“Thanks.” He fidgets nervously now that we have stopped, and we each take a discreet step back to give him room.
“I’ve got try-outs for the track team on Monday,” he informs us quietly.
Sam steps up next to him but not so close that he feels crowded.
“They will be lucky to have you.”
Jacob ducks his head but not before I notice the slight pink on his cheeks.
Caleb, ever the impatient one, interrupts by asking where Frankie is.
Nobody has seen her since the first whistle, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t starting to feel a little anxious. What if she fell and hurt herself or something? Caleb is looking around too, his face growing ever more alarmed.
Sam and Jacob head in the direction of the centre but they don’t seem to be bothered about not finding her.
“Yo, Sam, aren’t you worried about Frankie?”
He stops dead and looks at me as Jacob carries on without us.
“Nope.”
“What the hell do you mean, nope? Do you know where she is?"
“No, but Jacob isn’t worried in the slightest, which tells me he has a fair idea where she is, and I believe he is heading that way now.”
We all jog to catch up with Jacob, who has just gone inside. We follow through the door and around the corner, and almost collide with each other when Caleb stops abruptly in front of us. Stepping to his side, I look and find Frankie curled up in a ball in the corner, with Sam’s leather jacket over her, fast asleep.
I look up at Jacob, who is leaning against the counter, smiling softly in Frankie’s direction.
“She’s been here the whole time, hasn’t she?" I ask him.
He just burst out in silent laughter. When he gets himself together enough to speak, it’s to remind us that we have to auction our asses off for charity. That causes a collective groan. We never really gave it any thought, because we all just assumed we would win. God damn it. Well played, Frankie. I look at her sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the predators circling above her.
Game on, Frankie. Game on.
* * *
CALEB
While the others talk quietly amongst themselves and return their gear, I strip out of my camo suit and head towards Frankie. A stray curl has tumbled down over her face, and I find myself fighting not to tuck it behind her ear; that just seems far to intimate for us yet. I slide one arm behind her back and one beneath her knees and lift her into my arms. She appears even younger and more innocent in her sleep, and it's playing havoc with my conflicting emotions. She is so light, reminding me just how tiny she really is. When she’s awake, it is easy to see that she is all woman because of her sultry voice and sassy attitude, but while she is sleeping, she looks so vulnerable and small. The room has gone quiet now as everyone watches me cradle Frankie to my chest.
“Ryan, I’m going to drive Frankie and Jacob home. Can you follow behind, so I can get a lift back with you?”
“Sure, not a problem. Jacob, do you want to ride back with me?”
I look at Jacob and notice how uncomfortable he looks suddenly, and I realise that he is more uncomfortable around me than either Sam or Ryan, which makes me feel like an even bigger dick.
“No, that’s okay. I’m going to stay with Frankie in case she wakes up.” And freaks out—this isn’t said but implied.
We head outside, saying our goodbyes to Sam and leaving him to lock up for the night. Jacob finds her key in her bag and opens the car. I place her gently down in the passenger seat and reach over to strap her in. She stirs slightly as I shut the door but settles again with her head against the window. I marvel at the fact that she hasn’t woken yet. Jacob laughs softly at her.
“She sleeps like the dead. I remember once when I was making some toast I accidently set the smoke alarm off. I scared the crap out of myself but Frankie just slept right through it. Seriously though, who sleeps through a smoke alarm? Isn’t the whole point of having them to wake you up in case of fire?"
I chuckle too as I adjust the driver’s seat to suit my size and buckle up, looking to make sure that Jacob is buckled up, too, before heading to Frankie’s. My palms feel slick thinking about going back there. Even though I’ve never lived there myself, I feel a weight pressing on me knowing that is the house where my father took his last breath.
Jacob startles me out of my morose thoughts.
“So, what’s your deal with Frankie?”
I look in the mirror and study him. He’s a smart kid and if I feed him a line, he will know straight away, so I decide to keep it simple.
“I honestly don’t know. Part of me is angry at her. She literally came out of nowhere, and at seventeen landed herself a man worth millions who was nearly three times her age. A man who wasn’t known for being a good person. Whatever his reasons were, I find it hard to believe that he was doing anything out of the kindness of his heart. He had to be getting something from it.”
Well, besides the obvious. I look away briefly so that he can’t see my scowl at the thought of my dad and Frankie together. I know Malcolm implied that their relationship was completely platonic, but I’m not convinced. The other part of me can see the appeal, and in my father’s shoes I’m not sure I wouldn’t have taken a chance on her, too. She is beautiful, funny and protective of the people she cares about.
“Did she love my father?” There is a part of me that needs to know.
I’m not expecting him to answer but he does anyway.
“Yeah, she loved him with her whole heart. They took care of each other and anyone around them that they could, me included. Part of her was destroyed when he died but she made him a promise, and Frankie never breaks her word.”
“What did she promise?”
“To live for both of them.”
The rest of the journey is quiet, both of us lost in thought as Frankie sleeps obliviously beside me.
When we get to the house, I park outside the large double garage and Ryan pulls up behind me. Jacob jumps out and hurries to open the door and usher us in.
“Jacob,” she mumbles as she burrows into my shoulder.
“I’m right here, Frankie," he soothes her, squeezing her shoulder, and she drifts back off again. “Her room is this way.”
Jacob leads us up the stairs and past what I would have thought was the master bedroom. He must know what I’m thinking with what he says next. “That was your dad's room, but it was never Frankie’s. She has had it cleaned out and redecorated but she hasn’t set a foot in his room since then. I think it hurts her to go in there.”
He leads us up a second flight of stairs to the attic, which has been converted into a large bedroom. The room is huge and decorated in soft greys and white, giving it a soothing feel. A large wrought iron bed dominates one wall, its twisted vine-like bed frame making it seem almost alive, and the white sheets and white drapes make everything light and airy. The built-in wardrobes cover one wall and are big enough to make most women weep. They are stained in the same distressed white as the chest of drawers on the opposite wall that is littered with photos. The only other furniture is a large grey cuddle chair that is in the corner by the window and draped with a soft, white, chunky throw. This little area is illuminated from above by a chrome floor standing lamp.
I walk to the bed and lay her down gently, slipping off her boots and placing them on the floor beside the bed. Ryan walks over with the throw from the chair and covers her over with it. We both just stand there watching her for a minute until Jacob coughs to let us know we are being kind of creepy. We head back downstairs to the front door, Jacob hot on our heels. Outside, we turn towards Jacob to say our goodbyes before getting into Ryan’s car.
We are half way to my place before either of us speaks, which must be a record for Ryan.
“We are fucked.” That’s Ryan for you—profound as ever.
“I know. I see it too. She is nothing like my mother at all, is she? I need to just let it go and move on but how the he
ll are we going to sort this out if all of us like her?”
“Well, for a start, Caleb, she might not be interested in anything other than friendship with us, so we need to prepare for that. Secondly, don’t take this the wrong way but I don’t mind you or Sam being with her as long as I am, too. We have always shared everything. Why not the girl we all seem to be falling for?”
I open my mouth to shoot him down but snap it shut when I think about what he says. The thought of my father with Frankie makes me feel violent in nature but the thought of her with Ryan or Sam doesn’t bother me at all. In fact, the thought of all three of us together sets my pulse racing enough for me to have to start thinking about something else before my body reacts physically.
“You serious?” I need to know if he is joking or not, because the more I think about it the more it appeals to me.
“Yes, I am. I think it would take a lot to find another couple of girls that would click with us, not to mention that whichever of us doesn’t get Frankie is going to feel resentful. It is not easy to just turn your feelings off, you know? I would rather share her with my two best friends than give her up. The question is, do you think Sam will go for it?”
I think about the way he watched her movements tonight or how his fists clenched when I had her in my arms like he wanted to hold her himself.
“Yeah, I think he would. He’s holding back because of me. I will text him and get him to meet us at mine. We have a lot to discuss.”
“We going to do this?” he asks, excitement evident in his tone.
“Fuck, yes.” Now we just need to get Frankie on board.
Chapter Ten
FRANKIE
“What about this one?” I ask, holding up a navy-blue checked bedspread for his inspection. We had been shopping for bedroom furniture and accessories for an hour now, and bedding was the last thing on our list. Thank God, because I am starving, and after this we are going to grab some food. I don’t know how some women can shop for hours on end when I’m exhausted already.
“Cool, let’s get it.” I place it in the basket and we make our way towards the check-out.
“Frankie?" a voice calls from behind us. I turn and find Caleb looking down at me. Seriously, what are the odds? If I didn’t know any better, I would think he was stalking me.
“Hi, Caleb. What are you doing here?”
“Escaping.” He laughs but the confusion must show on my face because he continues. “I have left Ryan and Sam at my place assembling furniture. As you can imagine, it has turned into a game of who is the best, so I have decided to save myself and leave them to it before I kill them both. I needed to grab some supplies anyway, so I figured I would kill two birds with one stone. What are you guys doing?"
Jacob answers, “Decorating my room.”
“Ah, nice.”
And here comes the awkward silence. I sigh and flash Caleb a small smile. “Well, we should get going.”
“Wait. Are you guys doing anything now? Because if not, we are going to throw a couple of steaks on the barbeque... You want to join us?”
I look to Jacob. It’s his call, after all, and he gives me a little nod.
“Um, yes, okay, we would like that. We'll just drop this stuff off and then we'll meet you there. Sam has my number just text me your address. Do you want us to bring anything?”
“No, just yourselves.”
I smile at him feeling shy for some strange reason.
“See you soon.”
* * *
“Only you, Frankie, would take, ‘no you don’t need to bring anything’ to mean 'sure let’s bake a dozen brownies',” Jacob laughs from the passenger seat.
“You have to bring something when you get invited to eat at someone’s house. Besides, it’s not like they take long to bake. If you keep poking fun at me, you won’t get one.”
“You’re a nut, Frankie,” Jacob chuckles.
“Okay, this is the place.” We pull up at a swanky apartment block and make our way inside, where we find a doorman expecting us. After being shown to the elevator and given directions, we find ourselves on the top floor outside Caleb’s place.
I knock tentatively and rub my sweaty hands on my pale-yellow sundress.
The door swings open and we are faced with Ryan’s panty-dropping smile. He is dressed much like Caleb was earlier, in faded blue jeans and a white shirt. It must be today's standard hot-guy uniform.
“Hey, guys. Come on in.”
We follow him into a beautiful modern kitchen, almost the opposite of mine, which is more country chic, down a small hallway with white walls blank of any photos or pictures and into the living room where both Sam and Caleb are hooking a large flat-screen television unit to the wall. I smile when I spot Sam’s black t-shirt. Guess a uniform is unnecessary to make these guys hot.
“Hi, guys,” I say as Jacob quietly offers his own greeting.
Ryan slowly approaches Jacob and curiously eyes the box in his hand.
“What have you got there?”
Jacob hands it over, and Ryan lifts the lid before taking a sniff. His eyes roll into the back of his head and he makes an exaggerated moan. Maybe giving them our brownies to Ryan wasn’t the best idea. Nobody else will get any if the way he is eyeing them is any indication.
Jacob, the smart ass that he is, is more than happy to regale them with the story of how I refused to come without bringing something.
I just roll my eyes knowing damn fine that all those brownies will be gone before we leave later.
Ryan shoves a whole one in his mouth before moaning seductively. I watch as his tongue peeks out to lick his lips, quickly looking away before I start drooling everywhere. I swear to God these men will be the death of me.
“These are so good,” he manages to mumble out before shoving another one into his mouth.
Caleb and Ryan must have finished hanging the television because I’m snapped out of my perv-fest when Sam swipes the box from Ryan before snagging one for himself. I watch as he takes a bite, his eyes widening in appreciation before bestowing me with a “Babe” and a nod. Ah, my man of so few words.
Wait, what? My man? Where the heck did that come from? Jesus, is it hot in here?
Sam offers one to Jacob, who accepts it with a smile before offering one to Caleb. Ryan jumps up and snags the box before running around the table to hide behind me. Caleb stomps over to us, making my heart start to pound faster, especially with Ryan already at my back.
“Hand it over, asshole.”
He stands with his hands on his hips in a classic superhero pose. I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from giggling. Sam heads over towards us, too, but instead of making a grab for the brownies, he places his hands on my hips and lifts me clean off my feet, placing me next to Jacob before standing in front of me protectively.
“No fighting with Frankie in the middle,” he growls out.
Ryan turns towards us with a pout but before he has a chance to speak the box is snagged from his hands by Caleb.
He looks so offended, even though he's just pulled the same stunt himself, that I just can’t control my laughter anymore and I find myself bent over, gasping for breath through my giggles. When I finally manage to get control of myself, I stand back up only to find three sets of eyes focused on me, each with varying degrees of lust. Oh, boy. I gulp as my panties burst into flames and disintegrate. I don’t even know why I wear them around these three anymore.
Jacob coughs and breaks the stare-off by asking where the bathroom is, metaphorically throwing a bucket of cold water over the sexual tension in the room. The rest of the afternoon goes by in easy fashion. Ryan grills steaks and potatoes on the balcony, and we finish the meal with my brownies and ice cream. Ryan keeps us all laughing with his antics, and Jacob annihilates all three of them on the Xbox, which is hilarious, before I know it it’s time to leave.
Ryan is the first to say goodbye, picking me up and spinning me round until I threaten to throw up on him before he ki
sses me on the forehead. Sam steps up next, engulfing me in a hug that makes me feel tiny but protected, a feeling that blindsides me, and I find myself fighting back the tears.
Next is Caleb. He steps up and tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear before bending down and placing a soft kiss just on the very edge of my mouth.
“Thanks for coming, sweetheart.”
Huh, funny how the pet name didn’t bother me this time. I’m sure I was polite and said goodbye to them all, but truly, I have no idea how I managed to get back in the truck in my dazed state.
I turn to look at Jacob, open my mouth only to close it again, which makes him laugh.
Well, I’m glad someone finds this funny.
We head home, thoughts of hot boys, sweet kisses and fierce hugs imprinting themselves on my brain.
Chapter Eleven
RYAN
Locking the door to my hotel room, I walk out into the warm early morning sunshine. This heatwave has been relentless but I’ve learnt to enjoy it while I can, as the weather in the UK is notoriously unpredictable. Therefore, I’m heading off to enjoy the sun when I should be finding somewhere more permanent to live. I’m tired of living out of a suitcase but I just can’t seem to find the drive to find somewhere else. Maybe I should move into one of the rooms that both Caleb and Sam have offered at one of their places, especially as my problem seems to stem from the fact that I’m not used to living alone or staying very long in one place. Spending the bulk of my life in boarding school before enlisting meant that I’ve always shared a room. I’m struggling to adjust to having a hotel room to myself. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to live in an apartment.
Jumping into my jeep, I head towards the Starbucks around the corner. I'm in need of coffee but have learnt the hard way to avoid the sludge at the hotel. When my phone rings, I hit the button to activate the Bluetooth without checking to see who it is.
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