“Excellent plan.” Nichole returned to her patty-cake lessons with Hazel. “I need to go shopping and I personally love any night the guys get carpool duty.”
Another hour together in the backyard and the women dispersed. Hazel to snooze, Nichole to shop and Brooke to check on the puppies and Nala. Molly settled onto the couch in her apartment and worked through her notes on Drew’s case.
Evening arrived, bringing pizza for the kids and parents, followed by a round of loud preteen groans and grumblings over backyard pictures. Ella sparkled as much as the rhinestone star headband Molly had bought for her. Wesley and Ben, the girl’s two best friends, flanked her on either side, always at the ready to assist, but never overbearing. Their friendship reminded Molly of the kind Drew and she had once shared: easygoing, honest and rewarding. Finally the trio of preteens piled into Brad’s SUV and headed off to their school dance. Nichole ran to her car to gather her nook decorating supplies. Brooke headed up to the main house for their girls’ night snacks.
Molly stood in the doorway of her apartment and watched Drew head toward her. He carried two large boxes marked Office. “These are my personal files from my old office.”
Molly held the door open and pointed at her kitchen floor. “Set them there for now.”
After their lunch encounter with Gina at the Italian restaurant, Molly had asked Drew if she could look through his files from his time as an assistant district attorney. It was a long shot, but Molly believed in being thorough. And there was a chance Drew had missed something important in his files. One small detail could change the entire course of a trial. But after lunch, Drew’s brother had requested Drew’s assistance on an important case and Hazel had required a long afternoon nap. Drew’s consulting work for Brad had extended into the morning and now was the first Molly had seen of Drew or the boxes.
Anticipation swirled around her. “We’re looking through these files tonight.”
“I’ve been recruited.” Drew mimicked shooting an invisible basketball into an imaginary basket. “Dan and I need to beat Nichole’s husband, Chase, and Brad on the basketball court first.”
“We have our own plans tonight.” Brooke squeezed around Drew to set several trays of snacks on the counter. She pulled a sunshine-colored fluffy throw rug from another bag swinging on her arm. “This is Ella’s contribution to the nook. I’m going to see how it fits.”
Molly grinned. The brightness matched Ella’s smile.
“Are you going to talk about me and drink wine,” Drew teased.
“This may come as a surprise, but it’s not always about you Drew.” Sophie strolled inside, cradling a wine bottle in one arm and an apple cider bottle in the other. “And they all get wine. Moms-to-be get sparkling cider.”
Drew dropped his arm around Sophie’s shoulders. “You can pretend it’s champagne.”
“And you can pretend I didn’t just kick you,” Sophie countered.
“Why are we kicking Drew?” Nichole stepped inside, her bun slipping off the side of her head, her hands full of shopping bags. “And do you need more help?”
“We always need your help, Nichole.” Brooke laughed from the family room and grabbed several bags from Nichole. “What did you get?”
Molly twisted her hands together. The nook was becoming a bigger project than she’d expected. She’d assumed it would be a quick evening. A rug and a few twinkle lights maybe. It needed to be an early night. She and Drew had to look through his files and concentrate on the case. Decorating felt like procrastinating and that wasn’t her work style ever. “I thought fixing up the nook for Hazel was going to be simple.”
“This is nothing.” Nichole piled the shopping bags near the coffee table. “I don’t get to shop for a baby girl ever. I couldn’t seem to stop myself. Besides, they grow up so fast, you have to spoil them before time runs out.”
“Speaking of girls growing up.” Sophie set her bottles on the kitchen counter and glanced at Drew. “Did you see Ella before the kids left?”
Drew’s gaze and smile softened. “Yeah. She looks like spring.”
Molly forgot her urgency to unpack Drew’s office files. Suddenly, she wanted to procrastinate. In that moment, she wanted only to reveal Drew’s layers. Finally learn all she could about the man he’d become. What had happened to her boundaries?
Nichole set her hands on her hips. “Did you tell Ella that she looked like spring?”
Drew backed toward the door and massaged his neck. “Maybe.”
“Which spring did you tell her she looked like?” Brooke touched her throat as if alarmed. “The one that causes red blurry eyes, runny noses and sneezing from all the pollen? Or the spring that brings rain that flattens hair and washes out curls? Both are great looks, by the way and highly sought-after.”
Drew’s eyes widened as if he’d stepped in a pollen cloud.
Molly bit into her bottom lip to keep from laughing at Brooke’s dry tone. Surely, Drew recognized the women were only teasing him.
The ladies stared at him.
“Ella’s lacy dress was pale pink and the same color as her favorite cotton-candy-flavored ice cream,” Drew said. “She’s wearing her favorite pink lace-up canvas shoes. And she’s got a glittery pink ribbon wound through her curly hair like the bottle of stardust she gave me to ensure my wishes come true.” His gaze shifted to Molly and locked on her. “That’s what spring is. That’s what Ella is, fairy dust and joy.”
Sophie dabbed at her eyes.
Nichole did the same.
Molly sighed from her heart to her toes. Drew was charming and considerate. Worse, he made Molly sigh again.
Molly wanted someone to remember her favorite things. To think of spring and automatically think of her. Or perhaps it was much more simple. She wanted someone to think of her with genuine affection.
Not Drew, of course. Drew was a client. A peer. A friend she’d started to respect more
