Chapter 19
GREAT PERSON
The next morning, Molly rolled out of bed feeling more sexually frustrated than she had in her life.
And she needed someone to talk to about it.
So she did something she’d said she wasn’t going to do just yet, and she called Erika knowing that Mike was gone for the day.
She’d at least waited until she was showered and dressed, her stuff all packed for work for the day, and knew Erika might be making breakfast for the kids.
“Morning, sis. Are you going to tell me you went on a date or something?”
Her jaw dropped. “How did you know?”
“I was hoping,” Erika said. “You haven’t said much to me. I’m kind of sad about it, but I know there is more going on.”
“Did Ruby tell you?”
“No. I haven’t talked to Ruby in a few days.”
“Okay, I’ll catch you up. Don’t judge, please don’t judge.”
“Never. I’m hurt you think I would.”
She didn’t want that either. “Sorry. It’s just, I did something I never do and then it backfired on me.”
“What? It can’t be that bad.”
“It felt it after and now it might have been the best thing ever.”
She was twirling around the kitchen and was so thankful no one could see her.
“Now I’ve got to know.”
“I had sex with Dean on our first date last Monday. So eight days ago.”
“Molly Clarke? The woman who barely dates and I don’t know the last time you had sex, you did it on the first date? I mean Ruby said he was hot.”
“He is. And maybe that got in my head some. That someone like him was talking to me.”
“Stop. You’re a great person and he can obviously see that.”
“He’s totally not my type. Maybe I let that ride some too.”
“I’m not sure what you’re doing right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean it sounds like you’re trying to find a lot of reasons not to date him again but I think you went out with him last night, right?”
“Let me backtrack. We had sex last Monday afternoon. It was wonderful. Out of this world fabulous. He said he’d be in touch and I heard nothing all week.”
“Asshole,” Erika whispered.
“Sorry. Is now not a good time? I figured you were getting the kids ready.”
“They are watching TV. They ate and are ready. I’ve got time. No rush. But I still don’t like to swear too loudly. Those brats tell Mike on me.”
“Stop laughing so hard or they are going to know you’re guilty of something.”
“So true. It’s like they can sense blood in the water and tattle on someone.”
God, she wanted that in her life.
Always did.
She just never thought she’d get her own man and family.
Not that she wanted to get ahead of herself now either.
“It sounds like that way with Jonah too. That’s Dean’s son. He’s four. Dean talks about him a lot. He’s so sweet about it. Like you see this big hot dude and he’s got this soft side too.”
“You can get to that later. I want to know his reason for not reaching out for a week. Had to be a good one for you to give him another chance.”
“He showed up here on Saturday morning. I’m in old shorts and sweats, my glasses on and my hair in a messy ponytail. I’m rage cleaning and chocolate binge eating cookies off the tray out of the oven.”
Erika was roaring with laughter. “Welcome to the scorned woman’s club. Now you’re one of us.”
“Not something I ever wanted to be part of.”
Even if at times she had thought she did.
“Keep going.”
“There is a knock on the door and it’s Dean. I don’t want to open it, the oven buzzer is going off and he knows I’m in there and being charming on the other side. I get my cookies and cave and let him in.”
“Of course you did. That’s human. That’s natural.”
“I didn’t want to be mean. But I was hurt. I put myself out there, not that he knew how far I really had, but then he still ghosted me after we had sex. Last Monday after my date I went and had dinner with Mom. I mean if that doesn’t tell you what good mood I was in, I don’t know what does.”
“Okay, now that explains it. Mom was so excited that you went over last minute.”
“I figured I’d get it out of the way and she’d leave me alone for a bit. I haven’t heard from her in a week either and I’m fine with that.”
“You know how she gets. It’s like she has to put it on her calendar to make sure she talks or sees us in the right increments.”
“Glad to know it’s not just me,” she said. “But anyway, Dean tells me that everything just kind of exploded in his life. On Monday his sister showed up from out of town with no warning and didn’t leave until Friday. Some family emergency.”
“Did you ask what?”
“No. I felt that if he wanted me to know he’d volunteer it.”
“True. So that was his excuse to not even text?”
“Work was nuts, he was filling in, then he was honest and said that he hasn’t dated anyone since Jonah was born.
No relationships. He was happy, confused, twisted up, and needed time.
Maybe he used his sister being in town to take that time, but realized that he needed to see me again.
That what we had wasn’t over. He didn’t want it to be. ”
“And you bought that?”
Her shoulders dropped. Was she that much of a fool?
No. Nope.
Not at all.
Maybe she was reserving judgment some, but yesterday told her everything she needed to know.
“I did. And he wanted to take me on a date last night. He has Monday off, but I work. He had his sitter take Jonah and picked me up and took me to dinner. He brought me flowers and I had baked him cupcakes. We talked and I told him some about our family.”
“Wow, what did you tell him?”
“Just how Ruby came into our lives.”
“Oh, that Dad was dying and needed a donor and contacted his hidden child?”
She snorted. “Yep. He was shocked, but then I told him Ruby knew him. I felt I had to at that point.”
“What was his reaction?”
“Not much. He just asked what she’d said and I told him, it wasn’t much and she wouldn’t. I told him how Dad was to me.”
“You never say that to anyone.”
“I don’t. I think it’s because I was beating myself up over how I reacted to him ghosting me. I even gave him a hard time. Maybe I hoped he’d understand that it could have been a trigger for me.”
“Did he?”
“He showed up with flowers, Erika.” She hugged her hands to her chest. “No one has ever given me flowers. And it matched my outfit, which by the way was all my clothing and nothing new, but I wore a tight T-shirt with baggy pants. I didn’t hide the T-shirt under a sweater.”
“You go, you. I bet he liked what he saw.”
“He did. He said I looked fresh.”
There was squealing on the other line and she wondered why she worried Erika was going to judge her.
“That’s so sweet.”
“It was. We went to dinner, we talked. I don’t know the situation with Jonah and I wanted to ask. But I figured I opened up and he didn’t share, so maybe it’s just not the time.”
“Are you going on another date?”
“Yes. We returned to my place. I’d made spicy chocolate cupcakes for him. I’d done it at work. We each had one and he brought four home. We had them here with coffee and when he kissed me. Oh man. I mean I told myself I wasn’t having sex again. Like I didn’t want to be that girl again.”
“But you wanted it,” Erika said. “Admit it.”
“Hell yeah I wanted it. But the funny part was. I’m melting in his arms. I’m ready to lead him back to my room even though I said no, and he steps back and says he’s leaving.”
“Huh?”
“Yep. My reaction also. He said no sex. We are starting over.”
“Now that is very sweet.”
“Yep. And that is why I went from regret to longing. From hating the way I went about things earlier to knowing it’d never get us here if I hadn’t.”
“Good for you, Molly.”
“That’s right. Good for me.”