friends disappearing right in front of her eyes.
Diana was the glue of the group. If she didn’t come to girl’s night, they wouldn’t have one.
Andrew and I are shopping for a cake maker, Roxy said. I think we’ve almost narrowed it down to three.
That’s great, Molly sent. Maybe another time. Have fun at dinner, D!
The weekend slipped away, and before Molly knew it, she was faced with another Monday morning. Another stretch and lift session. Another walk with Saltine. When she got home, she decided to start another batch of bread.
This time, though, she was going to finish it and take it to Hunter. If he didn’t want to start another relationship with her, he should have to say it to her face. “Or say anything at all,” she said with quite the vehemence in her voice.
Once the dough was covered and rising—and she wouldn’t forget about it this time—she pulled out her phone and texted Hunter. I made some fresh bread today. Do you have a minute for me to drop it off? I can just leave it in your office or whatever.
She read over the words again and then again, hoping they wouldn’t come off as passive-aggressive. She also didn’t want to leave the bread in his office. “Or whatever,” she muttered, jamming her thumb against the screen to erase that last sentence.
She wanted to see him, and she wondered if it would be easier to just say that.
“I made some bread as an excuse to come see you today. Will you or won’t you take two minutes to say hello?” She shook her head and erased the text completely. Maybe she should just show up at HMC. It was a public building. She could get inside and have someone page Hunter for her.
Oh, he wouldn’t like that, and Molly found herself smiling. Actually smiling. If they were starting with a blank slate, how could she possibly know he hated the spotlight? That paging him would embarrass him not bring him closer to her? That showing up unannounced, even with homemade bread, was akin to causing a natural disaster?
He’d said he’d call, and he hadn’t. It was time for Molly to take the situation into her own hands and give everything a shake. Once it all fell out, then she’d know what she had to play with.
Molly stood in front of a pretty brunette wearing light pink gloss on her full lips. Hunter had to walk past her every day, and Molly’s heart did a small cartwheel inside her chest.
“Yes, there’s someone here for Mister Hammond.” She grinned the whole time, and she cocked her head slightly as whoever she’d called spoke on the other end of the line. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll let her know.” She replaced the receiver in the cradle and looked up at Molly. “Mister Hammond will be a few minutes. If you don’t mind waiting, you can have a seat over there.” She indicated the space behind and to Molly’s left.
“Thank you,” Molly said, taming her voice into something as professional as the receptionist’s. She turned away, wondering why she hadn’t thought to go full-out with her makeup.
She’d only swiped on a little bit of mascara and then some clear Chapstick in the car as she navigated to the downtown Denver area. Her lips tingled with the eucalyptus flavor even now. She’d walked two blocks in clear June weather with the large loaf of bread in a brown bag.
As she sat down, she shifted the bread from under her arm to her lap, and she settled her purse next to her on the couch. She knew how to waste plenty of time with the apps on her phone, but today, none of them could hold her attention for longer than a few seconds.
What would Hunter think when he saw her? They hadn’t spoken or seen each other in over a week. Was she being too forward?
Molly managed to kill a few minutes by looking at the available dogs on the town’s pet classified board, and before she knew it, Hunter said, “Molly?”
She jerked her attention away from the cute little white Westie she’d been looking at. Her eyes landed on Hunter, and half of her body wanted to get up while the other half went numb. The man seriously could not look any better.
Not a single thread sat out of place. He wore a black pair of slacks, a pressed white shirt, and a tie in purple, yellow, and blue. Gold. Gold, not yellow.