We walked in to smell a roast cooking slowly in the oven as my stomach growled. “How was it last night?” Marta called out as Noel and I glanced at each other curiously.
“Who do you mean?” Noel called back with a wink as her mother poked her head out of the kitchen.
“Both of you, sillies.” She laughed as we went into talk to her. Noel told her about the dinner she’d had with Nate and his roommates before she looked at me like the cat that swallowed the canary. “And your night?” Marta asked, trying to contain the laughter at the look on Noel’s face.
“It was nice. We went to that Asian place in town and had a nice dinner,” I replied as I felt them both staring at me. “He’s a good man.”
“I’m sure that he is. One thing I will say is that Robert is a gorgeous man!” Marta told me as I smiled at her. “He seemed pretty smitten with you.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” I told her as Noel smirked at me.
“He asked her out tonight as well. Does that sound like something a confident, older man would do if he was smitten?” Noel challenged me as I rolled my eyes.
“Why, yes it does. Where are you going?” Marta asked as she leaned on the counter.
“He mentioned the movies last night, but I’m not sure.” I shrugged, feeling like a child. I had no idea what I was doing and last night still had me reeling.
“I don’t know if you’re ready for this, but I made a huge roast for dinner. He’s invited to stay and eat before the movies,” Marta offered as Noel clapped her hands.
“Oh, my goodness.” I imagined sitting at the table with the two of them watching us and Keith interrogating Robert. He looked at me as a daughter now and he’d protect me as fiercely as he would Noel. “No. We can’t do that.”
I got ready, dressing in some gray slacks that were perfect for dinner or the movies, paired with a lavender shirt that buttoned up over my curves. There was no time for a nap since the idea of him eating dinner here got me all worked up, so I freshened up my makeup and hoped for the best. I was just slipping my feet into some black flats when I heard the doorbell and groaned. There was no way that I would make it to the door before anyone else, so why bother trying?
Chapter 11
Robert
I smiled as the door to the house swung open, seeing Marta and Noel looking out at me. “Good evening,” I greeted them, wondering where Molly was.
“Hi, Robert,” Marta said brightly as she glanced at her daughter. “I made a huge roast for dinner tonight with some vegetables and I was wondering if you’d like to join us, assuming you didn’t have plans for it with Molly.”
This was a surprise and I fought the urge to laugh for a moment. The way the women were looking at me told me that they wanted to know more about me and technically, we didn’t have dinner plans. I was going to wing it tonight and I smelled the scent of the roast drifting outside. “I would like that very much. It smells amazing. I’ll have to check with Molly, of course.”
“You want to stay?” I heard her voice and the shock in it as she stared at me from behind Noel’s head.
“I don’t get a good, home cooked meal too often. It’s entirely up to you, though,” I offered generously as she licked her deep pink lips. Marta and Noel moved so I could walk in and Molly took my breath away as usual. She was dressed simply in pants and a soft shirt that clung to her curves, making me take a longer look as she blushed. Molly looked embarrassed and I imagined that she would be with the obviously excited women looking at us.
“No, that’s fine. We’ll stay.” She said after a moment and smiled. “Can I help with anything, Marta?”
I went into the living room with them and met Keith, Noel’s father. He was a pale man that was a few years older than I was, and we shook hands as Marta introduced us. He took me in carefully and I recognized the look as that of a worried father. He must consider Molly like a daughter, something that I appreciated. “Would you like something to drink?” Molly asked from behind me as I glanced at her. “We have everything.”
“Get us some beers. Molly,” Keith said easily as I nodded and looked at him. “Thank you.”
The women went into the kitchen and he invited me to sit down in the spacious room where a hockey game played. “What are your intentions with Molly? You’re considerably older than she is.”
I noted that his wife was a few years younger than he was, but nothing near the difference that I shared with Molly. “I met her at the cafe and she caught my eyes. It’s just the second time that I’ve been out with her, or in as it were but I have no plans on hurting her.” I looked at him, guessing that the look in his eyes meant for a moment. “I can sense that she’s been hurt and I would never want to make anything worse. She’s a sweet, beautiful woman.”
“She’s like a daughter to me and you’re right. She has been though I don’t know the details.” He glanced up as Noel walked back into the room with the bottles, looking curiously at me as she smiled.
“Here you go. Dinner will be ready in a jiffy.” She looked at her dad. “Don’t be too hard on him, Dad.”
Keith chuckled as she walked back into the kitchen and shook her head. “That one drives me crazy,” he said affectionately with a smile. “She brought Molly home for holidays a few times and it was obvious how close they were. When she mentioned bringing her home with her to open the cafe, we agreed immediately. There was just something about Molly that made me want to protect her.” I’d never tell him that I knew the details, nor how bad I wanted her. We were both men and I suspected that he understood that.
Marta called us to the table and I sat down beside Molly with Noel across from us and her parents on either side. Keith had already started to ask me about the military and I told him some stories of places I’d been and some of the action that I’d seen. He seemed to enjoy them and I understood that once I heard that he was the owner of a construction company. He’d lived here his entire life so the idea of travel and different surroundings must be exciting, even though I knew that he was happy here. The way he looked at his wife told me that as well as the gentle smiles that he gave Noel and Molly.
For the first time in my life, I felt a craving for that security in my life and I stared at Molly. She smiled at me as she took a bite of potato and blushed as I reached for the bottle of beer. I got to know the family, liking their kindness and the way they fit so well into this town. I went with Keith to watch the game while they cleaned up, full and happy as I settled on the couch. The girls were laughing in the kitchen over the sound of running water and I looked around. “How long have you been married?” I asked him as he smiled.
“Thirty years. I met her when I was just out of college and she was starting, so we got married when she was done.” I guessed him to be around fifty-two or so, though they were both healthy like I was. “We moved here and then Noel was here and everything seemed perfect. I started the business with Marta’s help and she started doing the bookkeeping for some locals. We’re not rich but I don’t think you have to be to be fulfilled.”