Letters to Molly (Maysen Jar, #2)(19)

“Will you make me a promise?” Poppy asked.

“I don’t like the sound of this.”

She giggled. “Please say yes if and when Gavin asks you out. Say yes if any guy asks you out. I want you to be happy, Molly-moo.”

“Ooof. Pulling out the big guns.” She must be really worried about me if she was using the nickname she’d given me our freshman year in college. “The last time you whipped out the Molly-moo was when you needed me to take the kids so you and Cole could disappear to go ‘skiing’ in Big Sky and not actually leave your hotel room.”

She laughed. “That was a really good weekend. And I recall getting a Poppy-bear when I was hesitating to eat my first dinner with Cole.”

“Remember that, do you?”

“Maybe Gavin isn’t the guy. But he is a guy. And you haven’t been on a single date since the divorce.”

“I don’t need to date to be happy. I love that you want me to find a relationship again, but I don’t know if I’ve got the energy for one right now.”

“You’re lonely, Molly.”

“I am not—”

“And before you lie to me, remember that I’m not just your best friend, I’m your sister. Divorced from Finn or not, you are my sister, so I notice things. I notice how you work here from open to close on the days when Finn has the kids. I notice how you go to movies alone. I notice that you haven’t gone out for drinks since that night.”

No, I didn’t go to bars anymore. If it was unavoidable, then I drank water or soda. The only time I drank now was at home in my pajamas and ponytail, where there was no risk of a man saying sweet words and making kind gestures to get into my sweatpants.

Until Finn came over.

Maybe Poppy had a point. Maybe my willingness to jump into bed with Finn last night was because I’d been desperate for some companionship. When we’d been talking in the office, he’d all but come to the same conclusion.

“Being lonely three or four days a week is no way to live.”

“You’re right,” I told her. “I do get lonely. But I don’t want to rush back into dating.”

“Then—and I hate saying this—make some friends.”

My face soured. “I have friends.”

“I don’t count. I’m family.”

“I have—”

“Don’t you dare say Randall and Jimmy.”

Damn it. That meant I couldn’t list Rayna either. “Okay, fine. I’ll try to make some new friends.”

“Thank you.”

“When I invite my new girlfriends into the restaurant, you can’t get all jealous. This was your idea.”

She crossed her heart. “Promise.”

“Okay. Let’s talk about something else. Want to gossip about Finn?”

“Always.”

I grinned. She was his sister, but like she’d said, she was mine too. And Poppy loved to gossip about her brother.

“He broke up with Brenna.” If she’d known, she would have told me already. I wasn’t sure why he hadn’t told his family yet—it was bound to come out sometime—so I was simply fast-forwarding that announcement.

“What?” she gasped. “When?”

“Last weekend, I guess. After he mowed the lawn last night, the kids and I invited him in for pizza. I asked him if he had plans with Brenna and he said they broke up.”

“Wow.” Poppy sat back in her chair, shocked. Then she grinned. “Finally. I’ve been looking for an excuse to take down that photo in the office.”

“What?” Now it was my time to be shocked. “I thought you liked Brenna.”

“She’s a nice woman and I got along with her okay. For Finn’s sake, I tried. That’s why I put up that picture, even though I knew you hated it in there.”

“You did?”

“Like I said, I notice things. I should have taken it down but . . .” she trailed off.

“You were supporting your brother.”

She nodded. “I mean it. I like Brenna. She’s just not right for Finn.”

Because she isn’t me.

I pitied the women Finn introduced to Poppy. They had a brick wall to crash through if they wanted in her good graces. Because no matter what, they’d be compared to the ex-sister-in-law who was also the best-friend-sister. Even Brenna, someone who’d gone over to Poppy and Cole’s many times in the year she’d dated Finn, hadn’t come close to cracking that wall.

“Finn already beat you to it. The picture’s in the office trash can.”

“Uh-oh.” She sighed. “Is he okay?”

“I think so. He told me they didn’t have anything in common.”

“She seemed nervous around the kids. And she hated hiking.”

I winced. “That would do it.”

Of course Finn wouldn’t stay with a woman who wasn’t good with Kali and Max. But on top of that, Finn loved hiking. Before the kids were born, our Sundays were spent exploring new mountain trails. After we had Kali, the hikes were shorter and smoother, but we still went with a baby strapped onto his back.

“I’m glad he started hiking again,” I told Poppy.

“Me too.” She gave me a sad smile.