Page 61 of The Last Autograph
“Dad, this is Molly Parker. Jesse’s friend.”
His father shook her outstretched hand. “Molly. I’m so pleased to finally meet you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Sinclair.”
“Call me Henry, please.” He offered her his arm. “Come with me. There’s a photo of Jesse and his first band on the memory wall that I’d like to show you.”
Molly glared playfully at Jake as his father escorted her away. He was still grinning when it dawned on him. He’d introduced her as Jesse’s friend, not his. Shit!
Jake stayed a while longer, but Molly never once looked his way again. Still, she’d attended as part of her job, so what did he expect?
Too restless to head home straight away, he texted Todd, and they met for a drink in a quiet bar overlooking the marina. They talked sports and business and Todd’s new SUV, and when his friend brought up the subject of Molly, Jake said there was nothing to tell, and Todd called a resounding bullshit.
The Uber dropped Todd off first, and when the driver pulled up outside number eight, Jake kicked himself for not inviting Molly over. As he walked up the driveway, he fished in his jacket pocket for his keys and then came to a halt.
The garden gate was ajar.
Puzzled, he pushed it open further and followed the path to the living room deck. There, lounging on the recliner in the shadow of a magnolia tree—a long coat wrapped around her and phone in hand—was Molly.
“Hey.”
“Hi. I was about to text to see if you were coming home.” She laughed. “Sorry, that makes me sound like a nagging wife wanting to know where you are. I just meant?—”
“It’s fine. I know what you meant. I met up with Todd for a drink.” Jake offered his hand and pulled her to her feet. “Come on. It’s freezing out here.”
“So, it’s okay… that I’m here?”
He cupped her face and kissed her gently, desire stirring in his core. “Absolutely.”
Jake unlocked the patio door and motioned for her to go first. With shoes discarded on the mat, Molly stood at the end of the island while Jake dropped his keys on the counter.
“Did you enjoy yourself at the auction?” she asked.
“Not much. But Dad insisted I go with him, so I didn’t want to disappoint.”
“I’m glad I had the chance to meet him.”
“So you two got on okay?”
“Yes, very well, in fact. We talked about Jesse for a while, so that was pretty special.”
Jake grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge, but didn’t say more.
She looked around. “This place has such a peaceful air. I love that.”
“No clutter, that’s why.”
“Was that a conscious decision, or have you not had time to shop?”
He held her gaze with an amused smile.
“What?”
“Is this what we’re doing now?” he asked softly. “Standing around making small talk in my kitchen when really, all we both want is to go upstairs and shut out the world?”
“You think that’s all I’m here for? Sex?”
Jake stepped forward and slowly unbuttoned her coat. “No, but the excitement of you being here can’t be denied.”
