Sweet on You (The Bridesmaids Club Book 4) (23 page)

Molly looked back down at the photo. Sonia Woods wasn’t acting like a married woman, and Jacob didn’t look as though he cared. She handed Sally back her iPad.

Her heart felt like it had been ripped into little pieces. “I just need a moment,” she said quietly. “I’ll be back soon.” She walked out of their suite and into her own room.

Jacob Green had just lost a friend, but by the looks of it, he wouldn’t be heartbroken.

***

Jacob answered his phone and frowned at the garbled noise coming down the line. “Slow down, Alex. I can’t understand a word you’re saying.”

“Have you seen the article in
The Daily News?
You’re in the entertainment section.”

Jacob pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “What are you talking about?”

“Doris Stanley shared a link to the article on the town’s Facebook page. What were you thinking? Blondie looks as though she’s eating you for dinner.”

Jacob had a really bad feeling about why his brother was calling him. “I’m logging in now.”

“It was a pity you didn’t log your brain into gear last night. What do you think Molly’s going to say when she sees the photo?”

Alex had barely stopped speaking when the Bozeman Community Facebook page appeared on Jacob’s screen. He saw the picture and a cold chill ran down his spine. “It’s not what it looks like.”

“Of course it’s not what it looks like. So why were you kissing her senseless in the Rockefeller Center?”

“I went out to dinner with Daniel and Peter after our meeting. Sonia was there.”

“Obviously,” Alex muttered.

“Just before we left, she landed in my arms and kissed me. I didn’t see the photographer, and no wise-ass comments.” He just hoped Molly hadn’t seen the article. “I need to make a phone call.”

“Yeah, I guessed that much. Let me know what she says.”

Jacob grunted. The chance of that happening was practically zero. It was bad enough that he’d canceled going to Los Angeles. Having his photo blasted across Facebook with Sonia would make the most stable relationship wobble. And what he had with Molly wasn’t exactly stable. It was new, fragile, and one of the most important things in his life.

Jacob looked around his hotel room, mentally packing everything into his suitcase ready for the flight home. “Have mom and dad seen the photo?”

“It was mom who told me about it. She wanted to know if there was anything they should know before they call you.”

He sat on the arm of a chair and hung his head. “I’m calling Molly. Tell them I’ll come and see them as soon as I get into town.”

“I’d wish you luck if I thought it would do any good, but you’re on your own.”

“Thanks.”

“And Jacob?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t read the comments on the Facebook page.”

Alex disconnected the call and left Jacob staring at his phone. He glanced at his laptop, moved closer, then skimmed through the comments.

He should have gone to Los Angeles.

CHAPTER TEN

Molly tried not to think about the Facebook post as she sat between Becky and Rachel in their limousine. The driver had been waiting at their hotel, ready to take them to the airport.

Molly was staying in Los Angeles for two more days, but she was going to the airport to say goodbye to her sister and friends. While she was in Los Angeles, she’d plan the next steps in her career. David and John would introduce her to people who could help her achieve what she wanted to do. People who had been impressed with the photographs she’d exhibited.

She glanced at her watch. By the time she’d left Sally and Annie’s suite, wiped her eyes dry, and ignored four calls from Jacob, it had been time to leave for the airport.

Becky’s eyes were clouded with worry. “Are you sure you’re going to be all right on your own? I can stay for longer.”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Becky nudged her arm. “I’m your sister. It’s what I do.”

Molly’s phone beeped again. She looked down at the caller display, then switched the phone off.

Becky leaned closer. “How long are you going to ignore him?”

“As long as it takes. I don’t want to speak to him.”

Rachel pulled her gaze away from the road. “There might be a reason he kissed her?”

Molly sighed. “There are always reasons. Jacob’s old enough to know better.”

Sally put her lip gloss away. “Aren’t we all? I’ve said and done things I wish I hadn’t. The Internet is a wonderful thing, but sometimes it can be used for all the wrong reasons.”

Annie sighed. “Let’s assume that Jacob’s innocent in all of this…”

Molly’s eyebrows rose.

“Why was a reporter there in the first place?” Annie asked.

Becky frowned. “It was the Rockefeller Center. There’s bound to be things happening there all the time.”

“But right there, just when he kissed his ex-fiancée? Jacob wouldn’t fool around with another man’s wife. And even if he thought she was single, he wouldn’t want anyone to take a photo, would he?

Sally leaned forward. “Maybe the blonde woman set him up. Maybe she wants her husband to be jealous…or she wants to divorce him, but doesn’t know how to tell him.”

“Or maybe you should write mystery novels for a living,” Molly said. “There’s no excuse for the kiss. He told me he was going to New York for a meeting.”

Annie adjusted her seatbelt. “I think he deserves to be listened to. We all know women who’d rather lie than tell the truth about what’s going on. Maybe the blonde woman has a problem with honesty.”

“She’s a lawyer,” Sally said slowly. “A lawyer who knows how to manipulate situations. Maybe Jacob was an unfinished situation that landed in her lap.”

“Or on her lips,” Molly muttered. Everyone looked at her. “Okay. I’ll think about listening to him, but I’m not making any other promises.”

Rachel pointed out of the window. “We’re nearly at the airport. I’m glad our driver knows where he’s going.”

“It was a good idea to get a limousine,” Molly said as the driver slowed down for a group of tourists crossing the road. “Who did you hire the car through?”

Rachel looked at Becky. “You haven’t told her?”

A quick shake of her sister’s head left Molly worried. “You didn’t take someone else’s car, did you?” she whispered.

Becky cleared her throat. “It was supposed to be a surprise. When Jacob couldn’t come to Los Angeles, he let us use his booking.”

“For the car?”

“For the car and the airplane,” Annie said. “He chartered a special plane to take us to Los Angeles and bring us home. He wanted to surprise you.”

Molly was surprised, and annoyed, and wondering what on earth had gotten into Jacob’s head.

Becky rolled her eyes. “Would you stop scrunching up that nose of yours. We told Jacob we weren’t impressed with his decision to go to New York, but he still let us use the plane. I don’t know if he’s innocent of any wrongdoing, but you could speak to him.”

The driver stopped the vehicle and opened their door. While Molly and her friends took the smaller bags out of the car, the driver stacked their suitcases on the sidewalk.

Becky turned to Molly and hugged her tight. “I guess this is where we say goodbye.”

“I’ll see you in two days’ time,” Molly said reluctantly. “Thank you for coming.”

Sally extended the handle on her case and wheeled it across to Molly. “I loved every minute of being here. Enjoy the next two days.” She gave Molly a quick hug, then waited while Annie and Rachel did the same thing.

The driver closed the trunk and Molly sighed. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll meet you at the airport in Bozeman,” Becky said as they wheeled their cases away.

Even though Molly felt miserable, she smiled when Rachel turned away. She’d put her Minnie Mouse soft toy in her backpack. Minnie’s head bobbed up and down as Rachel moved into the airport, making more than one person turn and stare.

The driver of the limousine opened the back passenger door and smiled at Molly. “Are you going back to the same hotel, miss?”

Molly nodded. “Yes, please. I’m grateful for the ride.”

“It’s all part of the service.”

As Molly settled herself in the back seat, she looked around the inside of the limousine. It seemed too big and too expensive for one person. An extravagance she wasn’t happy accepting, especially when Jacob was behind it.

***

Four days later, Jacob was trying his hardest to pretend that nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Doug and Marsha were having a final look around his home. Their wedding was three days away and the weather was closing in fast.

Molly had arrived ten minutes after Doug had driven into the yard. She’d called Jacob on Sunday and he’d told her about Sonia. She hadn’t said much, hadn’t asked the questions he’d been waiting for. After ten minutes of explanations and apologies she’d ended the call, and maybe her friendship with him.

Doug glanced up at the sky from inside the living room. “It’s supposed to snow on Saturday. I don’t think we have any choice but to have our wedding inside.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Marsha said. “Jacob has a beautiful home. We can still see the lake from here. If we make the decision now, our families and friends can put their hiking boots away.”

Doug wheeled his chair closer to Marsha. “Are you sure you’re okay with getting married inside?”

Marsha kneeled beside her fiancé. “I love you. At least we won’t go home with hypothermia if we get married in Jacob’s living room. Angela and I can go shopping this afternoon. We’ll have everything we need by tomorrow morning.”

The worry on Doug’s face lifted and he hugged Marsha close. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

Marsha smiled. “Only about fifty thousand times, but keep telling me. It’s one of the reasons I love you, too.”

Jacob cleared his throat in case the loved-up couple forgot they were sharing a room with a man who’d been scorned. But that would imply that Molly actually cared about seeing Jacob’s ex-fiancée kiss him. The jury was still out on that scenario.

Molly stepped forward and pointed at the fireplace. “Before your wedding guests arrive, we could light a fire. With some soft background music and pretty lighting, we’ll set the scene for a romantic wedding.”

Marsha smiled. “It’s going to be amazing.” She glanced down at Doug. “Do you want to come shopping or stay at home?”

“I’ll go to my brother’s place. We’ve got a few things we need to sort out.”

Marsha laughed. “The things you need to sort out wouldn’t include the Pistons and Hawks game, would it?”

“We might turn the TV on. If the sports channel just happens to be replaying the biggest basketball game of the week, then we’ll suffer in silence.”

Marsha turned to Molly. “Doug and his family are basketball crazy. We’re lucky there isn’t a big game on Saturday.”

Doug grinned. “We’ll, now that you’ve brought it up…”

“No,” Marsha said quickly. “No, no, and quadruple no. The TV stays off. All day.”

Jacob smiled. “Sounds like you’ve got your answer.”

Doug looked hopefully at his fiancée. Marsha stared back. “Don’t even think about it,” she said sweetly.

Jacob looked at Molly. She was watching Marsha and Doug, following the words that were left unsaid. He cleared his throat, touched by the tears shining in her eyes. “I’ve got some work to do in town tomorrow. How about I give you a key to the front door, Marsha? You’ll be able to decorate the living room without having to call me. As long as you don’t arrive before nine in the morning, I’m happy.”

Marsha smiled. “That would be wonderful.”

With the wedding ceremony sorted, it was Molly’s turn to talk about photographs. Marsha had made a list of the pictures she wanted. As Molly went through the list, she forgot about being angry with him. She walked across to different areas of the room, showed Doug and Marsha what she could do in a relatively small space.

Jacob watched Molly’s hands move in time with her words, her smile soften as Doug and Marsha posed in different places. He needed to find that part of her, use her enthusiasm for photography to try and mend what was left of their friendship.

When Marsha and Doug were ready to leave, he looked across at Molly. She was reaching for her jacket. His heart rate sped up. If she walked away from him now, he might never get the chance to apologize to her in person.

He walked toward her. She stiffened, defending herself against his words before he’d said anything. “Can I talk to you for a minute, Molly?”

Marsha pulled a red hat out of her pocket and pulled it onto her head. “We’ll leave you to talk. I’ve got to go shopping for a wedding.”

Doug groaned. “Maybe I should come with you. I’ve got a feeling you’re going to enjoy yourself too much.”

“And your feelings would be right,” Marsha said with a wicked grin on her face. “Now let’s get going before the stores close.”