“I’m assuming you charged it?” he asked wryly.
She had the good grace to flush.
He shook his head. “Find yourself a rich one, Francine. You need it.”
She kissed his cheek and sashayed out of the room. Marc’s gaze never strayed from Molly’s pale face.
Francie paused in the doorway. “Molly?”
Marc held his breath.
“Yes?” She held on to the back of the chair with a death grip, her knuckles white.
In her eyes, he saw pure hope and knew the disappointment to come would hurt her worse than anything else today.
“I left a box of things at Marc’s. When I’m settled, I’ll call with an address. Please ship them to me, will you, dear?”
“I’ll see to it,” Marc said, before Molly was forced to answer and probably burst into tears.
She blew a kiss that could have been directed at him or at her daughter before walking out the door without looking back. She didn’t care which of them she’d hurt. Which made him wonder why he’d loved her at all, but he knew. He’d been taken in by his good fortune-he’d had so little in his life.
Marc held out his arms and Molly crawled right in, careful not to jostle or hurt him in any way. After the brief hug, she stepped back.
“I wish you were my daughter,” he told her, knowing somebody had to love this girl.
She smiled, a sad one that broke his heart. “For what it’s worth, I believed in you. You know, about not being behind the attempts on Lilly’s life. You didn’t disappoint me.” She stepped back to the foot of the bed.
“That means a lot.” His eyelids grew heavy, complete exhaustion setting in. “When I’m out of here, what do you say we order in pizza and just talk?”
Molly leaned against the end of the bed frame. “I would love to but I’m not going to stay around. I care about you but now that I know you’re going to be okay, I need to go.”
“Where?” he asked, understanding even if it hurt.
She shrugged. “Anywhere far away.”
“You don’t have a license to practice law
“I know. I haven’t figured out what I’m going to do yet. But I just can’t stay here with all the memories and could-have-beens surrounding me.”
“What about Hunter?” Marc asked. He’d noticed the chemistry between them. He knew the man cared for Molly. He’d seen it in Hunter’s eyes when he looked at her. And as hard as it was for Marc to admit, he knew Hunter would take care of her the way she deserved to be cared for.
“Hunter deserves a woman who has her shit together. I’m a mess,” Molly said bluntly.
Marc nodded. He didn’t blame her for feeling that way. “Give it time. You never know what the future holds. Keep in touch?” he asked hopefully.
She nodded. “I’ll stop by before I leave for good.”
But in Marc’s mind, she was already gone. He’d lost the one person who believed in him. That was okay though. He needed to learn to rely on himself. One of the doctors who’d come to see him had suggested he enroll in private therapy as well as AA. He would, if he could afford it. Once Lilly inherited and threw him out of the house, he’d have to cough up rent, homeowners insurance, all things that had come under the umbrella that was Lilly’s trust fund.
He’d have to live like a grown man. What a concept. And he’d thought he had his hands full fighting the need for a drink. Still, he realized that with his confessions to the police and the people he’d hurt in his life, he wasn’t feeling sorry for himself. Instead he was looking ahead.
And that, Marc thought, was progress.
THOUGH HUNTER HAD listened to Dumont’s statement this morning, he’d been more affected by Molly’s blank expression than he was by the man’s admissions. In Hunter’s mind, Marc Dumont was already a part of his past. But Molly was his future, or so he hoped and despite her withdrawal, he didn’t want her to find it easy to relegate him to
He knew how badly Marc’s description of his actions had hurt her. On the other hand, she’d been right about the man now. He hadn’t been behind the attempts on Lilly’s life. Her faith in him had been rewarded. Hunter hoped that counted for something in Molly’s mind.
He needed to know how she was holding up. He had to know where they stood. And he wanted to see her… just because. He shoved his work aside, rose and grabbed his jacket.
Half an hour later, he pulled up to Molly’s house. He wasn’t surprised Anna Marie was nowhere to be seen. From what Ty had said, the older woman had a rough day and she was probably hiding inside.
As Hunter stepped onto the porch and rang Molly’s doorbell, Hunter was grateful for the privacy. He heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs and Molly opened the door.
She greeted him wearing gray sweats and a white T-shirt with smudges on the front. She looked as if she’d been cleaning.
“Hi,” he said, suddenly incapable of anything clever or smart to say. He was just glad to see her.
She inclined her head. “Hi.”
“Rough morning,” he said.
She shrugged. “Actually, it got even rougher. Listen, I’m kind of busy-”
“I’d still like to talk. I won’t keep you long.”
She paused, then taking him by surprise, she pushed the door open wide. “Come on in.”
He’d expected more of an argument. He followed her up the flight of stairs, wondering if maybe he’d get through to her after all. Then he stepped into her den and saw the suitcases spread out all over the room, the sight hitting him like a kick in the stomach.
He glanced around. There weren’t just clothes in the suitcases-her personal things were packed into boxes. “This looks like a lot more than packing for a vacation.”
She reluctantly met his gaze. “It is.”
Her words confirmed his greatest fear. “Then there are some things I want to say to you before you go.”
She nodded. “Go ahead,” she said softly.
“You were right about Dumont. I’m sorry I couldn’t believe you.”
Molly looked into his handsome face and saw the truth in his eyes. Hunter’s choice of words had been deliberate. It wasn’t that he hadn’t believed her, he couldn’t. Because Marc had done too much damage. She’d heard it all firsthand today.
But Hunter had been there and supported
“Don’t apologize. I understand.”
He walked around, stepping over the suitcases and boxes she’d managed to pack in a short amount of time.
Without warning, he turned. “Damn it, Molly, don’t do this.”
She swallowed over the lump in her throat. “I have to.”
“You do know that you’re leaving without giving us a chance?” he asked, his tone imploring.
Molly closed her eyes. She hadn’t wanted to hurt Hunter. She’d avoided him for years to prevent doing just that, yet here they were anyway. “I need to find out who I am and what I want out of life. I can’t do that here, in a place where all I see are my childhood wishes for the family I never had.”
“I never had family, either. I understand what you’re going through. Why not work through it together? Unless of course, I’m mistaken in thinking you care about me, too.” A flush rose high on his cheekbones and he shoved his hands into his front pants pockets.
Molly knew how difficult it had been for Hunter to lay his heart on the line and it hurt her to have to reject him. But one day he’d thank her for doing it.
“It’s because I care about you that I’m leaving.” She met his gaze, silently begging him to understand her reasons. “I need to grow up.” And to do so, she needed time alone.
Time to heal and put her mother in her past. She absolutely had to learn to stand on her own two feet without old hopes and expectations weighing her down.
He stepped closer. She inhaled and smelled his sexy cologne. Wherever she ended up, she’d miss his wit and
