Molly - Sarah Monzon Page 0,21
deal. A colossal deal. I opened my mouth to tell her so, but an alarm rent the air.
“The garlic bread.” She whirled around and put an oven mitt over her hand. “Chloe, can you set the table like I showed you earlier? Your daddy will be so impressed.”
“Watch what I can do, Daddy.” Chloe opened a drawer, silverware tinkling together, before she skipped to the table.
The oven door opened, emitting a wave of steam up into the air. Molly made a sound that resembled a small squeak and had me edging around the island. Had she burned herself on the cookie sheet? She set the sheet on the side of the stove without pans and turned. Her glasses were so fogged up I couldn’t see her pretty blue-green eyes.
“Here, let me.” Without thought, I reached out and slipped the frames from her face. She blinked, her eyes unfocused, as I cleaned her lenses on the hem of my t-shirt. This close, it was impossible not to notice things about her that I hadn’t seen before. Her skin appeared soft and smooth, the lines of her high cheekbones one an artist would love to paint. Her nose was small and pert, with a slight upturn on the end. And her lips…I shouldn’t have been looking at her lips, but I also couldn’t pull my gaze away. Her lips were even softer than her skin appeared to be. Pillowy and full and—I swallowed hard—slightly parted.
Her breath fanned over me, sweet with a hint of grape, and I wondered if Chloe had shared her favorite juice with Molly. The seconds turned excruciating until I had finally cleaned off the last smudge on her lenses.
I should have handed her glasses back. If I’d had more than five hours of sleep in the last two days, I might have been thinking clearly enough to have done just that. But I was decidedly not clear-headed and instead my hands rose and slid the frames gently onto her face, my fingertips brushing alongside her temple and caressing her hair.
Her light pink hair that all of a sudden seemed to fit her perfectly. Innocent and fun. Young and lively.
Soft and silky.
I jerked my hands away and stepped back awkwardly.
Her eyes searched mine, and heat crawled up my neck. Did she see my actions as inappropriate? Had they been? I couldn’t deny that I found her attractive. I’d been living like a stretched-thin monk for over four years, but that didn’t give me any excuse to linger over the woman I’d hired to care for Chloe.
Please don’t let her think I hired her to play house with me.
“I’m—”
“Thank you.”
We spoke at the same time, but luckily she cut me off before I said sorry. If she was thanking me, then maybe I hadn’t done anything that I needed to apologize for. A groan filled my mouth, but I swallowed it down. When was the last time I’d interacted with a female who wasn’t a colleague, under four feet tall, or wearing a backless hospital gown? Obviously, I was sorely out of practice.
And Drew thought I should date. I mentally scoffed at that. When Chloe’s stuffed unicorn came to life, that would be about when I’d start dating again.
Molly readjusted her frames and beamed at me with an over-bright smile. “I’ll just get the rest of the food on the table, then get out of your hair so you and Chloe can have a nice family meal.”
“You’re leaving?” Hand to the forehead. Of course she’s leaving, you numbskull. The deal was she looked after Chloe while you worked. You’re home now, and she wants to be too. Heat slithered up the back of my neck. “I mean, you cooked all this food. It doesn’t seem right that you don’t get to eat any of it.”
“Miss Molly, I think I counted wrong.”
Both Molly and I looked to Chloe at the table. She rubbed the end of her braid across her chin and her lips puckered in concentration.
“What do you think you counted wrong?” Molly asked.
“The plates. There are only two. See? One, two. But there are three of us.” Chloe pointed to each of us while she counted. “One, two, three.”
“Great counting, sweetheart.” I turned a little so my back faced Chloe, then lowered my voice to address Molly. “We really would love if you’d join us. But if you have other plans or would like to head home, Chloe and I will understand.”
Molly seemed unsure. “I don’t want to intrude.”
“You’re