Sorry, folks. New schedule, and I got behind. But here’s the entry for December 7th. Today’s will be up later.<\/p>\n
December 7<\/p>\n
\u201cBah, humbug.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly looked out the window at the backyard and tried to figure out why she was so grumpy. Part of it was Tom, of course \u2013 despite everything, he still managed to get under her skin. And that damn SA, too. Who was he?<\/p>\n
Schrodinger poked his head around the edge of the doorway and blinked sleepily at her. Is it time to get up?<\/I><\/p>\n
Even cranky, Molly couldn\u2019t help smiling at him. The CrossCat was too damn cute for his own good. \u201cOnly if you want to share my tea and my grump,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s only about 7 am.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yes, but the bed is now cold, because I\u2019m the only one in it.<\/i> His mental voice was plaintive. And it\u2019s Tuesday. Why did you get up early on Tuesday? Do we have to make something? Or be somewhere?<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I just couldn\u2019t sleep.\u201d Molly looked back out the window. It was a day that matched her mood: grey, heavy clouds hung low in the sky, sulking just over the tops of the houses and trees. The snowman they had built in the backyard raised lonely hands to the clouds, as if appealing to someone, anyone, to come and join him. His cap, knit by Molly\u2019s mother for her two years ago, had slipped down to one side, giving him a slightly rakish, slightly desperate look.<\/p>\n
After inspecting his food bowl briefly, Schrodinger climbed nimbly up into her lap and, instead of curling up like he normally did, he faced her. Why do you let Tom do that?<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cDo what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Fluster you.<\/i><\/p>\n
Fluster wasn\u2019t quite the word Molly would have used, but it worked. She sighed and cupped his fuzzy cheek. \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d she said. \u201cIf I knew, maybe it wouldn\u2019t bother me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Do you love him?<\/i> Schrodinger reached up and placed a silky paw on her cheek. Do you want him back?<\/i><\/p>\n
Molly swallowed. Part of her did, badly, desperately \u2013 wanted to recapture the early days of their relationship, when everything had seemed lit from within by her happiness. But another part of her, the wiser part, reminded her about the absences, the long silences \u2013 and while she knew as a Gate tech that was part of his job, there had been too many on short notice, and too many that hadn\u2019t seemed to correspond with any Road work that she knew about. Even his fellow techs had commented on how often he was gone.<\/p>\n
And then there had been that odd call, the one that had made Tom go white when she\u2019d played it for him \u2013 a young girl\u2019s voice, asking for Tom with an odd accent. The call that had completely shattered her trust in him.<\/p>\n
Molly?<\/i><\/p>\n
Schrodinger\u2019s questioning voice snapped her out of the memory and she blinked at him. \u201cSorry. Old thoughts.\u201d Molly shook her head. \u201cDo I love him? I do. Not the way I did, and I\u2019m not ready to let him back in our lives, though. Not like that. I just don\u2019t trust him anymore.\u201d Then she focused back on the CrossCat. \u201cWhat about you? Do you want him back here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Only if it makes you happy,<\/i> Schrodinger said, leaning up against her. His purr vibrated through her, warming her and chasing away, at least for a little bit, her blue mood.<\/p>\n
Later that afternoon, though, the gloom settled in again, heavy as the clouds pressing down from above. Molly sat at the dining room table, flipping desultorily through her cookbooks, looking for a good recipe for the tea house, hoping the familiar act of baking would raise her mood. Problem was, her creativity and impetus to do anything other than sit and sulk was as flat as the sky outside.<\/p>\n
Then someone knocked on her door. The sound echoed through the silent apartment; Molly jumped, her heart pounding at the sudden surprise. Then she shook herself. Probably one of the girls, looking in on her.<\/p>\n
But it was Drew standing on the small landing, a large holly wreath in his hands. \u201cHey,\u201d he said, grinning. \u201cI come in peace.\u201d And he held out the wreath.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you, but you didn\u2019t need to,\u201d Molly said, accepting it. \u201cCome in for tea?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks.\u201d Drew followed her into the apartment, pulling off his jacket and hanging it up on the hooks by the door. \u201cThat\u2019s from all of us, by the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe, Luke, Mal, Jake, Tom and Patrick,\u201d he said, then flushed. \u201cWell, it was going to be from us. But when I got to the stand\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was already waiting for you,\u201d Molly said, plucking the red envelope from between the leaves. \u201cSo you decided to deliver it?\u201d <\/p>\n
He nodded. \u201cThat way, I could scope out to see if you had a tree yet. So we could get you that. We really, really appreciate all the cookies and tea you\u2019ve sent over this year to the station.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly blushed a little at that. \u201cI was just being friendly,\u201d she said, and put the wreath on the counter. \u201cYou don\u2019t need to get me anything. But I appreciate the sentiment. Too bad my secret admirer beat you guys to the punch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Drew watched as she opened the envelope, pulled out the mini CD and a small note. \u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDear Molly, I saw you had no wreath, and, well, pretty girls should have pretty decorations. Thank you for being a lovely part of the Cove. SA.\u201d She looked at the CD. \u201cI wonder what carol he sent me this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll bet it\u2019s the Holly and the Ivy,\u201d Drew said. \u201cConsidering that\u2019s what the wreath is made of.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly shook her head. \u201cThis is so weird,\u201d she said. \u201cWhy now? Why, after all this time, is Tom playing these games?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you think SA is Tom?\u201d Drew said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho else could it be?\u201d Molly asked. \u201cMost of the guys here in town treat me like one of their sisters, after all. And Tom\u2026\u201d Her voice trailed off.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, Molly, I don\u2019t want to give advice or anything. Heck, I\u2019m not even from around here, so I don\u2019t want to pretend that I know what went on between you and Tom.\u201d Drew hesitated, and then continued, \u201cBut do me two favors, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be too hard on Tom; his heart\u2019s in the right place, even if he acts like an idiot when he tries to follow it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the second favor?\u201d Molly said, eying him.<\/p>\n
He surprised her by leaning in and brushing a light kiss on her forehead. \u201cDon\u2019t believe that every other guy here thinks of you as his sister. I can tell you that in at least three cases, you\u2019re definitely wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before she could say anything else, his phone buzzed loudly. He looked at the message it displayed, swore and grabbed his coat. \u201cSorry, gotta go. Mal says there\u2019s a VIP coming through one of the Gates. Talk to you later!\u201d<\/p>\n
And he was gone.<\/p>\n