Page 96 of The Last Autograph
Jake folded his arms across his chest and steadied his balance. “It was great seeing you again at the party.”
Great?As their reckless tryst in Mason’s compact office flashed through her mind yet again, Molly failed to form a coherent sentence. So instead, she simply nodded.
Smiling, he restarted the Vespa. “Right, I’d better go. I’ll see you when you get back. Safe travels.”
“Thanks.”
She turned and walked away, her heart racing as his stare bored into her back and the memory of his skillful hand between her thighs surfaced.
“And, Molly,” he called.
She slipped her hands into her pockets against the chill. Inhaled. Glanced back. “Yes?”
He still flaunted that lazy smile. “You can hold me up anytime. See you soon.”
Moments later, Molly sat behind the wheel of her Vitara and stared straight ahead as Jake and his Vespa merged into the traffic and disappeared from view.
On her way home, she detoured past the patisserie, now open for business, and as the rising sun shone through the courtyard gates, she longed to go inside.
While driving along Seaview Road, random thoughts surfaced. Jesse’s card, the drumsticks, Jake’s measured expression when he noticed her at the bake-off, and their first almost kiss against the stainless-steel kitchen counter while a tray of éclairs baked in the oven.
So much had happened since Valentine’s Day, when their gazes caught at the traffic lights for the first time.
And yet, somehow, not quite enough.
The last time they texted, Molly had told CeCe that her fling with Jake was over, to which CeCe replied,“But is it complete?”
She’d contemplated that question many times since then and now wondered if her bond with Jake would ever be… complete.
Molly arrived at work late and settled at her desk with a coffee and a piece of biscotti in front of her. She was concentrating on her design project when Winston approached her desk.
“Morning, Parker.”
She smiled at her boss. “Winston. How was your day off?”
“I’m not sure I’d call a school trip to the aquarium with thirty-five nine-year-olds a day off. Would you?”
Molly chuckled. “No. I guess not.”
“Just a heads-up. Jake Sinclair emailed me this morning. He finally wants to go ahead with his contract.”
As her imagination swam with social media muddle, Molly smiled at the prospect of working with him. “So, I have the account?”
“Um, no. He specifically asked for anyone but you.”
Unsure whether to be hurt or amused by his rebuff, Molly raised a brow but quickly decided not to be precious. It was Jake’s prerogative to work with whomever he chose, but he could have at least given her a warning. Maybe that’s what he’d wanted to talk to her about on Saturday night before things got so spectacularly out of hand. “Oh, okay.”
Winston pulled out a chair and sat. “You’re disappointed?” The longer she worked at SpinWeb, the more her respect for him grew, but sometimes, she found his frankness confronting.
“Not at all.”What a lie.“I’m snowed under right now anyway.”
“Yeah, that’s what I told him. No point in giving the guy the upper hand. We don’t want to stroke his ego too much, do we now?”
A slow smile formed as Molly caught his drift. Every time they talked, she marveled at how perceptive he was. “Thanks for that.”
“You’re welcome. After all, I called it right from the start, didn’t I? And Jake’s a pretty good catch, so don’t let him off your hook. Play with him a bit longer—let him think he’s the boss—then reel him in.”
“You are hilarious. Jake and I are just friends.”
