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He could’ve sworn a hint of sadness flickered under her smile, but he dismissed it. He was probably projecting his own disappointment. Tomorrow. They’d have this talk again tomorrow, when she was feeling better and all would be right with the world again.
“A headache?” Hadley asked the next morning as she, Molly, and Ellyn walked down the sidewalk to Ellyn’s art studio to help her set up for the kids’ painting class that afternoon.
“Yes. A throbbing one right behind my eyes.” She massaged her temples for emphasis.
“And you left him there? On the beach?” Ellyn asked, taking as sip of one of Hadley’s coffee creations from her travel mug.
“I mean, technically he was still standing on the beach when I walked away, but it’s not like I deserted him. He went back to the party.” At least, she assumed that’s what he’d done. She hadn’t dared look back. She hadn’t trusted herself to keep going if she looked into his eyes even one more time. And she’d needed to go.
She took a sip of her own coffee, savoring the energizing velvety mocha. Coffee wasn’t going to solve all her problems, but it sure wasn’t going to hurt.
“But the rest of the wedding, the pre-headache part, was good?” Ellyn asked.
“It was really lovely. Claire was a glowing bride, and it was the perfect evening.”
A better description of the night would’ve been “magical,” but she kept that word to herself. She didn’t want to think about how enchanting it had felt to be held in his arms or how the air around them had seemed to sparkle with wonder, and she certainly didn’t want to try to explain it to anyone else.
“But did you dance with him?” Hadley shot her a knowing side-glance.
The same sparkles from last night rained through her like a tickertape parade at the mere mention of the dance, but she worked to keep her face neutral. “It was a wedding, wasn’t it?” She took a sip of her coffee and pretended not to notice the look Hadley and Ellyn exchanged across her.
“That sounds like a story we need to hear,” Ellyn said.
“Nope. There’s no story.” At least, not one they needed to hear, and certainly not one she wanted to tell. “We shared one dance. A single spin around the floor. That was it.” She held up one finger in case they needed more clarification.
Of course, that dance had been enough to change everything.
In the course of one song, everything had shifted. Suddenly, as they’d spun in time to the music, she’d realized she didn’t want to be friends with Grant. She wanted so, so much more.
She wanted to be his someone. She wanted to be the one who was there for the big moments. And the small moments. And all the moments in between.
And, for the love of all things holy, she wanted to finish that kiss.
She had no idea how it would work when they both went their separate ways at the end of the month, and for one glorious second, she hadn’t even cared. The world had just shifted, and she didn’t have to have all the answers yet.
“Only one dance?” Hadley said. “Too bad you couldn’t stick around for more.”
Molly sipped her coffee instead of commenting. It was because of the one dance that she’d had to leave. If she’d stayed, she would’ve kissed him. Even right now, everything inside her ached to be back in his arms and have him look at her the way he had on the dance floor. But that couldn’t happen.
Mateo had brought up a valid point. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Grant. She was much too familiar with the pain of heartbreak and would do anything in her power to protect him from having to experience that. Which was where she found herself in a pickle.
Molly wanted to continue seeing Grant. That had become crystal clear last night. But Grant deserved to have what his heart desired. If he wanted forever, she wanted to see him get his happily ever after.
The only problem was, Molly wasn’t interested in forever. In fact, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be up for that kind of commitment again. Sure, they could dive into something casual now—after all, kissing the man didn’t require a marriage proposal—but what happened down the road when he was ready for the kind of future she wasn’t able to give him?
“But you’re feeling better today?” Ellyn asked.
Molly offered the cheeriest smile she could muster. “Two Advil and a good night’s sleep always do the trick.” She only wished that prescription worked on matters of the heart too.
“Good to hear.” They stopped in front of the gallery, and Ellyn pulled her keys from her pocket. “You two wait here, and I’ll run around to the back door to turn off the alarm, then let you in.”
Ellyn jogged off around the corner, and Molly stepped closer to the window to admire the new sailboat sculpture on display. It was an interesting combination of whimsy and detail. Yes, any sort of sailboat triggered thoughts of Grant, and at the moment, those thoughts caused a small pang in her chest. But Molly pushed it aside and focused on the interesting aspect of the creation in front of her.
“I haven’t seen this piece before. It’s stunning.” She turned over her shoulder to gauge Hadley’s reaction, welcoming any excuse to focus on something other than her own personal drama.
But Hadley wasn’t looking at the window. Her gaze was on the empty store next door. There was a hint of yearning in her eyes
Molly stepped next to her friend, trying to imagine a busy coffee shop full of café tables and casual conversations. And Hadley in the middle of it. “You know, being the project manager of your own project might be a welcome change, and that’s not much of a leap. Maybe it’s time to create something you’ll get to enjoy instead of handing over the keys at the end of the project.”
