come on over.” She gave Julia the address of the motel and her room number.
Julia promised, “I’ll be there soon.”
Once they disconnected, Molly climbed out of bed. She didn’t want to meet Julia in her pajamas, so she dressed in jeans, athletic shoes, and a comfortable pullover sweater. After twitching the bedspread back into place, she brushed her hair and ate a large handful of dried fruit and nuts.
A knock sounded at her door. Looking through the peephole, she saw Julia standing with one of the uniformed police officers. It had started raining at some point, and the parking lot was full of puddles.
The officer wore a severe expression. When Molly opened the door, she jingled a set of car keys. “When Miss Oliver pulled up, I came over to make sure everything was all right and smelled alcohol on her breath. Do you two know each other?”
Molly looked at Julia’s familiar Volvo parked at the wrong angle, and then she confronted a miserable-looking Julia. “You promised to take a taxi.”
“I know, but I didn’t want to wait for one,” Julia replied tearfully. “I thought, what could be the harm? Everybody would be in bed. How could I know there would be a cop car sitting in the middle of the parking lot?”
Molly bit back another sigh. She asked the officer, “Is there any way you can let this go?”
“Yes. Take her keys and don’t give them back until she’s sober. It’s not my job to book her for a DUI while I’m on another assignment.” The officer gave her a significant look.
“You got it,” Molly promised. She accepted the keys and stuck them in her pocket. Then she turned to Julia, who slammed into her, hugging her tight.
“My God, it’s so good to see you!”
Molly returned her hug and pulled her inside. After locking the door, she ran her gaze over Julia.
Julia didn’t look good. Normally she wore makeup, but not now. Stress lined her pretty face, and her skin was puffy.
“I can’t believe how great you look,” Julia said when they separated. “You’re so tanned, and your hair is amazing. The weather here has been awful.”
“You look good too,” Molly said.
“Liar,” Julia said without heat. “I know I look horrible. But hey, I brought us some pinot noir. It’s not a lemon drop martini lunch, but at least it’s something.”
As she fished two bottles out of her leather tote bag, Molly told her, “I won’t have any, but I’ve got your keys now, so you go ahead if you want.”
Looking disappointed, Julia squinted at her. “Are you sure? It’s not like you to turn down a good pinot. Red wine was always your favorite.”
“I’m sure.”
“Well, I’m going to have some.”
Looking defiant, Julia went into the bathroom to grab a plastic motel cup while Molly sat at the small dinette table near the window. Julia opened the wine, poured herself a full cup, and sat in the opposite chair.
She asked, “What are you doing that’s making you look so happy? And is there any chance you’ve got any left over that you can give to me?”
Julia took a big gulp of wine. Her smile looked sharp and desperate, and after that first tight hug, she had avoided looking directly at Molly.
Molly replied carefully, “I don’t think happiness works like that, Juls. Everybody’s got to work things out for themselves. You said you started therapy. When did that happen?”
“About a month after you disappeared, and… and… and Austin died.” Julia drank more wine. “I really felt it when you were no longer around to listen to me vent, you know?”
Molly watched her pour more wine into her cup. “How’s therapy going?”
“Hell, I don’t know.” Julia’s chuckle sounded unamused. “I hate it actually, but nobody promised me it would be fun. I’m seeing the guy Janet went to. You remember when she and Todd went through their rough patch? Janet strongly recommended this guy and said he was in network. Since we all have the same insurance through the firm, I thought I might as well give him a try.”
It felt jarring to discuss old acquaintances from her past life. Todd was an associate at Sherman & Associates. While Molly hadn’t been close to the couple, she knew Todd had missed making partner the previous year, and it had put a strain on his and Janet’s marriage.
“I hope seeing someone helps.”
Abruptly, Julia set her cup down and gave Molly the first direct look since she had arrived. “We don’t have the