There was no way for Abby to know just how desperately Molly needed her reassurance. So often, Molly felt like an outsider, intruding in the lives of those around her. Growing up in a small town, everyone had known her. The men at the pub she had liked. But the women and children were another matter entirely. They had made it clear that she was to be either pitied or scorned but never accepted. Between the profession of her mother and the rumors about her fathers, there was no way that she would ever be considered acceptable society. And Molly had reacted as any child would, answering hatred with hatred. If it weren’t for her dads and the pub and the sea, she wouldn’t miss Tide at all.
Molly didn’t do well under those conditions. She needed people. She craved attention, reassurance, companionship. And now to be told that she didn’t have to be alone – not if she didn’t want to. It was enough to make her tear up. She would have answered Abby, but for some reason, her throat felt constricted and she couldn’t. Instead, she ducked her head and tried not to sniff too loudly.
When Abby started to show signs of falling apart, Molly put a hand on her arm to steady her. She hadn’t meant to make Abby cry, but if she needed to – well, she could lean on Molly. “They will be alright - I’m sure they’re alright. They’re around here somewhere, we just have to figure out where exactly. We’ll check at the pub and see if anyone’s heard from them today. Someone there’s bound to have run into them at some point. We can start there.”