That Thing You Do (A Crystal Lake Novel Book 2)

by Juliana Stone

  With all the hustle and bustle and the nerves and a few tears—Jessica and her mother especially—the morning flew by, and before she knew it, Molly was in her old bedroom studying her reflection in the mirror that leaned against the wall, not quite believing the woman who stared back was her.

  Her hair had been swept into a loose bun, with braids woven in and wispy tendrils teasing her shoulders. It was casual and honestly looked like it had just been thrown together, but Carl had worked for over an hour on it, and it was perfect. Her makeup was subtle in color, yet powerful in impact. Never had her eyes looked so big and exotic, or her mouth so plush and soft. Her sink was baby smooth, and the zit she’d woke up with between her eyes had seemingly vanished.

  Molly turned to the side, admiring the simple dress. It was a Grecian style that fell in an A line from her chest, the color somewhere between plum and nude. It was elegant, classy, and, man, did it make her look like she actually had boobs.

  “What do you think, Alfred?” She looked at the python curled up in a terrarium by her bed.

  “I think you’ve never looked so beautiful.”

  “Thanks, Nana.”

  Her grandmother sat on old red-orange-and-yellow-plaid chair shoved into the corner between the bookshelf overflowing with Goosebumps, R.L. Stine novels, Harry Potter, and The Babysitter Club series, and another bookshelf that held trophies from baseball, hockey, and track. She took a sip from the mug in her hand, and Molly shook her head.

  “Coffee at noon, Nana?

  “If you think this is coffee, then I’ve got swampland to sell you in Florida.” Her nana winked and held up the mug. “Want some?”

  “I’m good.”

  “When are you going to tell me about this young man of yours?”

  Molly whipped her head back in surprise. “What? I don’t know what you mean?”

  Her nana took another sip and raised an eyebrow. “I see the way he looks at you, and I see the way you look at him. It’s obvious you’re involved with each other.”

  “No, Nana…I…” But the denial died on her tongue, because Nana Malone was, if anything, intuitive when it came to other people’s business. It was her greatest gift and one she had no problem sharing with folks whether they wanted to hear what she had to say or not.

  Molly sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to wrinkle her dress. Her nana offered up the mug once more, and this time, she took it.

  “Oh God,” she said with a grimace. “What the hell is that?”

  “I don’t really know. Your parents’ liquor cabinet is sadly lacking. I mixed a green bottle with a brown bottle and added a dash of soda.” She held her hand aloft. “Voilà”

  “Next time, you might want to add more than just a dash, Nana. That stuff could start an engine.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Nana Malone smiled and leaned close. “I don’t know if you remember or not, but I was quite a dish when I was your age.”

  “A dish.”

  “A fox. A doll. A beauty. A—”

  “I get it, Nan,” Molly replied with a giggle. “You were hot.”

  “I was.” She nodded. “Especially the summer of ’61.” She patted Molly’s hand. “That was when I met your grandfather, and the good Lord had never shone his light on another man the way he did Jack Malone. He walked into the dance down at the community hall one Saturday night, hair slicked back like he was in a gang or something, shoulders impressive in his tan sport coat. He took one look at me, and I was done for. I bet I fell in love that second. Why, within a week, I had our entire life planned, right down to the color of the drapes I’d hang in our sunny and bright kitchen.”

  Her nana fell silent, and Molly cleared her throat. “That’s nice, Nana.”

  “Jack looked at me the way your Nate looks at you.”

  Startled, Molly got to her feet. “What do you mean?”

  “That boy loves you, mark my words.”

  “Nana, you don’t know…it’s not…he doesn’t.”

  “Molly, men can be stupid when it comes to matters of the heart. He probably doesn’t know it yet.”

  “We’re best friends, nothing more than that. It’s just, this time, we took it to another level, and it’s…honestly, it’s kind of weird now. Like we’re tiptoeing around each other.”

  “The sex is good?”

  Molly’s mouth fell open in shock. “Nana…I…”

  “I do know what sex is, sweetie, and I’m going to assume from the color of your cheeks and the expression on your face that yes, you two hit it off in the sack. But it’s good you’re friends too. Because when the physical part wanes, the friendship thing sure comes in handy.”

  “But he doesn’t think of me that way. Trust me, Nan, I’m nothing like the women he’s normally attracted to.” She glanced at the mirror and shrugged. “Even in this fancy dress, I’m not.”

  Her nana got to her feet and shuffled over to stand beside Molly. “I don’t think you see the same thing we do when you look in that mirror. You’re a beautiful young woman with a lot of attributes.” Her nana angled her head a bit. “I’ll admit you’re a bit lacking in the chest area, but that’s all right, if your Nate is a breast man, there’s lot of ways to fix that. Just don’t go overboard. Double D’s are too big. Your grandfather used to say any more than a handful was too much.”

  “Oh my God, Nana.” Molly laughed. “I am not getting a boob job.”

  “Well, that’s good news, but we’re off getting off topic. What I mean to say is that you should never think that because you see things one way. Everyone else does too. Don’t put your weaknesses, your insecurities, onto someone else. It’s not fair.”

  Nana Malone gave Molly a hug and a soft kiss to the cheek. “And that’s enough wisdom for me today. I need to grab a traveler for the church.”

  “Nana, you can’t drink alcohol at the service.”

  “Didn’t Jesus turn water into wine?”

  Molly couldn’t argue with that kind of logic. She watched her nana leave and then scooped up the small clutch her mother had given her. She did one last turn in front of the mirror and swore when she caught sight of Zach standing behind her.

  “You look beautiful, Moll.” He grinned, his face flush with excitement.

  “So do you.” Molly walked to him and hugged him the way she used to when she was a kid. A big old knot was in her throat, and she worked hard to clear it. “I’m so happy for you, Zach. Jess is a lucky girl, and she’s perfect for you.”

  “She’s the only one for me,” he said, taking a step back. “What about you?” he asked, suddenly serious.

  Confused, Molly looked at her brother. “What about me?”

  Zach looked like was going to say something, but then he changed his mind, tossing a smile her way. “Never mind. We should go. The guys are waiting out front. I’ve got somewhere I need to be.”

  “Go. I’m right behind you.”

  She smoothed her dress once more, grabbed the pink gloss she’d left on the dresser, and then picked up the framed photo that sat there. It was a candid shot of her and Zach and Shelby. God, she missed that dog so much, it hurt. She was the first true love of Molly’s life.

  “She was a great dog.” Nate’s voice was hushed, and Molly took a second to compose herself before she turned around.

  Holy. Hell.

  Nathan Jacobs could make a burlap sack look good, but dressed in a crisp, tailored black tux, he was sheer perfection. It hurt her heart to look at him, and even though she wanted to tear her gaze away, she memorized every inch of him so she could tuck it away and save it for later.

  “Molly. Wow, you look beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled. “You clean up pretty damn good yourself.” She tried to keep things light but wasn’t wholly successful, and her breath caught, making it hard to speak.

  He reached for her, and she slammed her eyes shut when he moved closer and coaxed her into his arms. He didn’t say anything. She couldn’t…but then, what was the
re to say?

  “We have to go, Nathan,” she murmured quietly.

  A heartbeat passed.

  “You’re right. We do.”

  She looked up at him and smiled bravely. He bent low and swept a kiss as light as feathers across her mouth. It felt like goodbye. Carefully, she moved out of his embrace, and then he stepped aside. Molly walked past him, her heart reined in tight, her emotions in check. She couldn’t fall apart. Not yet, anyway. Along with the image of Nate in her mind, the touch of his mouth against hers, the feel of him beneath her hands… She’d save that for later when she was alone. Then she could remember everything properly.

  Then she could cry.

  Chapter Twenty

  Zach and Jess’s wedding went off without a hitch. The day was beautiful, the venue out of this world, the flowers and food all top-notch. The ceremony itself had been simple, lasting no more than twenty minutes, with heartfelt vows written in their own hand accompanied by a string quartet. When it was all said and done, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. Afterward, the guests had been directed to several large limo buses that took them to the country club, where they feasted on fancy hors d’oeuvres such as lobster bites, mushroom canapés, jumbo shrimp, and Zach’s favorite, tater rolls, while the bridal party posed for, what seemed to Nate, at least three hundred pictures.

  It was torture acting like his world was good. Like everything in it was where it was supposed to be when, in fact, he felt it was a chaotic mess. He couldn’t handle it anymore.

  Plus, he couldn’t take his eyes off Molly.

  “You keep looking at her like that, mate, and her dress is going to melt right off.” Link handed Nate a drink and laughed. “Not that I’d complain or anything, but I’m fairly certain she will.”

  Dinner had just been cleared, toasts and speeches were done and over, and the bride was taking to the dance floor with her father.

  Nate turned to the footballer. “Have you ever been in a serious relationship?”

  Link looked out over the dance floor, his expression unreadable. “I gave it a go once.”

  “Didn’t work out?”

  “I screwed up, so no, it didn’t work out, and I hurt someone I care about, which made it all much worse. It’s one of the many things in my life I’d do differently if I could.” The Brit attempted a smile. “But that’s the thing about life, eh? Not many of us get that second chance.” He looked at Nathan. “It’s a fool who doesn’t grab it when it presents itself.” He pointed to Molly, who stood with her parents, chatting with some folks across the dance floor. “That right there could be your second chance. It would be a shame if you didn’t find out before you leave, eh?”

  Nate watched Link head to the bar and was about to follow him, thinking a good stiff whiskey might calm him a bit, when the bridal party was called to the dance floor. He held Poppy lightly as they moved to some Celine Dion song that he’d heard at every single wedding he’d ever attended.

  He didn’t know Poppy Fairbanks all that well. It was more like he knew of her. She was closer to his brother’s age, and, like a lot of Crystal Lake’s offspring, she’d fled the small town for something bigger as soon as she got the chance, Los Angeles, if he remembered correctly. But, like a good number of those who left, she’d come back and now ran a popular boutique down near the water.

  They made small talk, but Nate had no idea what it was about because he was focused on Molly, who swayed to the music with her partner, Stu, a few feet away. Nate had been wound up since the day before, and as the song ended, he smiled at Poppy and cut through the crowd, anxious to get Molly to himself. Time was running out, and they had shit to discuss, things to say and do. Wasn’t that what a guy did in this situation?

  But what the hell was his situation exactly?

  He clamped his teeth tight so tightly, an ache spread across his jaw. He’d never been so damn confused in his entire life.

  She smiled when he approached, and instantly, the tension inside him decreased. “Hey,” she said.

  “Hey yourself.” He took a good long look and liked what he saw. Her cheeks were flushed a rosy pink, her eyes sparkled, and when she smiled at him like that, he was DiCaprio on the Titanic—the king of the world. And as king, he made things happen.

  “Let’s get out of here,” he said, moving closer, all pretense of being polite long gone. He was done making small talk and skirting whatever the hell this was between them. He had one last night to right this ship, to have Molly to himself, and he wasn’t going to waste it at a wedding reception, even if it was Zach’s.

  Molly’s eyes darted behind him, and her pulse rocketed, beating wildly at the base of her neck. “We shouldn’t, Nate.”

  He looked her in the eye so she knew how serious he was. He wasn’t turning back. “We should.” He took her hand and met zero resistance. The two of them cut through the crowd and didn’t talk to a soul as Nate led the way outside to where the queue of fancy limousines waited to transport guests home. They hopped inside the first one, and he slid an address he’d printed on a piece of paper to the driver.

  There were no words, but he held Molly close until they arrived at their destination. The sprawling resort on the lake had been owned once by the Edwardses, but a few years back, Hudson Blackwell bought it and ran it with his wife. Simply called The Lodge, the Blackwells lived on the property in the sprawling main house, while guests stayed in cabins on the water.

  Nate had the key on him, and he took Molly to one of the cabins farthest away from the main house. It was secluded and private and exactly what he wanted for his last night with Molly.

  Once inside, he was relieved to see the fire had been lit and it was cozy. Already, the nights were colder.

  Molly stood in the shadows, her expression unreadable. It made him nervous as hell, and he didn’t know why. Being here with her felt so right, but also wrong, and that made no damn sense whatsoever.

  “Molly,” he said, taking a step toward her.

  She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk right now, Nathan.” She turned around and presented her back. “Deal with this zipper, won’t you? Then we can do what it is we came here to do.”

  The tone of her voice, the sight of her bare shoulders and wild and wispy hair, made Nathan crazy with desire. So crazy that he didn’t pay attention to the words she didn’t say. He pulled down that zipper, and less than a minute later, they were both naked on the bed.

  The air was thick and hot and electric, with an intensity that sizzled along their skin and lit up his insides like a damn Christmas tree. Nathan could never remember wanting a woman as much as he wanted Molly right now.

  She was like a goddess on steroids as she pushed him onto his back and straddled him. She raised her arms and stared down at him while taking the pins out her hair. He might have groaned when the silky tendrils fell down her body.

  He slid his hands alongside her hips, and she smiled wickedly at him, easing her body down as she took him inside her. When she slowly began to ride him, Nathan just about lost his mind.

  And still there were no words. There was touch and feel and anticipation. There was need and want and, finally, there was release.

  Nathan shuddered against Molly and rolled over, taking her with him and cuddling her against his body. He pulled the covers up and settled her, their fast-beating hearts the only thing he could hear.

  “That was,” he finally managed to say. “Amazing.” He nipped her shoulder and waited, but she said nothing. “Moll? We good?”

  For a moment, he thought she wouldn’t answer him, but then she tilted her head and maneuvered her body so he could see her face.

  “We’re good,” she said softly.

  “I’ve got to leave in a few hours.”

  “I know.”

  “What are we going to do? Where do we go from here?”

  Her eyes fell away from his. “We go back to our lives and live them just like we did before this happened. I think that you being away from here will g
ive us some clarity, you know? It’s not like we can be more than whatever this is, right?”

  Nathan wasn’t entirely sure what he’d expected to hear, but it sure as hell wasn’t that. He propped his head up and shook his head. “What about when I come back?”

  “Nate, you come back to Crystal Lake about as often as I leave it. Which is hardly ever.”

  He couldn’t argue with that, so he said nothing.

  “Let’s just have these last moments, and when we run into each other down the road, we’ll play it by ear.”

  She snuggled into him, and Nathan sank back into the pillows. He wasn’t exactly sure what just happened, but he did know that her words stung. He was expecting a hell of a lot more, and for Nathan Jacobs, that was something of a first.

  He held her as she fell asleep, and watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest. He inhaled her scent like an animal committing it to memory. He would miss her more than he could admit to himself, and it was all he thought about as he gazed out the window to the darkness that lurked there.

  He was still watching it when the first bits of gold streaked across the horizon.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Molly woke up slowly. She stretched like a cat who’d just been scratched, slow and lazy like, enjoying the sensual lethargy the morning brought. She snuggled deeper into the blankets and yawned. It was quiet and dark, and for a moment, she had no idea where she was. She smelled Nathan--his scent was all over her--and she smiled and rolled over. But the bed was empty, even though she could still see the imprint of his head on the pillow.

  This isn’t my bed.

  Molly sat up and pushed the tangled mess that was her hair out of her face. As she gazed around the cabin and memories poured into her brain, she thought of the night before, of Nathan inside her, of their connection, and the dimple that appeared on his right cheek when he smiled. She remembered how he laughed when she told him about Aunt Sally’s python, and the way he liked to twirl her hair while listening to her.