Page 98 of Molly's Mr. Wrong
“Message received and denied,” she said lightly, determined not to show him how much he could still upset her.
He let out breath and then pressed his lips together as he contemplated the ground near his expensive athletic shoes. “We were good together.”
“You cheated on me.”
He looked up at her then, his eyes so amazingly blue and dazzling that she thought it was a shame they were wasted on such a rat. “I was wrong to do that.”
“For over two years.”
“It was a mistake.”
“It’s also unforgiven.” Molly paused. “No. It’s forgiven, but for me, not for you.” And then she couldn’t help but add, “I did everything for you while you were out on the road disrespecting me.”
“It wasn’t disrespect. It was nothing. Those women meant nothing.”
“Yet your teammates knew their names.”
They’d had the groupie discussion before—several times—and it sickened her that he thought of these woman more as bed warmers and arm candy than as people. She was not having the discussion again. Not when her heart was pounding against her ribs out of sheer anger and her headache was getting worse. “You’ve made trust a hard thing for me, Blake. I’ll never get back to where I was before I met you.”
“We can go to counseling. I’ve looked into it.”
Molly gaped at him. She’d suggested counseling once and he’d told her they could work things out alone. “Go to hell, Blake.”
“You’re a hard bitch, Molly.”
She laughed and it felt good, if not a little hysterical. “I’ve worked hard to get there.”
He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper and thrust it toward her. Molly took it automatically and unfolded it. A personal check made out to her.
“I thought you said—”
“The boat. Not the house. It was supposed to be a peace offering.”
“Then we’d get back together?” And she could embark on another journey of paranoia? She thought not.
“It’s part of what you owe me, Blake. And that’s it.” And it wouldn’t come close to paying for the damage he’d done her. She dug into her purse and pulled out one of her business cards. “Mail the next check if the house ever sells. And do notevercome see me in person again.”
After Blake got into his sad sports car and ripped out of the lot, Molly got into her car and sat for several long minutes before finally putting the key in the ignition.
Something wasn’t right.
As soon as she got home she dropped her bag on the sofa next to Georgina’s laundry and booted up her laptop.
It didn’t take too much of a search to bring up a sports gossip site and discover that Blake’s newest woman had allegedly hated Butte. The picture with the article had a Photoshopped rip between Blake in his new uniform and his lady, who was a systems analyst—no surprise there, because Blake liked his women smart, yet docile. Apparently this one wasn’t so docile and now he needed a replacement.
Molly was nearby...
She shut the lid to the laptop a little too hard, then quickly tested it to make certain she hadn’t damaged it. Blake had screwed up enough things in her life.
The laptop was fine and Molly leaned back in her chair. She’d cash the check, put the money toward something useful yet not tangible. Like six months of rent. That way she wouldn’t have to look at a new sofa, which she needed, and think of the scars Blake had left her with.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
SOMETIMESITSEEMEDto Molly that her sister was spending more time with Mike and Elaine than she was at home. And she knew why. Georgina didn’t appreciate Molly’s concerns over her relationship with Chase, so when she wasn’t studying, she often slipped around the chain-link fence and went visiting. Molly missed her sister time, but she also had legitimate concerns. Her sister didn’t have the experience she had and Molly would not see her make the same mistakes.
Things came to a head as Georgina was getting ready to go on her last fall hike. She finished lacing her boots, then leaned back in the chair and said, “Go ahead. I’m ready.”
“For what?”
