Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

BLAKE

I'm standing at Molly's door at seven fifty-eight on the nose. My plan is to wait until eight to knock so I don't appear too eager, but at seven fifty-nine, she opens her door and walks right into me. After a short dance where I worry that she's about to fall over, again , she says, "What are you doing here?"

"Picking you up for breakfast?"

"Then why didn't you knock?"

"I was waiting until eight," I tell her. She looks very pretty today in her red cashmere sweater. She's paired it with jeans and heavy winter boots. The white parka over her arm makes me think she's planning on enjoying some outdoor sports after breakfast. At least that's why I brought my coat with me.

Looking me up and down like I'm some kind of creeper, she says, "Well, I'm here. Let's go to eat."

She's clearly in a bad mood. "Did you have a rough night?"

"I slept fine."

We continue to walk down the hall without saying a word. As we pass the family I met yesterday, I call out, "Hey, Ben. You having fun? "

He waves. "So much fun!"

Molly wants to know, "Do you know him?"

"I keep running into him and his parents."

"Trina and her fiancé offer free rooms to families of special needs kids," she says.

"I think I heard something about that. That's pretty cool, huh?"

She nods her head but doesn't say anything else until we're in the elevator. "So, how did your night go with your kindergarten teacher?" She's back to sounding annoyed.

"I didn't talk to her again. I was busy circulating."

Her face crunches up like she just drank spoiled milk. "I bet you were."

"It's why we're here, isn't it?"

"I'm actually here for work," she tells me.

"But you showed up last night, so you're also single and looking for love."

Staring straight ahead, she says, "I'm single. Not sure about the looking for love part."

I feel bad for trying to steer Molly away from Thor last night, and as much as it pains me to say, they might be perfect for one another. While the thought doesn't exactly thrill me, I can't pursue Molly if I'm going to write about her. As such, I probably shouldn't stand in the way of her happiness.

As soon as we get to the dining room, the hostess leads the way to our table. As luck would have it, we walk right by Thor. He's sitting with Krista, the teacher. Stopping in front of them, I greet, "Thor, Krista, how are you both?"

Neither looks particularly happy to see me, so imagine how thrilled they are when I say, "You don't mind if we join you, do you?"

I don't bother to wait for an answer before pulling out a chair and calling to Molly who's still walking behind the hostess. "Molly, over here!"

She turns around and trips over her own foot. I briefly wonder if her lack of grace has something to do with her single status. It's possible not everyone is as charmed by it as I am. When she reaches the table, she awkwardly smiles at Thor and Krista. "I don't think they're looking for company."

"Nonsense," I tell her before practically pushing her down into the chair I've been holding for her.

Once we're both seated, I point to Krista. "Molly, this is Krista. She's a kindergarten teacher." Then I gesture toward Thor. "This is Thor. He produces Chicago Flame ."

Molly nods her head at them before mumbling, "I'm so sorry. You probably wanted to be alone."

As she moves to push her chair back, I announce, "The more the merrier, am I right?"

Neither Thor nor Krista looks like they agree with my statement, but I'm suddenly married to the idea of matching up Thor and Molly. I know that last night I was against it, but I hate seeing Molly in such a surly mood. Surely, I can't expect to keep her all to myself if I'm not going to make a move on her.

Krista is the first to find her voice. "I didn't see you again last night, Blake. Did you have a nice time?"

"I did, thank you," I tell her. "And I see you've met Thor. Great name, huh?"

Turning to Thor, I tell him, "Molly designs gift shops for hotels. That's why she's here."

Thor nods his head. "So, you're not here for the Midwestern Matchmaker event? I thought I saw you last night."

"Not initially, no," Molly tells him. She's staring at Thor like he's a cheeseburger and she's just spent two weeks on a deserted island with no food. I don't like it, but that's not the point. I have no say in Molly's personal life, and if Thor could make her happy, then that should make me happy.

"There was a cancellation," I announce. "So, they asked Molly if she'd like to join in."

Krista, clearly sensing that she might be losing Thor's interest, announces, "That's too bad." As we all turn to her en masse, she adds, "I mean, it's too bad for whoever had to cancel."

With a wink, I tell the schoolteacher, "It's lucky for me that you didn't cancel." This appears to appease her ego slightly.

Thor glances around the table before asking, "What do you all have planned for the day?"

"I've got nothing," I tell him.

Molly says, "I'm supposed to make use of the various facilities so I can see if there's something the gift shop should carry that they don't already have. I was thinking about zip-lining."

"We should all go together!" Thor suggests. "What do you think, Krista? Does that sound like fun?"

Krista appears uncertain, as though she's trying to discern if Thor's more interested in her or Molly. Either way, she decides, "That does sound like a good time." She asks me, "Have you been zip-lining before, Blake?"

"It's one of my go-to activities," I tell her. "I've been zip-lining over the jungles of Peru and Hawaii."

"I bet that's great fodder for your writing." Oh yeah, that. Note to self: Don't forget you're writing a novel, Blake.

Molly interjects, "It's a wonder how you can afford vacations like that on a barista's pay."

"I make great tips," I tell her cockily. When in truth, pouring a cup of coffee is my limit.

"I bet you do." Krista giggles flirtatiously.

When the waiter delivers Thor and Krista's food, he takes Molly's and my order. I get the belgian waffle with chocolate chips and whipped cream. She orders a hard-boiled egg and dry toast. No wonder she's so grumpy; she must be starving.

Thor cuts into his omelet but before taking a bite, he asks Molly, "So how long will you be staying here at the lodge?"

"Two weeks," she tells him.

"That's an odd coincidence," Krista offers. All eyes turn to her, so she explains, "You know, that you'd be here at the same time as the singles' event, and for the same amount of time. "

"Life is full of coincidence, isn't it?" I ask. "For instance, what are the chances Molly would be here at the same time as her ex?" Shoot, I didn't mean to say that. I don't want to embarrass Molly.

One look at her though, and I realize she's more annoyed than embarrassed. She explains to our table mates, "Kyle and I used to date a couple of years ago. It's no big deal."

"Is he the same guy that left you for another woman?" Thor wants to know.

Molly glares at me. "You're telling people about that, too?"

Thor grimaces. "I shouldn't have said anything, I'm sorry."

"It's not you who should be sorry," Molly tells him while looking me straight in the eyes.

"I'm sorry, too," I tell her. "I wasn't gossiping about you so much as I was …" Gossiping about her. "Looking out for you," I decide on the fly.

"Looking out for me, how?" she wants to know.

"Thor told me that he thought you were attractive, and I didn't know if you'd be interested."

"After I told you I thought he was someone I could be interested in?" she practically yells. This causes the occupants of nearby tables to turn in our direction.

"You thought you might be interested in me?" Thor sounds pleased.

"Really?" It's clear Krista doesn't share his enthusiasm, so I turn my attention to her. "Tell me about kindergarten."

While not exactly placated, she answers, "I can honestly say that I don't like kids as much as I thought I did before I started teaching."

"How many do you have in your class?" I ask.

"Twenty-nine which is about twenty too many." She elaborates, "People start putting phones into their kids' hands so young to keep them occupied, by the time they start school, children don't have the attention span of a gnat."

"I hadn't thought about that," I tell her. "It kind of makes you nervous for their futures, doesn't it? "

Thor responds, "It makes me more nervous for our futures. The kids today are the people who will be taking care of us in our old age."

Molly shudders. "We're lucky there are people like Krista who are willing to take on the job of training today's youth." And just like that, the women appear to have found common ground and the tension at the table starts to dissipate.

Thor and Krista finish eating before Molly and I get our entrees, so Thor suggests, "Why don't we go and get our gear and then we can meet you both in the lobby for zip-lining?"

"Sounds like a plan," I tell him.

Molly merely smiles. But as soon as they walk away, she drops her fork and insists, "What is your problem?"

"What do you mean?"

"First you told Thor that I was some loser whose ex left her for another woman, and then you invited yourself to join him while he was clearly on a date with Krista. Are you jealous he stole your woman?"

"Krista's not my woman."

"She's all you could talk about last night."

"All I said was that I met a nice kindergarten teacher. I didn't say that I was going to pursue her."

"You intimated as much," she says.

"I figure we'll all need more than one mixer before we know who we're interested in dating."

Molly death glares at me. "And yet you managed to friend-zone me almost immediately. Thanks a lot."

Oh yeah, she's mad. If I'm honest, I'm kind of flattered. I'm willing to bet in other circumstances Molly and I could have been quite a dynamic duo. But I can't tell her that, so I go with, "Don't underestimate the value of a good friend. The women I've dated have come and gone, but my friends are still around."

"Yeah, that makes me feel great, thanks."

I can't seem to help myself from asking, "Are you saying that you'd be interested in dating me?"