“Uh…” Did he have to actually answer? He didn’t particularly want to answer. Old thought-she-was-the-one girlfriend?
“Oh my gosh.” Molly’s mouth dropped open. “She looks like Dakota.” She side-eyed him. “But that’s not Dakota.”
No, Cassidy was not Dakota. Not at all.
“You sure have a type,” Molly said under her breath.
“I don’t have a type.” He didn’t.
“Rachel. Blonde. Curves. Gorgeous.” Molly held up her hand before he could say anything. “Dakota. Blonde. Curves. Gorgeous.” Molly counted them off on her fingers. “This woman?”
“Cassidy,” he said, because, well, he was apparently not super smart when surprised.
“Cassidy?” The blinds shuttered over any hope in Molly’s eyes. “Blonde. Curves. Gorgeous.”
Her neck flushed red. He didn’t like that at all. Didn’t like the way she shut down. Didn’t want her to shut down. He didn’t want Cassidy—that ship had sailed a long time ago. He and Cassidy had never had the staying power, not the kind that he felt with Molly. The kind of flare that would build a fire worth keeping.
“I’m here withyou,” he said. And he wanted to be here with her. So he said so. “I want to be here with you.” That was the truth.
“Me?” She waved a hand along the side of her body. “Outrageous brown curls. No curves.”
“Gorgeous,” he added, hoping to salvage whatever just happened between them. “And you definitely have curves.” He was trying not to be a total jerk and look her over to prove his point. “I also really appreciate the curls.”
“Gav?” Cassidy’s voice slipped through his Molly fog.
He hoped he arranged his expression of surprise when he turned to Cassidy, even though what he felt was pure horror that, just as he was making headway with Molly, destiny was giving him a big ol’ thumbs-up emoji. And not in the “sounds good” way.
Chapter Nineteen
“Have kids, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. You know what they didn’t say? Hope you enjoy peeing with an audience.” —Jennifer Bonds
Gavin
What was Gavin supposed to do in a situation like this? Hug Cassidy? No. That was probably not a good idea. Not when he was there with Molly and he only really wanted to hug her.
Handshake maybe? Nah, that’d be weird.
“Hi,” Cassidy said.
What did he do? Nothing. He did nothing. The “hi” just sat there like a weight in the air. Which was more awkward than if he’d just given her a side hug.
He probably should’ve gone for a side hug. Those were safe. He gulped. “Hi, Cass.”
“Hi.” She moved her gaze from him to Molly.
Molly, who looked like she’d just eaten bad tuna and turned a little green.
“You must be Rachel?” Cass asked, as though the moment could not be more awkward.
“Um.” Molly slid her gaze to Gavin. “Why would I be Rachel?”
“Your wife?” Cassidy asked. “Last I knew you got married to—”
“Rachel.” He nodded. “Yeah. No. We’re not together anymore. This isMolly.”
He did the side hug thing to Molly.
But that felt even more awkward and, yeah, he wasn’t supposed to side hug his date in front of his ex-girlfriend.
