“Babe?” he asked. “Babe?” Kaiya echoed.
“Is that what you say to someone right before you stab them?” Sadie asked, then she backtracked. “Actually, don’t
answer that. It’ll make it harder for me to represent you in court.”
“Gavin and I are fake-dating.” Molly winked at him. “We get to talk to each other like this. Don’t we, sweet cheeks?”
Gavin made a sound in his throat that sort of sounded like a yes, of course, and sure, all bundled into one awkward, incoherent string of syllables.
“How long do you think you can keep this up before someone gets seriously injured?” Kaiya asked, eyes huge.
“Long enough for the competition,” Molly said with a sigh.
“And until I’m ready to really date someone. Right, pumpkin muffin?” Gavin nudged Molly, clearly rolling with the makeshift endearment. His eyes sparkled like a guy who did not mean to send a “fuck you” emoji.
He probably didn’t know. She was pretty positive he didn’t know.
He’d probably even send his actual girlfriend yellow roses without ever understanding the connotation. Which was, of course, friendship, and not deep desire.
Well, he could send Molly yellow roses. That would send precisely the right message. Much better than a thumbs up emoji. Given all of that, he’d probably send her red roses and therefore the totally wrong message.
Her mind was a mess, and this was getting all kinds of complicated in her brain. Why was nothing making sense?
“For real, the fake aspect of our relationship is on the down-low. So we’d appreciate if you didn’t share it. Especially with his mother or anyone who watches my web show.” She paused. “Except those who are present here,
obviously.”
“Obviously,” Sadie said over the edge of her glass. “Good to see you, Gavin,” Rachel said, still hugging on
her kid. “We haven’t had a chance to say hi.”
No, they hadn’t. What with all the pretend going on around them.
“Good to have you back, Rachel,” he said, like they were great friends. “We missed you.”
And then Molly saw it—the war going on in Rachel’s brain. Should she confront Gavin about Molly and give him the don’t-hurt-her chat? Or should she ask him what exactly his knowledge of emojis came to?
“Hey, Gavin?” Molly asked, turning to him and not allowing the way he filled out his jeans to cloud her mind.
“Hey, Molly?” He mirrored her expression but added a whole spoonful of question.
“What does the thumbs-up emoji mean to you?” Better just find out now if this was going to be a back-and-forth fuck you or a sincere—maybe sweet—unknowing?
“Uh…” He gave her that same expression again, this time with a bowl of questions.
“There’s a right and wrong answer here,” Rachel said into her hand.
“I believe it means…” He held up two thumbs. “All good.”
“Right answer.” Sadie pointed to her chest. “I told you all that he doesn’t even know what sending the thumbs-up to end a conversation means.” She chuckled and Kaiya turned red.
“Let’s go inside.” Rachel turned her son toward the patio door and hustled them through so she could give lots
of love to her other favorite son.
“Maybe he’s faking it.” Kaiya lifted her shoulder like it was no thang. “It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Molly doesn’t care either way, right?”
Did Molly care?
