Technically, the neighbor kid wasn’t part of his family, but Kaleb was curious about the answer himself so he just lifted his eyebrow at her. Well?
She let out a long breath. “I used to have a boyfriend, but we broke up.”
“When?”
“Why?”
Molly gulped, but Kaleb was enjoying this too much. “Because he liked Chinese food and I didn’t.”
Seven sets of eyes—including Kevin’s—gawked at Molly. It would’ve been eight, but one of the babies had fallen asleep. What did somebody’s meal preferences have to do with anything?
“Do you like Chinese food, Uncle Kaleb?” one of the boys asked.
“Sometimes.” Kaleb decided it was time to bail Molly out. “But it doesn’t matter because Molly and I are just friends.”
“Friends don’t kiss,” Aiden argued. “And we all saw you guys kiss right there in the middle of the lake. Even Coach Grampa saw it and said—”
Molly sniffed at the air. “Is something burning?”
“The chili goulash!” one of the boys hollered as he ran to the kitchen and turned off the stove.
Thankfully, Kaleb’s mom and sister walked in the door at that exact moment. He tugged on Molly’s hand. “Okay, so we were just dropping off the presents for the baby shower. Now that some responsible adults are here, I’m going to take Molly home.”
“Don’t you guys want to stay for dinner?” Lacy Chatterson asked.
“We already ate.”
“Are you staying at your girrrrrrrlfriennnnnnnd’s house tonight?” Kevin asked, and their mom smacked him on the back of his head. “Gah, Ma! I’m missing a doubleheader today because Kaleb demanded we take our family vacation right in the middle of the season. The least I can do is give him some grief for not spending any time with us.”
“All you kids ever do is give each other grief...” his mom started, and Kaleb pulled Molly toward the door.
They were just about to the truck when his sister came out onto the front porch and yelled, “We have a big day tomorrow, Molly. Make sure my brother lets you get a good night’s rest!”
Chapter Twelve
Molly was still trying to process everything as they drove back to her apartment. As they passed Duncan’s Market, she finally said, “So I guess your whole family now knows that we’re sleeping together.”
Kaleb sighed. “Yeah, sorry for all the questions and wisecracks back there. My family isn’t used to me bringing a woman around.”
“You mean you’ve never brought a girlfriend home to meet them?”
“Can’t you see why?” he asked.
“I think your family is fun.”
“They’re a blast. To everyone who didn’t have to grow up with them or constantly have them up in their personal business.”
“Well, I grew up with a family who kept to themselves all the time. You should be glad they’re nosy. It means they care about you.”
“Maxine seems to care about you,” Kaleb replied, bringing stirring up Molly’s guilt again.
“I know she does. But it’s different between us. We love each other, but your siblings are more vocal about it. More affectionate. They don’t hesitate to actually show their love.”
Kaleb snorted. “How? By annoying me?”
“That’s part of what makes them so enjoyable,” Molly wiggled her eyebrows. “But, seriously. Haven’t your girlfriends wanted to meet them?”
“I try to go out with the women who are only interested in where I’m taking them and whether or not there will be a red carpet there.”
Molly puzzled over his response for a few moments. “So you don’t like women with substance? Or you purposely only date shallow women so you don’t have to do serious relationships?”
“Asks the woman who broke up with a guy because he liked Chinese food.”
She shifted in her seat so that she could look out the window. “What I didn’t say was that our breakup had more to do with who I caught him eating Chinese food with. I’ll give you a hint. It wasn’t me.”
“Ouch. How long ago was that?”
“A few days after I was first diagnosed.” She used her finger to draw a zigzagging pattern along the leather of the armrest.
The car noticeably slowed down and she guessed that Kaleb had taken his foot off the gas pedal. He did that every time he felt compelled to better understand something. “You mean he cheated on you when he found out that you had diabetes?”
“No, he didn’t know about my condition. Still doesn’t. I showed up at his house to tell him because I figured he deserved to know that I was no longer the same woman he planned to marry. And that’s when I caught him with his fortune cookie already unwrapped.”
She heard the gurgle of him swallowing back his laughter and he resumed driving. But after a few seconds, she knew his silence was too good to last. “Okay, so back up. You were going to get married?”
Molly already had one strike against her with all the complications that came along with the whole diabetes diagnosis. It was humiliating to admit that she’d also been stupid enough not to know that her fiancé had been cheating on her, as well. “Do we really have to talk about this right now?”
“Let me guess, this is also something you’re keeping from your sister?”
“Actually, Maxine knows about Trevor. My whole family does, since we’d already sent out the wedding invitations before I called it off. In fact, that’s why my sister thinks I’m in town. To take a break and mend my broken heart.”
“So this was all pretty recent?” he asked. “Does that make me the rebound guy?”
“No!” she exclaimed. “There wasn’t anything to rebound from. To be honest, I’d been having reservations about going through with the marriage, anyway. I don’t think I ever really loved him. Otherwise, I would’ve been more upset about the other woman. He was also a pilot, assigned to another squadron, so our relationship was easy and he never demanded anything from me. My parents’ marriage is the same way so I’ve never really known anything different. But now that I’ve been spending time with Maxine and Cooper and all the head over heels in love couples in your family—with the exception of Bobby Junior, I guess—it’s become clearer that marrying Trevor would’ve been a huge mistake.”
He pulled into the parking spot near her rental car in the alley. He didn’t make a move to get out of the truck, but he’d never been the type before to wait for an invitation. Was he suddenly changing his mind about spending time with her? Her chest sunk with disappointment.
When he didn’t say anything, she tried to joke, “Now if I could get the rest of my life clearer, then maybe I’d be back in business.”
Finally, he reached his hand across the center console and picked up her hand, bringing it to his mouth for a soft kiss. “Just for the record, I wouldn’t mind if this was a rebound thing, but I’m glad it’s not.”
Thankfully, he didn’t ask what “this” was between them. Because Molly had no idea. All she knew was that she wasn’t quite ready for it to be over.
“So are we just going to sit down here all night or are you going to come upstairs and make sure I get a good night’s rest?” she asked.
He smiled before turning her wrist over and planting another tender kiss there, as well. And then nobody got any rest after that.
* * *
Molly tugged the top of her strapless sundress back into place as she looked around at the other women clustered into friendly groups, drinking prosecco sangrias and discussing their own pregnancies and labors. So far, nobody had been able to beat Cessy Walker’s—Molly knew she’d recognized the woman with Freckles at the store yesterday—story about her water breaking at a Barry Manilow concert and her refusal to leave until after the singer’s encore performance of “It’s a Miracle.”
Baby showers must be quite the social even
t in Sugar Falls because the back room of Patrelli’s Italian restaurant was at full capacity and all the ladies were wearing their best pastels and floral prints. Molly had borrowed a dress from Maxine, but the ill-fitting clothes were not only a reminder of the fact that she didn’t own a suitable wardrobe for a ladies’ luncheon, but that her recent weight loss was most noticeable in her chest.
Kylie clinked a spoon to her glass of fruit-filled sangria. As the room quieted, Molly desperately wished she could have just one sip. More for the sugar buzz than the alcohol content. Instead, she stuck to her unsweetened iced tea.
“Okay, everyone. We’re going to start our first game,” Kaleb’s sister announced.
Molly would’ve pumped her fist if it she could do so without letting her dress slip. She might not be able to drink the fancy cocktails or discuss childbirth or even contribute to the latest Sugar Falls gossip, but finally there was something she could participate in. She thrived on healthy competition and didn’t care whether it was a combat mission or a game of gin rummy back in the barracks. She liked to win. And it had been so long since she’d won something.
Kylie passed out papers as she explained the rules of the game. “When I call time after five minutes, everyone drop your pens. The person who knows the most about Maxine wins.”
Molly’s face went slack as the blood rushed to her feet. Couldn’t they compete at something she’d actually be good at?
“It’s not fair if you and Mia and Maxine’s sister play because you guys know her the best,” one of the ladies called out. Molly recognized her as the owner of the gas station and the mother of the boy who’d asked Kaleb for his signature outside the Cowgirl Up Café. The woman didn’t even know Molly’s name—only that she was Maxine’s kid sister. But she was right, on at least part of her complaint. Kylie and Mia were Maxine’s best friends and could easily win this game. Molly doubted she could even get half the answers right.
“Of course the three of us aren’t playing,” Mia said as she handed out pens. “We’re the ones who came up with the questions.”
They were? When had they done that? Molly recalled their meeting at the Cowgirl Up a few days ago. They’d briefly discussed what they intended to play, but when exactly had they... Oh. Her cheeks heated. They must’ve come up with the list when she’d been in the ladies’ room making out with Kaleb.
As the guests began writing, Molly maneuvered herself to where Kylie and Mia were huddled. Hopefully, they had the answer sheet with them and Molly could sneak a quick peak. How sad was that? She had to rely on a cheesy baby shower game to gain a little insight into her big sister.
Better to just paste a neutral expression on her face and make herself less conspicuous. Oh, look. The gift table could use some rearranging. Molly walked over and sorted the packages in order of size, bringing the small items toward the front of the table.
“Sixty more seconds,” Mia announced.
Freckles waved her sheet over her head. “I’ve already finished and you might as well give me the prize.”
Several women groaned, because of course the waitress from the local café knew everything about everyone.
Molly held herself still while Maxine read off the answers. “Biggest craving is salt-and-vinegar potato chips.”
Well, that was no surprise. Anyone with eyes and standing in the same room as her sister would’ve guessed that.
“Circumference of my stomach is currently forty-two inches.”
Yeah, Molly would’ve gotten that, too, because the turboshaft in the first jet she’d flown was that exact same size.
“Does ‘Tears of a Clown’ count as a favorite lullaby?”
Duh. Growing up, their CD player at home always had a stack of Maxine’s favorite Motown discs on it. And Hunter always sang Smokey Robinson songs as he got ready for bed.
“Foot size?” Maxine continued. “I’m still wearing my size eight shoes, but they’re getting tighter.”
In addition to the sundress, Molly had had to borrow a pair of wedge sandals from her sister for this party, so she would’ve gotten that answer, as well.
And everyone correctly wrote down that Maxine had met Cooper through her son, Hunter, because of a pen pal program at school. Hmm, maybe Molly knew more about her sister than she’d thought.
Her heart resumed its normal pace and she eased herself closer to Mia and Kylie’s side, suddenly feeling less like an outsider. When lunch was served, she skipped Patrelli’s famous garlic knots in the buffet line, instead loading up on the antipasto salad. Afterward, she volunteered to cut and serve the red-velvet cake so that nobody would notice that she was the only person in the room who wasn’t enjoying a slice. Although she did lick some of the cream cheese frosting off her finger when she was done passing out the plates.
“So what about you?” Elaine Marconi asked Molly when she finally resumed her seat at the head of the U-shaped table by her sister. “Are you planning to have kids, too?”
The spotlight was suddenly thrust onto Molly’s flaming cheeks and she turned to Maxine, looking for some sort of signal on how she should handle such a personal question. Unfortunately, her sister was distracted by something Mrs. Chatterson was saying to her.
Molly knew this was a small town, but why did people think it was appropriate to ask others about their procreation plans? Or, in her case, a lack of them. Molly took a big gulp of her iced tea. “Not any time soon.”
“No, of course not now,” Elaine replied. “You and Kaleb should take some time to get to know each other first, but maybe after your wedding.”
Her eyelids popped open. What wedding? They weren’t even dating. Well, they sort of were, but it was only temporary. And just for appearances. It certainly would never get to the point where they would ever need to discuss the possibility of babies.
“Not everyone wants to have kids.” Julia, Kaleb’s soon-to-be sister-in-law, came to her rescue. “I know Kane and I have our hands full taking care of our dog.”
“That’s a shame,” Cessy Walker said to Julia. Molly moved to the edge of her seat, getting ready to defend her new ally. Then the woman added, “Your and Kane’s babies would be a lot cuter and smarter than that dog of yours who keeps lifting his leg on my Lexus tire every time you walk him downtown.”
“Sounds like a pretty intelligent dog to me,” Maxine whispered to Molly, who fought the urge to giggle because she wasn’t yet convinced that this conversation didn’t have the potential to take a judgmental turn. Some women had a tendency to think every other female should follow their example. It was one of the reasons Molly had loved being in a male-dominated profession. Yet, before Molly could prepare her plan of defense, someone else jumped in.
“Our son is smart and beautiful,” one of Choogie Nguyen’s moms said. “And he doesn’t have either of our DNA.”
Carmen Gregson lifted her glass of sangria. “Cheers to that. I couldn’t love the twins more if they’d come from my own body.”
“I never had kids,” Freckles said as she helped herself to the rest of Cessy Walker’s cake. “And to be honest, I don’t regret my decision.”
Molly had not been prepared for this. It wasn’t so much that any of the women were explicitly protecting her. But they were being open and honest with their feelings and their situations and nobody was trying to pretend to be anything they weren’t. Well, except for Elaine Marconi, who kept her judgmental chin firmly in the air.
“So who’s ready for another game?” Mia asked, and Molly settled back into her seat as her cohost explained the rules for the blindfolded diaper races. The rest of the shower passed in a flurry of laughter and friendly competition and oohing and ahhing over presents of hand-knitted blankets and tiny, delicate outfits.
When Molly won the bingo game for having five gifts in a row on her card, she traded prizes with Freckles, who’d earlier been awarded a gift certificate to a free k
ayaking lesson from Russell Sports.
“Are you sure you don’t mind switchin’?” the waitress asked as everyone helped clean up all the discarded bows and wrapping paper.
“I’m positive.” Molly put up a hand to assure her. “I won’t be in town long enough to use up a month of free yoga classes at Mia’s studio.”
“I wish you could stay that long,” Maxine said beside her, catching Molly off guard with a one-armed hug around her waist.
“You do?” Molly searched her sister’s face.
“Of course I do. I love you, Moll Doll.”
The childhood nickname sent a funny flutter through her tummy and she couldn’t stop herself for leaning into Maxine’s side.
“Hold it right there,” Kylie said before using the camera on her phone to snap a photo.
“Make sure you send me a copy of that,” Maxine said to her friend before turning to Molly. “I can’t remember the last time we took a picture together.”
It wasn’t accusatory, but since her sister had lived in the same city for the past twelve years, Molly knew that it was her own career and her countless relocations that had kept them apart for so long. Everyone smiled at their sentimental display of sisterhood bonding but the guilt weighing on Molly’s shoulders made her feel like a fraud.
At least it did until her nephew and brother-in-law walked into the room and Hunter announced, “Hey, Aunt Molly, we played golf with Kaleb today and I told him about this awesome idea I had for his next video game. He’s going to bring you over to our house for dinner tonight so we can talk about it.”
Chapter Thirteen
Kaleb’s lower spine had barely made it through the eighteenth hole when he finally asked Hunter—who thought the sport of golf was slow and boring and only perked up when he got to race Kevin in the golf carts—to drive him back to the pro-shop for a package of ibuprofen and an Icy Hot patch while everyone stayed behind for a postgame putting match. Before Cooper and the rest of the Chatterson men met up with them for a round of beers and Reuben sandwiches, Molly’s nephew had proposed a decently thought-out plan for the development of a new concept game.
A Proposal for the Officer Page 13