Page 99 of Moonlit Kisses

–molly–

My phone buzzeswith a text from Martin. I’m not sure if I’ll ever call him dad, but he doesn’t seem to mind. We’ve been messaging regularly over the last two weeks, and he’s even stopped in and had lunch with me a couple of times. He hasn’t pressured me to share any more details about my life, but I’ve shown him my sketches and shared with him how much I enjoy running.

Martin:Would it be okay if I bring Noah around this afternoon? He really wants to meet you

Me:Sure. We close at 2. Come then

Martin:Great. See you then

I send him a thumbs up and then make my way out to Max. His body’s twisted as he works on something underneath the dash of the car he’s got in the bay. “Hey.”

He maneuvers his body out of the cramped space, a smile instantly brightening his face, which has a streak of grease down the side. He’s so freaking handsome I can’t stand it. I lean forward and swipe my lips against his and then lean on the open door.

“Hey. I’m gonna need your lips back here, Dimples. I wasn’t finished.” He gestures, flicking two fingers at me in a come here motion.

I chuckle. “Maybe later.” I raise an eyebrow at him. “Martin messaged me. He asked if it was okay to bring Noah over. I hope you don’t mind. I said they could come at two, when we close.”

“You know I don’t mind.” His eyebrows draw together, causing creases in between. “Are you gonna be okay? I know you’ve been anxious about meeting him.” He stands, his eyes full of concern for me.

“I can’t avoid him forever and I really do want to meet him.” I shrug. Max wipes his hands on the rag he always seems to have handy and then glides his thumb down the side of my face in a barely there touch. His eyes bury themselves deep in mine as though he’s searching all the way to the depths of my soul for my truth. “I promise I’ll be okay. I’m going to do my best not to compare him to Ethan. Ethan was his own person, just as Noah is. I really want to get to know him. By all accounts, he sounds like a sweet boy. There’s no pressure if we meet here.” I chuckle lightly. “He’ll probably be more interested in your truck than he will be in me. Apparently, he’s crazy about cars.”

“Yeah, I remember Martin telling me about that when we took the Sprint out for a test drive.” Max glances across at the truck that he’s started dismantling.

I follow his eyes. “I’m up-to-date in the office. Mind if I sketch the truck for a while?”

He turns back to me. “Go for it. I’m looking forward to seeing your sketches evolve as I restore the old girl.”

I press a chaste kiss to his lips and skip back to the office to grab my sketch pad and pencils. Max gets back to work, and I get comfortable and start outlining.

* * *

“Woah!” The sudden intrusion breaks my focus and I peer up at the boy standing next to me. His eyes are wide as he studies my sketch. “Did you draw that?” He points at the page I’m working on.

I smile at him. “Sure did. You must be Noah.”

Without hesitation, he drops to his butt beside me, crossing his legs to get comfortable on the cement floor. “Sure am. I wish I could draw. The best I can do is stick figures. My grade one teacher taught us how to look for shapes in things to help us draw, but I could never figure it out.” His eyes drop back to my sketch.

“I could teach you, if you like. It’s not that hard.”

His head starts nodding and his wide eyes rise to mine. “Really? You wouldn’t mind?”

I chuckle. “Not at all.”

“Holly can draw too, though she draws boring clothes. Your drawing is way cooler.”

“I dunno about that. I saw the clothes Holly designed and they were pretty cool. I bet her sketches are amazing.”

He scrunches his nose. “Yeah, I guess so. I’m not into clothes.” His eyes widen. “But Iaminto cars. I want to be a race car driver one day.”

“Really?” He nods like a bobble doll, and I glance over my shoulder, spotting Max and Martin talking several feet away from us. I wave over my shoulder. “Hi, Martin.”

He smiles at me and moves closer. “Hey, Molly. Great to see you.” He bends down and kisses the top of my head in a fatherly way. It’s strange how our dynamic has changed in such a brief space of time. “Is this what you’re working on at the moment?” He gestures toward my sketch pad.

“Yeah. I’m going to sketch the truck at different stages during the restoration as a record for Max.” I smile up at Max.

“You should see the one of the Sprint in the office.” Max gestures over his shoulder toward the office.

Noah stands. “Where is it? I wanna see.”

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