Page 108 of The Wild Card
I’m ready to grab him by the shirt collar and drag information out of him. “So, tell me!”
“First up, Liza posted a video that made it look like y’all are together again and it went viral. Did you see her yesterday or something?”
I bang my hand on the steering wheel. “Yes,” I hiss. “She basically ambushed me outside the gym. I should have been more suspicious of her apology. Gah! Molly knows it’s not true, right? Tell me she didn’t believe it.”
“Lindy said Molly’s pretty sure it’s not true, but I think she’s anxious to hear it from you. Which brings up the other issue—I guess Molly’s dad cut off her phone service?”
A white-hot anger sears through me. “Did he, now,” I say. The idea that her father would do that when he knows she’s essentially on her own, living in a small town makes me seethe.
What kind of a dad does that?
“If you want to get to Molly rather than go to jail for reckless driving, you might want to slow down,” Pat says, pumping imaginary brakes.
I slow down a little, but the sense of urgency driving me onward doesn’t dull in the slightest. And it won’t. Not until I’ve got Molly in my sights—or better yet, in my arms.
CHAPTER 25
Molly
I stareat myself in the bathroom mirror, tracing the collar of the midnight-blue dress I’m wearing. “The dress is perfect. How do you think he knew our sizes?” I ask as Lindy emerges from my bathroom.
Thirty minutes ago, just when I was considering how I could communicate to Collin and everyone else that I wasn’t going to the wedding, Winnie, Lindy, Val, and Jo showed up at the loft with everything needed to get ready.
“Hope this is okay,” Winnie says, tossing a garment bag on the sofa. “The loft has two bathrooms and is right up the street from Dark Horse, so we thought we’d all get ready together here then walk over.”
I wasn’t about to argue. Or to explain I was thinking about not going to the wedding at all.
Especially not when Winnie revealed what was in the garment bags: midnight blue dresses for Lindy, Val, Jo, and … me. Apparently, they’re gifts from Tank. Harper has one too, butshe’s coming from Austin with Chase, so Winnie managed to get the dress to her ahead of time.
When Lindy said they tried calling me, I had to explain about my dad cutting me off the phone plan. I mean, I didn’thaveto, but I did. I’m tired of not being fully transparent about my family. Or about Collin.
The joke felt fun up until now, when faced with a family wedding and being included in the dresses, even if I’m not in the wedding party.
Collin and I need to tell them.
That is … assuming we’re still together. Which Iamassuming. Until or unless I hear it straight from Collin’s mouth, I refuse to believe anything from Liza.
“I normally don’t question things when it comes to Tank Graham,” Lindy says now, smoothing down the same midnight-blue fabric over her belly and then rummaging through her makeup bag. “But in this case, Winnie was in on it, so she probably gave the sizes and styles while Tank footed the bill.”
That makes sense with everyone else—Winnie knows them all well. But me? How did she pick such a perfect dress forme?
The dress has a loose and flowy skirt, hitting just above my knees with a cinched waist and wide straps. I’m a sucker for a good square neck and how it softens my collarbones and shoulders. This dress is exactly the kind I would have picked out for myself.
As though she’s reading my thoughts, Lindy says, “She probably checked your TikTok to figure out your style. Winnie’s a grade-A internet stalker. You’ll get used to it.”
Will I? The mere mention of TikTok brings back the ugly feelings of insecurity I’ve been battling since last night. Not just about Collin and where we stand, but how I fit into this whole family.
“It’s not weird that I’m wearing the same color but not actually in the wedding party?” I ask.
“Not unless you feel weird about it,” Lindy says. “But Tank thought of it, and Winnie wanted to include you.”
I shouldn’t distrust this kind of open acceptance. But even with my own parents, it felt like there were always hoops to jump through. And I was never quite jumping high enough.
“Did you see Liza’s video?” I ask abruptly. “Is that why you’re all here right now?”
Lindy freezes for a moment, holding a mascara wand dangerously close to her eye. Then she goes right back to her lashes.
“Yes, we saw it. And no, that’s not why we’re here.” A pause. “At least, not theonlyreason. These bathrooms are really spacious, and we wanted to be able to get ready and just walk over. Together.”
