Page 95 of Molly's Mr. Wrong
“Ah.” Molly waited a few seconds, then said, “Are any of his other siblings in trouble?”
Georgina gave her a look. “I’ll ask. Let you know tonight.”
Molly continued to eat.Well-played, little sister.But then Molly’s game was off of late. Very off. She blamed...herself.
Class with Finn wasn’t as horrible as she’d thought it might be, if one didn’t count the unrelenting unspoken tension. He did his work. She did her job. Denny always claimed her attention at the end of class and Finn left before Denny finished expounding.
It worked.
It also sucked.
Hell. Who was she trying to kid? She missed him.
She and Georgina drove to campus together. When they didn’t talk about Chase, it was life as usual. She liked life as usual. It was what she was trying so hard to preserve. A life without bad surprises. There would be sacrifices, of course. Nothing came without a price, but these sacrifices paid off, unlike the sacrifices she’d made for Blake.
She had yet another Jonas meeting today. The follow-up to the previous meeting, in which they would see the big grade reveal. Waste of time, but the Simons had donated land...
“Are you okay?” Molly looked up to see Allie Brody peeking into her office.
“I’m fine.” Molly worked up a smile.
Allie leaned her shoulder on the door frame, crossing her arms over her chest. “None of my business, of course, but you’ve seemed kind of preoccupied the last couple of times I’ve seen you. If there’s anything I can do... Talk... Listen...”
Molly considered for a moment before saying, “We’ve only seen each other twice in the past couple days.”
“Good point,” Allie said with a small nod. “Rumor has it Finn is cranky and you’re a million miles away and... I’ve been there. Not that long ago. I also know what it’s like to have no one except for a protective sister to talk to, and your sister is pretty darned young.”
“Thanks,” Molly said. “I’m okay.”
No, you’re not. You need distraction.
“But I wouldn’t mind coffee and general conversation.” She felt almost as alone as she had after breaking it off with Blake, and Allie was right about Georgina being young. Molly discussed a lot of stuff with her little sister, but her sex life wasn’t one of those things. Not that she was going to discuss it with Allie, but the idea of just talking, about anything, made her feel a little less alone.
“Sounds good,” Allie said. “Let me get my purse.”
They went to the student union, a place that was not all that conducive to private conversation. Who could talk about personal matters when surrounded by students? But as luck would have it, the place was nearly empty. Only a few students had claimed tables and they all had their heads down, studying.
“Quiet day,” Allie murmured.
“Getting closer to finals.”
“I get to teach two classes next semester. One evening. One day.”
“This could work into full-time,” Molly said as she stirred cream into her coffee.
“I don’t know that I’d want full-time. There’s still a lot to do on the ranch. We’re rebuilding the main house and even though Jolie and Dylan are back in residence, they already have jobs elsewhere.” Allie shook her head. “A couple days a week is good.”
They discussed the ranch, the odd weather—first so dry that fires ravaged the area, then so wet that there’d been a very real danger of flooding, and now somewhere in between—and then, after a short spell of silence, Molly said, “I really appreciate your checking in with me. I’m fine, but you’re right—there are just some things you can’t discuss with your little sister.”
“Trust me. I know. I have three of them.”
“And I’m curious...you said you’ve been through this yourself. Did it work out?” Or had it been some guy before Jason, who was responsible for the rock the size of Kansas on her left hand.
“Not without me giving a serious shot at keeping it from working. Fortunately, I have a guy with the patience of Job. He waited me out. Helped me see reason.” Molly tilted her head curiously and Allie continued, “I had this thing about loss. And guess what? If you don’t have anything, you don’t lose anything.”
Molly wasn’t a big fan of loss, but she could deal. That wasn’t her issue.
“I just don’t want to get serious,” she said. “I was in a long-term relationship and kind of lost myself in it. After that...well, I’m not looking for anything too deep. I’ve done deep.” She gave her head a shake. “Too deep. No longer a fan.” And then she abandoned her intention of not getting too personal because, damn it, she needed to vent. “All I wanted with Finn was a casual relationship. I made that clear before anything happened. Honest, I did.”
