Page 107 of Tangled Up In You

Molly's mother, Diana Trent, swept in like a whirlwind, much like her daughter. She wore a flowy dress that seemed to catch the breeze even indoors. She was taller, thinner, and fairer than Molly, her hair a dark red, her eyes a light brown.

Adam didn't know why he was comparing them so carefully, but he was, and he liked that their eyes were different. He felt an odd need to separate the two in any way he could.

Despite Molly's startled reaction, the embrace between them was loving and warm.

When they broke apart, Diana's gaze immediately turned to him.

"Who's this?" she asked with a gleam in her eyes.

"Oh," Molly said, as if she'd just remembered he was there.

He didn't like that feeling at all.

"This is Adam Cole—Detective Cole," she added.

Diana's gaze turned to concern. "Is there a problem?"

"No," he said shortly, not sure why Molly had felt the need to throw in his title.

"Adam is here as a…friend," Molly said.

That wasn't how he would have described them, but he needed to put a pin in his growing annoyance. Molly had been taken by surprise, and if she didn't want to talk about their relationship with her mother, he needed to respect that.

"What are you doing here, Mom?" Molly asked. "What happened to New York?"

"Old news," Diana said with a wave of her hand. "I want to tell you all about it. I also have a fabulous opportunity to discuss with you. Why don't I take you and your friend out for a drink and some dinner? I know it's only five but I'm starving with all the time changes I've been through."

"Uh, I guess," Molly said, giving him a questioning look. "Do you want to have a drink and dinner with us?"

He would have preferred a more enthusiastic question, but there was no way he was leaving now. He wanted to get to know Diana. And maybe he wanted Diana to know that he was more than her daughter's friend. "That sounds good. We were just going to wander around town and do that anyway."

"Great. Just one second." Diana stepped back out the door, then dragged in two large suitcases and a tote bag. "I hope you don't mind if I stay with you, Molly. But if you do, if that gets in the way of your life…your friendships," she added with a sly smile, "I can go to a hotel."

Molly frowned. "How long are you staying?"

"Oh, goodness," Diana said with a laugh. "You know I hate to answer that question. Let's start with tonight. Can I put these somewhere?"

"I'm in the apartment upstairs."

"I'll just take these bags up."

"I can do that for you," he offered. He grabbed the largest suitcase and the tote bag while Molly took the smaller bag. Then they headed up the stairs. It wasn't lost on him that Diana made the trip with nothing but her small purse in hand. He had the feeling she was a woman who always had others carry her bags for her.

When they reached the apartment, Diana's gaze perused the crowded room. "Good grief, what's all this stuff? Was Phoebe a hoarder?"

"No. But she inherited a bunch of stuff from a friend right as she passed away, and I've been going through it," Molly said. "There's only one bedroom, but there's a pullout couch. You can take the bed tonight. I'll sleep out here."

"You're always so generous," Diana said. "I'm just going to freshen up, and then we'll go."

As Diana moved past him, he was hit with another heady spray of her floral perfume. It was a bit much, but then she was a bit much.

"So, that's my mom," Molly said quietly as Diana disappeared into the bathroom. "You don't have to go out with us if you don't want to."

"I want to, unless you'd rather I didn't."

"She's going to ask you a lot of questions."

"I don't have anything to hide. Do you? Do you care if she knows we're together?" he challenged.

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