Brayden, Melissa - How Sweet It Is

“What’s up, tiger?” Mikey asked, after saying good-bye to his latest patient. He pulled her ear as he passed behind the desk. Her brother practiced at a medical group in Andersville, but devoted two days a week to working in their parents’ clinic. Good thing too, as having a third doctor in-house helped alleviate some of the pressure on their parents. Mikey was a good guy that way.

“Ow. Leave my ears alone.”

“No way. As your brother, it’s my job in life to tug on your ears. What’s up next?” He leaned on the counter as Jordan consulted the computerized appointment book.

“You have Mrs. Fitzsimmons’ sore throat at noon and then the staff meeting after lunch. That’s when I make my crafty getaway. Jackson can take the desk.”

“What? You don’t want to hang out for clinic policies and procedures?”

“Sounds riveting, but I’m a volunteer. This right here”—she gestured to the room around her—“is out of the goodness of my heart.”

“So benevolent.”

Jordan grinned proudly. “Get it while you can.”

The bell above the door rang and they turned. Jordan expected to see yet another patient or maybe Damon with the delivery they’d called in for the staff meeting. But she was wrong.

Molly’s eyes held hers only briefly before fluttering to Mikey. “Hey, you two. What’s with all the standing around? Shouldn’t there be some work getting done around here?” She smiled at them, but it didn’t quite take over her face the way Molly’s smiles usually did.

When Jordan had left Molly’s house the night before, she’d walked the neighborhood, working through the sequence of events. As many times as she’d imagined kissing Molly, the reality of it, of her, had been so much more than she’d ever planned on. She didn’t know what had come over her and caused her to actually act on her impulse, but she did know that as their lips met, all bets seemed off.

Everything had faded away except for the sharp need that left her wonderfully breathless. She could still feel what it was like to have Molly’s lips on hers, the weight of her on her lap, the intoxicating scent of the raspberry shampoo she used.

The exchange had rocked her. And though it had ended horribly, she couldn’t quite get past the fact that for a few precious moments, Molly had kissed her back. In even more impressive news, she was probably the world’s best kisser.

But as she’d walked on, she’d remembered Molly’s words and the conviction with which she’d said them. “It’s not okay. You’re Cassie’s sister.” And no matter how exciting those few moments had been, she could never change the facts in the scenario. Molly couldn’t see her for who she was, only her connection to Cassie.

Mikey moved to Molly and kissed her cheek with a loud smack. “What is this? Have we moved up in the world? Since when does the esteemed owner of Flour Child personally deliver to little old us?”

“I make exceptions for special people.” She handed him the pink box of brownies. “Out of the oven ten minutes ago. Still warm and amazing.”

“You’re my favorite sister-in-law. Have I told you that?”

“First time today.”

“Then I’m slacking.” He inclined his head to the break room. “I’ll drop these off on my way to catch up on my charts. Thanks, Molly.”

“No problem.”

And they were alone.

Molly eyed her a moment. There was that slight smile again. “So, hey. How are you this morning, Jordan? I trust you’re well.”

I trust you’re well? Were they now characters in a Jane Austen novel and she’d failed to be notified? Since when did they speak so formally to each other? Oh, this didn’t bode well. “I’m fine. Just a little worried about the fact that you’re talking to me like we’re at high tea.”

Molly exhaled and shook her head. “I know. That was weird. Agreed. But I don’t want to be weird. Listen, Jordan, I don’t know how we wound up…”

“Making out on the couch,” Jordan supplied, when it was clear Molly couldn’t actually say the words.

She winced. “Right. God. I don’t know how that happened. Trust me, I fully accept my share of the blame, but I think we can both agree that it was a really bad idea.” Jordan nodded because she could tell it was what Molly needed. “And the last thing in the world that I want is for things to be awkward between us. We’re important to each other and I need that.”

“I promise, nothing has to be weird. It’s just me. Same old Jordan.”

Molly held her gaze steadily and Jordan watched as those caramel eyes slowly softened. “Yeah, it is.” The moment lingered, and no one said anything until Molly seemed to shake herself out of whatever trance had wrapped around them. “So we’re okay, then? Business as usual?”

Jordan lifted a shoulder and regarded her seriously. “Unless you plan to renege on our baked goods arrangement. Then we have problems.”

Massive relief washed across Molly’s face. “No, I think I can come through on that one. Oh, and come by the bakeshop tomorrow. I want you to try something.”

“You’re on.”

It was still there, Jordan noted. That crackle between them that had emerged so aggressively the night before, was still simmering just below the surface. She would ignore it if that’s what Molly wanted, but that didn’t make it any less real.

Molly gestured behind her to the door. “I guess I better get back to work.”

“See you soon.”

“Uh, yeah. Tomorrow.” Molly nodded once and headed out into the world as Jordan watched after her.

So they’d go on like before. It meant stuffing the off-the-charts chemistry they’d discovered back in the box, but she could do that to keep from scaring Molly away altogether.

Because that wasn’t an option.

*

There was a chill in the air that was unseasonable for April. Some sort of cold front had blown in from up North. Molly pulled her hoodie more fully around her and shoved her hands into the pockets.

It was Wednesday, which meant she’d spend the late afternoon at the cemetery after work. After arranging some fresh flowers, she updated Cassie on the week’s happenings and all the preparations for the big birthday party coming up.

“I also went on another date this week. I know. What was I thinking? You would have loved this one, by the way. If nothing else, I have a good story to tell one day.” She leaned back on her elbows and stared at the sky. “I’m just looking for that click, you know? The one we had. And that doesn’t just happen every day. So maybe it’s okay that I’m picky. I should probably just be patient and someone nice will eventually drift along. If not, that’s okay too.”

It was a relief to talk things out with Cassie. Even if she did do all the talking. Wednesdays had a way of centering her when nothing else worked, bringing the world into some sort of manageable focus.

Wednesdays mattered to her.

Molly stayed for an extra half hour that day. She didn’t bring up what had happened with Jordan in her living room. Nor did she mention the subsequent time they’d spent together or the ever-present tugging. Because to do so would give it more credit than it deserved. Talking about it on their Wednesday afternoon would make it real, and it wasn’t. It was a minor blip on the radar. And this particular blip would soon be firmly behind them.

Chapter Nine

Molly glanced up as Eden sauntered into the kitchen and stared. “Did you invite an army of starving people over or do you just need a chocolate fix worthy of the Guinness Book ?” She surveyed the truffle-covered countertops of the bakeshop’s kitchen with a hand on her hip.

Molly went back to work. “Neither.” She was on a mission and couldn’t be deterred. It was the end of the workday, but she didn’t care. She had to keep going.