Page 21 of Reaching Ryan

Chapter Ten

Grace

The bang of the screen door draws my attention up from the Modern Bride magazine I’m flipping through, just in time to see Molly stomp her way across into the kitchen.

“What’s up, Moll?” I say, setting the magazine aside. Everyone else has migrated upstairs to ooh and ahh, over Mrs. Gilroy’s wedding dress. They’ve probably all taken turns trying it on and snapped a million pictures by now.

No, thanks.

Like I need to be reminded of what I’ll probably never get to have.

When Molly doesn’t answer me, I lean away from the table and throw up my arm to catch her, mid-stomp, and she stops short in front of me. “I asked you a question, Molly Grace. What happened?” I hate getting stern with her but I will if I have to.

“I was outside, tying the man’s shoe, and Grandpa came out and—” Her bottom lip starts to tremble and she clamps her mouth shut to keep from crying. When the worst is past, she lifts a fist to her face and knuckles away a few stray tears. “Grandpa says I have to go with him and Gran.” She aims tearful blue eyes up at me. “Do I have to? I don’t—”

“Yes.” I brush her hair out of her face and offer her a cheery smile. “It’s getting late and I think Gran and Grandpa had plans to take you to the zoo tomorrow.” They don’t—or at least they didn’t, but if they want me to back their play, it’s going to cost them. “So, you’re going to spend the night at the hotel with them.” I hold my fingers to my lips and give her a wink. “Shhh, it’s a surprise.”

Her lip stops trembling. “Do I get cotton candy?”

“Absolutely.” I’ll make sure of it.

The tears dry almost instantly. I lower my arm and she throws hers around my neck to press a set of sticky lips that smell suspiciously like artificial strawberries to my cheek. “Can you come with us?” she says, pulling back enough to look me in the eye.

“I can’t.” I give her a slow head shake. “I have some dumb grown-up things to do.” Like research pre-schools and summer college courses.

“Yuck.” She curls her lip up at me and drops her arms. I still haven’t told her we’re staying in Boston. “Want me to bring you some cotton candy from the zoo?”

“You better.” I poke her in the belly button and she lets out a high-pitched squeal. “Now do what Grandpa says before he changes his mind,” I tell her, giving her butt a playful swat when she darts past me. As soon as she’s gone, I aim my gaze past the open back door and through the screen to see my dad standing on the porch, talking to Ryan.

Neither of them looks happy.

Giving a quick check to make sure Molly is on the hunt for her sweater, I push my chair back and make my way across the kitchen, just in time to hear my dad say, “Stay away from her. She’s got enough on her plate with Molly without adding a broke-down soldier to the mix.”

Even as I beg the floor to open up and swallow me whole, I push myself forward and force my arm up to push the screen door open. “You made Molly cry.” As soon as they hear me, both of them clam up and aim guilt-ridden looks in my direction. Ignoring Ryan, I focus on my dad. “So, you and Mom are taking her to the zoo tomorrow. Cotton candy will be involved. And she’s going to feed the giraffes,” I say, barely able to push the words through my clenched teeth.

“We’re leaving tomorrow,” my dad says, shaking his head. “We can’t—”

“No worries, Mr. Faraday,” Conner calls from across the yard where he’s throwing darts with Patrick. “I’ll get your flight switched to Monday morning, no problem.” I have no idea how he heard us or how he’s going to manage to do what he just promised but I don’t bother to ask, I just keep glaring at my father until he finally relents.

“Okay.” He slides a quick, nasty glare toward Ryan before holding up his hands in surrender. “Okay—we’re taking Molly to the zoo tomorrow.”

I lift a finger and jab it at his chin. “Cotton candy and giraffes.”

He gives me an affirmative nod. “Cotton candy and giraffes.”

I look at Ryan. He’s watching the exchange with an odd mixture of amusement and annoyance. “You don’t have to worry about Ryan’s intentions, Dad.” I say it right at him before lifting my gaze to find my father’s. “He’s already made it perfectly clear that he has no interest in me, whatsoever, so you can stop trying to intimidate him.”

My dad’s eyes go wide and he shakes his head. “I wasn’t—”

“Yes you were.” My cheeks go hot as the shame of it finally sinks in. “But like I said, you don’t have to worry. Ryan isn’t interested in an undereducated, mostly unemployed, twenty-three-year-old, single mom like—”

Before I can finish insulting myself, Molly comes crashing through the screen door, sweater balled up in one of her sticky hands. “Ready to go, Grandpa?”

“Sure am, Molly-pop,” he says to her, holding his arms out to her without missing a beat, chuckling a bit when she takes a flying leap at his chest. He pulls her into his arms and lifts while she clings to him like a baby possum. “Let’s go get Gran and blow this pop stand.”

Chin resting on his shoulder, Molly gives me a smile and one of her newly perfected winks, letting me know our secret about the zoo trip is safe.

“Moll, Grandpa told me he’s gonna let you order chocolate cake and ice cream from room service after Gran goes to bed.” A sugar-mad Molly is a frightening thing but he deserves it after what he just pulled.

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