Lay his heart at the feet of a woman who could easily crush it underfoot? Who didn’t even trust him and had no intention of staying in Harlot’s Bay?
Karl laughed in Matthew’s misguided face. “Hell, no.”
“Ah.” His best friend turned to his wife. “Athena? Do you have anything to say?”
Karl’s eyeballs rolled so far back in his head, he almost lost them. “Of course she does. That woman loves three things above all else.” He ticked them off on his fingers. “Tubers. Useless information. Not minding her own damn business.”
“What about me?” Matthew asked, smiling slightly. “Where am I on the list?”
Karl lifted a shoulder. “Maybe you rank above tubers. Probably not, though.”
That was a lie. They all knew it. Karl might frequently issue violent threats, but Athena? For all her good cheer and kindness, she’d fuckingobliterateanyone who hurt Matthew.
“Luckily, I don’t have to choose between you and potatoes, baby. Consider yourself fortunate.” Athena grinned at her husband, then twisted to face Karl. “Here’s what I’m wondering, Special K. You say she doesn’t trust easily. That she’s cynical. Right?”
Did they really need to restate the entire point of this conversation?
He heaved an impatient sigh. “Yeah. That’s why I’m here, Greydon. Talking. Like a fucking chump.”
“Hmmm.” Athena’s head tipped to the side, and she eyed him contemplatively. “Do you think her lack of trust is due to something about you in particular? Or simply general wariness around others? Maybe because of bad past experiences?”
One thing Karl now knew for sure about Molly: The bastard she’d married had damaged her. Karl had guessed that much already. But until earlier today, he hadn’t known how deep the injury must’ve been. Hadn’t known that hearing the full story would tempt him to track that dick of a doctor down and shove himheadfirst into a shark-filled moat. Or at least into a cake, the same damn way Rob had done to Molly.
“Won’t violate her privacy, but...” His hands ached, they were fisted so hard on his thighs. “She’s got an asshole user of an ex. Divorced two years, but he’s still hassling her. Wants her house.”
Athena pressed her lips together. “That’d certainly give someone trust issues.”
Karl wasn’t Dearborn’s former husband, though. Why couldn’t Molly see that? For that matter, why couldn’tAthenasee it?
“Her ex—shit. Hold on.” Sitting up straight on that marshmallowy couch took some real effort, but he managed to heave himself upright and start again. “Her ex is a selfish, heartless prick, yeah, but I’d lop off my dick with my cleaver before hurting her, and she damn well knows it.”
Athena’s brow creased.
“Knowing something intellectually and knowing it in your bones, in your heart... those are two different things, Karl.” Her voice was gentle but emphatic. “And just to be clear: You wouldn’tdeliberatelyhurt her. But you might do it by accident, because you’re both human, and people hurt each other even when they don’t intend to. Even when they’re in love.”
She waited for him to take that in, much as he didn’t want to.
“I get that Molly’s distrust hurts your feelings.” She held up a hand when he began to protest. “Please don’t insult us both by pretending your heart isn’t essentially a Cadbury Creme Egg. Hard shell. Gooey innards. Very sweet.” She paused, then added under her breath, “Albeit somewhat off-putting to many and widely unavailable at most times of the year.”
He glared at her. But he didn’t argue. “You hungry, Greydon? Sound hungry.”
Because he’d brought some potato bread for her—along with a few of Matthew’s favorite orange-caramel crunch scones—despite knowing she’d hug him when he tossed her the freshly baked loaf.
Or, possibly,becauseshe’d hug him. Though he’d rather rip out a toenail than admit that.
“Yep.” She beamed happily at him. “And I already saw what you have in that bakery bag by your feet, so don’t bother trying to escape me once this conversation is done. Resistance to my grateful embrace is futile.”
He supposed the Borg were nosy and information-obsessed too, what with that hive-mind shit. Probably less fond of spuds and hugs than his former employee, though.
“Anyway, here’s my point.” Her bright smile softened again. Turned sympathetic. “I understand how you’re feeling and why you’re feeling that way. You know you’re trustworthy. She’s not recognizing that as quickly as you’d hoped, though, and it stings.”
Even an uncommunicative bastard like him knew what came next.
“But?” he prompted.
“But... maybe she just needs more time, Karl,” Matthew said quietly, and Karl turned his attention to his best friend of over thirty years. “She’s been back in Harlot’s Bay—back in your company—for less than two weeks, after twenty years apart. Also, I’m not entirely certain Molly’s ex is the full story here.”
That last bit was clearly leading somewhere. Too bad Karl had no idea where the destination might be.
