Page 14 of Moonlit Kisses

“Did you sketch that just now?”

She jumps, her hand coming up to her chest. She looks up at me, looming behind her, with red puffy eyes. With her head tilted right back, she gives me a spectacular view of her elongated neck. If she wasn’t so young and I weren’t her boss, I would lean down, cup her chin, tease her lips with my tongue, and take them in a long, slow kiss to distract her from whatever’s made her sad. I shake my head and take half a step to the side, squatting down to get a better look.

She flicks her eyes back down at her book as if to check what I’m talking about. “Yeah. I love to sketch different things. You know. The lines on this car sucked me right in. I couldn’t help myself.” She looks up at me. “I hope you don’t mind. I won’t do it while I’m supposed to be working. I’m sorry. I should have asked if it was okay first.”

“I have no problem with what you do on your own time. Just be sure you’re being safe when you’re on the workshop floor.” I hold up the sub. “I got you a sandwich for lunch.” I hold it out to her, but she doesn’t take it.

“Oh, uh, uhm. I’m happy to have a coffee for lunch. Thank you for the kind gesture.”

I nudge it forward. “You need more than a coffee for lunch. Here, take it. Come and eat with me in the office.”

She looks down at her sketch pad. “I really can’t accept it.”

“Why not? Are you gluten intolerant or something?”

She shakes her head in the negative. “No, I’m not allergic or intolerant of anything. Well, I don’t think I am.” She gives a small chuckle and wipes her fingers beneath her eyes.

“Then take it. Eat. C’mon.” I stand and begin walking back toward the office, expecting her to follow. When I glance back, she’s only just standing. Collecting her things, she slowly makes her way behind me.

Placing the subs on my clean desk, which is miraculous, I pull over an additional chair. I unwrap Molly’s sandwich and then mine. Gesturing to the lunch I’ve laid out, I coax. “C’mon. I always have to eat lunch on my own.” I give a false pout. Fuck. I didn’t think I’d have to work this hard to feed her. “I was looking forward to eating with someone today.”

She fiddles with her bracelet. I’ve noticed she does that a lot. “I’m on a tight budget. I can’t afford to buy expensive lunches at the moment,” she explains, without looking at me.

She mentioned money when I offered to look at her car, too. I thin my lips to temper my tone, careful not to respond too harshly. “Did I say you had to pay me for the sandwich?”

Her shoulders are up around her ears. “Uh, no. But …”

I push her chair out with my foot and gesture toward it. “Sit. Eat with me.” I grab my sandwich and take a bite. Softening my voice, I add, “Please.”

Her shoulders drop and slight dimples form in her cheeks as she takes a seat. “Thank you. I am a little hungry.” She takes a small bite. “This is delicious.”

“Lawrence makes the best sandwiches around here.” I gesture diagonally across the road. “He’s over the road. If you ever want anything, head on over. He’ll put it on my tab.”

“Oh, I couldn’t do that.” She shakes her head in the negative, then takes another bite.

I finish my sub well before Molly does and as I ball up my paper, her sketch pad grabs my attention. Pointing with my chin, I ask, “Mind if I take a look?”

She freezes, her eyes widening. “Uh, sure?”

“If it’s personal to you, you can say ‘no’. You don’t have to let me look if it’s something that’s uncomfortable for you.” I reassure her because I get the feeling she doesn’t really want me to look at her drawings.

“Oh, it’s not that. It surprised me you wanted to look at them.” She nudges it toward me, nodding toward her work. “Be my guest.”

Opening the book, I study each sketch closely. Turning the pages, I’m mesmerized by the detail and variety of images I see. She clearly prefers drawing objects and nature: buildings, park benches, cars, a stained-glass window, bridges, trees, flowers, the river, the forest, the beach. I raise my eyes to hers, finding her biting her bottom lip, eyes full of worry. “These are fantastic.”

Her shoulders drop and a heavy breath leaves her lips. Her dimples make an appearance as her eyes smile at me. “Really? You think so?”

“Fuck yeah. You could sell these and make a fortune.”

She laughs and I love the sound. “I don’t know about that. It’s only something I do for fun.”

“You should think about it. My friend, Aaron, owns a café down by the river. He allows artists to display their work to sell. He takes a percentage of each sale, but the artist gets most of the money. I play soccer with him on Monday nights. I can show him this and ask what he thinks.” My excitement builds at the prospect of helping Molly sell some of her work. Molly’s face drops, a sheen glossing her eyes as they turn to silver. “You don’t have to. It was only a suggestion.” I close the book and slide it back in front of her.

She gives me a silent nod and a watery smile. “Thanks. I’ll think about it.”

CHAPTER8

–molly–

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