5. Irresistible Offer
1960 Words
Molly
I point at the car. “Yeah. It died. Decided to give up on life. Honestly, same.”
His mouth twitches slightly. “Mind if I take a look”
“Please do. Maybe you can talk some sense into it. I tried cursing. Didn’t work.”
He walks to the hood and gestures. “Pop it open.”
I do, and he leans over the engine. Snow trots around his legs like he belongs to us already. Traitor.
He studies the engine with calm focus. “How old is this car”
I scratch my cheek. “Old enough to vote. Old enough to drink. Old enough to be ashamed of itself.”
He laughs softly. “Do you have any actual tools”
I grab the small metal box I keep for emergencies and hand it to him. “I have… things.”
He opens it, looks inside, and I swear his eyebrows lift a fraction. “Interesting collection.”
“I fix things creatively.”
He kneels and gets to work. His hands move confidently, his muscles flex and my thighs clench involuntarily.
“So” I ask, trying to sound casual and absolutely failing. “You know how to repair cars”
He nods without looking up. “Yeah. Pretty well.”
“Of course you do.” I fold my arms. “Very mysterious man appears out of nowhere. Has perfect reflexes. Fixes broken cars. What else do you do Fight dragons”
He pauses for half a second. Barely noticeable. Then continue working. “I am a lawyer.”
“What” It jumps out of me before I can stop it.
He looks up. “Is that bad?”
“No. It is just my boyfriend…my ex is a lawyer.” I shift awkwardly. “So I guess I have lawyer trauma.”
His mouth curves in the smallest smile. “It is more of a part time thing. Not my main job.”
I lean in a little. “And the main job is…”
“It is a secret.”
The way he says it makes something warm coil low in my stomach. I hate that. I love that.
“You don’t look like a lawyer.” My eyes drift, totally against my will, down those muscular arms. “You look like someone who builds motorcycles or starts bar fights.”
He chuckles. “I get that a lot. What about you What do you do”
I blink. He is actually interested. Finally.
“Veterinary doctor. I run a little clinic.”
He looks at me in amazement. “You’re a vet?”
“Yep. And a good one.” I lift my chin proudly even though Snow is currently rolling in the snow like a lunatic.
He tightens one last bolt and stands. “Alright. Try it.”
I slide into the seat and turn the key. The engine starts immediately.
I rushed out. “It worked”
Snow barks and runs circles around Charles.
I smile brightly. “Thank you. Seriously. You saved me.”
“You don’t need to thank me, mate.”
Mate.
The word hits me in the chest. My breath wobbles.
A tiny soft voice cuts in. “Hi.”
I turn around. A little girl stands beside Snow, petting her head gently.
Who is she?
Charles watches me carefully. “Molly. This is Lily.”
The little girl looks up at him with a smile that is definitely his.
“She’s my daughter.”
My heart stops. He has a DAUGHTER!
Of course. Because the universe has jokes.
I walk toward her slowly, trying not to scare her. “Hi Lily,” I say, keeping my voice soft. "I'm Molly."
She lifts her gaze for a split second. “Hi Molly.” It’s barely above a whisper.
She’s adorable. Olive skin, soft round cheeks, long black hair down to her shoulders. She looks nothing like Charles. Not the sharp jaw. Not the gray eyes. Not the superhero-fallen-to-earth vibe.
She’s just… gentle.
“She's shy.” Charles says behind me.
I crouch beside her. “Don’t be shy, Lily.” I smile and gently brush a loose strand of hair from her face. “Do you like him?” I point at Snow, who is currently lying dramatically on her back for belly rubs.
Lily nods quickly. “She’s so cute”
“She’s a total attention seeker,” I say. “Her name is Snow. She was a street dog when I found her. Very sick. I adopted her about three years ago and fixed her up.”
Lily’s smile widens just a little, still petting Snow’s belly with tiny gentle hands. “That’s lovely.”
My heart does something warm and melty. Great. First the father. Now the child.
“Molly.” Charles’ voice cuts through the moment.
I turn. He’s watching me intently, expression unreadable. “Can I speak to you privately”
My eyebrows lift. “Uh… sure.”
He steps away toward the side of the parking lot, near the brick wall, and I follow him…though my brain is definitely screaming, what did I do? What is happening? What is about to happen?
He turns to me. His expression changes. Softer. Heavier. Almost… unsure.
That alone scares me more than any car issue ever could.
“Molly,” he says quietly. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
My stomach tightens. “Okay. You’re not about to tell me you’re secretly married, right? Or that you harvest organs for fun? Because honestly, I’m at full capacity for weird today.”
He actually huffs out a laugh but it fades quickly.
“It’s about Lily,” he says. “She’s… lonely.”
My chest softens immediately. “Oh.”
He nods once, gaze dropping for a second like he’s choosing his words. “The kids at school tease her because she doesn’t have a mom. She’s been quiet. Sad. And… her Christmas wish this year was to have a mom.” He hesitates. His voice drops lower. “Will you be her mom?”
My eyes nearly pop straight out of my skull.
“WHAT?” I choke, stepping back so fast I almost trip. “Charles. I’ve known you for…what…ten minutes? Eleven? You can’t propose to me next to a trash can. There should be candles. Or, I don’t know, sanity.”
He lifts both hands, calm and unbearably confident. “Just for thirty days. Let’s pretend we’re dating for a month.”
“Pretend?” I echo. “Like… how?”
“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” he says calmly. “We just need to make Lily smile. Take her places. Make her happy. Molly, please. She’s really sad.”
I rub my forehead. “What about her real mother”
His eyes darken. Not sadness. Something colder. Harder. “We’re divorced. She’s… not a good person. I don’t want her near my daughter.”
I swallow. That tone. That edge. There’s a story there and it’s not a soft one.
“But I don’t know anything about you,” I say. “I don’t know what you’re really like. I don’t…”
“Molly. Relax.” He steps closer and gently takes my hands.
My breath stops.
“You don’t have to be afraid,” he says quietly. “Besides… I’ll die before anything happens to you.”
I stare at him. “Okay. That’s crazy. You just met me.”
He tilts his head slightly, studying me with those storm gray eyes. “And yet…”
He lets the rest hang heavy in the air.
The way he's looking at me?
My skin heats instantly.
“I don’t even know your age,” I whisper.
“Charles Hale. Thirty one.”
“Okay,” I mumble. Not bad. Five years. I can work with that.
“Come with us to our cabin,” he says. “You’ll have everything you need there.”
I blink. “Whoa. To your cabin?”
This man just doesn’t ease into anything. He sprints.
He waits calmly. Too calmly. Like he already knows I’ll say yes.
“This is insane,” I mutter to myself. “Very insane.” I should not be entertaining this. Lily is cute but… no. I should not be doing this.
“Please,” he says quietly. “I just want to make her happy. And she has an illness, so she’s always sad.”
“An illness?” I cut in immediately. “What illness? What’s wrong with her?”
His eyes drop to my lips. Slowly. Deliberately. He looks like he wants to taste….snap out of it Molly..
Everything inside me tightens. Holy crap.
Before he can answer, my phone vibrates loudly in my hand. Saved by the bell. Or cursed by it. Hard to tell.
I hold up a finger and step back. “One second.”
I answer. “Hello?”
A voice I recognize immediately spills out. Too sweet. Too fake. “Hello, Molly.”
My spine straightens. “Jade?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
I drag a hand down my face. Of course. Of course she’d call right now.
“What do you want”
“I just wanted to apologize on behalf of Josh,” she says. Her tone is dripping with manufactured innocence. “I don’t know why he did that. He didn’t even…”
“Did Josh send you?” I cut in sharply and glanced at Charles.
His jaw tightens. His eyes narrow.
Not a pleasant expression.
“It’s not from him,” Jade rushes on. “He’s still sulking. But I wanted to mend things myself.”
I almost laughed. “He’s sulking? Seriously?”
“Molly, please come back,” Jade says quickly. “Come join Josh and I. We’re going to the ice rink…”
I freeze.
Ice rink.
He wasn’t apologizing nor trying. Nope. He was going out with her.
My chest burns, something sharp and angry twisting inside me.
I know what Jade is doing. She’s not inviting me. She’s rubbing it in.
I inhale deeply. “You know what, Jade? Tell Josh not to bother anymore. I don’t need him. I don’t want him.”
“Molly? What are you talking about…”
“And drop the fake sympathy. You can have him. Free of charge.”
“What has gotten into you?” she snaps.
I laughed. “I won the lottery, Jade. You hear me? I won. The. Lottery. So keep that slimy snake and never call me again.”
I end the call and exhale slowly.
When I look up, Charles is watching me.
Eyes narrowed and expression unreadable.
Well, that’s it. I’ve made up my mind. If I want to get over that bastard Josh… there’s only one thing I can do now.
“I accept,” I say quietly. “I’ll take your offer.”
Charles’ reaction is immediate. A slow, satisfied smile spreads across his face.
“You won’t regret it,” he says. “I promise you. You’ll never regret it.”
The way he says it… It’s a vow…or temptation.
He extends his hand. “Then let’s go home, mate.”
Mate. There it is again.
My entire body shivers. What's with that anyway.
I take a deep breath and slip my hand into his.The connection hits instantly. Heat. Electricity. Something I can't name.
This man affects me in ways I don’t understand.
God, I hope he’s right. I hope I don’t regret this.
Because something tells me once I step into his world… I won’t ever leave it the same.
- Writer
