Page 55 of October
Finley smiled at her, and there was a moment where Molly thought Finley might lean in and kiss her for the first time. Finley even licked her lips as she stared into Molly’s eyes, so Molly swallowed and licked her own lips on reflex, preparing for the connection.
“We should go,” she said, taking a step back.
“Yeah, okay,” Finley replied and held out her hand once more.
As much as Molly wanted Finley to kiss her, she didn’t want their first kiss to be in her embarrassingly small kitchen, by the sink, where Finley had just washed product out of her hair. She’d waited to have a real chance with this woman for so long, and she’d already screwed up last night. She wanted that perfect romantic kiss, with soft music and maybe candlelight or something close to that, at least. Maybe she was asking for too much, but she knew that she didn’t want it to be in her kitchen. So, she locked up after them and took Finley’s outstretched hand as they walked downstairs and outside. Finley opened the car door for her, and Molly thanked her before she climbed inside.
“Okay. Where am I driving?”
“I’ll direct you. We’ll have to park and walk.”
And they were off, driving toward the French Quarter and parking a few blocks away from NOLA Guides. Molly held outherhand this time for Finley to take, making Finley smile when she did.
“So, any thoughts about Wells?”
“Adopting her?” Molly asked.
“We didn’t really talk about it at dinner.”
“You blurted out something about adopting an older dog,” Molly reminded.
“And I’m seriously thinking about it. I just want to make sure it’s the right decision.”
“Me too. Puppies go faster, though, so there’s this pressure. If I wantthatparticular puppy, I might not have long to decide.”
“True,” Finley replied, and they joined the pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk. “So, you mentioned your dad and the Saints last night. He was a big fan?”
“He was the biggest,” she replied.
“Is it hard to talk about him? We don’t have to.”
“It used to be, but now, I feel like I want to talk about him to keep his memory alive. He was a great dad. I miss him a lot.”
“You mentioned he couldn’t go to the games.”
“He had an anxiety disorder that prevented him from doing a lot, unfortunately. My mom never wanted to go to a game without him. She never really wanted to go anywhere without him. My dad was on medication for a while and tried therapy, so he was able to handle more and more in a lot of ways, but a giant stadium with thousands of fans and yelling wasn’t something he was ever able to do.”
“I’m sorry. I wish he could have.”
“Me too, but sometimes, I’m glad that he couldn’t. It’s strange, but it’s like we were more bonded as a family because of it. We did more together at home. He was always present. We watched the games together and cooked together. It was a lot when I was a teenager and just wanted to be on my own most ofthe time, but every time there was a game on, I’d forget that, and we’d watch it together.”
“My mom and I watched the Reds growing up. She was more of a baseball person and loved Cincinnati. It wasn’t a ritual or anything, but it was nice when we managed to watch a game together.”
“And you somehow ended up a massive football fan?”
“Somehow,” Finley said with a little laugh. “So, where are we going?”
“I hope that this is okay and you won’t find it totally lame, but I booked us on a tour.”
“A tour of what?”
“The city. Well, not exactly. It’s a spooky Halloween tour. There are ghosts, witches, and vampires, I think, and even a cemetery.”
“What? Seriously?” Finley asked, sounding excited.
“Yes. Was that a good idea or a bad idea?”
“A great idea! I love spooky stuff. My favorite movies are cheesy horror flicks.”
