Page 19 of October
“A little, yeah,” Finley said.
Molly looked down at her phone.
“Ava?”
“What? Oh, no. It’s Jules. She and Gwen are about three hours out. I asked her to check in with me on the drive home if she could. I’m just that annoying friend who always wants to make sure her friends are safe.”
“I don’t think that’s annoying,” Finley said.
“No?”
“No, I think it’s nice, having someone check on you and make sure you’re okay.”
“Shit. It’s five-thirty already?” Molly said, still looking at her phone. “How have we been talking for thirty minutes?”
Finley looked at the time on her computer and couldn’t believe it, either. She could swear that Molly just sat down.
“You probably have to go, huh?” Molly asked. “You were packing up to leave before.”
“I didn’t have anything else to do, but I’m not rushing off for any particular reason.”
“Want to walk out together, then?” Molly asked.
“Sure,” she replied with a smile.
They packed up their things, and within a few minutes, they were walking out through the kitchen, where India was still talking to Lyla.
“Hey, I’ll call you, okay?” India said to her.
Finley wanted to scream at her because not only did she not want to talk, but she didn’t want Molly to think that they were still talking. She didn’t want Molly to think that she and India were going to get back together again. They weren’t this time. Finley was done, and India needed to get that through that pretty head of hers. So, she didn’t reply. She didn’t even acknowledge that she had heard India with a nod. Finley just kept walking, with Molly at her side, because the reason it was officially done with India was that Finley had a big crush on her new seatmate, and she had been ready to see if Molly was interested in her. Now, she just had to worry about this Ava woman.
CHAPTER 6
“Are you still going to pretend you don’t like football and don’t know anything about the Saints?” Juliet asked.
“I can’t exactly go back on that, can I?” Molly replied. “What would I even say to her? I pretended not to be a fan and know stuff about football for no reason?”
“You could just start by telling her that it wasn’t for no reason,” Juliet suggested. “It was because you liked her, and she made you nervous, so you didn’t know what to say.”
“Yeah, and then she shows up to work tomorrow with India on her arm and sits down next to me, feeling sorry for me because I like her and she’s back with her gorgeous ex-girlfriend.”
“Oh, Molls,” Juliet replied and wrapped her arm around Molly’s shoulders.
“So, we’re supposed to pretend that you don’t know anything about football?” Gwen asked.
“Yes, I’d really appreciate that. Thank you for your support, Gwen,” Molly replied as they approached their gate.
They were meeting Finley and Rusty, along with his wife, whom neither Juliet nor Molly had met. There, Finley would give them their tickets, and they’d go inside together. Molly had worn a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt, hoping that would help her fit in with the crowd, which was predominantly in black andgold. She hadn’t lied about not having a Saints’ jersey. She’d never bought one, not seeing the point because she was a fan from her couch. This was actually Molly’s first home game, and it was hard to pretend that she wasn’t excited because this was a big deal.
She’d grown up a Saints fan. She remembered the Super Bowl they had won right after Hurricane Katrina and how much it had meant to the city that was still rebuilding. Her dad had introduced her to football, but her mom was a big fan as well, and they’d spent many Sundays watching games in the living room together. Her mom would make three or four different dips, her dad would buy all the chips in the store, and they’d snack until it was time to cook. Then, he and her mother would cook lunch or dinner, depending on the time of the game. They would try to time eating around halftime unless it was a big game and everyone needed to sit down and watch and not cook. Then, they’d all clean up together after the game. Molly still thought back on those days and smiled.
When Finley had first talked about football, it had been with Juliet, but Molly had been there as well, and Finley had asked if she was a fan. For whatever reason, Molly had said no, and now, she was stuck with the lie, or she’d have to tell Finley that she hadn’t been truthful and give her the reason why, or tell another lie, which she didn’t want to do.
Molly smiled when she saw Finley standing by the entrance with Rusty and a woman wearing a Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ jersey. Finley looked up and smiled at her. No, she smiled at all of them. Juliet and Gwen were included in that smile, too, probably. It couldn’t have just been aimed at her.
“Hey,” Finley said to her.
“Hi,” Molly replied.
