“How do I get in on this project?” David’s business partner, Emmanuel, asked, after polishing off the final bite of his Cranky Carpenter Wrap.
“Join me for a cigar?” David replied. He stood and led the older gentleman out onto the balcony overlooking the infinity pool. A few minutes later, I saw David wave Sanchez out onto the patio. A silent alarm triggered in the back of my mind, and I was about to go out after him when I felt a tight pain in my side. I inhaled sharply and after a few short seconds, it vanished. I relaxed, exhaling in relief.
“Was that a Braxton-Hicks?” David’s wife asked, plopping down next to me with a long sip of sangria.
“Huh?” I asked, so tired I was having trouble focusing.
“You looked like you were having a contraction.” She smiled, and her white straight smile contrasted beautifully with her mahogany skin. “You’re probably a little dehydrated. Hold on, I’ll get you a big glass of water.”
“No…I’m okay.” I replied, but she simply shook her long mane of cornrows and in seconds she returned with an ice cold bottle of water. She nodded at it encouragingly.
“Trust me. I’ve been through this a couple of times.” She looked serene as she discussed childbirth, and I did as she demanded. She regaled me with stories of her two year old and six month old. She beamed when she heard I was having a boy and a girl, and proclaimed she was jealous, since both of hers were sons. Minutes later, I felt considerably better, though still ready for bed.
“I’m so sorry to be a poor hostess, but I really need to go lie down.” I stood on wobbly legs, and she nodded. “Could you make my apologies to David and the others?”
“Of course. Don’t give it a second thought.” She replied.
Dan sent me off with his spare key and I staggered into the elevator. As soon as I stepped inside the apartment, I went directly into the bedroom and crawled clumsily onto my bed.
I fished in my purse for my phone and selected Joe’s number.
“Hey, baby girl.” The rumble of his deep voice left me breathless
“Hi. I know I said I wouldn’t call…”I trailed off, feeling juvenile, reneging on my self-imposed exile in just over twenty-four hours.
“I’m glad you changed your mind. I miss you.” His words were like a security blanket, and I felt all the tension of my day drain away. “I have a surprise for you.”
“I bet you do.” I felt my lip curl, and I sighed. “So he offered me a deal. Robbie just texted me that he’s looking over the paperwork. It’s going to make a lot of money, Joe. We should be alright if I can’t work for a while.”
“Just put any money worries right out of that pretty head of yours. I’ve got this.” He assured me, and I closed my eyes, imagining him sitting on our bed. I wanted so badly to me home with him that I could taste it. “I looked at another house today.”
“Yeah?” I yawned. “Black mold, or Brady Bunch wall paper?”
“This one’s good.” I could tell by the undercurrent in his tone that he was onto something. “It passed my tests. Just don’t get your hopes up until you see it, alright?”
“Too late. I’m already redecorating it and I haven't seen it yet.” I joked.
“Molly.” His firm scolding tone sent a delicious shiver down my spine.
“I can’t help it, Joe. I’m anxious for us to find our home.”
“My home is wherever you are, little girl.” He said it so easily, with no premeditation. I felt my heart skip a beat.
“I miss you.” I whined, rolling onto my side and sitting up. I felt a strong kick from one of the babies. “The babies miss you too. We can’t wait to come home.”
THE SECOND I saw Sanchez’s car turn onto our street, I rushed down the stairs and out onto the sidewalk. Molly was typing on her phone, but she glanced out the passenger window as Sanchez parallel parked, and the smile that blossomed on her was a sight for sore eyes.
“I was just texting you.” She laughed, as she swung her door open. I offered her my hand and helped her to her feet. Her arms came around me and I swear I could feel the thumping of tiny baby feet or fists against me as she held me tightly, but it was probably my imagination.
“Welcome home.” I whispered, planting a quick kiss on her forehead and locking eyes with her. I heard Sanchez clear his throat, and quickly claimed Molly’s bags from him. With a silent wave, he took off, obviously anxious to get home to his wife.
Molly was halfway up the stairs when I came in the door, but she’d paused and was holding her side.
“Molly?” I didn’t like the alarm I heard resonate from my own vocal chords. She squared her shoulders without looking back at me and proceeded up to the landing.
“I’ve had a couple of contractions since we landed.” She explained, as she turned the door knob and proceeded into the apartment. “It’s totally normal. I just need to drink something and lie down for a little bit.”
“You look worn out.” I headed into the kitchen to get her some juice.
“I went to bed early last night, but when Robbie replied to my email it woke me up. Then I read it and couldn’t get back to sleep right away. He wanted me to counter offer. He thinks David is low balling me for my ideas and that I should maintain controlling interest. I didn’t put a dime into the place, Joe. But it is all based on my trucks…hell, it’s even my image he’s using for some of the t-shirts.”
“I know.” I replied, cocking an eyebrow at her. I held up the pic, which was my new screensaver on my phone. “Sanchez texted me the picture.”
“Y’all are a bunch of bastards.” She sighed, sipping the orange juice I’d handed her. I crossed to the couch and beckoning her to join me. She followed and handed me her glass so that she could lower herself down to sit beside me. It appeared to be a major production, and I was concerned when I thought about how many weeks she had left to go.
“So, did you counter offer like Robbie recommended?” I asked.
“I was planning to do it this morning, but just as I was about to drift off to sleep Sanchez knocked on my bedroom door.”
I squinted. “Should I challenge him to a duel or something?”
She snorted and wrinkled her nose. “No, but that would be some funny shit. He came to tell me that David and his business partner tried to poach him from me.”
“What?” I sat up straight and she did the same.
“I know, right? Trying to steal my chef and assuming I’ll agree to let him franchise my shit all in the same day? I was tempted to kill the whole deal on the spot.”
I turned a bit in my seat to face her. “What did Sanchez say?”
“’Hell no’ is what he said. David’s partner, Emmanuel, wanted in on our deal. He said so right in front of me. David took him outside and suggested he open his own franchise in New Orleans. I guess the guy owns some commercial space there already. Then David called Dirty S. over and asked him if he’d be willing to go to New Orleans to run Emmanuel’s kitchen.”
“Wow.” Stunned by the audacity of this guy, I frowned. “Wait. Why is this David guy franchising your business?”
“That’s exactly what Sanchez said. I think he probably wanted to charge me a finder’s fee or something.”
I shook my head. “So? Did you rip David a new one?”
“No. I was livid, but mostly because this is a good idea and I didn’t feel like I could just spit in their faces and tell them to piss off. You should see the place in Galveston, Joe. It’s really cool…it’s going to be a goldmine. So there I was, wide awake with my head pounding. Finally, I decided to send an email to Robbie laying out the entire situation. When I woke up this morning, Robbie called me to tell me that he would contact David directly. And he did. I guess Emmanuel was also on the conference call. Robbie gave them a counter presentation of how we thought things ought to be.”
“Damn. I would have paid fat bank to listen in on that conversation.” I smirked, and Molly grinned and nodded. “How did David respond?”
“He’s runnin
g the paperwork by his lawyers. One of the stipulations Robbie is insisting on is that all franchising proposals will be directed to me and approved or denied by me. He also bumped all of my proposed percentages and is demanding I get 25% of all liquor profits. David hadn’t planned to cut me in on liquor at all. I guess Emmanuel already emailed Robbie that he still wants in.”
“Shit. Maybe I’ll just be a stay at home dad. You can be my sugar mama.” The sound of her laughter tugged at my heart, and she moved to lie down, resting her head on my leg. Her piercing blue eyes gazed up into mine and I stroked her dark hair which fell out over my lap like a long, silky veil.
“Promise to greet me with a martini and my slippers at the door? When do I get to see this mystery house?” She asked, reaching out for my hand which rested on her thigh. She moved it under the hem of her thin sweater to her naval, and I felt small tremors rumble beneath my palm. A gasp escaped me, and my vision blurred. My heart felt like it was going to burst with joy as my children moved beneath my hand. Molly stared at me for a long moment, and her expression softened as she reached up to brush my tears away. Her eyes never left mine, and her persistent eye contact that had once unnerved me so deeply, now gave me an overwhelming feeling of peace and rightness.
She gasped and her face transformed with shock. I was about to panic when she shifted my hand around to her side, and a much more noticeable kick reverberated from under her soft flesh. She and I simply smiled at one another, as I stroked her cheek with the knuckles of my free hand. The intense connection I felt knotting between us felt more intimate…more solid than anything I’d ever experienced. We waited out the series of tiny sensations until I could no longer feel anything and our excitement leveled off.
“Anyway, as I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted…” She joked. “When do I get to see the house?”
“Tomorrow morning.” I responded, noticing the swelling in her fingers as I pulled her hand to my lips. It troubled me, as did the dark circles under her tired eyes. “If this house isn’t the one, we really need to talk about plan B.”
“Let’s deal with that tomorrow. Right now, I just want to spend time with you.” She slipped up into my arms and I gave her a lingering kiss. She tasted sweet and salty, and as her lips yielded to mine, I deepened the kiss into something more needful. Finally, I pulled away, ready to suggest that we relocate to the bedroom. Molly arched her back and yawned. I chuckled at her.
“You need a nap.” I observed.
She gave me a sultry, challenging look that I doubted she’d be able to physically back up. “Are you gonna tuck me in?”
“I love this neighborhood.” Molly sighed as I turned down the tree lined side street that led to our potential home.
“I know you do.” I replied.
“The houses are all so interesting. And we’re still close to the shop and to Cas’s. This is the good school district, right?”
“Right.” I rattled off the school ratings for elementary, middle school, and high school automatically. She nodded.
“It’s so cold.” Molly’s teeth chattered as she put her mug of hot chocolate to her lips. She wore a sweat shirt of mine over one of my thermal shirts. She had on gloves, a hat, and a scarf with sweat pants. She pulled this heinous ensemble together with her God-awful furry boots. She looked like the world’s cutest, cleanest hobo.
“I know, baby.” I flipped the heater to max and shifted my eyes in her direction. Even in her ridiculous get-up, I had a hard time taking my eyes off of her.
The night before, she’d woken up from her nap rejuvenated, and surprised me with the energy she was still able to harness. We’d spent the rest of our evening proving just how much we’d missed one another. In the heat of the moment, I’d forgotten to set my alarm. Luckily, Molly woke up early when the babies kicked her in the bladder. Naturally, she woke me up while prying herself out from under my arm. “Why didn’t you wear a heavier coat?”
Her bottom lip jutted forward, and had I not been driving, I would have kissed it. “Neither of my winter coats will zip. I’m too fat.”
“We’re buying you a new coat today.” I remarked, pulling the Mini Coop into the driveway of a charming 1920’s Tudor style cottage. Molly’s sharp intake of breath was my only clue that she approved of its curb appeal. She flung off her seatbelt and clambered out of the car, with her cocoa clasped firmly in her gloved hand.
Jeff must have been watching for us, because he met Molly at the bottom of the front steps.
“You must be Joe’s lady friend.” He stuck out his hand, but stared at Molly’s crazy boots as if they might sprout fangs and jump him.
“I’m Molly.” She smiled, and as his eyes traveled up from her atrocious boots to her face, I witnessed the moment that her sweet beauty won him over. Wearing the dumbfounded expression of a lovesick hound, he led her up to the brick vestibule and she complimented the tan stonework and his choice of lilac for the door.
“How adorable.” She gushed. Jeff just nodded at her with that goofy grin of his.
For the rest of our tour, he seemed entranced by Molly. So much so that he nearly walked into a wall at one point. I had to clamp my lips together to stifle laughter.
Like father like son.
Molly asked hundreds of questions and listened intently to every story he had about the house he’d grown up in. Jeff even had a couple of stories about Nick drawing on the walls with crayons. As he recited an oral history of the home, I watched Molly, trying to decipher her reaction. Her baby blues seemed to take in every nook and cranny. She traced her fingers admiringly over the original built ins, and as we passed lead glass windows in the dining room, she practically drooled. Stepping into the unfinished kitchen, she exclaimed happily when she realized it was set up for a gas stove. The blank canvas had her buzzing with ideas, and she moved to look out the back window.
“Look at that yard, Joe! It’s the perfect size. Look at the covered patio. We could grill…and it has a garden! There’s just enough grass to play on without having to mow an acre.”
I nodded as I watched her step out onto the patio and continue her exhaustive tour. She wandered around the garden for a while, and I could almost see the wheels turning in that beautiful mind of hers.
“You are one lucky man, Joe.” Jeff sighed as he hitched up his belt. I nodded without taking my eyes off of Molly, who was circling the shed. Finally, she wandered over to where we stood on the patio.
“Well, I suppose it’s time to talk money, Jeff.” She sighed regretfully, and he actually blushed, as if he were embarrassed that he’d have to charge her for his childhood home. Jeff admitted that he’d had the place appraised, but it wouldn’t be one hundred percent accurate without the completed kitchen. He planned to ask ten thousand above the appraisal price, explaining that he’d designed a gourmet kitchen with a tin ceiling, but hadn’t purchased the appliances. He thought it would take his crew a couple of days once he had the cupboards and countertops, and he’d be glad to show her the design. If she’d like to alter it or design her own from scratch, he’d work with that. He added that should we decide the house wasn’t for us, he was hoping to list it with a realtor in a couple of weeks.
“That sounds amazing. I’d love to see your kitchen design. And the price seems more than reasonable.” Molly glanced over at me. “What do you think, Joe?”
“I think you need a winter coat and I need to get some lunch into you before our babies starve.” I replied, trying to send her the silent message that we needed a discussion. She nodded.
“Let me put your number in my phone, Jeff.” Molly took her phone out and pulled off her right mitten with her teeth. She typed his number into her cell and waved goodbye to him as I practically dragged her to the car.
“I want this house.” She stated the second the car doors were closed. “I want to offer him asking price.”
“What the hell kind of negotiation tactic is that, little girl?” I scoffed. “He wants a quick profit. We shoul
d offer him the appraised price.”
“Joe…” She had the tone of a woman trying to talk a lunatic down off a ledge. Her expression pleaded with me to be reasonable. “How many houses have we been through? We’ve never even been tempted to make an offer.”
“We’re saving him a lot of time and hassle. He wants to unload it fast and if we buy it, he won’t have to pay a commission to a realtor.” I reasoned.
Molly folded her arms across her chest. “The hard work’s all done. We don’t have time to do a restoration and I can customize the kitchen.”
“What about the bedroom layout?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
“What about it?” She shot back.
I kept my poker face, though I was toying with her. The house was worth every penny of the money. She leaned over the console and captured me with her sky blue gaze.
“Did you see the shower in the master bath? All those shower heads?” Her voice had a husky undertone, and I didn’t need her to explain what she was thinking.
I threw open my door just as Jeff was trundling down the stairs. “Hey, Jeff. I think she’s ready to see your ideas for the kitchen.”
The cold weather had apparently kept the foodies indoors, because when I parked by the food truck to pick Molly up for our appointments, there wasn’t a customer in sight. I leaned forward as I slogged into the frigid wind, I was glad that I’d insisted Molly buy the thicker, less fashionable coat in addition to the pretty red peacoat she ‘just had to have’ the week before. Taking care of my girl was priority number one.
So imagine my surprise when I hopped up the steps of the food truck to escape the biting cold and was greeted by the sight of Molly flat on her back on the floor. Her face was hidden under the sink, so I could only see her from the neck down. It seemed she was doing a little handy work.
Mollywood (Carved Hearts #2) Page 21