Seduced by Design

Lunch Chat

Jaden

My stomach was filled with butterflies as I walked into the vineyard restaurant. We could have met up at Bookends, but I wanted a bit of privacy. I wasn’t sure if I would talk to Molly about Kathy, but I definitely wanted to clear the air over what had happened months ago. That kiss. That amazing kiss. Also, she hadn’t been at the Sunday BBQ and even though Damon had commented that she was putting in some extra hours at work, I couldn’t help but feel like she was avoiding me. When I had gotten her text, my heart had exploded with relief. I didn’t see Molly anywhere, but I wasn’t worried since I was a few minutes early.

“Jaden!” Jack called out when he spotted me at the entrance. “Welcome…table for…one?” he asked as he looked behind me. I didn’t know Jack all that well, but he was a nice guy, and his vineyard was incredible.

“No, table for two,” I said. Jack nodded as he took over from the host and led me to a table in the corner. It was a bit more private and while he had no idea who the other person was that would be joining me, I appreciated the consideration.

“So, how are you?” Jack then asked when I took a seat.

“No complaints, how are you?”

“So, so…” he remarked with a chuckle. “Someone will be with you shortly,” he said before the silence got too weird. I nodded at that, and he left me alone. A server stopped by, and she smiled warmly as she set down two menus.

“Welcome, I am Lizzy, and I’ll be your server this afternoon,”

“Hi, Lizzy,” I greeted her as I picked up the menu.

“Will your lunch guest be here soon? Or would you like to order?” she asked.

“She should be here soon, then we’ll order. But I’d like an iced tea,” I ordered. Lizzy nodded before she hurried off. I went through the menu, and I had just made my decision when Molly sat down across from me.

“Hey,” she greeted, and I couldn’t help but just take her in. I couldn’t quite remember when last I had seen her and, f**k, she looked good. Her long hair was tied into a high ponytail and her makeup was minimal and only highlighted her gorgeous eyes and perfectly plump lips. She was dressed to impress in a two-piece light pink suit.

“Hey, Molly,” I said as I set my menu aside. Lizzy stopped by with my drink order and Molly ordered a soda. “So, how are you?”

“I’m good, I’m good…how are you?” she asked, and I had her full attention. I considered that for a minute and because of my text response to her earlier, I decided to be honest.

“I mean…I’m fine, you know? My kids, on the other hand…they aren’t fine,” I said. She frowned, and the silence stretched on. Lizzy returned with Molly’s soda, and we ordered our lunch.

“I’ll have the classic spaghetti and meatballs,” Molly ordered, and I smiled. Molly wasn’t normally predictable, but when it came to food, she always ordered or ate what she enjoyed. She wasn’t much of an adventurer. Maybe one day I could change that and entice her with some new flavors.

“And I’ll have…the summer crab carbonara with lemon and capers,” I ordered. Molly’s eyes went wide for a moment before she lowered her gaze and took a sip of her soda. Lizzy hurried off and I sighed. “Kathy was supposed to pick the kids up on Friday for the weekend,” I explained.

“I take it she was a no-show?”

“Not only was she a no-show, but when I spoke to her on Friday…I threatened her. All they had to do was pick the kids up on Saturday morning, spend the day with them, drop them off and that would be that…they didn’t show up. They put their phones off and…and the kids were disappointed even though they had expected it,”

“Wait, you threatened her?” Molly asked as she gazed over at me in concern.

“I did. I told her if she doesn’t show up if they don’t see the kids soon…I’ll put an end to it…all together,” I admitted. Molly sighed softly, and I could literally see her mind working overtime while she processed the information. I sipped on my iced tea as I watched her. Molly was expressive with her emotions, and I loved that about her. I never had to guess or wonder what was on her mind. Sure, she kept some things to herself, but for the most part, she was easy to read.

“Can you do that?” she eventually asked.

“I mean, I have full custody of the kids. Technically, I don’t have to give her anything…but I have an appointment early next week with a lawyer to see what I can do about it. Legally,”

“s**t, I’m sorry, Jaden…that’s tough…and the kids? I mean…” her voice trailed off, and I spent the next few minutes telling her about our weekend. When Kathy and Brian hadn’t shown up on Saturday morning and I couldn’t get a hold of either of them, I had tried my best to entertain my kids and keep them distracted. However, it had been blatantly clear that they were disappointed even if they hadn’t expected her to show up. Sunday had been a bit different since we had gone to Naomi and Erik’s house for the BBQ. But even then, it would take them a little while before they were ok again. I wanted to cheer them up, but I was at a loss.

“That’s why I’d like to do something epic…something special for them tonight. They won’t expect it…so…” I said as I stared at Molly. I just couldn’t get over how sexy she looked. It was probably inappropriate, but I just didn’t care.

“Well…I have an idea…if you don’t mind me coming over for dinner?” Molly suggested, and I was taken aback. Did I want her in my home? It wasn’t as if she hadn’t met the kids before, but this was different. Was I ok with that?

“Sure,” I heard myself agree. Apparently, I was ok with that.