Rick raised his mug. “You’re right.” He took a sip as Patsy exited the café and rounded the corner holding a tray of biscuits.
“I thought I saw you two still out here.”
“What have you got there?” Rick asked. Patsy never came outside with unordered treats. She was snooping for information to feed the rumor mill.
Patsy slid the tray onto the table and placed a plate of biscuits in front of them. “These are cranberry biscuits. I am considering putting them on the menu and wanted to get your opinion of them, first.”
“Mmm.” Molly was the first to take a bite and closed her eyes. “Oh, Patsy. These are delicious. I’d love to get the recipe.”
“You can have it when you buy the café. Those kinds of secrets will go to the new owner. I can’t be giving my secrets away for free.”
Rick laughed and picked up his biscuit. “Molly and I were talking about your place. If she talks her business partner into it—”
“Shush.” Molly took another bite and Rick winked.
Patsy’s usual smile had grown twice as wide. “Lemon Grove is a special place. If you stay, I’m sure you will be very happy here. Keep talking to her, Rick. See if you can strike a deal for me.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Oh, stop.” Molly pushed Rick’s plate toward him. “Eat your biscuit.”
Patsy scooped up their empty dishes and strolled back into the café, leaving Rick and Molly to continue their conversation alone. What Patsy had observed must have satisfied her and she was on her way to share her findings with her friends. Soon, everyone in Lemon Grove would know he was out at the café with Molly, and it didn’t bother Rick one bit. In fact, he wanted them to know. If his town friends wanted him to be happy, they would help him convince her to stay.
“You were saying something earlier about opportunities,” he said.
“Yeah. So?” Molly hid behind her coffee mug.
“The café is an opportunity.”
“Not a three million dollar opportunity.”
He rose from his chair and held out his hand. “Who said the opportunity had anything to do with money?”
Chapter Seventeen
“So?” Carla sang into the phone. “How was your date with Rick?”
Molly giggled and glanced over her shoulder at the occupied campsites nearby, where new campers were focused on setting up their sites or preparing their meals. None appeared interested in her recounting the tale of her date with Rick earlier that day.
“He took me to the café for coffee and breakfast. It was nice.”
“What else?”
“There is no what else.”
“Oh, come on. Spill the details. Did he pick you up in his car?”
Molly adjusted her blanket over her legs and made herself comfortable in her camping chair. Carla would not let her get away with a shortened version of events.
“His dog, Hudson, arrived in the morning like he always does, and then Rick came in his truck. He had dressed up a bit.”
“How dressed up? Are we talking about a suit? Did he look handsome?”
Molly laughed and pulled her knees to her chest. “Not a suit. Just a nice button-down shirt and jeans. He looked handsome. And he smelled nice.”
“I love when a man smells good. Keep going,” Carla crooned.
She reflected on Rick exiting his truck to greet Hudson. Carla wanted not only to know what he looked like, but Molly could tell she was fishing to learn how much interest Molly had in him. They were like high school students giggling in the corner over the cute boy in the hallway. Carla always had some guy that caught her eye, and Molly would listen to her friend gush over his positive attributes. Now it was her turn.
“Rick got Hudson ready, and he held my hand while we walked to the—”
“Wait.” Molly heard a door close near Carla. “He held your hand?” she whispered. “Again?”
“What do you mean, again?”
“After the way you talked about the first time he held your hand, you made it sound as if he was only trying to keep you from tripping and landing on your face. If he held your hand again, he clearly likes you.”
Molly smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, sliding her fingers down to the tip before letting go. Carla was probably right. Rick had made enough flirty comments on their date to communicate his interest, but Molly still needed assurance that his gesture was genuine. After Brad, she tended to be cautious and not become excited when some guy showed a slight interest. Holding her hand was a friendly gesture and not a public declaration. For all Molly knew, Rick might have a string of women he has been flirting with.
“Who knows what he’s thinking?” Molly said.
“You always downplay everything. Why don’t you ever just enjoy the moment?”
“I enjoyed the moment. It’s you who is trying to make this a bigger deal.”
Carla sighed, and Molly heard Carla wrestle with the phone. Most likely she was rolling her eyes as she moved the phone to her other ear.
“I only want you to be happy, Molly.”
“I know.”
“Then roll with it. Flirt back for once.”
For once. Carla made it sound as though Molly never flirted, but she was only selective when she did. If Carla had her way, Molly would flirt with every man she encountered. “What do you call holding his hand?”
“A step in the right direction.”
Molly closed her eyes and exhaled. This relationship was already moving faster than she was used to. They had only met and Carla viewed holding hands as a step in the right direction? Holding hands was enough for now. To roll with it, as Carla wanted, Molly needed to not resist as much as she had been. Jumping into something with someone as unknown as Rick seemed risky, and Molly wasn’t sure how much risk she was willing to accept. Not when she planned to leave in a week.
“I’ve been thinking…” Molly said as she tapped her foot against the gravel pad.
“Don’t do that, Molly. You always talk yourself out of good things when you overthink them.”
“That’s not true.” The silence on the other end communicated Carla’s disagreement with her statement. “Am I being ridiculous?”
“What do you mean?”
“To think this might work. He’s here in Lemon Grove while my life is in the city. Rick isn’t interested in moving back, so what would we do if things got serious? One of us would have to move and we have the coffee shop to run. I can’t leave you to run everything.”
“Don’t worry, Molly. If this is meant to be, we’ll figure something out.” No hurdle was ever insurmountable to Carla. She would see that Molly was free to pursue whatever Carla deemed good for her.
“It’s bad enough I’ve taken off for a couple of weeks and left you to cover for me. I mean, Lemon Grove is pretty far. I’d be looking at regularly taking a day or two off to visit him. If he came out to the city, I’d hate for him to have to sit in the coffee shop all day while I worked a shift.”
“Again, don’t worry.” Carla chuckled. “I’m doing just fine with my cousin here. You need to stop worrying about me and enjoy what is going on with you. You’ve found someone, Molly. How long has that taken?”
“A long time.” She hated admitting the truth. After Brad, she took some time away from dating while she licked her wounds. It took time to reach this point, and she had allowed the past to hold her back long enough.
“And you are going to ruin everything with doubt. Rick sounds like a great guy.”
That’s because he was a great guy. Had Molly not given him another chance at having their coffee date, she would have missed his best qualities. While the idea of a relationship made her heart beat fast and forced her to fight the urge to run in the opposite direction, a part of her insisted she stick around and see where this went. It was a quiet voice, almost drowned out by fear from her fragile heart, afraid of being led toward another heartbreak.
After giving him a chance, he had alre
ady proven he would follow through. He didn’t run off when the first coffee date didn’t work out, and he asked again. Rick had a kindness about him in how he treated others and his dog. Her quiet voice increased in volume, telling her not to miss an opportunity for him to prove he was worth the investment.
The idea of leaving Carla to manage everything on her own didn’t feel right, but if Molly could arrange things so the business wouldn’t suffer when she spent time with Rick, it might work. She only needed to find a solution where if Rick were a dead end, there would be nothing to lose besides her own time.
Buying Patsy’s café seemed strange on paper. It didn’t fit an urban business plan, but it did make sense in light of her budding romance. Owning the coffee shop in Lemon Grove would give her the ability to visit Rick and contribute to the business. Carla could be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the city shop, while Molly focused on Lemon Grove. If Carla meant it when she said they could make something work, then she might consider continuing their partnership with a Lemon Grove location.
Molly felt the excitement build within her as she imagined working on the other side of Patsy’s counter, making coffees and treats for the tourists as they visited the town. She could share tips on the trails they should hike and the shops they should visit. And then she thought of Rick standing in the doorway, watching her as the sun shone behind him. She could spend time with him every day, and it would not limit them to weekend visits. It would take a move to Lemon Grove, but the little town was growing on her. It could work.
“I wasn’t going to bring this up,” she said. Molly paused, trying to think of the words to describe Patsy’s café to Carla. Cute? Quaint? Busy? Successful?
“Okay…?”
“You remember how we’ve talked about expanding the business?”
“Oh!” Carla shouted. “That reminds me. I have news for you. Do you recall Peter, my realtor friend?” She paused long enough for Molly to open her mouth. “I told him a few weeks ago how we had considered expanding. So, get this.” Carla was already out of breath. “He walked into the shop yesterday and told me about a storefront space coming available near 8th Avenue. It’s perfect!”
It was always Carla’s dream to find a place on 8th. To her, it was their destiny to find a shop on that street, and it seemed the opportunity had arrived. A location near 8th Avenue would be perfect. The street and foot traffic made it a prime location for a coffee shop, which was why it had been their first choice when they prepared to open their current store. When they made the decision to go into business together, they had to search for another location when nothing was available on 8th at their price point. Until now.
“Wait until you see it,” Carla said.
“Are you saying you’ve already been there?”
“Yes. I’m sorry, Molly. I should have waited for you to come back, but when he told me about it, I had to check it out. These places go fast. If we want to do it, we’d have to move on it before someone else does.” Her voice rushed with excitement.
There would be no space to talk about Lemon Grove now. Not with 8th Avenue being an option. “How much do they want for it?”
Carla went quiet, and Molly understood why. Molly would not like the price. Maybe Lemon Grove wasn’t off the table.
“Think about how much we’d make once we opened.”
“Carla, we can’t be—”
“Don’t say anything. Not until you see the numbers. I’m working on a business plan and once you read it, you’ll see how we can afford it.”
“I appreciate how much you want to find a place on 8th, Carla, but I don’t see how we can afford it. Why not look for a place somewhere cheap for our next store?”
A cupboard door slammed in the background. There would be no negotiating today, at least not while Molly was hours away. “You’re always looking for the easy route, Molly. We need to take risks in business if we’re going to get anywhere.”
There was Carla with her advice again. “Did Peter tell you this?” Molly asked.
“Peter didn’t have to tell me. We need to make a move at some point, Molly, and I think this is our chance. Don’t worry, I don’t want you to decide on it until you get back. I can send you some pictures of the interior to look at on your phone. I already have ideas about how we can fix up the place.”
More expense. The cost for the real estate was one thing, but the renovations would add more strain to their non-existent budget, and it was a challenge to keep Carla from blowing the budget on their first store.
“I’m sorry, Molly.” Carla changed her tone. She was calm and soft. “You were trying to tell me something about your trip and I took over the conversation.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Molly said. There was no point in bringing it up now. “We can talk about it later.” It would be impossible to persuade Carla to consider Lemon Grove. Not since she had her heart set on the location on 8th. Besides the price tag, how could Molly compete with that? A café in Lemon Grove would cost far less than a store on 8th, and the cozy interior Patsy had created wouldn’t need much changing. Molly could be content to keep it as is. Carla would disagree. She was all about modern design and chic atmosphere, even if it wasn’t Molly’s aesthetic. Who was Molly to disagree?
“Are you sure?” Carla asked. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’d like to hear about what you have to say.”
“It was nothing. We can talk about it when I get back.”
“Alright. I’m excited for you to see this place. You’re going to like it.”
“I’m sure I will. I just want to make sure it is the right place. Please don’t get too settled on it.”
“You know me. I don’t get stuck on anything.”
That wasn’t true, and Molly knew it. Carla was famous for latching on to an idea and never letting it go. If Molly were to turn down the new location, who knows what Carla would say. It could cause the end of their partnership. There had to be a good reason for the place on 8th not to work, since Carla had already convinced herself the budget would not be the issue. Molly would need to accept that Carla was ready to sign on the dotted line. Molly would either need to sign along with her or risk their friendship, and that wasn’t a choice she wanted to make. She already had one relationship she was struggling with. She didn’t need to worry about a second.
Chapter Eighteen
Rick's fingers trembled with excitement as he pressed the phone to his ear. He was thankful for his old dog and his matchmaking skills. Even if he thought it was too early in the morning to bother Molly, he could always use Hudson as an excuse to hear her voice.
“Good morning,” she said as she answered.
“Hey, you.” What a stupid way to address her. “Has Hudson arrived yet?”
“He arrived about twenty minutes ago. When will I see you?” She cleared her throat. “You know. To pick him up.”
Rick smiled and picked up his keys from the counter. “I am on my way out the door now. It would seem I have an empty calendar today. Not one work meeting. Would you like to visit that waterfall you tried to hike to with Hudson the other day?”
“He won't be too tired?”
“Not Hudson. In fact, he'll have a ton of extra energy when we get there.”
Rick held his breath, waiting for Molly to break the silence on the other end. “Hudson seemed concerned about something on the trail the last time. Don't you think we should stay away if there are bears in the area?”
“If we stayed away from every place with bears, we'd never go into the forest. We just have to respect that this is their home and be cautious. As long as we keep talking on the trail, we'll be fine. I'll even bring a can of bear spray along as an extra precaution. How does that sound?”
He listened as Molly talked to Hudson, asking him if he wanted to go for a hike on the trail. Rick loved the way she included Hudson, talking with him and giving him extra love and care. None of the other women he dated ever gave Hudson this amount of attention. They tre
ated him as a nuisance when he tagged along with Rick on dates. There was something special about this one. She cared, sometimes a little too much, but her caring caught his attention and held it.
“Okay,” Molly said with an energy to her voice, as if the idea excited her. “What time will you be here?”
“About ten minutes. I'm going to stop and get some gas first.”
“We'll be ready.”
It relieved Rick that no one was around to spot him skipping to his truck. He had scored another date with the most beautiful woman at the campground. If he convinced her to stay, she would be the most beautiful woman in all of Lemon Grove.
He hummed to himself as he drove down the road toward the town, not remembering the last time he was this happy. His change in mood was because of her. Molly changed his life for the better by breaking his routine. Before her, he spent his days puttering around his cabin, making repairs that he should have paid someone else to do. Sure, it saved him money, but it filled the lonely hours. He didn't want to admit that the cabin was too large for a single guy and his dog. Yes, he had bought it believing he would one day have a family of his own, but sadly, it takes time to find that special someone. Longer than even he had imagined.
Had his schedule played out as planned, he would have married over a year ago. It seemed he was on pace when he started dating Valerie, and when he proposed it was right on schedule, but his questioning of that decision brought it to an end before it truly began. Now, in light of this new chapter with Molly, it could turn out that the wait was worth it. He could see a happier future with Molly. One where they would spend their evenings sitting around a campfire by the cabin with Hudson at their feet. The pair would explore the trails in their spare time and Molly would become a familiar face around town with his friends waving as they passed by.
He envisioned children in their future, filling the bench in the backseat of his pickup truck. Sliding his hand along the steering wheel, he laughed to himself. Not many guys he knew fantasized about having kids, and the pickup truck might end up being traded in for a minivan, but even that idea he found himself strangely without objection. He'd be proud to be the minivan-driving dad in Lemon Grove. While there were a few families with children, for those that were in Lemon Grove, the mothers drove the family vehicle. He had no problem being the one to change that.
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