by Loni Ree
The rest of the meeting goes smoothly. We never revisit sanctioning Janie, and I let the matter drop. As our newest member, Ms. Gloria chooses the book for our next meeting, and then everyone begins to pack up.
Ms. Gloria turns at the door. “I hope I didn’t upset you when I interrupted tonight.”
“Not at all.” I smile at the sweet, little lady. “I hope to see you soon.”
“Oh, yes, you’re going to see quite a bit of me in the future.”
She’s not kidding. Over the next few weeks, Ms. Gloria becomes a regular at All the Steam. One afternoon, I’m cleaning the front window when I notice George and Ms. Gloria whispering furiously to each other. There’s several years difference in their ages, but you’d never tell by looking at them. Ms. Gloria’s skin is tan and barely wrinkled, and her fashionably styled hair hides her age. My heart warms at the thought of one of my friends finally finding love, even if it is with an older woman. He’s been coming in regularly since I opened the shop five years ago. Witnessing his loneliness every day has saddened me many times over the years.
Someone walking across the street catches my eyes. For a moment, I think it might be Barrett, but when I take a harder look, I realize it’s a tall, handsome man who resembles him. Ever since our run-in a few weeks ago, thoughts of him have invaded my mind. After our break-up, I promised myself I’d never start another relationship on lies. Over the years, there have been times that I’ve been forced to think about him. When he led his team to the championships several years ago, his face was splashed across the media. I had to go on a social media and news blackout for weeks to avoid any mention of the jerk after they won.
My cousin Stacy and I slowly patched up our relationship. We’ll never be close, but we manage to act civilly toward each other at family functions. Three years ago, she married a doctor, and her longtime best friend Jessica was her maid of honor. My parents begged me to attend, and I regretted that decision almost immediately. The meddling, cruel girl I’d met years ago had turned into a sneering pain in the ass woman. Dealing with Jessica over the weekend brought back painful memories I never wanted to relive.
Running into him in the grocery store has brought him to the forefront of my mind. Hopefully, I can forget all about him again soon and move on for good this time.
When the dirty dreams start, I wonder if I’m losing my mind. Twenty-two-year-old Barrett morphs into his thirty-two-year-old self in my dreams. I never sleep long enough to find completion and wake up needy and crabby. One more reason to grumble about Barrett Collins.
I’m barely keeping my eyes open after a week of restless sleep. Even Chase is smart enough to stay clear of me.
“Molly, I need a ride to UW Medical Center.” George rushes into All the Steam and grabs my hand. My heart drops, and I stare at him, looking for signs of an injury.
“Are you hurt?”
He shakes his head. “I was on my way here to meet Gloria, but she texted me and said she’s at UW Medical Center. She’s had a heart attack.” He rambles on frantically, and I’m having a hard time understanding him. “She can’t die,” he sobs.
My heart breaks for my friend, and I pull off my apron. Chase looks across the counter and assures me. “Go. I’ll call Cindy to come in and help me close.”
“Thank you.” I grab George’s hand and lead him to my SUV. As we’re driving to the hospital, I realize I don’t know Ms. Gloria’s last name. Turning to George, I ask, “Do you know her last name?”
“I have her room number,” he assures me.
Parking is a nightmare, so I offer to drop him off at the door, but he refuses. “Let’s stay together.”
We take the elevator up to the fifth floor in silence. Lines of worry crease George’s face, and I’m not sure how to reassure my friend. A cute, perky nurse greets us at the nurse’s station and smiles. “Hi. May I help you?”
“Gloria Collins,” George answers.
She points at the first door on the right side of the hall and tells us. “Mrs. Collins’s grandson is speaking with the doctors now. He’ll be back shortly.” I swallow and assure myself there are tons of people with the last name Collins in the Seattle area. “Visiting hours are until eight pm.”
George thanks her and leads me to Ms. Gloria’s room. After knocking, we walk in the door and find her lying back in the bed attached to oxygen. “Gloria, you scared me to death,” George cries and rushes over to the side of her bed. He takes her hand and pats it. “Are you okay?”
Her pale, weak appearance is nothing like the spunky little firecracker I’m used to seeing in the coffee shop, and my heart squeezes in my chest. “I’ve had better days.” She looks past George at me and signals me over. “Come in. Don’t stand in the doorway.”
“I’m so sorry you’re ill,” I tell her.
“Molly?” My eyes close as I prepare myself to face Barrett. My earlier wishful thinking was wrong. Just my luck. My new friend would turn out to be his grandmother. Fuck my life.
Chapter 4
Barrett
It’s been the day from hell. After dealing with spoiled athletes and bullshit all day long, I was looking forward to a quiet night at home. Getting a call from UW Medical Center about Nana shattered those plans. At first, they believed she’d experienced a mild heart attack, but their extensive tests have all come up negative. The doctors can’t explain the cause of her symptoms and want to keep her for a few days to perform more tests. As I walk down the hall, I run my hand through my hair and wonder what else could happen today.
When I open the door to Nana’s room and find my girl standing next to her bed, shock shoots through my system. For a moment, I almost believe stress has caused me to crack, but then her delicate scent reaches me and soothes my turbulent soul. “Molly?”
After she spins around, I watch several emotions filter across her face—shock, anger, and finally, rejection. The stress of the day combined with pending rejection from her pushes me past my breaking point. Running my hand down my face, I sigh. “I can’t take another brush-off from you. Please, just leave.”
Nana gasps and sputters, “Barrett,” while George and Molly look back and forth between us silently.
I walk over and sit in the chair next to her bed. “I need to talk to you about what the doctors said.”
“We’ll come and see you later,” Molly tells Nana behind me, and I ignore the temptation to watch her leave.
“Wait.” My grandmother looks over my shoulder at them and pleads, “Please give us a few minutes.”
“We’ll come back tomorrow,” Molly promises before they say goodbye and leave. I see disappointment flash through Nana’s eyes and sigh. After explaining my talk with the doctors, I stay until the end of visiting hours and head home. I find Barney waiting at the door for me. My dog rushes into the garage to look for Nana when he realizes she isn’t following me into the house. That night, he’s attached to me. He sleeps curled up at the end of my bed and follows me everywhere I go. Not even the bathroom is sacred from my needy pooch.
I stop by the small coffee bar in the lobby to grab some caffeine before heading up to Nana’s room. “I have to check out the competition while I’m here.” Her voice sends longing coursing through me, and I almost wonder if I’m imagining things after my shitty night.
Looking over my shoulder, I find Molly standing behind me in line. “I’m sure it’s not as good as All the Steam.” As she bites her lip, I’m unable to stop the memories from slamming through me. I barely resist groaning at the most basic of them.
“I never did get to try your coffee.” I shrug. “But I bet it’s the best.”
“Are you sucking up?” she asks, and I pray there's a tiny bit of hope in my future.
The line moves up, and I lean over to ask Molly, “As the pro, what do you suggest I get?”
“White chocolate mocha with two extra shots,” she answers, and I turn to order two of the drinks. We step to the end of the counter to wait for our coffees, and Molly look
s up at me. “You didn’t have to buy my coffee.”
“I know.” I smile. After we’re served our drinks, we walk silently to the bank of elevators. “I fucking hate elevators,” I admit as we wait for one to come.
Molly looks up at me and frowns. “Don’t you ride them daily?”
The door opens, and I wait for her to walk in ahead of me. After pressing the fifth-floor button, I shrug. “It doesn’t mean I’ll ever get used to them.” She pats my arm the entire ride, and my heart jumps in my chest. I hate to fall for false hope, but a small part of me believes I’m making progress with my girl.
Nana is sitting up in bed eating breakfast when we walk in, and I lean over and kiss her cheek then hand her the frilly coffee. Molly smacks my arm. “I thought you were getting that coffee for yourself.”
“I don’t drink pure sugar,” I tell her and barely resist the urge to spank her ass when she mimics me under her breath.
As Nana glances between us, a satisfied smile crosses her face. “You two seem to be getting along better this morning.”
I pat her arm and attempt to change the subject. “You need to worry about feeling better and coming home. Barney misses you.”
My grandmother takes the bait and asks about her “Poochie pie.”
“Barney?” Molly raises an eyebrow.
I look over and smirk at her. “My Afghan Hound. He’s missing his extra snacks from Nana.” A few minutes later, George comes ambling in the door. He smiles and winks at Nana when he sees Molly sitting in the chair next to me.
I glance at the clock on the wall and realize I’ve got to rush out if I’m going to make my first meeting. “I’m sorry to run, and trust me, I know I need to be here with you, but my schedule is packed. I’ll do my best to cut out as early as possible.” We leave in two days for an out of town game, and I don’t have time to breathe much less deal with anything else right now.
“Oh.” Nana seems crushed, and guilt shoots through me. “Are you coming back after work?”
I kiss her soft, wrinkled cheek and smile. “Of course. I’ll be back as soon as I can get away.”
“Don’t worry, Ms. Gloria.” Molly leans over and pats Nana’s hand. “Chase and Cindy are covering for me today. I can stay with you.”
Turning, I look into Molly’s blue eyes. “Thank you.”
I’m completely useless for the rest of the day. My body might be at the stadium, but my heart and mind are at the hospital with Molly and Nana. Will Montgomery, our quarterback, gets tired of my inattention and storms out of my office.
After work, I stand outside the hospital door and bite the inside of my cheek. This day has been one of the longest I’ve endured lately. In my heart, I know there’s a good possibility Molly has already left, and I’m not sure how I’ll handle that disappointment. I knock on the door, and Nana calls for me to enter. I’m unable to stop myself from grinning widely when I see Molly sitting next to Nana’s bed.
“Well, don’t stand in the door all night long.” My grandmother rolls her eyes, and I walk over and kiss her cheek.
“How are you feeling?”
She shrugs and points at the chair next to Molly. “About the same.”
I’m concerned that the doctors haven’t figured out what’s causing her pain and dizziness but glad she isn’t getting any worse. “Did the doctor come in and talk to you?”
As we talk for a while about her condition, Nana keeps nodding off. I hate to leave and lose any time with my girl, but my grandmother needs her rest. I’m aware of Molly sitting close by my side and glance over at her and ask, “Have you had dinner yet?” I’m taking a long shot here and hoping for the best.
She looks at me for a few moments without answering, and I prepare myself for her refusal when she shocks the hell out of me. “No, not yet.”
“I know a great Chinese place not too far from here. Would you like to have dinner with me?” As she debates my offer, her expressive face tells me everything she’s thinking.
“Sure. What’s the address and I’ll meet you?” I blink at her several times, convinced I misheard her.
Not wanting to press my luck, I look up the address and reel it off to Molly. As she maps the restaurant on her phone, I wonder to myself what made her change her mind.
After placing menus in front of us, our waitress tells us about the specials and takes our drink orders. “I’ll have Kung Po Chicken and a diet coke.” Molly smiles and hands her back the menu without opening it.
“That sounds good. I’ll have the same thing except with iced tea.” Once the waitress walks away, I turn to Molly and admit, “I have to know why you suddenly changed your mind about going out with me.”
She fiddles with the straw wrapper for a few moments before shrugging. “I guess I ran out of excuses not to.” The waitress appears and places our drinks in front of us, and we wait silently for her to walk away. Molly continues, “Ten years ago, I messed up. It took me a long time to get over it, and I swore to myself I’d never go through something like that again. I won’t allow deception to enter any relationship I’m in.” She shrugs and stares down at the table for a while before glancing up to look into my eyes. “I promised myself not to waste my energy on hopeless relationships after everything went down between us. To be honest, I have a hard time believing we could ever have anything again.”
Hope courses through me, and I see the right path. “You need to look harder.” Molly frowns at me as I take her soft hand in mine and rub the back of her knuckles. “Ten years ago, I chose my NFL career over you, and it was the wrong choice.” Swallowing, I lay all my cards on the table. “In the short time we were together, you stole my heart, and to be honest, I never got it back.”
Her mouth falls open, and I reach across the table to gently push it closed. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get a second chance with you because I can’t picture my life without you in it.”
“Wow.” She leans back in her chair and stares at me. “Why now? I mean, you could’ve found me anytime in the last ten years.”
She’s demanding honesty, and I’ll give it to her. “Stupidity, laziness, misplaced anger, pride, embarrassment in what I’d become, all the above.”
As she studies me intently for several minutes, I wonder if I’m losing my last chance with her, but then she holds her hand out over the table and smiles. “Hi, I’m Molly Rowe. It’s nice to meet you.”
I take her soft hand and kiss the back of it. “Barrett Collins. I can’t wait to know more about you.”
We spend the rest of the evening catching up on each other’s lives. There’s something nagging at the back of my mind that I need to get off my chest. The thought of ruining our new start before it even gets completely off the ground is running through my mind as I admit, “I have to tell you something.”
Worry passes through Molly’s eyes, and I take a deep breath and confess, “I hired a private investigator to find you after we ran into each other at Safeway.”
“That’s all?” She sits back and crosses her arms over her chest.
“You want total honesty, and I won’t let you down.”
Molly smiles at me, and I breathe a sigh of relief. “I figured you’d done something like that,” she admits. “I mean, how else would you end up in my coffee shop?”
We walk hand in hand to her car. After unlocking the door, she turns to me, and I kiss her sweet lips. Leaning my forehead against hers, I ask, “Can I take you out Monday night?”
Molly pretends she’s thinking hard, and I lean over to place a light kiss on the skin below her ear. “Please? I’ll cook for you.”
“How can I resist? I work until six pm. Would you like to pick me up at All the Steam?”
I give her one more tiny kiss and smile. “I’ll see you then.”
As I’m driving home, I catch myself humming and realize I’m deliriously happy for the first time in ten years. Now, I’ll have to learn how to juggle a busy coaching career and wooing my girl, but I’m up to th
e challenge. Nothing is more important than making this work.
Chapter 5
Molly
“Barney, stop giving me the stink eye.” My slightly overweight, pale-yellow tabby cat glares at me from her bed in the corner of my bathroom, and I sigh. Since we rekindled our relationship a couple of months ago, my kitty has been missing me. Before I started seeing Barrett again, my spoiled cat rarely spent evenings alone. Now, I have dates with him and usually attend his home games, which turns into an all-day affair.
After the doctors released Nana from the hospital, they recommended that someone stay with her at night until the dizziness goes away completely. I volunteered to help out when Barrett travels with the team, and I take little Ms. Grumpy Puss with me. My cat has formed a bizarre attraction to Barrett’s hairy dog, which we all find hilarious. She makes her displeasure known when we come home from their house.
As my cellphone rings, Barrett’s face lights up the screen, and my heart drops. “Hey,” I answer, waiting for him to tell me the bad news.
“I’m sorry.” He sounds tired. “I have to stay late.” This is the third time in two weeks he’s canceled on me because of work. The team is struggling, and the beginning of the season losses are taking their toll on Barrett. I sag against my bathroom counter and sigh. It looks like I’ve been getting ready for nothing.
“I understand.” I honestly do, but I’m still disappointed. “Do you want to try again tomorrow night?” I attempt to sound upbeat.
“It kills me to go another night without seeing you,” he growls. “Can I stop by and say hello on my way home from work?”