Page 11 of Worth Loving
A few hours later she was in her office when Tonya came knocking on the doorframe and then marching in. “Back in your cardigans again today, I see.”
“It’s who I am,” she said. Was it really though? She’d been someone else last night and enjoyed that person. Maybe even liked her. The person she’d wanted to be but couldn’t figure it out on her own.
“You never got back to me so you must have been out for a long time. Well, how did it go? Dwayne’s a great guy, isn’t he?”
Molly stood up and walked closer to Tonya, her finger pointed. “How could you? How could you set me up with an ass like that? I thought we were friends. Friends don’t do that to each other.”
“Whoa,” Tonya said, putting her hand up and taking a few steps back. “First off, I’ve never seen you so riled before. Second of all, what did he do? I’ve met him before. He’s always been nice.”
“Really? Then your idea of nice or a great guy isn’t the same as mine. All he did was talk about himself.”
“Well, I’ll admit he does like to do that, but it’s not the end of the world.”
“Maybe not to you. But if that wasn’t bad enough, he talked about sex. How the women always commented on his size. He even told me he stopped at the store to get a few Viagra pills so he could go all night without stopping…for the woman’s pleasure.”
“No, he didn’t,” Tonya said, laughing. “That’s just him joking.”
“Yes, he did. And he wasn’t joking. He was smiling and then he winked. At that point, I’d had enough. It’d been thirty minutes straight of his stellar life. How successful he was. That he thought I was beautiful and did I want to go back to his place afterward.”
“I’ve never known him to be that way.”
She crossed her arms. “Then it was the way you made me look like a tramp that gave that impression.”
“You didn’t look like a tramp. You looked sexy and confident. Maybe he figured you’d stand up for yourself if you didn’t want to.”
She knew she didn’t look like a tramp or trashy, but her temper was just getting the best of her right now. “I stood up for myself. I walked right into the bathroom, then out the back door.”
“You stood him up?” she asked and burst out laughing.
“I showed up for the date. I didn’t stand him up. But I ditched him. Yes, I did. Molly Clarke, who never stands up for herself about much in life, walked out on a shitty blind date and I’d do it again if you ever even thought of trying that crap with me.”
Tonya’s hand went up again, the laughter bubbling out of her mouth. “I like this side of you, and trust me, I will never eventhink of setting you up again. Maybe if you showed a bit more of this personality of yours, you’d get some more men.”
“I don’t want men,” she said. “I’m happy the way I am. You seem to think I want a man, but you’re wrong.”
Which was a lie because last night while she was getting off on her hand, she really wanted a man. One particular man. Dean.
“So noted,” Tonya said. “I was only trying to help and I’m sorry. I really am. I’m going to give my brother hell and make sure it gets back to Dwayne what a douche he was and that no woman ever wants to be treated like that or talked to that way.”
“More power to you. I don’t care what you say or do, but I want nothing to do with him.” She took a deep breath and realized she was almost as worked up as she had been last night. “Now, is there anything else you wanted to see me about?”
“No. I just wanted to know about your date. And to mention that your makeup looks good.”
She narrowed her eyes. She’d hoped that Tonya wouldn’t notice that she tried to replicate her face again. She didn’t succeed, but she was happy enough with the outcome.
“Thank you.”
“So I did something good.”
“I guess,” she said, not wanting to admit she ended up in a bar last night. She’d keep that bit to herself. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got work to do.”
She wasn’t buried in her work for more than an hour when her phone rang. Not her cell phone because she hardly ever got calls there or used it. But the phone on her desk. “Molly Clarke,” she said.
“Molly,” her mother said into the phone. “I’ve been leaving you messages for days and you don’t return my calls. Why is that?”
She looked at her phone and realized she had a few voicemails. She’d just brushed off those little red numbers as missed calls. Guess she should pay more attention to things.
“Sorry. I’ve been busy. Was there something important that you needed?”
