A Christmas Affair: A Seaside Cove Romance (Seaside Cove Romance Series Book 1) (8 page)

Jack felt his neck redden as he realized what she said was true, Jeremy was none of his business. Until he came into Jack's bar causing a scene. Molly was talking, though Jack could barely concentrate on the words, and pointing at boxes for Jack to move. He lifted the boxes she indicated and set them outside the closet. She walked back into the closet, and dragged another box out.

"Here, let me get that." He put his hands on her waist to gently guide her out of the way, and she flinched and jerked away from him. He regretted even following her back to her store, he should have just gone out and bought a green cord tomorrow. "I wasn't going to do anything. Just taking the box out."

"No," She shook her head. "It's not you Jack you're fine, it's just earlier today..." she trailed off and walked out of the closet.

Jack grabbed the box and walked into the storeroom. The box was labeled "Christmas Misc". He was surprised she did not already have the stuff in this box out with the rest of the Christmas junk she had all over the store.

"Earlier today what?" Jack asked, but she did not answer, instead she took a box cutter and slid a line down the tape keeping the box closed.

"Yep this is the one," she said brightly as she began to dig through the items in the box. She came up with a green cord. "Help me put the other boxes back? We'll leave this one out front in case I need something from it again."

After he finished stacking the boxes back in the closet, he turned around and put his hand out of the cord. As she placed it in his hand, her fingers gently turned his hand over in her palm. Her touch sent electric currents through his body; he felt like he needed to get out of this building as fast as he could. His feet seemed to not be working though, instead they felt as though they had been glued to the floor.

"What happened?" She asked tenderly as her fingers stroked the back of his hand. A mix of emotions washed over him as he wanted to take her away from Jeremy, but at the same time he knew he had no right. Jack was careful to keep all emotion off his face.

"I'll ask you again, what the hell is it you see in Jeremy?" Jack said touching her check with his other hand.

Jack's calloused hand on her check made Molly want to melt into the carpet. Her body tingled in places she did not even realize could be aroused. She bit her bottom lip, knowing that bite always made Jack reach out and lose control in high school. Did she want him to lose control right now?

I don't know.

Molly's other finger stroked the bandage and she remembered Jack's question, and her own about his injury. "Jeremy did this?"

Jack chuckled softly and dropped his hand from Molly's face. "Jeremy's face did this."

Molly backed away from Jack and pushed into the main room of the store. Her body shook slightly, and her mind spun. "You hit Jeremy?

"He plowed into the bar with some of his friends. They had a lot to drink, and were causing a scene." Jack stopped for a moment and Molly thought he seemed to be contemplating how much to tell her. "Eli and I got into it with Jeremy and one of his buddies, right before Brian broke it up."

Molly shook her head and took a sip of her tea. She did not like the idea of Jack fighting, he had such a temper in high school. Not that she had a problem with Jeremy getting punched. Had he punched Jack, too?

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Molly asked, trying to keep the concern out of her voice, but failing miserably.

Jack looked at her, and she thought she saw her own concern mirrored on his face. Did he know what Jeremy did in here earlier? No, she had only told Rachel, and Rachel would not go running over to Jack to tell him. She might run to Brian, but Brian would not tell Jack. It was completely unrelated to Molly. Just drunk guys fighting with the bar owner.

"No, he didn't hurt me," Jack said taking a step closer to Molly. "He tried though. He was pretty mad when he got to the bar, it wasn't that long after I left you guys."

Molly took a deep breath. She was not ready to tell anyone else about Jeremy. After talking to Rachel tonight, she finally accepted that Jeremy’s stress was no excuse for the way he had been acting. She was through with Jeremy. But, she felt like she should tell Jack
something
about why Jeremy came into his bar looking for a fight.

"He was getting on me about my store, saying it was a waste of time and money. Then he called the Dickens Village stupid. He said volunteering to Mrs. Claus is a waste of my time.
And
that no one will volunteer to be Santa because I am insane and high strung."

Molly turned away from Jack just as she held the tears back from spilling over the bottom of her eyelids and streaming down her face. She was careful not to take a deep breath; she was afraid if she did, she would betray her emotions.

"I'll be Santa."

"What?" Molly snapped out of her thoughts about her fight with Jeremy, and turned to Jack. He raised his hand to her tears that had spilled over anyway, and wiped them off of her face. "Are you serious? You aren't just kidding around are you? Because you aren't exactly who springs to mind when I think holly jolly Christmas."

"Do you want a Santa or not? Because it looks like I’m the only one offering," he said gruffly. His tenderness betrayed him though as he stroked her wet cheek.

"But we just figured out a way to make you money this season, you'll have to close shop on the weekends," she said.

"No." He dropped his hand from her face and cleared his throat. "Eli is helping me out, and Santa's workshop is just three times a week during the daytime right? I won't be away from the bar that much. Besides, I owe you for the permit idea."

"Thank you! Thank you!" Molly was so excited she leapt and threw her arms around Jack's broad shoulders. "It's just like when Scrooge brought food to the Cratchit family!"

Jack laughed. "Am I really
that
terrible?"

They seemed to be lost in a moment, away from Jeremy, away from prom, away from the sadness that had enveloped them the past ten years. He put his arms around her and lifted her up returning her hug. He squeezed so hard, but she felt secure, not threatened. Nothing bad could ever happen to her if Jack just always held her like this. She could smell her lavender shampoo as it merged with his own woodsy soap.

Molly rested her cheek against Jack's, feeling the scruffy stubble on his face as against her chin, softer than she imagined it would be. He slowly lowered her back to the ground, but did not let go. Neither did she.

Molly leaned her head back but did not pull her body away. She looked up at him until he met her eyes. She said quieter this time, "Thank you."

Relief washed over her as she realized she would not have to beg anyone to be Santa to her Mrs. Clause. Her heart soared in the joy she felt knowing she would get to spend so much time with Jack over the next few weeks. She dropped her arms from around his neck, and let them hang loosely around her sides. He slowly let go of her, letting his hands trail along her back slowly and across the sides of her waist, before dropping them back down to his side.

She felt herself tingle all over as his hands touched her. Without his connection on her body she felt an aching longing for his hands to be back on her. Molly wanted Jack’s hands all over her body, and she flushed as she realized she could imagine his hands trailing down her back, over her butt and to her legs. She wanted him to explore her body in a way she had never fantasized about any other man doing.

She bit her bottom lip and watched as something primal passed through Jack’s eyes. She reached up for him, and he brought his face closer to hers. He stopped just inches away as an emotion she did not recognize slammed down over his eyes. His body tensed and he pulled himself away from her.

"What happened?" She said hearing her voice as it came out breathless. 

"You guys had a fight, but you didn't break up did you?" He pushed the loose hair back from her face again.

"What? Jeremy? We're through," she said.

"So you did break up?" Jack asked stepping away from her and heading toward the door.

"Tomorrow," she said as she tried to wrap her mind around what almost just happened. 

"I don't mess around with women who are taken," Jack said firmly. Suddenly Molly realized what had changed, why he was leaving. Jack was still mad at her for thinking he could have done those things in high school to Izzie. He still blamed Molly. Could anything she ever say make a difference?

Jack shrugged himself back into his jacket and picked the cord up off the counter saluting her with it. "Thanks for the cord, send me over the info about what I have to do for the Santa thing."

"Jack-" she started.

"Good luck with Jeremy, let me know what you decide to do," he said.

"I don't have to decide anything," she said letting the confusion seep into her voice. Had she really read the situation wrong? What about earlier today, before Jeremy got back and Jack caught her when she fell off the stool? She knew she did not imagine that. The moment in the hallway after the Dickens Council meeting. It could not have been all in her head.

Molly walked over to the door locking it, and watched as Jack crossed the street. "He's still mad at me."

College, Fall 2007

"Izzie, you need to go back to your dorm," Molly hissed into a yell. She looked down at the small but heavy cage she was carrying. There were four shaking bunnies inside. They were supposed to be her priority tonight. She had liberated them from the science building, and was going to meet with the rest of her animal rights group. She could not leave a drunk Izzie running across the quad in a mini skirt and tube top though.

She had been surprised when she found Izzie out here, and at first thought the girl was on a fun night mission as well, but quickly learned that was not the case. Izzie had changed so much since leaving high school. The once happy cheerleader had started dressing in very revealing clothing and lost more weight every time Molly saw her. It was like Izzie was trying to disappear. She was depressed, and every time Molly tried to ask her about it, Izzie blew her off.

And now, here was Molly skipping out on her duties of taking the bunnies to an animal sanctuary. Instead, she was chasing after a drunk Izzie. "Izzie! What the hell is wrong with you?"

She came around the bleachers and found Izzie lying flat on her back on the damp ground. "I'm sorry Mols."

Molly put the cage under the bleachers and pulled out her cell phone to call her friend from the group. After she begged the boy to come to the bleachers and get the cage, she turned her attention on Izzie.

"Get up." She grabbed Izzie's hand and pulled her to her feet. "I hope you know I'm possibly screwing myself out of an amazing recommendation and backing to get into law school."

"Isn't stealing bunnies illegal?" Izzie asked around a hiccup.

"It's all about connections." The two girls walked in silence back to Izzie's dorm, only stopping when Izzie stumbled. The only thing Molly said was, "You drink too much."

When they got to Izzie's room, Molly walked her in and was surprised to find Izzie had a single dorm room. "Daddy's money," Izzie said waving her hands around.

Molly shoved Izzie into her bed, only helping her pull her shoes off. "You have to stop this shit Izzie, one day it isn't going to be someone like me who finds you drunk and wandering around the quad in the middle of the night. It's going to be someone like..."

"Who? Someone like who? Jack?" Izzie said rolling her eyes. Molly did not answer, even after three years it was still a slap in the face to hear his name. "Let me fill you in on that night Miss perfect Molly. Chad was beating me back in those days, did you know?"

Molly had been halfway to the door, and stopped to turn and look at Izzie. "No I didn't know that Izzie."

"Jack knew, he found out, and I begged him not to tell anyone. Not even you, that's why he gave me rides to school back then, so Chad wouldn’t harass me." Izzie pulled her blanket up to her shoulders. Molly waited for her to continue.

"Is that why he was with you that night?" Molly asked, stomach clenched just thinking about prom.

"Chad attacked me again that night, and Jack tried to help me. Chad beat the shit out of him, and then he made me lie. He made me lie to you and to Jack." Izzie stopped talking to sob. "Then he promised he wouldn’t send my parents the pictures he took of me at his dad's cabin. But he did anyway!"

"Izzie, what are you saying?" Molly stepped closer and grabbed the girls' hands in her own. "Jack didn't attack you? Are you absolutely sure?

Izzie's eyes were closed and Molly grabbed her shoulders and shook her until they fluttered open. "Izzie! Are you sure? Jack didn't hurt you?"

"He gave me his jacket, he told me to find you. Have you take me home," Izzie whispered. "And then I let Chad beat him up. And then when I found out Jack didn't remember what happened, I told him the same story I told you."

"You have to tell Jack; do you realize what he is walking around with?" Molly loomed over Izzie, wanting to throttle the girl and wanting to hold her at the same time. All of Izzie’s words were swimming around in Molly’s head. All this time she had spent angry at Jack, blaming him, hating him. And he had not done anything except try to save this poor girl.

Izzie had been a victim to Chad, and in that, they had made Jack a victim too. "Izzie!"

Molly sat down at Izzie's desk and pulled up the internet on her computer. She searched online for Jack’s phone number. She thought he probably still lived with his dad.

"Izzie! Do not go to sleep, you are calling him right now. Do you understand me?" Molly found Jack's number, and pulled Izzie to a seated position. She dialed his number on her cell phone and handed it to Izzie.

"Jack?" Izzie said. "It's Izzie, listen, I have to tell you something. Molly is making me tell you."

Molly listened as Izzie told Jack the entire story about what had happened on prom night. From when he stumbled upon her while was crying in the hallway, all the way until the lies Izzie and Chad had told Molly. Izzie hung up and handed the phone back to Molly after a few minutes. The drunk girl laid down and began to snore almost instantly.

Molly stuffed the phone into her back pocket and walked out of Izzie's room. The bunnies, her friends, her life at college. It had been so much fun just an hour ago. Jack had been nowhere on her mind. Now she could only think of Jack.

Molly had not had faith in Jack, instead, she believed Izzie, and the girl lied. She lied to everyone, for years. But Molly finally knew the truth. And more importantly, Jack knew the truth. She remembered what a shell of a person he had been the last few months of high school. Had that shell continued? If it had, he would be able to move on now. He would be free from the blame that had been on him the past three years.

If Molly had looked at her call log she would have seen Izzie's call to Jack only lasted five seconds.