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I nodded. "No work friends then?"
"I'm not the type to hang out with people from work. I see them enough as it is."
"That's fair," I said and Marlene returned to take our orders. I got a western omelet with a side of home fries and Jake ordered oatmeal. Who goes out to eat and orders oatmeal?
After Marlene left, Jake cleared his throat and looked at me. "So, tell me about you. Where are you from? What is your family like?"
He made it sound like items on a checklist. I wanted to laugh, but for his sake, decided to mask it. I'd teased him enough.
"My family is great. I have a little sister, Sam, who lives back with my parents back in Sedona. She just graduated from UA, where I also went. My parents are kind of like sensible hippies if that makes sense."
He laughed. "I can see it."
"They're awesome. Super supportive and super annoying. They've always wanted me to move back.
"Why'd you leave? I mean Sedona and Sycamore Valley are total opposite."
I sipped my coffee, grimacing and adding more cream to it. "Long story. Not really first date material. Tell me about you?"
"Not much to tell. Born and raised here, went to college a few towns over like everyone else around here. Married my high school girlfriend, had a baby, but, uh—” his voice took on a strange quality, almost like interference in a microphone. “My wife left, and the rest is history."
"Wow, I wouldn't say that's nothing. There's a lot of pretty major life events there," I said, hoping he would tell me more about his ex-wife. In all my time here, I knew little about her other than she seemed to have left a bad taste in everyone’s mouths.
"Maybe, but it's in the past. And not first date material either."
"Touché." An awkward silence settled between us, I could feel both of us putting up walls and I suspected we each had good reason for keeping the other out.
8
JAKE
I insisted on covering the tab despite Molly's protests for splitting the bill. A silence hung between us, and I racked my brain for benign small talk to fill the space. Molly seemed to handle this all so easily, but I was barely treading water.
She didn't seem to mind, though. As we rolled through town, Molly gasped, practically bouncing in her seat as Sybil Duncan and Kirk Buchanan strung up a banner announcing the return of Movies in the Park.
"Oh, we are SO going to the showing of Rear Window tonight!" she enthused, clapping her hands. "I can't believe I almost forgot. Oooh, I hope they have the one with the trivia and a costume contest before the movie."
Her eyes shone with such childlike excitement; I fought the urge to laugh out loud.
"A Jimmy Stewart obsessive, are you?" I managed wryly.
She swatted my shoulder. "Um, first of all it's Grace Kelly's best role. Second of all, it's an amazing thriller!"
"Fine, fine," I said, biting back a true grin now. "I suppose surveying the town peering through binoculars does fit your lack of boundaries."
Molly huffed in mock offense, but her eyes continued sparkling. "Oh, hush, you old fuddy duddy! Besides it'll look more like a real date than groceries and brunch at the diner. We need to keep up appearances..." She winked slyly, sending an unexpected zing through me.
I sighed loudly in exaggerated resignation. "Well played, Miss Sinclair. But I draw the line at costumes!" We both chuckled, and the remaining tension I had felt left me. Molly had a strange way of putting me at ease.
We arrived back at my house and parted ways. I kind of missed having her around once I was back inside and alone. But that was crazy. I shook it off and busied myself unpacking the groceries before checking in with Hailey.
Hails always had a hard time making and keeping friends. This year was the first year it seemed like maybe she had made some real friends and I hoped for her sake I was right. Kids could be mean and no matter what I did to protect her that was something I just couldn't prevent. In the past, some girls in her class had learned, presumably from their loud-mouthed parents, that Hailey's mom walked out on us. Kids could be so mean and not ever realize the depth of their cruelty. Fortunately, Hailey seemed to take things in her stride.
She checked in about a half hour later and I was relieved to hear she was having a good time.
Intent on occupying myself, I spent the afternoon tackling yard work. Now that it was May, the lawn needed tending and my hedges needed trimming. The flower beds were mostly perennials, so they were already busy doing their thing.
Soon rivulets of sweat dripped liberally from my brow, the tang of earthy mulch and freshly mown grass perfuming the air. I had just put the mower in the garage when Molly came out in a sun dress and cardigan, holding two glasses of what looked like lemonade.
