“It shows you care enough to remember them.” It showed Drew cared. And that made another one of those sighs attempt to surface inside her.
“Exactly.” The plastic water bottle crinkled in his grip. “But I’m still at a loss for Gina’s last name.”
“We’ll figure it out.” Molly went over to him and touched his arm to reassure him. “It’s good to know you haven’t lost who you are because of this.”
He set his hand over hers. His intense gaze searched her face. “What keeps you from losing who you are?”
The warmth from his hand instantly soothed her. The vulnerability in his open gaze caught her completely. One tiny shift, one half step and she’d be against his chest. If he curved his arms around her. If he held her close. Then she’d remember. Remember the power of an embrace.
And, in his embrace, she could give in return. Help him remember too.
She tugged her hands free and retreated. There was only one reminder of good she needed in her life. “Hazel. She’s my reason for everything.”
CHAPTER NINE
THE NEXT MORNING, Drew pulled into the Sawyers’ driveway, dropped the visor on his windshield to block the sun and waited for Molly to close the garden gate to Dan and Brooke’s backyard and her new apartment.
Molly gripped Hazel’s baby-seat carrier in one hand and a sleek leather briefcase in the other. Her crisp black pants, white blouse and pink heels belonged on the thirtieth floor of a high-rise in the financial district. The unicorn-print diaper bag hanging on her shoulder belonged in a lively baby playgroup.
She combined both roles effortlessly. Then again Molly had always been more than capable of handling everything seamlessly. He appreciated her business attire, although he preferred her with her hair twisted in a confused sort of bun, no makeup and looking very approachable like she’d been yesterday.
But yesterday’s moment was a onetime event and the woman approaching his truck now was the one he’d hired to prove his innocence. The relaxed, dedicated mother might have fit into his world before. He might have welcomed her there. But that was then. Now he acknowledged that only facts, not emotions, could restore his life and his future as an attorney.
Molly secured Hazel’s baby carrier, got in the front seat and tugged her phone from her briefcase pocket. “One call and we’ll have the legal assistant’s full name and a place to start our morning.”
Drew played a quick round of peekaboo with Hazel, continuing the game until he earned the little girl’s delightful squeal.
“Gina Hahn.” Molly tapped on her phone screen to end the call and beamed at Drew. “Cory’s former administrative assistant and Elena’s friend is Gina Hahn.”
“I can’t believe you found that out so quickly.” Drew rubbed his eyes and started the truck.
“Connections, Drew. As your dear sweet mama said, it’s all about connections. Having friends in every corner.” Molly nudged his shoulder. “You were close when you suggested Horn yesterday.”
“I won’t forget her name anytime soon.” He reached forward to press the phone button on the truck’s touchscreen and called his brother.
Brad answered on the first ring. “Bad time. Can’t talk.”
A scratching sound grated across the speaker.
Drew leaned forward and listened. In the background a woman shouted, “Over there.” Another voice yelled, “Dad.”
Drew backed his truck out of the driveway. “Where are you?”
More static interfered with Brad’s voice. “Alley behind Tally’s Corner Market on Bayview Street at Vine Avenue.”
“On my way.” Drew quit the call and made a quick right turn.
“Isn’t your brother a private investigator?” Molly scrolled through her emails. “Should we be disrupting his work in an alley?”
“Brad owns and manages a private investigation and security company. He locates cyber criminals, corporate embezzlers and money launderers within the US and globally. If he’s working, he could be doing anything from a recon operation to sitting in on a debriefing from a high-level government official. And he wouldn’t answer his phone.” Drew slowed to a stop at a red light and glanced at her. “Right now, Brad is rescuing either a dog or a cat. He’ll welcome our help.”
Molly’s mouth dropped open. “You know this how?”
“I heard Ella yell dad.” Drew grinned at Molly. “Then Sophie, his wife, yelled at him too. Sophie owns The Pampered Pooch pet store and doggy day care. And she rescues every animal she gets a call about, day or night, rain or shine. Fog or no fog.”
“I haven’t even owned a goldfish. Let alone rescued a dog.” Molly frowned and put her phone away. Uncertainty was obvious from her expression. Her fingers smoothed a nonexistent wrinkle from her pants. “And you’re telling me that we’re really going to rescue some animal right now.”
“There’s a first time for everything.” Like it was the first time he’d ever noticed Molly fidget. She never hesitated. Never appeared unsure. Something about a pet rescue unsettled her. And something about that realization made him want to calm her. To be there for her. “You can wait in the car while I help Brad.”
“I’m not afraid.” Resolve bracketed her stiff shoulders.
“I didn’t think you were,” Drew lied and reached over to hold her hand. All part of being a good buddy. A friend. From a romantic standpoint, the gesture was insignificant—it meant nothing. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”
“It’s nothing.” She laced her fingers around his and exhaled. “I was a kid. I was outside drawing on the sidewalk with chalk. The neighbor’s dog got out of their yard and joined me.”
“Joined you,” Drew repeated. Her grip on his hand tightened.
“It just wanted to play.” She waved her other hand around in the air. “That’s what the owners told me. My parents told me to stay off the sidewalk.”
“But the dog scared you.”
“It was twice my size, knocked me off my feet and nipped at my hands to eat the chalk.” Molly shuddered. “I thought it wanted to eat me. I was five years old. What was I supposed to think?”
“I’m really
