Page 50 of Restless Ink
She waved him off. “Oh, you should know. This is one of the places my people come to for dinners with the committee and such. I never thought I’d ever see you two here, but it makes me so happy that I am.”
Her people?
And why did she keep saying that she was surprised to see them atthisplace? Sure, they couldn’t usually afford it, but her words were getting under his skin. But it wasn’t like he could say something right then in public. He didn’t want to be the man who hated his ex-wife, but she was making it hard. He was the one who’d chosen her years ago. He was the one who had married her. If he hated her now, that reflected on him and his choices rather than on her in his opinion.
“We’re just enjoying our night,” he said, knowing there wasn’t anything he could say at the moment that wouldn’t be awkward.
Thea met his gaze quickly before turning back to Molly. “It’s nice to see you, Molly. You look great.”
Molly beamed, running her hand down her side. “Oh, I do love this dress. You remember it, don’t you, Dimitri?” She winked, and Dimitri barely resisted the urge to growl. What was up with her tonight? Under the tablecloth, he reached out and gripped Thea’s hand, giving it a squeeze. With the way they were sitting, no one would have been able to see the action, and he was grateful. Things were just too freaking awkward already.
Molly continued, “Anyway, I’m off to my table near the bar. Dinner for one is the new me, but you know how I am. I’m fine no matter where I am. I’m sure I’ll see a friend soon and join them. I’ve done it a few times.”
Thea looked over at him and winced. Dimitri knew exactly what she was going to say before she said it, and he didn’t like it. "How about a drink with us before you go have your dinner?"
Dimitri could only feel like something was off between the women. He didn’t know what was going on, but this wasn’t the Molly he knew, not the one he’d fallen in love with, and not even the one he’d fallen out of love with.
He was missing something, and yet he couldn’t think of what it was.
“I’d love to! Just a drink, though. I don’t want to take over your whole night.” Molly moved to the side as a waiter showed up out of nowhere to push a chair behind her so she could sit down. She waved him off, and another came to bring her a glass of the same wine Dimitri and Thea were already drinking. He knew the whole thing hadn’t been planned, but the show was something else.
Something he didn’t know if he liked.
But he didn’t like the fact that Molly was having dinner alone, and since Thea was her friend, they’d make do, however weird it was. He just hoped this drink went quickly and he could get on with his date.
Jesus, how the hell had this become his life?
The waiter stopped by and bowed slightly just as Molly and Thea started talking about Molly’s day. “We have your first course, a Viennese mushroom in cream, minus the shellfish of course, ready in a few minutes, would you like to wait until your guest is through with her drink?”
“That sounds fine,” Dimitri said, clearing his throat. “Sorry for the wait. We appreciate it.”
“It’s no problem, Mr. Carr. We want to make sure you enjoy your night.” With that, the man moved away, and Dimitri looked over at Molly, his memory prickling at something the waiter had said.
Molly winked. “Thank you so much for letting me have a drink with you. I’m almost done, and then I’ll let you have your dinner back. Their mushroom in cream is divine, though usually it’s topped with delicate lobster flown in fresh each morning since finding lobster in Colorado isn’t the easiest.”
Dimitri reached out and squeezed Thea’s knee. “I’m allergic to lobster, so not having it on the meal works for me.”
Molly rolled her eyes. “Of course, you’re allergic to shellfish.”
“Then why did you tell me to make him something with shrimp?” Thea asked, her voice a bit hollow. There was an undercurrent there that he knew he should be getting, but the thoughts he had ofwhyeverything had happened didn’t line up with the Molly he’d known for so many years.
Molly turned to Thea, her eyes wide. “Did you hear me wrong? I'm so sorry that you didn’t understand what I said. I would never want to hurt you guys. Oh, what an unfortunate misunderstanding.”
Thea frowned, tapping her finger on the table while Dimitri just stared at Molly, wondering what the fuck was going on.
“Are you both okay? That must have been scary. But I mean, really, Thea, Dimitri's been allergic all his life. I could have sworn we talked about it before.”
Thea sighed. “Oh. Well, I guess I just mixed things up.”
Dimitri wasn’t so sure. He just didn’t know why Molly would play around like that. To make Thea feel bad? To hurt him?
Or maybe she was losing herself or her mind…along with him.
Hell, he needed something stronger than wine just then.
“Maybe you did. Wouldn’t be the first time, would it?” Molly trilled a laugh. “Now, I must be off, and you should enjoy your date. I see Barney over in the corner. I think I’ll see if he wants to join me.” She stood up and picked up her sparkly bag that he knew cost more than he made in a month. “Ta-ta, darlings.”
Then Molly sauntered off, leaving Thea and Dimitri sitting at their table as if they’d been through a tornado and not a simple drink with his ex-wife and Thea’s best friend. A waitress came to take the empty glass away and remove the chair, while another brought their mushroom in cream, minus the lobster.