by Jody Holford
“You know who you are, honey. That’s all that matters. You be true to yourself without letting the world strip away your belief in right and wrong, good and bad. You be kind and fair, like you’ve always been. You’ll end up in the right place, sweetie.”
“How can you be so sure?” Tigger stretched, really getting into it and added a yawn for good measure. Tonight was a curl up with her pup and her boyfriend sort of night. A push the world and all that’s wrong with it away kind of night.
“You can’t be sure, Molly. You just trust your gut. It led you to where you are, and I know things are messy right now with all that’s going on, but underneath, you’re happy, right?”
She smiled at Tigger when he pranced over to her and flopped on her feet. She thought of Sam, his beautiful eyes watching her like she was the only thing he could see. She could hear Katherine’s laugh in her mind and taste Bella’s scones on her tongue. If she closed her eyes, she could picture the ocean that was right outside the door and the sweet little shops and all their quirky owners that lined the streets to it.
“Yes. I’m happy.”
“Well, be safe, too, and then we’ll both be happy.”
“I love you, Mom.”
“I love you more.”
It was an ongoing, never-ending back and forth that neither of them would concede.
“That’s what you think,” Molly said.
She hung up and decided that her Jeep would be fine at the Britton Bay Bulletin overnight. “We need some fresh air, don’t we, buddy?” Tigger wagged his tail in agreement.
Letting herself out the back door, she made sure it was locked and double checked her Jeep as well before rounding the building to head down Main Street. There was a park just up from the Britton Bay Bulletin office, which sat at the end of Main Street where it met Mercer Avenue. The road carried on, into a quiet area of small bungalows and duplexes. Park may have been a generous word for the grassy area that had an old swing set and a couple of benches. Tigger tugged at his leash, eager to head toward the expanse of green that would have endless scents for him to bury his nose in.
She laughed, noticing a couple sitting on one of the benches, but not really seeing them. Crossing the street, intending to let Tigger explore a little, she watched the couple get up, hand in hand, and squinting her eyes against the sun, stopped in her tracks when she recognized them.
“Hey, Molly,” Chantel said, almost shyly.
Blake gave a half-grimace, half-smile and put up a hand, as if to wave. Or stop her from coming closer? He was an odd man and though she was glad he’d obviously been released, she wasn’t altogether certain she liked him.
“Hi. What are you guys doing here?” She met them at the edge of the grass. Tigger continued to tug, but then seemed content sniffing Blake’s shoe.
“We wanted to say thank you for your help,” Chantel said.
“Yeah. Not sure if giving her statement over the phone would have had the same effect as you getting that cop to go see her,” Blake agreed. Molly noted the trace of humility in his voice. Good, maybe he’d be more careful to not shoot his mouth off in the future.
“You guys will still meet me tomorrow night, right?” Molly looked at them, nerves welling up in her stomach as she thought about how many lines she might be crossing.
“You sure you can’t just talk to us now? We want to get out of this town. We’re still getting married. We haven’t figured it all out yet, but I can’t do it like I’m some sort of side show my mom needs to put on.” Chantel’s voice still belayed her anger, but there was more fatigue in it now.
“I really need it to be tomorrow. There’s a lot going on right now and I need to get home. I want to see if Katherine needs any help with the bed-and-breakfast.”
Chantel’s cheeks turned rosy and she put her head down. Blake put an arm around her and squeezed her shoulder.
“We did send a message to her mom to say we were sorry for just bailing like that. Not that I had a huge amount of choice, but we do feel bad for leaving things like we did,” Blake said.
Molly looked at them, the way their bodies aligned and the way he sheltered Chantel from her own guilt. Who knew why one person fell in love with another and why some relationships worked out and others fell through the cracks. She might not understand their pairing and Chantel’s mother might not approve it, but Molly felt the love they shared for each other. They couldn’t know what would happen in the future, but right here, right now, they were it for each other and maybe that had to be enough.
“I’m sure she’ll see that in time. I have to go. Tomorrow. Our spot, okay?” Molly gave Chantel a smile and hoped some of her excitement shone through.
The curious look in Chantel’s gaze suggested it did.
She waved and gave Tigger’s leash a tug before she was tempted to tell them what she was up to. Walking down Main Street, she let herself focus on Chantel and Blake finding their happiness together. It didn’t always work out the way it was expected to, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t ended up okay. When she strolled past Sam’s shop, the bays were closed, and she checked her phone, realizing they hadn’t touched base much today. Now that she thought of him, she missed him—the way his smile was enough to pull her out of a mood, the way he embraced Tigger, every time, like he was just as enamored with the pup as the dog was with him.
Since she was only about ten minutes from the bed-and-breakfast, she decided she’d wait to phone him. She’d see him tonight. They could hang out together without all the questions in her mind keeping them both company. When she reached the bed-and-breakfast and saw Sam helping someone load the final oversized canopy into a truck, her heart took a hard tumble. Her heart liked the feeling of coming home to him. Of finding him there. Oh, boy. She was in big trouble.
As she walked closer, she thought about Chantel and Blake again and wondered, if there was a side of Blake that only Chantel saw, that made some of the things he did and said forgivable. It would be hard to imagine the tide turning on her affection for Sam, so maybe she shouldn’t have judged the couple so harshly. Sam turned and saw her and the smile on his face matched the one inside of her.
“I just walked past the shop and was thinking about you,” she said as he came near. The grounds were back to normal and it seemed eerily quiet.
Sam stopped in front of her, glancing down at Tigger who went up on his hind legs to get a greeting. “Her first, bud.” Then he looked at Molly, cupped her face with his hands, tipping her chin up with just the slightest pressure from his thumbs, and kissed her like they hadn’t seen each other this morning. Molly let herself fall into the kiss, her free hand going to one of his wrists.
When he pulled back, coherent thoughts had left her head. “Hi,” she whispered.
“Hi,” he said, a slight smirk on his lips. “Okay, your turn.” He crouched down and rubbed Tigger vigorously, causing the pup to become more excited and tangle himself up in his leash. Molly released it, laughing. Sam glanced up at her.
“I have a surprise for you,” he said.
“I like surprises,” she replied.
He stood, grabbing Tigger’s leash and her hand, leading her toward her cottage. “Your mom okay?”
Sam glanced back at the house and nodded. “Yeah. She’s happy it’s quiet. The mother of the bride is still here.”
Molly glanced up at him, a smile on her lips. “Oh. Hmm.”
Sam chuckled. “Uh-huh.”
When they reached her front door, he spun her toward him, pulling her up tight against his body. “There’s something about you, Molly Owens.”
Going up on tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around his neck while Tigger whined and ran around the grass. “What’s that?”
Sam pressed a kiss to her forehead, then the tip of her nose, and finally her mouth. “I’m not sure, but it’s different and special and I like it. A lot.”
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She started to say the feeling was more than mutual—in fact, she was worried her side was weighed down by a lot more like than he even knew—but Tigger started to bark as tires crunched over the gravel.
Sam glanced over his shoulder and Molly did the same. Her stomach tensed when she saw the cruiser.
Looking down at her with a wry smile, Sam squeezed her and stepped back. “What’d you do?”
She poked him in the ribs as Chris got out of the car, dressed in regular, everyday clothes. “Very funny.”
His face was tight when he approached them. Molly was glad the door was at her back.
“Hey. You still own a pair of jeans? I thought you’d traded them all in for those nice police pants,” Sam said, holding onto Molly’s hand.
“You just get funnier,” Chris said dryly. He glanced at Molly. “Molly. You talking to me?”
Sam looked between them and his hand tightened on hers. A show of quiet strength and solidarity. If he’d scattered rose petals at her feet, it wouldn’t have been more romantic. He had no idea what she’d said or done, and Chris had been his friend for many years, but that one gesture made it clear where his loyalty lay.
“Can I come in?” Chris asked when she didn’t answer. Letting them all in, Tigger included, she slipped off her shoes and took her time letting the pup out back. When she came back into the living area from the tiny hallway that led to the laundry and backyard, Chris and Sam were sitting down, chatting.
Chris sat in the chair that matched the three-seater couch that had come with the cottage. Molly sat beside Sam, their thighs touching. His arm went around her immediately and Chris leaned forward in the chair, clasping his hands between his widespread knees.
“I owe you an apology,” he said.
Sam’s body tensed. “Am I going to have to beat you up?”
Chris looked up and laughed. “You could try.”
Molly was glad they broke the tension. She put her hand on Sam’s leg. “Stop it. I’d say I owe you an apology back.”
After a beat of silence, Chris gestured to Molly. “You’re not going to say anything to her?”
Sam laughed and looked at her. “Do you want me to beat him up, honey?”
Happiness warmed her, and she shook her head even as she laughed. “I don’t think so.”
“Couldn’t if you tried,” Chris muttered.
Molly ignored him. “We had a disagreement today.”
“Something tells me it’ll be one of many,” Chris replied. “I’m sorry I was so short with you and I’m guessing you understand why now, but it was never my intention to hurt your feelings or make you feel bad.”
The tension returned to Sam’s frame. “Maybe you two should give me a clue as to what’s going on.”
Molly explained the events of that morning, telling Chris everything she’d wanted to tell him after meeting with Dorsey, and as she told Sam how she’d caught him on his way to arrest Kyle.
“I shouldn’t have made you feel bad. I didn’t intend to. But the way he pointed and yelled at you, Molly…you’ve got to know that digging around could get you into some serious trouble. I don’t want to see you hurt,” Chris explained.
“I’ll second that,” Sam said quietly, looking at her. He looked back at Chris. “So, this is over now?”
“We’re still building the case, but the evidence against him is stacking up. We have his prints on the to-go cup beside Skyler’s bed which was half drunk. Our guess is he doctored it while she wasn’t looking and left before the poison hit her system. Knowing that he was both a disgruntled lover and competitor just seals it all into place.”
Something clattered around in Molly’s mind. The to-go cup from Bella’s. The reason Bella had been suspected.
“Why the heck would he kill her?” Sam asked, then shook his head and sighed. “Why would anyone kill? That’s a better question. I’m glad you caught him, but it’s too bad the wedding was so deeply impacted by this and that a woman died over such trivial things. A contest? Lives ruined over something that won’t matter six months from now.”
He was right, and his brain was traveling the same road hers had wandered this morning and for most of the day.
“None of that is to be printed in the paper by the way. I’d appreciate it if you kept the details quiet,” Chris added.
“I think this story is one we’re happy to move on from,” Molly said, something still nagging at her subconscious.
“I would like to get your statement on everything Dorsey said though. Mind coming down to the station tomorrow and filling it out?”
“Maybe they should get you a desk. For when you visit,” Sam said.
Molly rolled her eyes. “Ha, ha. He’s right, you are funny.”
Chris smacked both hands against his thighs. “Well, I’m going to get going. See if maybe Sarah is up for a movie. Wouldn’t mind a distraction from all of this.”
“We should catch one together soon,” Sam said as he and Molly got off the couch.
“Sounds good. Maybe after this we’ll go back to being a sleepy, little, nowhere town,” Chris said. They walked him to the door and said goodnight. Molly noticed the sky had grown darker. On the back porch of the bed-and-breakfast, Patricia sat, a mug in hand, staring at the sky. There was a sense of loneliness in her posture that tugged at Molly’s emotions. With the case closed, hopefully, tomorrow, some hearts could start to heal.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Waking up beside Sam brought a smile to Molly’s face. She hadn’t even opened her eyes yet, but feeling him there beside her, his arm holding her close as he slept on and dawn broke through the blinds, made her eager to start her day. Until today, they’d been using Sundays to hang around and explore each other’s hobbies. Sam had taken her to a baseball game and she’d had him try paddle boarding. They’d gone bowling and decided neither of them liked it all that much. For weeks now, their Sundays had been spent wrapped up in each other and that was exactly how she wanted to spend this one.
But there were things to be done. Slipping out of the bed, she patted her leg so Tigger would follow her. After letting him out, she started the coffee, let him in, and took a quick shower. Sam was still sleeping when she started on her first cup. He came in when she was halfway through, rumpled and adorable, running a hand over his bare chest.
“Hey,” he said, his voice morning rough.
“Hey, yourself.”
“Why are we up so early?” He took the cup she’d just set down, while Molly swallowed the rest of her coffee before refilling her cup.
“We aren’t. It’s not that early now. I was up early because I’m excited about today. I have to go give a statement like Chris asked, but on the way, I’ll tell you my plans.”
“I knew you were up to something. It’s why the bride’s mom stayed, isn’t it?”
He kissed the top of her head and she gave herself a minute to absorb his warmth and lean into him.
“Maybe.”
“Guess I’d better get dressed then. You have anything for breakfast?”
“I do,” Molly said, grinning at him. “We just have to stop at Bella’s and pick it up.”
Sam laughed, clearly more awake. “Good thing you’re cute.”
Back at you, she thought as he walked away. Molly checked her social media and the Britton Bay Bulletin’s website and email while she waited. Tigger wasn’t happy about being left behind, but they could take him to the beach with them later.
Parking in front of Bella’s, she met Sam around the hood of his truck, slipping her hand into his. They were almost to the door when Corky burst out of it. He was shaking his head, pulling at his matted beard. He wore long board shorts and a misbuttoned shirt. He carried a backpack on one arm.
“Hey, Corky. You okay, bud? Let us buy you a coffee,” Sam said.
Corky looked at
him, looked at Molly, his eyes wide and…scared. “No. No. No more coffee. I don’t like the stars. I watched them go.”
“Okay. Well, how about something to eat?” Sam tried to put a hand on Corky’s shoulder.
“Not hungry. Have to go. I want to go.” He looked back at Bella’s. “I’ll go to Calliope’s. Calliope is nice. She’s my friend.”
Molly’s heart hurt at the tone in Corky’s voice. “We’re your friends, too, Corky.”
His eyes lost a little of their wildness for a brief second when he looked at her. “You’re nice. Like Calliope.”
Before either of them could say anything, Corky wandered off, down the sidewalk in the direction of the Come ’n Get It Eatery that Calliope owned with her husband Dean.
“I’m just going to send Calli a text, let her know he’s on his way,” Sam said. Molly nodded and waited beside him as he texted. She was reminded again of how Sheriff Saron had said they watch out for their own.
Sam stared after Corky, a troubled look on his face. Giving Molly a tight smile, he held the door to the bakery open for her. Inside was busy for a Sunday morning when the bulk of tourists had left. A few couples sat in booths and a couple of people sat at the long countertop that attached to one wall. Behind the counter, Bella was ringing up an order and one of her staff was making a coffee drink.
Shannon sat on one of the stools at the bar-style countertop, typing something on her phone, a coffee in her hand. Molly wanted to reach out to her—even with others around, she seemed so alone.
“Hey, guys, how’s it going?” Bella asked as the customer she’d been helping left and made room for them to approach the front.
“Good, Bella. How are you?” Sam asked.
“I’m good. Starting to feel normal again.” She made eye contact with Molly. “That summer cold really threw me.”
Molly smiled. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
“Me, too. How about some scones on the house?” Bella moved toward the display case.