and took off for home, leaving the place customer free. Molly slid into a booth and rested her cheek in her hand.
“You okay, sugar?” Eden wiped down the now vacant table. “You look a little glazed over.”
Molly couldn’t disagree. It’d been a rough twelve hours. She’d played back the night prior with Jordan a hundred times and still had very little understanding of how it could have happened. Those thoughts had kept her tossing and turning until it was time to head into work. Now, in desperation, she decided to seize the opportunity to talk it out. “Could we chat a minute in the kitchen?”
“You bet we can. Louise, sweetie, will you watch the counter for me?”
Louise didn’t even glance up from the Pennysaver. “On it.”
Once safely behind the swinging door, Molly pushed herself up onto the counter and stared hard at Eden. “Have you ever done something that you’d give anything to take back?”
A smile spread across her face. “Oh, I think I’m gonna like this.”
Molly exhaled impatiently. “Shut up and focus. This is hardcore serious. Have you?”
Eden thought for a moment. “Sure, sweetheart. Of course I have. Let’s see. I wish I’d never married Carl, the two-timing idiot from Oklahoma who stole my Chevy in the middle of the night.”
Molly shook her head slowly. “I don’t even know what to say to that. I think your life is a perpetual country music song.”
“Call it whatever you will, but the cops caught up with him in Tuscaloosa and threw his sorry ass in jail. Wonder which one of us is crying now?”
“Again, just further proving my point.”
Eden winked and slid herself up onto the counter across from Molly. “I guess you’re right. Now you. What horrible thing do you regret doing?”
“Okay, but if I tell you this, it cannot leave this room. You have a tendency to share things with the free world, and while I love you anyway, this cannot be one of those things. Do you understand me, Eden Young? Top secret.”
Eden seemed to sober at the serious tone in Molly’s voice. “Of course, darlin’. You have my word. This stays between us.”
Molly stared at the floor. “I kissed Jordan last night. Well, technically she kissed me, but then I made it worse and there was lots more kissing.”
Eden’s eyes were wide when Molly looked up and her mouth fell slowly open. “Well, color me impressed. Little Molly Hot Pants.”
Molly pushed herself off of the counter and moved to Eden in a rush. “No, uh-uh. Don’t say that. There can be no glorification in what happened.”
Eden seemed confused. “So it was bad? The kissing?”
“No, that’s not what we’re talking about. I’m a horrible person. That’s the main idea here. She’s Cassie’s little sister, Eden. A cosmic rule has been broken here. You don’t kiss the sister. Ever.”
“What if the sister is wildly attractive? Is there a clause for that?”
“Irrelevant.”
Eden stared at her, clearly confused. “Let me make sure I understand. It’s not that you don’t like Jordan; it’s that she’s related to Cassie. Did Cassie hate Jordan or something?”
“What? No, of course not. It just feels wrong, what happened. And I don’t know how to fix it. Tell me you know how. I need guidance here.”
“I don’t know that you need to fix it. Little sister is hot and Cassie would want you to be happy. Maybe this little spark is something worth exploring.”
Molly couldn’t believe the lunacy of what she was hearing. “You’re crazy. Absolutely zero chance of that happening. But I can’t avoid her forever and I don’t want to. We have fun together, and things feel, I don’t know, better since she’s been home. A lot.”
“Well, then you’re going to have to be a big girl about this. Face her head on. Talk about what happened and get it out there on the table. Take the bull by the horns.”
Molly nodded, marinating on the advice. “Take the bull by the horns. Got it. I just have to summon my
“You okay, sugar?” Eden wiped down the now vacant table. “You look a little glazed over.”
Molly couldn’t disagree. It’d been a rough twelve hours. She’d played back the night prior with Jordan a hundred times and still had very little understanding of how it could have happened. Those thoughts had kept her tossing and turning until it was time to head into work. Now, in desperation, she decided to seize the opportunity to talk it out. “Could we chat a minute in the kitchen?”
“You bet we can. Louise, sweetie, will you watch the counter for me?”
Louise didn’t even glance up from the Pennysaver. “On it.”
Once safely behind the swinging door, Molly pushed herself up onto the counter and stared hard at Eden. “Have you ever done something that you’d give anything to take back?”
A smile spread across her face. “Oh, I think I’m gonna like this.”
Molly exhaled impatiently. “Shut up and focus. This is hardcore serious. Have you?”
Eden thought for a moment. “Sure, sweetheart. Of course I have. Let’s see. I wish I’d never married Carl, the two-timing idiot from Oklahoma who stole my Chevy in the middle of the night.”
Molly shook her head slowly. “I don’t even know what to say to that. I think your life is a perpetual country music song.”
“Call it whatever you will, but the cops caught up with him in Tuscaloosa and threw his sorry ass in jail. Wonder which one of us is crying now?”
“Again, just further proving my point.”
Eden winked and slid herself up onto the counter across from Molly. “I guess you’re right. Now you. What horrible thing do you regret doing?”
“Okay, but if I tell you this, it cannot leave this room. You have a tendency to share things with the free world, and while I love you anyway, this cannot be one of those things. Do you understand me, Eden Young? Top secret.”
Eden seemed to sober at the serious tone in Molly’s voice. “Of course, darlin’. You have my word. This stays between us.”
Molly stared at the floor. “I kissed Jordan last night. Well, technically she kissed me, but then I made it worse and there was lots more kissing.”
Eden’s eyes were wide when Molly looked up and her mouth fell slowly open. “Well, color me impressed. Little Molly Hot Pants.”
Molly pushed herself off of the counter and moved to Eden in a rush. “No, uh-uh. Don’t say that. There can be no glorification in what happened.”
Eden seemed confused. “So it was bad? The kissing?”
“No, that’s not what we’re talking about. I’m a horrible person. That’s the main idea here. She’s Cassie’s little sister, Eden. A cosmic rule has been broken here. You don’t kiss the sister. Ever.”
“What if the sister is wildly attractive? Is there a clause for that?”
“Irrelevant.”
Eden stared at her, clearly confused. “Let me make sure I understand. It’s not that you don’t like Jordan; it’s that she’s related to Cassie. Did Cassie hate Jordan or something?”
“What? No, of course not. It just feels wrong, what happened. And I don’t know how to fix it. Tell me you know how. I need guidance here.”
“I don’t know that you need to fix it. Little sister is hot and Cassie would want you to be happy. Maybe this little spark is something worth exploring.”
Molly couldn’t believe the lunacy of what she was hearing. “You’re crazy. Absolutely zero chance of that happening. But I can’t avoid her forever and I don’t want to. We have fun together, and things feel, I don’t know, better since she’s been home. A lot.”
“Well, then you’re going to have to be a big girl about this. Face her head on. Talk about what happened and get it out there on the table. Take the bull by the horns.”
Molly nodded, marinating on the advice. “Take the bull by the horns. Got it. I just have to summon my
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