Page 20 of The Last Autograph
In one hand, she held a bunch of cheerful sunflowers, purchased from a florist on the corner of her street, and in the other, a directory of graves downloaded from the city council’s website.
The place was deserted as she strolled along the gravel pathway, past the small chapel, and into the cemetery grounds. Among the crumbling headstones and neatly engraved granite plaques, Jesse’s final resting place—marked by a solid rock and a pair of crossed drumsticks—stood out as the man himself had once done, and Molly couldn’t help but smile when she spotted it.
As she crouched to lay the flowers at the head of Jesse’s grave, directly under the drumsticks, she murmured a line from one of his favorite songs. While the lump settling in her throat was not unexpected, the tears that escaped as she contemplated the beginning and end dates of his shortened life took her by surprise.
Molly looked up when a late-model white SUV pulled into the parking lot. A young woman with flowing locks of jet-black hair, an oversized tote, and impossibly tight jeans stepped from the vehicle and strolled toward the rose garden on the other side of a low schist wall.
Later, with her respects paid, Molly was about to return to her car when the woman approached her. “Excuse me, were you a friend of Jesse’s?”
With one hand shielding her eyes from the sun, Molly stepped a few paces closer. Was she? A friend? “Yes… well, years ago now.”
“And you are?”
Her tone verged on rudeness, and Molly hesitated as the woman pinned her with a look of superiority.
“Molly.”
“Not Molly Parker?”
“That’s me.”
“OMG,” she gushed and offered her hand. “I’m Alexia, Jesse’s stepsister. Jake said you were in town. I’ve been wanting to meet you for ages. Well, ever since Jesse told me about you, anyways.”
Stepsister?
“I just came to say a few Hail Marys for my grandma, funny old thing that she was,” Alexia continued, “but I’d never leave without checking on my favorite boy. Course, we weren’t related by blood, but he still meant the world to me.” She blew a kiss toward the drumsticks and stood for a moment in silent reflection. “So tragic.”
Molly thought the same, but somehow, there was no similarity between Alexia’s words and her own inner monologue. Alexia and Jesse had obviously been close for a long time, while Molly never had the chance to be promoted to that status.
“Shall we walk?” Alexia motioned for Molly to join her, and they fell into step. “How long are you staying in Clifton Falls?”
Molly glanced her way. She had no idea where life would take her once she’d fulfilled her contract with SpinWeb. She often dreamed of traveling to the UK to visit her other cousins, Liz and Ally, but it would depend on how much she could save between now and then. “I’m not sure yet. But it’s nice to be back on home soil.”
“Wonderful. We should totally hang out. You know, it’s funny, but as soon as Jake told me you were in town, I had this epiphany we’d be friends. Like it was meant to be, do you know what I mean?
“I—”
“And if you’re ever in need of an interior designer, I’m your girl.”
Molly had no time to reply.
“Not that I’m professionally trained, but I’m a social media influencer, so design’s in my blood. And I have a lot of contacts in this town.” They stopped at Molly’s car, Alexia still doing all the talking. “Was it weird, meeting Jake? They look so alike, don’t they? Of course, Jesse was the friendlier of the two, and Jake… well, Jake’s Jake. He’s a sweetheart, but he’ll never change.”
“Actually—”
“I dated him once, a while back now. What an absolute disaster.” Alexia laughed. “Of course, I had to knock it on the head once my dad started seeing his mum. Otherwise, what a mess. Anyways, I wasn’t all that invested. I can’t stand sloppy kissers, can you?”
She stopped to draw a sharp breath but gave Molly no time to offer an opinion on kissing technique. Even so, Alexia’s revelation surprised her.
“Still, I shouldn’t be too hard on him. He has just lost his twin brother, and there’s no denying they were close—well, most of the time. As stepbrothers go, I could do a lot worse.” Alexia held out her hand. “Give me your phone.”
Was this woman for real? Molly suspected she could recite several lines from “The Iliad,” and it wouldn’t even register. Stunned at Alexia’s verbal diarrhea, she obliged and watched on as Jake’s stepsister saved her contact details, sent herself a text, and handed back the phone.
“It’s been nice meeting you,” Molly managed to get out, “but I really should go.”
“Oh my gosh, it was lovely to meet you too!”
She finally fell silent, allowing Molly a moment to reflect.
