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Christ. I’ve never doubted Molly’s kind heart, but this gesture was more than a set of good manners.
“It was nothing.” Molly waves, an attempt to dismiss them.
“She’s a keeper.” Gigi winks at me. “We’ll let you get back to your lovely dinner. We just couldn’t resist coming by and letting you know how much we appreciate you.”
They scatter off, leaving us in an empty silence. The last remnants of the orange sky cascade across her face.
“That was really nice of you,” I say.
“They saved up for six years to be here,” Molly replies. “Everyone should have the opportunity to experience luxuries like this.”
“You know, you’d be terrific in hospitality.” I tilt my head toward her. “Have you thought more about the inn you mentioned when we first got here?”
“Oh.” Her eyes dart around, landing on Lolita, who is laughing with other guests several feet away from us. Molly leans across the table. “Honestly, I have.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I don’t actually like how inaccessible our resorts are. It hadn’t quite hit me until I spoke to Gigi, but it’s not right,” Molly explains. A sense of urgency coats her face. “Everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy the luxuries of On Cloud Nine. Maybe my inn could have similar offerings, but at an affordable price with a focus on sustainability. Is that too much?”
Wow. I want to kiss her again.I shake the thought from my head.Let’s keep this professional. She’s talking about her future.
Molly’s parents were trying to auction their daughter off to the highest bidder so they can make more money, and she’s worried about people having access to the grandeur her family’s business provides.
How is she cut from the same cloth?
“That’s a wonderful idea. An affordable inn with the offerings of a five-star resort. There’s certainly a market for it in this economy. Where would you want to open up something like that?”
“I’m not sure.” Molly slumps back into her seat. “I think it has to be in New York…I want to stay close to my friends and family.”
Hmm. “Have you thought about mentioning it to your parents?”
At the suggestion, she visibly freezes over. I shouldn’t have asked. I already know they kept her away from their hospitality conglomerate, but would it be so bad for her to turn to them for advice?
“I—I don’t want to,” Molly whispers. “I know it might seem silly when I have access to every resource imaginable, but I think I need to do this on my own, even if I don’t quite know how to purchase a property.”
That’s admirable. I promised I’d be here to help her as long as we’re together, and there’s no reason that can’t start now. “Have you heard of Zillow?”
“No, what’s that?” She takes another bite of pizza, the cheese stretching off of her slice.
“It’s a real estate website where you can look for homes and land. Kind of like…” I search my head for something she’d be able to relate to. “Like Sotheby’s.”
“Oh.” Molly perks up. “Okay, that’s cool. Maybe I can try to find my inn there?”
“Excellent idea. I can help you put together a business plan and break down your first few years of operating expenses.”
A smile pulls across her pretty face. “I’d like that a lot. Can we put something together when we’re back in the city? I’ll scope out a few places and start making a serious game plan.”
Her determination is so attractive. But come on, how could I not feel that for her when she’s got that focused wrinkle in her nose and a glimmer in her amber eyes?
I force a calming breath. “Sounds like a plan. Have you picked out a name already?”
Molly turns as red as the tomato sauce on her slice. “Um, yeah. I was thinking…The Griffin.” She looks up at me. “Is that cheesy?”
I can’t help but smile, and Molly mirrors me. “Not even a little bit.”
“Lovebirds, I don’t want to interrupt your beautiful moment of connection, but the rest of the class has left.” Lolita taps on our picnic table. I look up and notice the sky bleeding into darkness, stars appearing through the deep blue. The plates in front of us are empty, and the rest of the tables are desolate.
“Wow, time really flew,” Molly laughs, shooting out of her seat nervously. “We’ll get out of here.”
