Molly Matthews Meddles in Marriage by Jill Steeples Page A

mutual interests, understanding and respect has much more chance of standing the test of time than a fling based purely on…on lust.”
    For some reason that seemed to amuse him, but Molly was warming to her subject.
    “Forgive me, Rory, but perhaps that’s why your relationships haven’t worked out in the past. You’ve admitted yourself that there have been plenty of girlfriends, but none of them have lasted any length of time. Maybe you’ve been choosing girlfriends based on their looks and once that initial attraction wears off and you find you have nothing in common, your interest wanes.”
    He narrowed his eyes, his lips pursed as if contemplating her statement.
    “Do you think there might be something in that?” she added, only to fill the silence.
    “And would that be your personal experience too, Molly?” he said, sidestepping her question. He shuffled his chair to one side, edging toward Molly, the table no longer a barrier between them. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs, his hands cupped around his face as he looked deep into her eyes. “Don’t tell me you haven’t experienced that rush, that tingling through your body when you see someone and think ‘oh yes’. You share a look, the one that lasts a moment too long, and you’re filled with a sense of hope and wonder, that you might, just might, be on the brink of something special.”
    Oh, dear God. Her insides swirled a trail of delight from her tummy downward. If only he knew. She’d felt that rush before, yes, the same rush that she was feeling right now. The out-of-control heartbeat, the sweet sting of vulnerability in her cheeks, the damp, sweaty palms, but before it had only ever left her feeling ridiculous and disappointed. Ridiculously disappointed. Most times those feelings weren’t reciprocated and she was left nursing a crush that served only to reinforce her feelings of aloneness.
    And she had no right to be experiencing those kinds of feelings now, about a client as well!
    It might be all right for the likes of Rory and her sister, Natalie. Those naturally beautiful types to whom other people gravitated, she was sure they were used to being on the receiving end of that thunderbolt of attraction, but it wasn’t like that for Molly, or for most other people, she’d come to realize. That was one of the reasons she’d set up her marriage bureau in the first place.
    She felt a sharp pang remembering Paul. Once upon a time she’d felt those heights of emotions for him and for everything they’d shared together. Besotted hadn’t even come close and she’d been so wrapped up in the strength of her own feelings that she’d naturally assumed he must have been experiencing the same thing too. Only he hadn’t. Everything she thought they’d shared had been a figment of her imagination. So why then, as she’d asked herself so many times over the years, had he dated her for five years and even asked her to marry him, in a roundabout way, if he hadn’t loved her? He certainly hadn’t loved her enough to want to see it through to the end.
    That final damning revelation that he had always held a torch for her sister had tarnished the memory of all the good times they’d shared together, making her question her own judgment. Had she been so blinded by love that she hadn’t even been able to pick up on those signs? He’d had the hots for Natalie, which wasn’t so surprising. Everybody loved Natalie, Molly was used to that, but couldn’t she have hoped that her own boyfriend would have saved all his adoration and love for Molly alone? Didn’t she deserve that?
    One thing was for sure, she would never put herself in that position again.
    “All I’m saying is that sometimes I think it’s better if you don’t rush into these things, but that you let things develop naturally. A slow burn can be more rewarding than a heated rush.” Although as she said the words, she realized with a heavy heart that the slow burn