Head over heels? Chase couldn’t be serious. Drew was intrigued and interested in Molly. Not head over heels for her. “I’m definitely not that. I like her. I’ve liked women in the past. It’s not shocking.”
Chase and Dan shared a knowing look.
“What?” Drew asked. Now was the time to prove to his friends and himself that he had other priorities. “I like her, but work comes first for me. You guys know that.”
“Until it doesn’t,” Chase mumbled. “But that’s not our focus right now.”
“Winning is our focus,” Drew reminded them and turned toward the court.
Dan’s words stopped him. “If we win, you have to still take Molly on a real date.”
Drew closed his eyes, cursed his all-too-perceptive friends and counted to ten. One date. Surely, he could handle that. Not turn it into something more than it was. A night out with a friend. “Fine. Now can we finish this game? I’m hungry.”
Chase and Dan ran back onto the court and began trash talking. Drew served the volleyball over the net, neatly and precisely. Too bad it wasn’t as easy to launch his interest in Molly over the net too. As it was, he considered and discarded ideas for their one date with each point earned.
Nothing felt right. And if he was taking Molly on one date, it had to be perfect. After all, she deserved nothing less.
The women won in a tiebreaker and celebrated all the way through dinner and s’mores assembly. They were still high-fiving each other at the end of the evening during their goodbyes.
Drew couldn’t quite locate his irritation that they’d lost. As for Chase and Dan, they were pleased with the outcome. They hadn’t thrown the game—already a rematch had been scheduled. But they’d still won somehow. Over dinner, Dan had asked Drew for his baseball seats for an upcoming Friday night game, his mystery date plans for Brooke already set in motion.
Molly asked Drew to stop by her apartment before he headed home. She wanted to put Hazel to bed and discuss Reuben’s upcoming appointment with the notary. Drew ignored Chase’s raised eyebrows and Dan’s jab in the ribs.
He made quick use of the shower in Dan and Brooke’s guest bathroom and headed over to Molly’s apartment. Telling himself on the short walk across the backyard that he’d stay in his lane. Keep it professional.
But telling himself and listening to himself proved to be two different things entirely. From the moment Molly opened the door, her cheeks scrubbed clean and her hair damp, Drew misplaced all thoughts of work and his case. He realized he only wanted to spend more time with Molly. Period. Molly, the woman. Not Molly his legal counsel.
“No work talk tonight. That’s for tomorrow, in the daylight.” Drew flipped over Molly’s dry-erase board to reveal the blank side. He could learn more about Molly and not turn it into anything other than hanging out with a friend. He should know his friends. That was simply being a good friend in return. “Let’s talk about vacation goals.”
“Vacation goals?” Molly curled her bare feet under her on the couch and considered Drew. “I can’t remember the last real vacation I took.”
“Me either.” Drew laughed. He hadn’t taken a vacation in years. Never could find the time between cases. Yet now, looking at Molly, he considered it. But considering wasn’t actually doing. All this fun was lifting his spirits, and he hoped Molly’s. “But if you were going to take ten days off and go big, where are you going?”
“Easy.” Molly grabbed a handful of chocolate candy from the dish she’d carried over to the coffee table and pointed at him. “A villa in Tuscany.”
“I like it.” A lot. Private villa set on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. And with an extraordinary woman like Molly. He could book tickets tonight.
Drew uncapped a dry-erase pen, stoppered his own unusual impulsiveness and wrote vacation goals across the dry-erase board. This was only a silly game. “Can we stop in Venice too?”
“Absolutely.” Molly leaned into the couch and popped a candy in her mouth. “As long as we take several gondola rides.”
“That’s a given.” He’d seen pictures of the gondolas in Venice, couples cuddling as they passed under the historic bridges. He’d always believed he’d rather walk to get to his destination faster; but with Molly beside him, a slow gondola ride through the city tempted him more. Back to their conversation. “Next up. Weekend getaway.”
“I have always wanted to stay at a bed-and-breakfast,” Molly said. “On the coast.”
“Or in wine country,” Drew offered.
“Even better.” Molly lifted her wine glass in a toast. “What’s next? Staycation.”
“Day ski trip,” Drew tossed out.
“Too cold.” Molly shook her head. “And a ski chalet sounds like it deserves a longer stay than a day.”
“Agreed.” Drew snapped his fingers. “Baseball game.”
“Yes. Definitely. Seats behind the first baseline.” Molly tapped her chin and grinned. “Ballpark hot dog and French fries with ranch dressing.”
Drew stilled and considered her. “You’re serious?”
She laughed. “I’m into most sports. Baseball, volleyball...”
He grinned. “Okay, champ.” He had season tickets to the Bay Area Angel’s baseball games. He’d been giving his seats away the past few years, citing work conflicts. The truth was he hadn’t wanted to go alone, and he hadn’t wanted to go with just anyone. “I’ve just never dated any women interested in baseball.”
“You’ve been dating the wrong ones then.” She popped another handful of candy in her mouth and smiled around her mouthful of chocolate.
He was definitely starting to see that he might’ve been dating the wrong women. The right woman sat on a couch in his friend’s in-law unit, grinning at him. But if Molly was the right woman, then Drew had truly jumped out of his lane. And what was supposed to have been a fun get-to-know-you-better exercise had turned into something more serious.
As a last-ditch effort to keep himself focused on the fun, he searched for some uncommon ground. Anything to prove Molly wasn’t
