Page 32 of Pity Present
“Oh yeah,” I say before adding, “I need to get to bed. I have an early appointment in the morning.”
“Okay, Molls, thanks for calling. And I love you, too.”
After plugging my phone into the charger, I crawl back into bed. Then I nestle under the covers and wonder what Blake is doing next door. He’s probably itemizing a list of women he met that he wants to get to know better. Starting with that kindergarten teacher. Grrr.
So much for my telling Ellen that women should have each other’s backs. I currently want nothing to do with the one who’s caught Blake’s eye. I know I sound petty, but why can’t he be interested in me?
But, no. I’m the one he wants to talk about other women to. If that’s not bad enough, my ex is here looking for love, too. If this were a movie, it would be a spectacular failure. Just like my social life.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
BLAKE
I’m standing at Molly’s door at seven fifty-eight on the nose. My plan is to wait until eight to knock so I don’t appear too eager, but at seven fifty-nine, she opens her door and walks right into me. After a short dance where I worry that she’s about to fall over,again, she says, “What are you doing here?”
“Picking you up for breakfast?”
“Then why didn’t you knock?”
“I was waiting until eight,” I tell her. She looks very pretty today in her red cashmere sweater. She’s paired it with jeans and heavy winter boots. The white parka over her arm makes me think she’s planning on enjoying some outdoor sports after breakfast. At least that’s why I brought my coat with me.
Looking me up and down like I’m some kind of creeper, she says, “Well, I’m here. Let’s go to eat.”
She’s clearly in a bad mood. “Did you have a rough night?”
“I slept fine.”
We continue to walk down the hall without saying a word. As we pass the family I met yesterday, I call out, “Hey, Ben. You having fun?”
He waves. “So much fun!”
Molly wants to know, “Do you know him?”
“I keep running into him and his parents.”
“Trina and her fiancé offer free rooms to families of special needs kids,” she says.
“I think I heard something about that. That’s pretty cool, huh?”
She nods her head but doesn’t say anything else until we’re in the elevator. “So, how did your night go with your kindergarten teacher?” She’s back to sounding annoyed.
“I didn’t talk to her again. I was busy circulating.”
Her face crunches up like she just drank spoiled milk. “I bet you were.”
“It’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”
“I’m actually here for work,” she tells me.
“But you showed up last night, so you’re also single and looking for love.”
Staring straight ahead, she says, “I’m single. Not sure about the looking for love part.”
I feel bad for trying to steer Molly away from Thor last night, and as much as it pains me to say, they might be perfect for one another. While the thought doesn’t exactly thrill me, I can’t pursue Molly if I’m going to write about her. As such, I probably shouldn’t stand in the way of her happiness.
As soon as we get to the dining room, the hostess leads the way to our table. As luck would have it, we walk right by Thor. He’s sitting with Krista, the teacher. Stopping in front of them, I greet, “Thor, Krista, how are you both?”
Neither looks particularly happy to see me, so imagine how thrilled they are when I say, “You don’t mind if we join you, do you?”
