34Chez Papa was packed and Molly could hear shrieks of laughter coming from inside as she parked the scooter out front under a twinkling string of lights hung in a scrawny tree.
“Molly!” shouted a chorus as she came inside.
“This is just what I needed,” she said, grinning as she slid onto the only remaining stool next to Lawrence.
“I’m happy to see you, my dear. I don’t mind saying that while I’m glad things seem to be so jolly between you and Ben, it does mean that I don’t see you nearly as much as I used to. And it takes some willpower not to pout.”
Molly kissed her friend on both cheeks. “Well, you know Ben is sort of a homebody. Though where he is now, I can’t say. I expected him for dinner…”
“His loss, our gain,” said Lawrence, signaling to Nico that he wanted another Negroni. “N
