Page 81 of Worth Loving
“What?”
“I said no charge,” he said laughing. “I never charge you for lunch. Or haven’t in a while.”
“And that is when you told everyone that we were dating? So you didn’t get in trouble for giving me free food.”
Fuck.
He was accusing her of being someone else and yet here he is, letting her believe something that wasn’t true.
But it’s not like he could tell her here either.
“I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye,” she said.
She started to walk out. “Molly.”
“What?”
He leaned over the bar and pointed to his lips. She smiled. “Really? People might ask if you’re cheating on me.”
“Fuck them,” he whispered.
She put a kiss on his lips, then let out a little laugh.
An hour later, his phone went off. He pulled it out of his pocket to see clothes all over the bed and a message:Going to thedumpster. At least I’ve got enough clothes to get me through the weekend until I can buy more.
Yeah. That is the Molly he fell in love with.
And that move right there.
That just proved it.
If you want company on your shopping trip, we can go Saturday.
He watched the bubbles come up on the screen, then read:I’d love you to, but why are you offering? Want to make sure I don’t revert to my dorky ways?
He smiled, then typed:Sometimes people need a little push. I guess you were trying to tell me I gave it to you without even knowing.
26
DREW OUT OF HER
Molly opened her door on Saturday while Dean was standing there with his fist in the air ready to knock.
“I was just going to the dumpster. You’re early.”
He looked at the big bag in her hand. “I thought you had done all of that a few days ago.”
“I might have been a bit harsh in my cleaning frenzy. Yesterday I went through all the bags again to see if there was anything I could salvage. You know, some pieces aren’t that bad, it’s just when paired with others they stood out more.”
“What is your criteria?” he asked, laughing at her.
“I don’t want to be ‘ditch a date Molly’ and not ‘get walked all over Molly’ or ‘look at the dorky Molly.’ But I want a combination of the first and third. I have to embrace my dork. Like you said, it’s who I am. I’m proud of being smart. Even quirky. But that doesn’t mean I want to be a doormat either.”
Those days were long gone now.
She could find a happy medium. She’d been doing it a handful of times a month when she saw Dean.
