Page 68 of Molly's Mr. Wrong
But...she rifled through the pages, recalling how lost she’d been when she first started the life plan book...maybe trust didn’t only involve another person. Maybe she needed to trust herself—trust that she could have fun, as Finn had suggested, and not lose herself, or her heart, in the process. It didn’t need to be an all-or-nothing deal. She could cut loose. Date a little.
Trust herself not to slip into a Blake situation.
Her strict parameters had been utterly necessary when she’d first started healing her life, but now that she’d moved forward and gained her confidence back, maybe theywerea little too strict.
Surely there had to be a way to address her very natural needs without losing herself in the process.
Molly reached for the pen lying next to the grocery list and turned to the page where she’d listed her goals. She hesitated, then put the pen to the paper and wroteHave a little fun.
* * *
MOLLYSEEMEDPREOCCUPIEDduring class, teaching with a brisker style than usual, but a couple of times she caught Finn’s eye and it seemed as if she relaxed a little. Then Denny or Mr. Reed would ask a question and she fell back into all-business mode. The result was that Finn had no idea what the aftermath of their last conversation was. Whether she was going to give him a wide berth, and whether she was going to loosen up a little. He was shoving his notebook and folders into his old backpack after class had ended when Molly approached his desk.
“Can I speak to you before you go?” she asked in her cool teacher voice.
“Sure.” He had to admit that he loved her cool teacher voice.
She glanced around to see if anyone was close enough to hear, but the class was emptying rapidly, with the exception of Denny, Mr. Reed and Martha, who always took their time. “I’ve given your suggestion some serious thought—the one about having some fun.”
“And...?”
Her mouth tightened again and she shot a glance over at Denny who was eyeing them as if he was looking for some kind of infraction to report. “Maybe I should talk to you later.”
She was worried about Denny? Really?
An idea hit him. “Hey... Dylan and Jolie are coming back earlier than expected and we’re going out on Thursday night. Why don’t you join us?”
This time Finn glanced at Denny, who seemed to be taking a longer time than usual to pack up. In fact, the guy was barely moving.
“Are you waiting to talk to Molly?” Finn asked.
Denny gave him a dark look. “No.Iunderstand the assignment.”
“Well, I don’t,” Finn said easily, before turning back to Molly. Actually it was a lie, because for once the stuff she presented made perfect sense. “Thursday at McElroy’s.”
“Just a casual thing, right?”
“No. An orgy.” Her lips twitched at the corners, as if she were fighting a smile. “Yes, casual. All you have to do is relax and enjoy my pretty face.”
Molly leaned closer to him “You’re a jerk,” she whispered pleasantly.
“I try.”
It was then that he noticed that Denny really was watching them closely while pretending to pack his stuff. He worked up a frown. “Okay. I’ll look up subordinate clauses when I get home, but I don’t think I ever learned about those.”
He looked over at Denny as he spoke just a little too loudly. Molly rolled her eyes.
“Do that. I promise they exist.”
He knew they existed because he’d learned about them the week before. He shouldered his backpack and headed for the door, then waited for Molly outside the main entrance.
“Six-thirty?” he said when she pushed through the glass doors.
“I’ll be there.”
“What’s the deal with jerk face?”
“Denny?” Her eyes cut sideways toward the hallway, when it remained clear, she said, “I think he gave me a really bad review. I don’t want to give him any more ammo.”
