes as the artist applied eyeshadow—“I have to remind you that Gavin’s not a bad guy. Be nice to him today. Please.”
The bad guy thing? That was debatable as far as Molly was concerned. She dropped her shoulders, shook them out.
“Best behavior.” She made a cross over her heart. Rachel rolled her eyes.
Fine, Molly hadn’t liked how he relied on Rachel for everything regarding the care of the two kids they had together. Their boys were best friends with Molly’s son, Oliver.
Yes, recently, Gavin had stepped up. Molly was required as a human being with eyeballs to notice. She was not, however, required to forgive him for the years he had slacked.
Molly didn’t appreciate slacker baby-daddies—seeing as she had one of her own and understood first-hand how hard life could be on a single mom. Exhaustingly hard. Frustratingly hard.
A small child-support check every month didn’t take that hard away.
“He’s been amazing about the wedding,” Rachel continued. “And he didn’t have to be.”
No, he didn’t. He could’ve made the fact that Rachel had fallen in love with his brother a whole thing, and he hadn’t. Point in his favor. That made it, what? Like, two points? Out of a billion?
“I’m glad that the wedding thing hasn’t caused a rift,” Molly said, because she was relieved that Rachel was well on her way to forever future happiness and a wedding that would be worthy of every magazine spread.
She wanted that for herself—forever future happiness, not the princess wedding. Though she wouldn’t object, it’d never been part of her happily ever after dream package. Truly, most of her life wasn’t part of that dream package. She rolled with it.
Even the fancy maid of honor treatment she’d received from the makeup team and the designer gown had been princess worthy.
The hair stylist had gone above and beyond with Molly’s unruly black curls.
She’d wrangled the beast of a mane into submission, and it actually looked…
good. Half pinned up, half falling over her shoulders.
She’d really wished she’d made time to go to one of those spray-on tan places so the difference between her dark hair and oh-so-pale skin wouldn’t have been so in-your-face.
There hadn’t been time. And the good places charged a lot. And Ollie had needed new cleats for baseball.
“I want to hear all about you and Cam the Man.” Rachel drew out the name of Molly’s wedding date.
Sort of date. They hadn’t travelled to the location together—he was good friends with the groom, so he was attending anyway.
Given that the wedding was a small affair, and he knew Molly from Little League practice where he was one of the coaches, it made sense that they agreed to attend together.
Sit together at dinner. Avoid awkward small talk with other people. All that.
She’d agreed to his suggestion without hesitation, even though her track record with first dates was more than a bit of an issue.
“I haven’t even seen him yet.” Molly willed a spark to flash when she saw him today. The sparkler kind with lots of fizzy firework attraction.
Up to this point there had been no voltage between them. But he was a handsome guy, and he liked kids, and she was getting a touch desperate. Who trusted a dating advice guru who never went on more than a first date because she always found a better match for her guy than…well…herself?
“I like him.” Rachel waggled her blonde, perfectly threaded brows. “I think there’s something special about the way he looks at you.”
Wouldn’t that be nice? Molly scraped away the hope bubbling up and pushed it aside.
“Maybe.” Molly could really go for something special in her life.
Perhaps the no panties thing might just be her ticket out of her rut. Change things up underneath and it would shine through to the surface.
She should mention that in her video series next week.
Maybe Cam would give her lots of ideas to work with.
Uh-huh. Today would be different. Dear God, please let it be different.
“Do you need anything?” Molly asked.