Smitten Book Club

by Colleen Coble

“I did, but—there must be a mistake.” She repeated the invoice total.

  “No, I’m sure that’s right. It normally goes for closer to five, so you got a great deal.”

  A great deal? A great deal?

  “I can have your rep call you on Monday if there’s a problem?”

  Molly nodded, then realized Kylie couldn’t see. “Okay. That’s fine. Thank you.”

  She hung up, numbly. A call from the rep wouldn’t solve anything. She looked at the invoice on the screen. Where was she going to get over four thousand dollars?

  Maybe Gage was used to spending that kind of money on his own advertising, but he had to understand that an expenditure like that would put her over the edge right now. She scrimped and saved and budgeted so tightly just to survive, and now, in one fell swoop, she’d lost it all.

  There was no getting around it. She couldn’t pay it. Molly covered her face with her hands.

  Deep breaths. Deep breaths, Molly.

  There was no way Gage hadn’t known this. Hadn’t he pored over her financials for serveral weeks? He knew to the penny how much she had in the bank, how much she owed. What had he been thinking?

  An ugly feeling wormed up her spine. Gage was far too savvy to be reckless with money. Obviously he knew how to run a successful business—and you didn’t do that by spending money you didn’t have.

  She shook her head. She didn’t want to think it. He’d been so helpful. He’d looked at her with his warm blue eyes. He’d kissed her.

  Molly looked back at the invoice, doubts warring with the feelings, the trust, that had grown over the past couple months. She’d trusted him enough to hand over her confidential—and embarrassing—information. Would he do something so terrible? She didn’t want to believe it.

  And yet.

  Those memories of Curtis flashed in her mind. She struggled to remember her late husband’s complaints against Gage. Something about the Chamber of Commerce. Curtis had said Gage had been against the formation of Smitten Expeditions. He’d tried to block their opening. Once in business, Curtis had complained about Gage stealing customers. About Gage badmouthing their business to customers.

  And right when it was do-or-die time, Gage had walked into her office and offered to “help.” Why would a competitor help her stay in business? Hadn’t she seen the red flags? She’d been suspicious. But somehow she’d let her guard down, had let him into her business and into her life.

  Molly stood abruptly. Her chair rolled back and hit the wall. What have you done, Molly?

  She’d trusted a man not worthy of her trust, that’s what she’d done. Hadn’t she done the same with Curtis? Trusting him to make decisions, burying her head in the sand and letting him take care of all the things she didn’t like thinking about?

  What was wrong with her? Would she never learn?

  And Gage! The nerve of the man, to come into her store and gain her trust, only to chop her legs from beneath her. What kind of person did that?

  “Just being neighborly?” she spat. “People here stick together?” Did it not matter to him that this was her livelihood? That she was the sole supporter of a child?

  Oh, he’d helped her, all right. Helped her run her business right into the ground. Her mind flashed back to when she’d overheard him directing customers to his own store. How many other customers had he stolen while she’d trusted him here, alone in her shop?

  A fire of fury welled up inside. He’d thought he could walk in here and ruin her, and she’d just lie back and take it. Maybe he thought she was too stupid to see what he’d done.

  But she saw it. Oh yeah, she saw it, all right. And she was about to let him know.

  She grabbed her keys and headed out, barely acknowledging April on her way past. She was too angry to speak. Too angry to walk the couple blocks. She wanted her say, and she wanted it now.

  The diagonal parking slots in front of his store were full. She had to park in front of the bakery, three stores down. Molly marched down the brick sidewalk, steaming inside. Maybe she was going down. But she was going to give him a piece of her mind first. She was going to register a complaint with the Chamber or the Better Business Bureau or whoever she could get to listen.

  She stepped inside the busy store and scanned the floor. No Gage. If he was out on a tour, she was going to hunt him down.

  “Can I help you?” A short brunette the size of a willow weed stepped up to her.

  “Where’s Gage?”

  The bright smile slipped from her face. “Uh . . . in his office?”

  Molly strode across the showroom floor, her eyes trained on his closed office door.

  Gage’s head snapped up when the door bounced against the wall. “Molly . . .” The beginnings of a smile evaporated from his face. He lowered the pen in his hand. “What’s—”

  “Don’t you dare ask me what’s wrong.” Her voice quivered with rage.

  Gage scooted back from his desk, angling his face away. “Okay . . .”

  “How could you, Gage? How could you?”

  Twin commas formed between his brows. “Molly, I don’t—What’s going on?” He turned his palms up in a What did I do? motion.

  Oh, he was good, she’d give him that. All innocence. She ground her teeth together. “The ad in Explore Vermont? The four thousand, five hundred and ninety-eight dollar ad? Ring a bell?”

  His face fell. His eyes found the desk, and in that quick response she saw his guilt. “I’m sorry, Molly. I didn’t want—”

  “You’re sorry? Sorry? You deliberately sabotage my business, and you’re sorry? In what world does that make—”

  “Wait . . . what?”

  “—any sense? I trusted you! I let you come into my business to help me, and instead you run me into the ground with a bill I can’t hope to pay. And you—”

  “Molly, no . . .”

  “—knew that, Gage. Nobody knew that better than you. I’ve tried to reason this out, make sense of it, but there’s only one explanation—you did this on purpose!”

  He blinked, shuttering those eyes for an instant. His jaw snapped shut.

  He wasn’t going to deny it. She didn’t know what she’d expected, but it wasn’t this. Silence. His hands fell to his lap. Then he crossed his arms.

  “Nothing, Gage? No excuses? No random explanations?” She tossed her hands up, waiting.

  He settled back in his chair. His jaw clenched. There was something in his eyes she couldn’t quite place, then it was gone. His face closed, and his eyes went hard.

  She crossed her own arms to hide her trembling hands. To hide the effect his expression had on her. It hurt. There was no getting around it. She’d thought there’d been something between them. Something special. But all there’d been was betrayal.

  “No, Molly. I think you’ve said it all.”

  She regarded him steadily. Her heart was racing, adrenaline pumping like mad, the fight or flight thing. She’d fought. Her heart had the battle scars to prove it. But he wasn’t fighting back. She’d won. That’s what she’d wanted, wasn’t it? Though an apology would’ve been nice. A little remorse. But no, she wasn’t going to get it. She could see that now.

  “I thought you were different. I thought you—” Cared about me. A knot in her throat choked off her words. She felt the sting of tears and knew the time had come for flight. Before she completely humiliated herself.

  She drew a lung-stretching breath. “Guess I was wrong.” Her knees wobbled as she turned to leave.

  “I guess we both were,” he said.

  She didn’t pause on the threshold. Didn’t stop to wonder what his clipped words meant. He’d gotten what he wanted. She marched through his beautiful store—soon to be the only one of its kind in Smitten.

  This chapter of her life was officially over.

  The door slammed shut behind Molly, the sudden silence behind it deafening. Gage palmed the back of his neck. What the heck had just happened?

  Somehow she’d jumped to the conclusion
that he’d sabotaged her business. That he’d purposely put her over the edge. He would never . . .

  He cared about her. That was evidenced by the hollow ache inside, by the painful twist of his stomach that left him feeling like he’d been wrung out hard.

  He couldn’t believe she thought so little of him. Sure, at first she’d been skeptical. He knew Curtis had probably soured her on him. Between their sports rivalry through high school and their competing businesses, Gage had never been Curtis’s favorite person.

  But he’d thought he’d earned Molly’s trust. He had earned her trust. She’d given him access to her finances. She’d agreed to go out with him. She’d kissed him. He let his mind linger there a moment, the thoughts making him go warm all over.

  But all too soon the anger returned. What did any of that matter if he didn’t have her trust? If she threw him under the bus without a moment’s hesitation? One little suspicion, and had she given him the benefit of the doubt? Had she asked for an explanation? No, she’d come in spouting accusations. She’d believed the worst of him. The woman had issues, and it wasn’t his job to fix her.

  Gage set his hands flat on his desk, scanning the pile of applications he needed to weed through. He had better things to do than stew over a woman who’d set his heart on the floor and stomped all over it.

  Love is not for the faint of heart or the weak of spirit.

  PEARL CHAMBERS, The Gentlewoman’s Guide to Love and Courtship

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  What are you going to do?” Lia asked Molly.

  Heather had called an emergency meeting after church once Molly had filled her in on yesterday’s fiasco. The friends were gathered around Molly’s kitchen table. Paul and the guys had taken Noah to the park to pass the football.

  Molly felt the sting of tears. She’d felt that a lot in the past twenty-four hours. Hiding her feelings from Noah had been difficult. He’d have to know eventually, but not before she had a plan.

  Molly shrugged. “Unless Pearl’s gold magically appears in front of me, I’ll have to call the bank tomorrow. Let them know I’m defaulting on the loan.”

  Abby leaned in on her elbows. “Are you sure? What if we did another fund-raiser?”

  “That’s a great idea,” Lia said.

  “The guys at the firehouse would help,” Heather said. “Maybe a chili cook-off or a barbecue event? We could even auction off items.”

  Molly shook her head. “Thanks, girls. But even if we raised that kind of money . . . I’m sorry, but it just feels like pouring money down the drain. I have to face it. This just isn’t my thing. If I’m honest, it never was.”

  Lia set her hand on Molly’s arm. Silence filled the room as the weight of her declaration sank in.

  “I still can’t believe Gage did that with the ad,” Heather said. “Are you sure you’re not mistaken? Remember when I jumped to conclusions about Paul and Isabelle Morgan?”

  Molly sank into her chair. “It’s not like that. He had every chance to explain. You should’ve seen the guilt all over his face. He had me fooled, that’s for sure.” She didn’t want to think about Gage. She had enough on her plate. Like being jobless and homeless.

  You got my back, right, God? You’re going to take care of us? ’Cause right now, this all feels pretty scary, and I’m a little short on trust.

  “It’s going to be okay,” Heather said, as if reading her mind. “We’ll all help out.”

  “I’m going to lose everything. What am I going to do?”

  “You’re going to pack up your things and move in with Charlie and me,” Heather said.

  Molly gave her a grateful smile. “I couldn’t do that.”

  “I’d be upset if you didn’t. We’re friends, that’s what we do. Charlie will be thrilled. Besides, what’s better than a slumber party?”

  “Can I come?” Abby asked.

  “Me too,” Lia said.

  “See?” Heather squeezed Molly’s hand. “They’re already jealous of all the fun we’re going to have.”

  “Are you sure, Heather? It’s a lot to ask.”

  “Of course I’m sure. Noah will love it. We have a big-screen TV. He and Charlie will be playing Xbox until the cows come home.”

  Molly eyes ached with unshed tears. “He’ll love that. Thanks, Heather.”

  “Well, that’s settled. Let’s talk jobs,” Abby said. “What kind of work are you looking for?”

  “The kind that comes with a paycheck.”

  “I could ask at the county office,” Heather said. “We could use some part-time help.”

  She was so sweet. “Thanks, hon, but I need full-time and insurance.” Noah’s recent trip to the ER was a reminder.

  “What about something with your music?” Abby asked.

  Molly sighed. “I’d love that, but it’s not practical. Music on the square isn’t going to cut it.”

  Lia popped up straight. “Hey, Mrs. Willikins is retiring. She’s not coming back in the fall because of her husband’s health, remember?”

  “The music teacher?” Molly asked. Noah loved her. She’d heard about Mr. Willikins’s stroke, but not about the woman retiring.

  “That’s right up your alley,” Heather said. “You have the degree, you love music and kids . . .”

  It did sound perfect. School would be starting next month. “They haven’t replaced her yet?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but I could check tomorrow.”

  Molly found herself getting excited about the possibility. If she could get the job, and it paid enough to support her and Noah . . . She could imagine being happy for many years as a music teacher.

  Oh, please, God. This would be such an answer to prayer.

  As the girls rattled on with plans, Molly found her mind going a different direction. One that took her to thoughts of a man she’d been falling for. A man who’d sorely disappointed her.

  Be honest, Molly.

  Okay. A man who’d broken her heart. There. She’d said it. And she didn’t know if any job in the world could make up for that.

  Molly unlocked the store and stepped inside, flipping on lights. She looked around the quiet space, sad at the thought of giving up Curtis’s dream.

  Curtis’s dream. Did you hear that, Molly? Not yours. It was high time she let go and moved forward. Even if it did feel as if she were stepping off a cliff.

  Heather had stayed with her yesterday afternoon, digging around online, trying to figure out what would happen after she defaulted. How long she’d have before they repossessed her home. She still wasn’t clear on the process, but she kept repeating Heather’s words: one step at a time.

  Lia was supposed to call the school today and find out if the teaching position was still open. Please, God . . . She was actually excited about the idea. It was the perfect fit for her.

  Meanwhile, she thought, looking around her quiet office, she had tours to run, loose ends to tie up, and personal effects needing packed. She was going to do this right. Or as right as she could, and trust God with the rest. There was that word again. Trust. God had helped through her difficult year. He’d comforted her in her grief and provided for their needs. Yes, Molly, but you can trust God.

  Unlike some people.

  As Molly sat at her desk, the phone rang. She picked up the extension, realizing suddenly that there was no point in booking more tours.

  A male voice asked, for Molly. It was Steve, her sales rep from Explore Vermont.

  “I have a message from our intern to return your call. She says she sent you the invoice for your ad?”

  The bill still had to be paid, so Molly hoped it was a terrible mistake. Or that she could talk him down on the price a bit. Or a lot.

  “I know you worked out the price with Gage Turner.” She managed to squeeze out the name. “I guess I didn’t realize it would cost so much.”

  “I’m so sorry, Molly. Kylie shouldn’t have sent the invoice. It was supposed to go to Gage.”

  Molly frowned at a b
lank space on her wall. “What do you mean? Why would my invoice go to him?”

  She heard a slow sigh.

  “I hope I’m not breaking a confidence here . . . Gage’s ad was slotted for July’s issue. He said to bill his company as usual.”

  Molly’s throat constricted. She palmed it. “What?”

  “I told him he’d retain first right of rescission regardless, but he insisted he be billed for the ad.”

  A terrible dread leaked into her veins. She swallowed hard. “I don’t—why would he—”

  “I don’t know. I just do as I’m told. As long as the magazine gets paid . . .”

  No, this couldn’t be. Had she made—

  She closed her eyes and reminded herself to breathe. This didn’t make sense. Why would Gage pay for her ad? What kind of man shelled out over four thousand dollars to save his competitor?

  “Are . . . are you sure about this, Steve?”

  “I have his e-mail right here.” There was a click on Steve’s end. “It says, ‘Steve, can you make sure I’m billed for the Smitten Expeditions ad instead of Molly?’ Oh—oops. He did ask me to keep it between us. Well, shoot.”

  Molly’s heart pummeled her ribs. “It’s okay. It . . . it won’t matter now.” None of it would. “But don’t bill Gage. I’ll . . . I’ll be paying for it now.”

  “Well . . . hmm. You’ll have to work that out between the two of you, I guess. I’m really sorry. I should call Gage and apologize.”

  “No, don’t—I mean, I’ll handle it. It was my fault, and you’re not the one who sent the invoice.”

  “Good point. Let’s just blame Kylie.” A teasing note had crept into his voice. “It’s always the intern’s fault.”

  “Exactly,” she said numbly. “Thank you for your help.”

  “I hope we can work together in the future.”

  They rang off, and Molly cupped her face in her palms. This couldn’t be happening. She flashed back to Saturday when she’d marched into Gage’s office. She remembered the look on his face when he’d first seen her. The joy in his eyes at her arrival. Right before his smile had fallen away at the look on her face.

  And later, the hardness of his eyes, like ice. The clenching of his jaw.