Page 32 of The Last Autograph
With drinks shouted and a tedious amount of small talk indulged in, he followed Todd and Kristy outside to the grill and, within minutes, had another drink in one hand and a full plate of food in the other.
At first sight, Jake almost didn’t recognize Molly. Artfully made up with kiss-me raspberry-red lipstick and wearing a fitted below-the-knee black dress with crisscross straps at the back, she looked stunning. And just like that morning, when he’d watched her stroll through the swash at the beach, her floaty floral dress damp around the hem, he struggled to curb his interest.
He recalled one of his Parisian friends saying that the best sex of his life had been with a woman he despised. At the time, Jake had reacted to this statement with disbelief. Now, even though he kept reminding himself that Molly was taboo for many reasons, there was something about her that he couldn’t deny.Forbidden fruit.
Around her neck was a lanyard with Lime Tree Hill printed in large font on its tag, and in her hand, a tray of shot glasses filled with a yellow liquid. He watched her work the room, offering the crowd what he now realized was limoncello—a venture Lime Tree Hill had recently dipped its toes into, according to Todd. When she reached Alexia’s table, they embraced like old friends, and she stayed for several minutes, chatting and flashing that beautiful smile.Interesting.
But as Jake finished his meal, Molly Parker, with her alluring smile and kiss-me-red lips, didn’t once look his way.
However, just as he was about to get up to mingle again, she glided over to their table, that tray of shot glasses in one hand and her presentation faultless.
“Evening, gentlemen, Kristy. I hope you all enjoyed your meal. I have an after-dinner treat for you.” Molly dipped with all the grace of a highly trained server and deposited several liqueur shots on their table. “Lime Tree Hill’s popular limoncello, locally made with our own organic lemons and vodka sourced from a craft distillery nestled below the Southern Alps.”
Once everyone had expressed their thanks, Kristy took a sip. “Oh, that’s lovely, very nice indeed.” She looked up at Molly. “Gosh, after the weekend you’ve had, I expected you to be at home, soaking your feet rather than working for the sponsors.”
Molly beamed once again, and Jake couldn’t take his eyes off her. “No time for that. Enjoy your night, won’t you?” Then she was gone, weaving through the crowd, flashing her charm as she went.
Moments later, as Kristy excused herself to mingle, Todd nudged Jake under the table.
“What?” Jake knew what was coming next but sipped his limoncello and said nothing more.
“So, you and Molly. Do you two know each other?”
Did he know her? “Not really.”
“Yeah? Well, I didn’t want to say anything in front of Kristy, but you guys have some serious sparks flying back and forth between you. Is she single?”
Jake drained his shot glass. He’d wondered the same thing ever since realizing who Molly was. “That limoncello’s seriously good,andI have no idea.”
“You gonna ask her out?”
He picked up a second glass and took a sip. Then another. “Nope.”
“It’s about time you put yourself out there again, that’s all I’m saying. And she seems nice. Course, the package is like a million-dollar bonus.”
Jake shot him a sideways glance and grinned. “Trust you to make a comment like that.”
“What? She’s a good-looking woman. You’ve never thought ‘what if’?”
Jake had thought “what if” many times over the weekend and, if he was honest, several days before he’d connected the phrase “off-limits” with Molly Parker. “Even if I had, it would be all wrong, mate.”
“Ava’s still messing with your head, is she?”
“This has nothing to do with Ava.” Jake picked up his glass and finished the limoncello. “Molly’s an old friend of Jesse’s. They met years ago in Tulloch Point.”
“So they dated. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Not for long, but here’s the weird part. Jesse named her in his will, but no one in the family has ever met her before.”
“Was she at his funeral?”
Eager to take another look, Jake searched for Molly in the crowded tent but failed to spot her. “No. Apparently, she didn’t know Jesse had passed away until recently.”
“But she turns up out of the blue after the fact? And you believe her?”
Jake shrugged. “Why would she lie about it? Toward the end, Jesse mentioned her, but by that stage, I had too many other things on my mind. Dad knew about her, but he’s not the best communicator. So anyway, all that’s enough to slot her into the no-go category.”
“That’s some screwed-up shit right there.”
