“S’mores,” Brooke said, ignoring Molly’s comment. “We need to make those. Everyone likes those.”
“This sounds like a lot of trouble,” Molly added.
“Trouble.” Brooke looked up from her phone and grinned at Molly. “This isn’t trouble. This is what we do.”
“What is it we’re doing exactly?”
“Eating good food with even better company.” Brooke leaned over and touched Molly’s arm. “And reminding ourselves that we’re never alone. We always have each other.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
DREW WALKED THROUGH Brooke and Dan’s house and stepped out onto the back patio. He scanned the yard until his gaze landed on his favorite redhead, then he spotted Hazel, secure in her swing. Ella and Wesley sat on either side of Hazel. Ben held a giant bubble wand and created a bubble large enough for the kids to slide through.
Satisfied that Molly and Hazel were good, he stepped over to the large table where his parents sat, immersed in what looked to be an intense card game. Evie, Dan’s dad Rick, Brad and Sophie were their opponents and each one had a more serious game face than the next.
“Get a move on, Drew,” Dan shouted from a corner of the backyard. The volleyball net had already been set up. “We’ve got a game to win.”
“I thought this was a debriefing.” Drew unbuttoned the collar on his dress shirt and directed his question to the card table. No one glanced up from their cards.
“It is.” Brooke tapped Drew affectionately on the shoulder on her way to the stairs and the backyard volleyball game. “It’s our kind of debriefing. De-stressing. And decompressing with each other.”
Brooke had been the one to text Drew earlier. Her message had been short and to the point.
Dinner at our house tonight. Food is covered, just bring yourself.
Molly had offered fewer details and a dash of uncertainty in her text.
Social worker meeting was fine. I think? See you tonight?
Molly’s text had prompted a quick phone call to her between his meetings about Brad’s fraud case. Drew had wanted to hear her voice to know for sure she was fine. And he’d learned about Brooke’s debriefing plans. He hadn’t needed to promise Molly he’d be there. He’d been rearranging his last meeting to leave on time. As it was, he was the last one to arrive.
Sophie looked at him over her cards. “Can’t be work all the time, Drew. There’s no fun in that.”
It hadn’t been work exactly for the past several weeks. Not for Drew. He kept that response to himself. And consulting on his brother’s case filled hours in the day, but not his entire day like his real job.
As for fun, he spotted Molly again and grinned. He supposed he had been having some of that and finally relaxing. He should thank Molly for the short respite. It would be over soon, and he’d return to work reenergized. He should be more pleased about that, shouldn’t he?
He blamed the pang of disappointment on hunger and peeked inside the grill. “Tell me these are Rick’s special recipe ribs wrapped in tinfoil and soaking in a dark ale?”
“Those are them.” Rick’s laugh boomed out across the porch. “But I don’t think you’ll be allowed to eat unless you join the volleyball game.”
Drew glanced into the backyard. Molly went over to the women’s side of the net. Her ponytail swung across her back. Her smile stretched across her face, up into her eyes. She looked happy and adorable. And Drew wanted to be beside her. Be near enough to hold her hand if he wanted. Make her laugh if he could. Just be with her. His fun hadn’t ended yet. That was for next week after his hearing. Right now, he wanted to be in the moment.
He hurried inside the house, changed into his workout clothes and running shoes. Then sped into the backyard to join Chase and Dan, his teammates.
“Chase Jacobs, I don’t care if you’re an All-Pro quarterback and married to my best friend.” Brooke stood in front of the volleyball net, her hands on her hips. “You’re in my backyard now.”
Chase grinned broadly and stretched his arms out to his sides. “Bring it, Dog Lady.”
“Get it. Dog Lady. Since you like dogs so much.” Drew high-fived Chase and restrained his laughter. “Should we play a different game like cornhole?”
“Not happening.” Molly slipped her arm around Brooke. Chase’s wife, Nichole, moved in on Brooke’s other side.
Pride filled Drew. He liked how Molly quickly defended her friends—his friends and now hers. And that felt entirely right. As if Molly had always been a part of their family. As if she’d always belonged.
Molly tossed the volleyball from one hand to the other and stared at the men. There was a challenge in her voice. “Don’t worry, height isn’t needed when you have heart.”
Molly had heart. Drew had seen it every time she interacted with Hazel. He’d witnessed it again when they spoke to Reuben Cote and his daughter. She possessed a gentle, kind and compassionate spirit behind her hard-edged attorney exterior. He’d been glimpsing her loyalty too. And realizing Molly had more layers he wanted to discover.
“That’s how you plan to win?” Dan tied his running shoes and joined Drew and Chase for another round of high fives. “If heart is all you got, we’ll be done before Dad’s ribs finish cooking on the grill.”
Nichole tightened her ponytail and rubbed her hands together. “I think we need to make this more interesting.”
The men straightened and stepped up to the net.
Chase eyed his wife, amusement and speculation flowed through his question. “What do you ladies have in mind?”
“Ladies.” Nichole motioned her teammates closer to her. The women gathered into a huddle to discuss their terms.
Drew watched Molly laugh and offer her own suggestions to her teammates, earning their approval. His grin grew every time she laughed. A punch landed on his shoulder, distracting him. He landed a return tap on Dan’s shoulder.
“Harrington, you need to get your head in the game.” Dan pointed at him. “We can’t win with your puppy-dog eyes tracking Molly’s every move.”
“That’s their strategy.” Chase rubbed his hand over his mouth and considered the trio of women. “Distraction.”
“We can’t go down like that.” Dan set a hand on Drew’s shoulder, then his other on Chase’s shoulder. “We need terms too.”
The two teams reconvened and tossed out possible terms and started to negotiate. From the card game on the porch, Brad, their dad William and Dan’s dad Rick shouted out their own suggestions. The kids—Wesley, Ben and Ella—paused long enough in their giant bubble making to suggest ice cream be included no matter what.
Finally the terms were set. If the men lost, they had to plan a mystery date for their partner. Takeout and a movie at home were forbidden as a mystery date option. The women agreed to sing karaoke for at least an hour at The Shouting Fiddle Pub if they lost.
“Game on.” Brooke tossed the ball in the air and caught it. “Best of three matches wins.”
Drew stepped into position across from Molly. Dan shoved him aside, pointing to the other side of the court. “Over there, puppy-dog eyes.”
Chase positioned himself behind Drew and Dan. He clapped his hands together. “Let’s see what you got, Brooke.”
Two games in with the last game determining the winner, Drew opened a water bottle and splashed his face. “The women have way more than heart, they’ve got game too.”
“And luck.” Dan grabbed Drew’s water bottle and rinsed off his face.
Chase wiped his forehead with his T-shirt and glanced at Dan. “Your wife has skills, Dan. You didn’t think to mention before now that Brooke can really play? Her short height is actually an advantage for her.”
“Brooke keeps surprising me. Makes our marriage more interesting and fun.” Dan laughed and shook his head.
Marriage. Drew hadn’t ever considered marriage,
the dull or the good kind. Marriage required vows and a commitment. But he was dedicated to his work. That was enough, wasn’t it?
He glanced across the backyard, watched Molly interact with the kids and Hazel. A warmth—a contentment—filled him. As if he’d suddenly found his place. The one that made life worthwhile. But he knew his place. His work fulfilled him. Sure, he was happy now playing and having fun, but this wasn’t sustainable. His work would always be there. That had to mean something.
Drew tugged his thoughts away from the impossible and unwise, and focused on his two friends. “Nichole and Molly are also holding their own.”
“My wife likes to pretend she’s uncoordinated and too tall for things.” Chase scratched his cheek. Admiration filled his voice. “But when Nichole steps up, she’s all in.”
Would Molly be all in for marriage? Did she want a wedding and a husband? He hadn’t heard her complain about being a single parent. Not once. Could she want Drew as a husband?
Drew coughed and pounded on his chest to dislodge that absurd idea. Besides, he wasn’t proposing to Molly, so marriage was not relevant. “We gave the women too much incentive to win. We gave them the edge with these mystery dates.”
Dan nodded. “I haven’t planned a date for Brooke and me in months.”
Chase frowned. “Neither have I. I feel bad.”
Drew splashed the last of the water over his face to clear his thoughts. Marriage was off the table, despite Reuben advising him not to let Molly go. As for a mystery date with Molly, well, that appealed. Appealed too much. That was bad. “We need to win and head to the karaoke bar.”
“Or we could let the women win,” Chase offered.
“You want to throw the game?” Drew challenged. “Let your wives win so you can plan mystery dates for them?” He’d have to plan one for Molly. His attorney. His friend. How was he supposed to stay in his professional lane on a mystery date? Did he even want to stay in his lane?
“Nichole deserves a night out.” Chase raised his arms and lifted his shoulders. “She deserves way more than that.”
Dan nodded. “Brooke too.”
“Look, I get it.” What Drew didn’t get was why the idea of throwing the game enticed him so much. There could be no date with Molly. What if he wanted another one? Then one more. He would return to his sixty-hours-a-week job—when could he possibly go on a date? Molly deserved a real boyfriend—the kind that made her feel special and appreciated. She deserved to be put first. He ran a hand through his hair, already despising any man who wanted to date Molly. “But we don’t play to lose. Ever. What does that teach your boys?”
“That their wives’ happiness is important,” Dan stated.
“Good point,” Chase agreed.
“Okay, you can plan special date nights after we listen to the women sing karaoke at the pub. Got it?” Drew clapped his hands together as if pumping up his teammates.
“Wait.” Dan wiped his forehead and eyed Drew. “You’re not scared of taking Molly on a mystery date, are you?”
Chase moved beside Dan and eyed him from his head to his toes. “He could be. I’ve never seen Drew this head over heels for a woman.”
Head over heels? Chase couldn’t be serious. Drew was intrigued and interested in Molly. Not head over heels for her. “I’m definitely not that. I like her. I’ve liked women in the past. It’s not shocking.”
Chase and Dan shared a knowing look.
“What?” Drew asked. Now was the time to prove to his friends and himself that he had other priorities. “I like her, but work comes first for me. You guys know that.”
“Until it doesn’t,” Chase mumbled. “But that’s not our focus right now.”
“Winning is our focus,” Drew reminded them and turned toward the court.
Dan’s words stopped him. “If we win, you have to still take Molly on a real date.”
Drew closed his eyes, cursed his all-too-perceptive friends and counted to ten. One date. Surely, he could handle that. Not turn it into something more than it was. A night out with a friend. “Fine. Now can we finish this game? I’m hungry.”
Chase and Dan ran back onto the court and began trash talking. Drew served the volleyball over the net, neatly and precisely. Too bad it wasn’t as easy to launch his interest in Molly over the net too. As it was, he considered and discarded ideas for their one date with each point earned.
Nothing felt right. And if he was taking Molly on one date, it had to be perfect. After all, she deserved nothing less.
The women won in a tiebreaker and celebrated all the way through dinner and s’mores assembly. They were still high-fiving each other at the end of the evening during their goodbyes.
Drew couldn’t quite locate his irritation that they’d lost. As for Chase and Dan, they were pleased with the outcome. They hadn’t thrown the game—already a rematch had been scheduled. But they’d still won somehow. Over dinner, Dan had asked Drew for his baseball seats for an upcoming Friday night game, his mystery date plans for Brooke already set in motion.
Molly asked Drew to stop by her apartment before he headed home. She wanted to put Hazel to bed and discuss Reuben’s upcoming appointment with the notary. Drew ignored Chase’s raised eyebrows and Dan’s jab in the ribs.
He made quick use of the shower in Dan and Brooke’s guest bathroom and headed over to Molly’s apartment. Telling himself on the short walk across the backyard that he’d stay in his lane. Keep it professional.
But telling himself and listening to himself proved to be two different things entirely. From the moment Molly opened the door, her cheeks scrubbed clean and her hair damp, Drew misplaced all thoughts of work and his case. He realized he only wanted to spend more time with Molly. Period. Molly, the woman. Not Molly his legal counsel.
“No work talk tonight. That’s for tomorrow, in the daylight.” Drew flipped over Molly’s dry-erase board to reveal the blank side. He could learn more about Molly and not turn it into anything other than hanging out with a friend. He should know his friends. That was simply being a good friend in return. “Let’s talk about vacation goals.”
“Vacation goals?” Molly curled her bare feet under her on the couch and considered Drew. “I can’t remember the last real vacation I took.”
“Me either.” Drew laughed. He hadn’t taken a vacation in years. Never could find the time between cases. Yet now, looking at Molly, he considered it. But considering wasn’t actually doing. All this fun was lifting his spirits, and he hoped Molly’s. “But if you were going to take ten days off and go big, where are you going?”
“Easy.” Molly grabbed a handful of chocolate candy from the dish she’d carried over to the coffee table and pointed at him. “A villa in Tuscany.”
“I like it.” A lot. Private villa set on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. And with an extraordinary woman like Molly. He could book tickets tonight.
Drew uncapped a dry-erase pen, stoppered his own unusual impulsiveness and wrote vacation goals across the dry-erase board. This was only a silly game. “Can we stop in Venice too?”
“Absolutely.” Molly leaned into the couch and popped a candy in her mouth. “As long as we take several gondola rides.”
“That’s a given.” He’d seen pictures of the gondolas in Venice, couples cuddling as they passed under the historic bridges. He’d always believed he’d rather walk to get to his destination faster; but with Molly beside him, a slow gondola ride through the city tempted him more. Back to their conversation. “Next up. Weekend getaway.”
“I have always wanted to stay at a bed-and-breakfast,” Molly said. “On the coast.”
“Or in wine country,” Drew offered.
“Even better.” Molly lifted her wine glass in a toast. “What’s next? Staycation.”
“Day ski trip,” Drew tossed out.
“Too cold.” Molly shook her head. �
��And a ski chalet sounds like it deserves a longer stay than a day.”
“Agreed.” Drew snapped his fingers. “Baseball game.”
“Yes. Definitely. Seats behind the first baseline.” Molly tapped her chin and grinned. “Ballpark hot dog and French fries with ranch dressing.”
Drew stilled and considered her. “You’re serious?”
She laughed. “I’m into most sports. Baseball, volleyball...”
He grinned. “Okay, champ.” He had season tickets to the Bay Area Angel’s baseball games. He’d been giving his seats away the past few years, citing work conflicts. The truth was he hadn’t wanted to go alone, and he hadn’t wanted to go with just anyone. “I’ve just never dated any women interested in baseball.”
“You’ve been dating the wrong ones then.” She popped another handful of candy in her mouth and smiled around her mouthful of chocolate.
He was definitely starting to see that he might’ve been dating the wrong women. The right woman sat on a couch in his friend’s in-law unit, grinning at him. But if Molly was the right woman, then Drew had truly jumped out of his lane. And what was supposed to have been a fun get-to-know-you-better exercise had turned into something more serious.
As a last-ditch effort to keep himself focused on the fun, he searched for some uncommon ground. Anything to prove Molly wasn’t the right woman. Not for him.
“Now I’m craving a ballpark hot dog.” Molly touched her stomach. “Only place I eat a hot dog is at a baseball game.”
“Do you eat out or cook more?” As a final attempt, it wasn’t all that strong. Still, he ran with it. Desperate times. Finding the right woman hadn’t been on his agenda. He was supposed to be getting his old life back.
“Unfortunately, a lot of takeout.” Molly twisted her hair into a loose bun on top of her head. “I want to learn to cook more. Once I’m more settled, maybe I’ll find a cooking class that specializes in quick meals. I should be making good choices as an example to Hazel.”
“Cooking for one isn’t the same.” He sat on the couch beside her, purposely well out of accidental-touching distance. “What about when you were with your ex?”
Three Makes a Family--A Clean Romance Page 17