Page 7 of Under the Island Moon
“That’s not true.” At Molly’s hard glare, Nina held up her hands in surrender. “You’re right, he would know you were at the clinic, but he wouldn’t knowwhy. With a gleam in her eye, she held up her florist knife. “Want me to puncture a thumb for you?”
“Yours or mine?”
“Mine, obviously.”
Molly rolled her eyes. “Spare me your heroic sacrifice. Boone would skin me alive if I talked you into doing something like that.”
They dissolved into a fit of giggles. Both Molly and Nina had found love with wonderfully protective men, who seamlessly added fatherhood to their long and impressive lists of skills.
At her workstation Molly looked at the supplies gathered for the delightfully spooky and creative centerpieces they were making for the Inn.
The first annual Haunted Tea was the brainchild of Rhett and Trina Ellington. Trina, hired by the town council, managed the Inn and she was always finding ways to get the Inn more involved with Brookwell events. Although Rhett was in charge of Ellington luxury resort properties outside of South Carolina, he spent the majority of his time in Brookwell with Trina and their baby boy, working out of his office in their apartment at the Inn.
“I had an email from Trina this morning,” Nina said. “She requested extra fresh arrangements and swags for the small private dining room.”
“Holy cow. I thought it was just the tea room.”
“Apparently she’s feeding the decorating party, so yay for us.” Nina smiled and tacked the new work list to the board. “There’s also a new fresh welcome arrangement for a special guest attending the event.”
Molly perked up. “Did she say who’s coming? Or why?”
“Nope. She just wants something on-theme delivered by check-in time the day before the tea.”
“All right.” Molly studied the workstation. “Is that on your list or mine?”
“I can take it,” Nina said. “I’ll need to check stock and adjust the order for our fresh delivery that day. You focus on the centerpieces.”
“On it.”
Molly’s excitement for the Haunted Tea grew with every detail of the planning. Trina had a marvelously spooky Victorian-esque vision and Island Bloomers would help bring it to life.
Aunt Sharon had purchased tickets for the two of them the moment they’d gone on sale. She’d been texting Molly about how much they should dress up and sending photos of her latest excursions through vintage clothing shops.
Knowing they’d be on their own that evening, Miles had been making plans with equal enthusiasm for the extra boys-only time with Bryce. They were cooking up a plan for decorating their sailboat for the trick-or-treat event at the marina. Plus, there were sure to be finishing touches required on the kid-friendly haunted house for the Fall Festival. Miles had volunteered his workshop near the sailing school for a spooky, not-too-scary maze.
As Molly snipped and glued black silk rose petals into place, her mind wandered over the joy of having a husband and a father for Bryce. Thanks to Aunt Sharon, Molly and Bryce had thrived through his early years. But Molly celebrated the miracle of adding Miles into their lives. His love and partnership had changed everything for her in the best possible ways.
Her stomach rumbled and she smiled to herself. Even on the off days, she wouldn’t change a thing.
“You’ve got this under control?” Nina asked on her way to the cooler. “Don’t hesitate to ask if you need a hand.”
Molly grinned, riding a fresh wave of happiness. “I’m good. If you’ve got the daily orders, I’ll have these done by noon. Then I can switch it up and start refilling the cooler out front.”
“That works. What about prenatal vitamins?” Nina asked out of the blue.
“On them.” Molly licked her fingers before she pressed the next petal into place so the hot glue didn’t scorch her fingertips. “Dr. Coburn prescribed those for me at my last checkup, once she knew we were ready to start trying for another baby.”
“You’re sneaky,” Nina said with clear and obvious admiration. “When are you going to tell him?”
“I haven’t even done a test,” Molly admitted. Though she had no good reason to delay it. “I’ll be honest, I’m glad we’re not living with Sharon. She’d would’ve figured it out by now.”
“Of course she would,” Nina agreed. “When was the last time you saw her? You’ve been dodging her,” Nina accused.
“Well, yes. Only for a few days and only out of self-preservation,” Molly protested. “Miles should know first.”
This would be his first baby. His first time for the entire experience, as far as she knew. It was possible he’d interacted with infants while in foster care, but he rarely talked about those difficult times, so she couldn’t be sure. And she wouldn’t bring it up now.
She wanted to make the announcement special for him. For them. Finding out she was pregnant with Bryce had nearly wrecked her. She’d been so young and scared and alone. Until Sharon had come to the rescue.
