Chapter 32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

BLAKE

Kissing Molly is my new favorite hobby. Forget hobby, I want it to be my new profession. I'm pretty sure we could take the gold if the Olympics ever added kissing to their roster. I'm confident that we'd be so great, if we could convince Nike to sponsor us, they'd be forced to change the company swoosh logo to a pair of lips.

Molly and I never do go back into the ballroom. Instead, we sit in front of the fire for another two hours. I learn a wide variety of things about her, such as, she orders her pizza with extra onions and garlic; she broke her leg skiing when she was twelve; and she's watched every episode of I Love Lucy at least five times, but closer to twelve for her favorites.

I share that I hate corn—which is almost sacrilegious when you live in the Midwest; that I am allergic to mussels; and that I dream of spending a month in Singapore where I would zipline every day at a place in Sentosa. I have yet to experience a sixty-mile-an-hour descent but I'm ready.

"I'd need a diaper if I did that," Molly jokes.

I laughingly agree. "I'm pretty sure I would, too. But it would be worth it to fly at that speed. "

"Have you ever jumped out of an airplane?" Molly asks. "You seem like the type."

"While I appreciate your belief that I could do such a thing, the answer is no," I tell her. "I went up with some buddies once, but I was the only one who didn't leave the plane."

"You mean the pilot jumped, too?" I love Molly's sense of humor.

"Luckily, no, but even if he had, I think I would have taken my chances trying to land the plane before throwing myself out an open door at fourteen thousand feet."

Molly changes the subject. "Where did you live when you were in LA?"

"Brentwood."

"How did you afford that on a barista's pay?" She sounds surprised, which she should because Brentwood is not cheap. Even when you're renting a condo like I did.

Avoiding the truth again , I tell her, "Every town has a ghetto."

Luckily, she doesn't push for more information. Instead, she asks, "Where do you live in Chicago?"

"Wrigleyville."

Squinting her eyes, she shakes her head and declares, "You must make one heck of a cup of coffee."

Hurrying to take the focus off me, I ask her, "Where do you live?"

"Gold Coast. I'm on Oak Street."

"That's a nice neighborhood, too."

"I grew up in Evanston," she says. "I stayed there for college at Northwestern before moving into the city."

"I went to Loyola," I tell her.

We spend nearly another hour sharing details of our lives. By the time eleven o'clock rolls around, I feel like I've known Molly forever. When she yawns for the third time, I tell her, "I think it's past your bedtime."

Nodding wearily, she says, "I don't want to leave, but you're right. I'm never up later than ten. "

"Even when you're on a date?" I ask.

She snorts. "I haven't been on a date since Kyle and I broke up."

"Are you serious?" I can't imagine that Molly isn't asked out daily.

"Even though I know Kyle and I would have never made it in the long run," she explains, "it was pretty soul crushing to be cheated on. I guess I've just felt too vulnerable to risk something like that happening again."

I want to punch Kyle right in the face for hurting Molly so badly. Yet, I don't mind that she's not been spending her time with other men. "What's weird," I tell her, "is that I don't think Kyle's a bad guy at heart. I just think he made some poor choices."

She surprises me by agreeing. "I don't think he's a bad guy, either. I know he regrets what he did to me, but I'm still a fan of how karma has returned the favor."

"Justice has a way of rearing its head, doesn't it?" And suddenly I worry about my own karma for lying to Molly about why I'm here. I hope there are some loopholes that cover my current situation.

"Have you ever been dumped so spectacularly?" Molly wants to know.

I tell her about Finley and how I found out about her affair along with the rest of the country during the Emmy Awards.

"Finley Adams?" she asks, seemingly amazed that I had once been part of such a duo.

"Yup."

She surprises me by saying, "I don't mean to be a hater, but I never saw her appeal. She always seems like she's overacting."

Leaning in, I give Molly a quick kiss. "Thank you for not thinking she's amazing. I've been over her for years, but it seems I'm always hearing people singing her praises and it starts to grate on me." Molly yawns again, so I tell her, "Let's go. "

As we walk toward the elevator, she asks, "So, what do we do now?"

"I think we're going up to bed." She looks startled, so I clarify, "Each of us in our own rooms."

Smiling sheepishly, she says, "I meant, what do we do about the singles' event?"

Ah, I see. She wants to know if we're declaring ourselves a couple and bowing out from meeting other people. While I have no interest in other women, I still have to be there. "I'm still working, so I need to check out the action. I was hoping you might join me."

"I'd like that."

"But you should know that I'm not looking for myself anymore."

"Oh?"

"No, ma'am," I assure her. "I've met the person I want to get to know better."

Molly leans into my side. "Me, too." Then she says, "My sister is not going to believe this."

"Will she be disappointed I'm not a lumberjack?"

Molly laughs. "Probably, but she'll get over it once she meets you." She hurriedly adds, "Not that you need to meet her."

Putting her mind at rest, I say, "I would love to meet your sister, whenever you'd like to introduce me to her."

We take the elevator up to the second floor without talking. It's remarkably pleasant and not all that common to enjoy someone's company without the need for conversation. When we get to Molly's room, I give her a small peck before asking, "Do you want to have breakfast with me in the morning?"

"I would love that," she says. "And Blake …" I wait expectantly to hear what she says next. "Thank you for not lying to me anymore. I can't ever be in another relationship with someone who doesn't tell the truth."

Well, crap. Stumbling over my words, I tell her, "I never want to lie to you, Molly. "

"Good, because that's one thing I will not put up with." She kisses me quickly on the cheek before opening her door. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night," I tell her. I'm still standing there long after she's gone. How in the world have I gotten myself into this situation? Even if it means risking my job, I want to be honest and tell Molly everything, but if I do that, I won't be able to help Ben. And that little boy reminds me of my family's most challenging ordeal. As such, I'm going to have to continue to keep the truth hidden. I hate the deception, but I don't really see a way out of it right now.

I inhale deeply before releasing a ragged breath. I say a silent prayer that Molly will understand why I did what I did and that she will forgive my transgressions. Even though it's happened remarkably fast, I know without a doubt that I want to pursue a future with her.