Page 23 of Letters to Molly (Maysen Jar 2)

“Everything okay with the kids?” she asked.

My family knew that Molly and I didn’t do much anymore but talk about the kids. Our once-epic relationship had been reduced to conversations about pickups, drop-offs and the kids’ nights at her place versus mine.

“Kali and Max are great. I just need to visit with her about some schedule stuff.”

It was worth the lie. The truth would send Mom into a tizzy. She’d get her hopes up that Molly and I might reconcile. Worse, she’d get Poppy’s hopes up.

My sister had lived through enough heartache, so she didn’t need to be on the roller coaster that was Molly and me.

That ride had ended.

I pushed through the swinging door that separated the kitchen from the restaurant and found Poppy at her workstation, pressing circles of pie crust into miniature glass jars.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” She looked up, her hands covered in flour. “What are you doing here?”

I shrugged, sticking with the same lie I’d told Mom. “I had a slow morning at work.”

“Did you get breakfast?”

I nodded. “Mom fed me.”

Since the divorce, everyone’s top concern was my meals. Even though I’d taught myself how to cook—and pretty damn well—I was constantly given casseroles and frozen meals to reheat. It hadn’t gone unnoticed that they showed up the night before the kids were with me.

But the kids and I loved Poppy’s and Mom’s cooking, so I hadn’t put a stop to it.

“Is Molly here?” I asked.

“She’s in the office.”

“Thanks. I’m going to sneak back there.” Leaving her to the pies, I went to the office, rapping my knuckles on the door before going inside.

Molly was at the desk behind a laptop. Her eyes widened as I walked inside. “What are you doing here?”

I closed the door behind me. “Well, you kicked me out before we could talk this morning, so —”

“There’s nothing to discuss.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “It was a one-time lapse in judgment.”

“Yeah. I guess.” She was completely right, but her words didn’t settle with me.

I walked over to the wall Poppy had covered in corkboard squares so she could pin up a ton of pictures. I wasn’t ready to turn tail and leave this conversation, but I also needed a few moments because I had no idea what else to say.

Most of the pictures on Poppy’s wall were of her and Cole and their kids. There were some of me. Some of Molly. There were even a few from college, when Molly and I had been inseparable, when there hadn’t been a party we all hadn’t attended together.

When Jamie had been alive.

Damn, I missed that guy. I bet he’d tease the hell out of Molly and me for hooking up last night.

I wasn’t sure how Poppy could come in here and see his picture. It gutted me every time I saw his face and remembered he was gone. I still remembered his mother’s scream the night I’d called to tell his parents that their son had been murdered.

I forced my eyes away from a photo of Jamie sitting behind Poppy on a snowmobile. I scanned more photos, hoping Molly would be the one to break the silence.

I smiled at MacKenna’s and Brady’s faces. Even though she’d had a horrific few years, Poppy had made it through and was happier than ever with Cole by her side. With those two beautiful kids.

My smile dropped when I landed on a more recent photo. I hadn’t been in here for months, but now I wished I’d stopped in the back more often. The picture was of Brenna and me playing board games at Poppy and Cole’s place. It didn’t belong on this board.

Why would Poppy put that up on her wall? She hadn’t even liked Brenna that much. Maybe it was her way of telling me that she’d been trying to get to know my girlfriend.