She thought about it. Ever since she had left Denver, she considered what she wanted to do. Then, after Eli saw herdrawing and mentioned selling them, she had considered it even more. “I think I might want to do graphic design.”
“Oh yeah? I think that’s a great idea.”
She smiled. “I would need to go to school for it.”
“Maybe. Or you could be self-taught. Teach yourself how to do it or take online courses. Your work would speak louder than any degree. Or so I would think, anyway.”
It was something she had considered, but hearing Eli say it validated how she felt.
“That’s probably true. Thank you for saying that. I’ll think about it.”
He smiled warmly at her. “I’m always happy to help. In fact—” He got up and walked out of the room before coming back with a gift bag. “I got you something.”
He handed her the bag and took his seat back at the table.
“You got me something? Why?”
He smiled and shrugged. “Because I wanted to. Open it.”
She stared at it as if it were a foreign object. She had received gifts before, but only ever for Christmas or birthdays. Never had she gotten one “just because.”
Molly reached inside the gift bag and pulled out a rectangular box. She stared at the front of it and her mouth dropped open. Eli had bought her a drawing tablet. But not just any tablet, the best digital tablet on the market.
She closed her mouth and opened it again, wondering if she looked like a fish out of water. But perhaps she was. This was territory she had never been in before.
“You got me a drawing tablet?” Her eyes met his, and tears sprang to her eyes. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she’d ever meet a man who could know her so easily in such a short amount of time. She had only just told him about her idea of going into graphic design tonight, but he bought her the tablet after she told him it was a hobby.
She was overwhelmed with emotion, and the tears fell, but she hardly noticed them as she clutched the box in her hands.
He smiled and tilted his head. “I think it could really help you. I thought it might be fun to try, but now that you might go into graphic design, maybe this will help even more.” Eli stood and walked around the table, taking Molly’s hand and tugging her so she stood. She set the tablet on her chair and looked up at him.
“Is it okay that I did that?” he asked, his fingers swiping her falling tears away.
“Yes. Thank you. I’m just stunned and so grateful.” She stared up at him and whispered, “Thank you so much.”
His hands moved from her cheeks down to her neck, one slipping behind her head as he dipped his face to hers. Their lips met, and she immediately slid her arms around his neck.
His lips were soft, and as his tongue slipped between her lips, hers met his eagerly. After a moment, he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since the moment I met you,” he said softly.
“Oh, yeah?”
He tugged her closer. “Yeah.”
12
Eli smiled at Molly from across the store. She stood at the register helping a customer, but it was almost as if she could feel him staring at her. Her eyes gravitated to his, and she smiled back.
Then his vision was blocked by a brunette with blue glasses, who stepped directly into his personal space. “Hey, Eli.”
He took a step back to put some distance between Lauren and himself. “Uh, hey, Lauren. It’s been a while.”
He knew it had been too good to be true. Her not coming around for a few weeks was a fluke. At least now he didn’t have to pretend with Molly, not that he ever pretended. He had always liked her and wanted to be with her. But now it was official that they were together, so he didn’t have to worry about any potential awkwardness to follow.
Molly slipped under his arm, and he happily pulled her to his side and kissed the top of her head.
“Hey, Lauren. It’s been a bit. Are you here for coffee? A pastry, perhaps?”
