Molly was glad to hear that, since the bus driver was a retired volunteer in her early seventies.
‘Do you think you might like to get to know each other for a little bit longer before you get married?’
‘Do you think she will say no?’ Tommy’s face suddenly became overcome with sadness.
Molly couldn’t bear to think she had made her brother sad. Not for even a second.
‘I’m sure she will say yes. She would be lucky to be married to you. It’s just...’ Molly hesitated, not wanting to say anything that would create doubt in Tommy’s heart about how Honey felt about him, but she did have some reservations. ‘It’s just that I’d like to meet her too. And maybe her parents, and you don’t have to rush. You might like to take things slowly. It takes time to know that you are really in love,’ Molly said, and immediately felt like the world’s biggest hypocrite. She was telling her brother to take things slowly and she definitely had not. Clearly she wasn’t listening to her own advice. Never had there been a better case of Do as I say, not as I do. She didn’t want to have two sets of rules and hated that her first reaction was to do just that. It wasn’t right but she was so accustomed to being protective and she was struggling to step away from that role and feel the same level of excitement that her brother felt.
But she had to do just that. She knew in her heart that she had to be happy for Tommy. No matter what the future held, she needed to push away her reservations and doubt and find happiness for him. Real happiness. He needed to know that she was sharing his joy.
Tommy tilted his head a little. ‘You mean sleepovers? Like Nigel did?’
Molly almost choked on her warm drink. She hadn’t been expecting to hear that. Being reminded that Nigel had slept in her bed was upsetting and equally the thought of her little brother having a young woman in his bed would take a little getting accustomed to by Molly. Marriage, sleepovers, all of it had been sudden and she was struggling to know how to feel about it.
‘You will like her, Molly. She’s neat.’
Molly smiled. She loved her brother and she would support him however she could, but she knew there could be challenges ahead for him and his future bride if he was to marry his girlfriend. ‘I know I will like her very, very much.’
‘Can she come for dinner one night?’ Tommy asked, smoothing down his hair as if his prospective bride were in the room.
‘Of course, she can. I told you that I would love to meet her.’
‘You promise, she can come over.’
‘Definitely.’
‘All right, but it can’t be today. She can’t see me today but she still loves me.’
Molly could see the potential for heartbreak but she could also see the potential for love and she was well aware she couldn’t influence the outcome. Just be there to support the one she loved no matter what. She was yet to meet the young woman who had claimed her brother’s heart. While he was sensible and relatively independent, Molly still wanted to ensure that this young woman had his best interests as well as her own in mind.
The guilt she felt in losing the family home played heavily as well. Tommy wouldn’t have very much to offer his bride-to-be and the sheer practicality of getting a home would be difficult. Fortunately, there was some insurance money still in trust for Tommy that would be accessible to him when he turned thirty, not sufficient to buy a big home, but he could purchase a modest home in a nice suburb. But that was more than five years away and she wasn’t sure his bride-to-be would be happy waiting that long.
Her mood became sombre for a moment as she looked out of the window and thought back to what she had done. A wolf in sheep’s clothing had come knocking on her door and she had let him in. Taken him at his word and allowed him to become part of the family and with that allowed her financial security to be exposed and put at risk. Suddenly she worried if she had done the same in trusting Ryan. Was it too soon to really know him? Should she have waited before falling into bed and potentially into love with her boss?
She tried to push her negative thoughts aside and remind herself that Ryan was in a different league. He was the kindest, most chivalrous man she had met. She wanted the doubt to disappear, her fears to leave, but there were traces and, while she suspected they might always be there lurking in her mind, she couldn’t and wouldn’t allow her past to cripple her future. Ryan McFetridge was not like Nigel and never would be. He was not the type of man who would pull the rug out from under her. She hoped with all of her heart that Dr McFetridge was there to stay...no matter what.
‘What if we have the picnic lunch together and then go with you to the mall and pick out a ring?’
‘With your boyfriend?’
Molly ran her fingers through the unruly curls as she wondered how to answer her brother. She decided to brush over the reference to boyfriend. ‘We could ask Ryan if he would like to come along, but only if you want that.’
‘Maybe. What will we have for lunch?’
‘Something delicious, I’m sure.’
Molly smiled. Tommy was bending to the idea. She wanted so much for Ryan and Tommy to meet and then Tommy and Lizzy to meet. For the first time in a long time she thought she might only be a few steps away from her happy ever after.
* * *
Ryan came exactly on noon and Molly and Tommy were ready and waiting by the door. It was cold outside but the sun was shining and the sky was the most vivid blue. They were rugged up with scarves and gloves and winter coats, and Molly thought it would be lovely to be out in the fresh air. Particularly with her two favourite men.
‘Hi, Ryan, please come inside,’ Molly said as she opened the front door to her tiny home. She kissed him on the cheek, mindful that she hadn’t confirmed to Tommy the status of her relationship with Ryan yet and she didn’t want to rush anything in front of her brother. Ryan gave her a knowing smile that told her immediately he understood how the day would play out for the three of them.
‘Tommy, this is Ryan McFetridge,’ she began the introductions as soon as Ryan stepped inside. ‘Ryan, this is my brother, Tommy.’
Ryan extended his hand and Tommy chose not to meet his handshake. Neither Molly nor Ryan said anything and quietly accepted that Tommy was not yet ready to greet him favourably. Molly hoped that would change in time but understood, after losing Nigel abruptly, that he would be hesitant to get close to Ryan in a hurry. Tommy had liked Nigel. Why wouldn’t he? He had said and done everything to make Tommy like and trust him all the while stealing his inheritance. This time they needed to take things slowly so Tommy could really get to know Ryan and feel safe.
They needed to take things a day at a time and see if this was a for-ever relationship. While it seemed wonderful, Molly knew there was another person to consider in any decisions she made about seriously dating Ryan.
‘If you’re ready, I have the heaters on in the car and we can head up and have a picnic.’
‘Okay,’ Tommy answered matter-of-factly, and stepped outside to see a shiny red SUV at the front of the house. Suddenly his face lit up. ‘That’s a neat car.’
‘Glad you like it,’ Ryan replied. ‘It’s our weekend car. We like to get out for long drives and head into the hills and, when I get holidays, we go to the Flinders Ranges to stay. My daughter chose the car. She loves the colour red.’
‘Me too.’
Molly was surprised to hear Tommy say that. She didn’t know he liked red. She’d thought blue had been his favourite colour for a very long time. But she was just happy to see her brother happy so didn’t question his new colour preference.
Tommy climbed into the back while Ryan opened the car door for Molly. She was relieved to see a level of enthusiasm from her brother.
‘You have a DVD screen,’ Tommy said gleefully before Ryan closed Molly’s door.
‘Yes, Tommy. I’ll start it for you as soon as I get in.’
Ryan kept his word and the moment he was seated inside the car, he lowered the ceiling screen. ‘I have a few DVDs here or a cable so you can stream from your smartphone.’
‘I don’t have a smartphone,’ Tommy told him bluntly. ‘Smartphones cost too much money so Molly and I don’t have one.’
‘I agree. I just have one because I’m on call,’ Ryan replied. ‘But don’t worry, you can stream from mine. Let’s get you set up before we head off.’
Molly watched as Ryan did just that. Tommy chose a science fiction movie he wanted to see even though the trip was only thirty minutes, and the three of them headed off for their picnic. Molly was so happy to be spending time with Ryan, and having Tommy along with them made it a perfect day.
* * *
The picnic lunch was wonderful. There were wooden tables and benches in the small park at the foot of the gully climbing trail. Ryan had packed everything they would need, right down to a checked tablecloth and thick woollen blankets to throw over their legs. There were two home-made salads, one was pasta and the other Greek with feta cheese and olives, a loaf of fresh crusty bread, bottled water, a still-warm rotisserie chicken that Ryan didn’t take credit for as his local chicken shop did better than he could by a mile, and roast potatoes, again courtesy of Charlie’s Chickens on Portrush Road.
They all tucked into the food and, once it was finished, they enjoyed piping hot chocolate from a flask.
‘That was good, Ryan,’ Tommy said, pulling the serviette free from his collar. Then he turned to Molly. ‘Can I make a call to my girlfriend?’
‘Sure,’ Molly said.
‘If you’d like privacy, you can make the call in my car, Tommy. Here’s the keys,’ Ryan added, pulling the keys from his coat pocket and handing them to Tommy. ‘The top button on the remote unlocks the doors.’
Tommy nodded, took the keys and headed to the car only twenty metres away in the almost empty car park.
‘Thank you for that,’ Molly said, squeezing Ryan’s hand under the table and out of view of Tommy. ‘That was very sweet of you.’
‘He’s a grown man. I think he deserves privacy,’ Ryan reasoned.
‘Sometimes I forget that. I try to make sure I don’t treat him differently, but when he told me this morning that he’s going to ask his girlfriend, Honey, to marry him, I have to admit it freaked me out. He’s twenty-five but I still think of him as my little brother.’
‘Wow, marriage. I can see it would. Marriage is a big step. Have they been together for a long time?’
‘Six weeks, but apparently worked together for a year.’
‘That’s moving fast but sometimes you just know.’
Molly felt her heart race yet again with the way he looked at her as he spoke. She wondered if that was how he felt about her.
‘Have you met this mystery young woman?’ he finally said.
‘No.’ She was shaking her head. ‘Which is making me a little anxious. I’m sure she’s lovely but I don’t know anything about her. Tommy’s been waiting for that special someone and he always spoke about getting married and settling down. I guess I never thought it would really happen.’
‘Well, I think you need to get to know the young woman and her family before the lovebirds set a date. There’s lots for everyone to think about, but if they’re in love then you may not be able to stop them becoming engaged and it’s not your place to try,’ Ryan remarked, then, looking over to Tommy chatting happily in the car, added, ‘But you can make sure there’s plenty of time between the engagement and the wedding so they don’t rush into anything that they’re not ready for.’
‘Let’s hope I can stall them. On that subject, Tommy would like to go to the mall later. I’ve suggested the Eastern Hills Mall as it’s open until late tonight with the mid-winter sales.’
‘Would you like me to accompany you or is this brother-sister time?’
‘If you don’t mind, it would be lovely for you to go with us. Perhaps a man’s opinion would help. He actually wants to buy the engagement ring today.’
Ryan ran his fingers across his forehead. ‘He’s not wasting any time. He’s a man on a mission.’
‘Apparently.’
‘If he’d like me to be there, I’m happy to do so. Does he have a budget? The jewellery shops in the Eastern Hills Mall are quite pricey.’
‘He’s been saving hard and now wants to spend it all on the ring.’
‘She must be quite the catch.’
‘Honey is apparently a princess,’ she said.
‘Then I’m sure I can help to haggle a little. Even in those stores there’s room to move on prices.’
Molly looked into the warmest, most caring eyes and wanted so badly to kiss the man sitting beside her. He was so wonderful and understanding. A true knight in shining armour who made the best pasta salad she had ever eaten. She could see Tommy in the car glancing up at them now and then, so she refrained from acting on her impulse. She didn’t want to surprise Tommy by making it obvious Ryan was more to her than a friend too soon.
But with little effort Ryan was becoming more and more to her with every passing minute they shared.
And the winter picnic was no exception.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
RYAN DID JUST as he promised and managed to have the price reduced on the very pretty ring so it came in under Tommy’s budget. While the diamond was quite tiny, the white-gold setting was pretty and Tommy particularly liked the red velvet box.
The three of them then headed to Molly’s home. Molly had suggested Ryan stay for dinner and Tommy seemed keen on the idea too, but Ryan declined as he wanted to check in on Lizzy.
As they pulled up in front of their home, Ryan turned in his seat. ‘Good luck with the proposal, Tommy.’
‘Thank you, Ryan. I’m going to work hard and save my money and buy a house so we can be happy. And you can live with us too, Molly, so you won’t be alone.’
Ryan shot a sideways smile at Molly.
‘You’re a good man, Tommy, and any girl would be lucky to have you.’
* * *
Molly and Tommy ate dinner together and, after the dishes were washed and put away, Tommy went to his room leaving Molly alone with her thoughts. He was tired and also excited. He told her he would guard the ring with his life until he proposed.
Molly hugged him goodnight and sat by the heater. Her week had certainly been monumental, she thought as she stretched her pyjama-clad legs out in front of her and rested her head on the sofa. Closing her eyes, she thought back over the previous seven days. She had started a new job, received a pay rise, attended a black-tie dinner with her boss in the most gorgeous new dress, they’d made love, had gone on a second, picnic date...and she accepted that she had fallen for him. A week ago, she could never have imagined her life turning around like that.
She had paid her rent, health insurance and they’d enjoyed salmon for dinner. She hoped it was not too good to be true and the bubble burst but she couldn’t see how it would. Common sense was telling her to tread carefully but her heart and gut were urging her to throw caution to the wind and enjoy the happiness the universe was gifting to her. While an argument raged in her head between logic and emotions, with emotions the favourite to win, she was startled by a dragging sound outside. She stood to investigate. Pulling back the drapes, she saw a figure outside holding the side gate in place with his foot while he put bricks on either side. Her stomach dropped. She couldn’t make out his face as he was hunched trying to sort out the loose gate but she suspected it was the landlord’s son. She shuddered at the thought of him coming to her home late in the evening. What was he hoping to achieve? She had already told him she was not interested in him and the rent was fully paid. She suddenly remembered when she paid the rent she had told him that the gate was banging all night and she wanted it fixed. She’d meant in the day when she wasn’t at hom
e, not late in the evening.
She peered into the darkness and as the stranger turned his head under the dim street light she realised it was Ryan.
She rushed to the door and then mid-step realised she was wearing her pyjamas.
Suddenly she didn’t care. She was curious as to why he was back there but excited to see him and her state of dress didn’t matter.
‘Ryan,’ she called out from the open front door. ‘What are you doing out there?’
‘Stopping your side gate from banging all night and keeping you awake. I remembered when I got home that I had wanted to sort it out so I’ll do that and leave...’
‘Are you serious?’
‘Absolutely not. I’m hoping to come inside. I brought a bottle of wine and some chocolate-dipped strawberries that Ann made with Lizzy today. I thought we could spend the evening together since Tommy already knows about me. I hoped it would be okay.’
* * *
A little while later, with Molly still in her flannelette pyjamas, the two of them sat side by side on the floor by the heater in her tiny lounge. Tommy had stepped out of his room to get a glass of milk, said hello to Ryan, took two strawberries and then headed back into his room. Molly was pleasantly surprised at how quickly he had accepted Ryan in their home almost like a piece of furniture. The day together and Ryan’s help in finding a ring for Tommy’s soon-to-be fiancée had made all the difference. Ryan’s support had been unconditional even though Molly knew he had a few reservations about the proposal and the marriage. But for Tommy’s sake, he kept that to himself.
Molly sipped her wine and leant back into Ryan’s arms as she nibbled on the very ripe strawberry coated in the darkest Swiss chocolate. It had been for ever since she had enjoyed a glass of wine in her own home or such a delicious fruit treat. It was a luxury her situation had not afforded but, she conceded silently, being in the arms of Ryan would have made vinegar taste like champagne. They were facing the television but it wasn’t turned on.
‘I have to say, Molly, after everything you told me last night, I think you’re even more amazing.’
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