“Girl, that’s a good thing.”
“Yeah. It is.” Molly bit her lip. “So there’s this customer that comes into the store and basically throws herself at him. He’s getting fed up with it, and now his sisters are proposing I pretend to be his girlfriend to get this other girl to back off.”
“Shut up!” Becca said. “Molly, do it!”
“I’m worried it’ll complicate things, and I’m finally happy.”
Becca sighed. “I understand. But what would it all entail? Just some flirting at the store when she’s around?”
“Probably, yeah.”
“Well, that’s not that complicated. It’s not like you’ll be spending the night at his place.”
Molly flushed. Just the mere thought had her fanning herself. She couldn’t imagine actually being in his house… where he got naked and showered.
Okay, chill out, Molly.
“Did I lose you?” Becca said through the line.
Molly shook herself back to reality. “Oh, sorry. I got distracted.”
“You won’t be spending the night at his place, right?”
“What? No, of course not.”
Becca snorted. “Ah. You were picturing yourself at his place.”
Molly knew there was no use in denying it. “Sue me.”
Becca cackled. “God, I miss you.”
“I miss you.”
5
The next day, Molly tried to focus on work, but her eyes continually strayed toward Eli. The entire evening after talking to Becca, she had thought about pretending to be his girlfriend, but she couldn’t afford to lose this job if things didn’t work out. Aside from loving where she worked, she didn’t want to worry about creating enemies in the small town. In the short time she had lived there, it already felt like home. It felt more like home than Denver ever did.
She stood at the espresso machine, steaming milk. A steady stream of customers came into the shop all morning to get their caffeine fix before heading to work. Molly loved the morning rush. It reminded her of the chaos of the corporate world she grew up in, but this one had an end in sight. She always enjoyed being busy, but not to the extent of sacrificing her time day in and day out.
“It’s Molly, right?”
She turned around from the machine and smiled at the customer, whom she recognized as a regular. He had brown hair and piercing green eyes.
“Yes. Give me just a moment.” She poured the steamed milk into the espresso and made her best attempt at making a leaf before serving it to the customer. Then she turned back to him.
“Gavin?” she asked.
He smiled brightly. “Good memory.”
“You remembered mine. Seemed only fair.”
He leaned against the counter. “Yes, but I grew up here. I know everyone already, so learning one name isn’t a hardship.”
“That’s true. What can I get going for you?”
“An iced peppermint mocha would be great. Medium.”
“You got it.” She pulled out the cup and began making the order.
