Well, then, crap, he was gonna have to keep looking. Becausethatwas not her.
She forced a smile as Kaiya rounded the corner behind Dan. She waved to Molly, hurrying toward her, her glossy black hair swishing as she moved with purpose. The subtle bow shape of her red-glossed lips pursed, and the beige skin of her cheeks pinked, apparently from hustling on her search to solve the undies situation.
Two brand new packages of Fruit of the Loom undies were in her grip. Seeing Dan, she tucked them at her side so it wasn’t so obvious what she had. “Rachel said you have an issue. I have a solution.”
Dan turned to Kaiya and drank her in like she was one of the Cokes in Molly’s grip.
And the Molly first-date-curse struck again.
“Dan, I’d like you to meet my friend Kaiya,” Molly said, already preparing herself for their upcoming wedding announcement.
Dammit.
Chapter Two
“In the beginning, I didn’t want to think of myself as a mother. I was like, ‘Wait a minute! Ain’t no hollaback girl is who I am!’ I had to learn to accept it.” —Gwen Stefani
Molly
What mattered today was not that Molly had paired her date with one of her favorite friends, and not that Molly was now sitting awkwardly alone at the head table while everyone else danced. What mattered was that Rachel was blissfully happy with her new husband.
Yes, that’s precisely what mattered.
Molly fidgeted with the edge of her napkin in the large, heated event tent erected in the backyard of the Frank family mountain mansion. The wedding planner had transformed the inside of the tent with loads of flowers—white roses absolutely everywhere and hydrangeas mixed with wisteria lounging along the ceiling poles. White silk curtains all around the edges added a finishing touch.
They may have held the reception in an event tent, but the place looked like a palace.
And the Franks had brought in a band. Good music. Mostly country, which made sense given that they were in the country.
The packed dance floor lay smack dab in the center, and though there were not a ton of guests, most were dancing. Dan and Kaiya were in the middle of it all. They had hit it off, because of course they had.
Even the kids were getting their groove on under the disco ball.
The three boys might as well be triplets, what with the way they cemented themselves together as a unit.
“Is this seat taken?” Gavin asked, maneuvering beside her to Dan’s long-vacant chair.
“Not anymore.” She didn’t even try to think of a spunky comeback like she usually did with Gavin. “Have at it.”
He sat and slid a fresh bottle of sparkling water in her direction. Started to say something, then stopped. Finally, after clearing his throat twice, he said, “Are you okay?”
She nodded, not meeting his eyes because she did not want a repeat of the whole butterfly, nerve endings, sizzling thing that had happened in the kitchen. “Yeah, why?”
His shoulder lifted just a smidge. “The life of the party isn’t usually sitting alone.”
“Am I the life of the party?” she asked, sounding a little sad even to her own ears. Which was unacceptable. So she willed herself to set down the napkin in her hands and said, “You’re usually in bed by the time the party starts. I didn’t think you’d noticed.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “While it’s true I like shut eye, I have eyes, so I can see that you’re usually at the center of things. I assume that continues after I eat my blue plate special and go to bed early?”
Yes, he was right. Usually, she wouldn’t have cared if she didn’t have a date. She would’ve borrowed a dance partner or forced Ollie to groove with her.
“I guess I’m not feeling it tonight. Leave it to me not to drink enough coffee on the wedding day.” She gave in to the pressure inside her and turned to fully face Gavin. Striking, of course, in his tux. But he looked tired. Like he actually did need to go to bed before eight. She’d really been joking before.
“Areyouokay?” she asked.
He grinned, but it missed his usual sarcastic glow. “I’m fine.”
“The boys wore you out today?” The three of them together were a total handful. Three full handfuls, if one were counting.
