Coop looked at me, and I grinned at the plea in his eyes. “Hey, you started it,” I reminded him. “You brought up Robbie.”
With a dramatic sigh, Coop looked at Ian. “In first grade, Maisy Jackson decided that she didn’t like me. She was the little queen of the class, and she would announce daily who she liked and who didn’t like.”
Maisy had been a drama queen, and I hadn’t seen her since sixth grade, so hopefully she’d gotten over herself.
“But every day, she didn’t like me. Some days, she liked Frankie, but never me. Frankie and I still played together, but Maisy insisted Frankie couldn’t play with me on the days she like Frankie.”
Ian snorted. “She sounds like a treasure.”
“She was a horror show, but we were six. I just didn’t like that she wanted to tell me who I could play with, so I just agreed with her and did what I wanted to do. Then she threw a softball at Coop.”
“Smacked me right in the face, knocked one of my teeth out,” my best friend admitted with a sigh.
“And you…?” Ian looked at me.
“Threw the ball back at her. And the tooth I knocked out wasn’t loose.”
He put a hand over his face and just cracked up. Coop grinned. “We all went to the office, Frankie didn’t miss a beat. The principal asked why she did it, and she said, and I quote, ‘I thought she’d want it back. Since she threw it at us in the first place.’” His expression sobered a beat. “Us. Not me. Us.”
I shrugged. “You were my best friend. I wasn’t going to let her hurt you just cause she didn’t like who I was playing with.”
“I’m still your best friend,” he said seriously. “Even if you don’t want to acknowledge it right now.”
That was probably true. The laughter dried up, and we were left sitting in the quiet with only the music and rising volume of the partygoers filtering through the night air.
I glanced at my phone. It was closing in on nine. I’d stayed way longer than I intended. “I should probably go walk through the party.” Even if I had zero desire. “Then I think I’ll go home.”
“Frankie,” Ian said, catching my hand. “Is there a way to fix this?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you want to fix it?” Coop asked. “I know we’re not being fair. This—this is a lot, and we want you to say we can fix it, but do you want to fix it?”
“I had sex with Archie last night, I’d really like it to not be something I did and then—this.”
Silence met my announcement.
I guess Archie didn’t tell them everything.
“Maybe that changes your minds about me. Or maybe you get why I’m not really feeling it at the moment.”
Ian tightened his grip. “Archie—are you okay?”
That wasn’t the question I was expecting, but I stared at him. “No, Ian. I’m not okay.”
“He meant with last night,” Coop stated, his gaze intent.
“I was…I was feeling pretty great, until he told me about the plan.” I sniffed, because there were tears clogging at the back of my throat, and I didn’t want to do that here. I didn’t want to do that at all. “I’m sorry if that disappoints you.”
“It doesn’t,” Coop said rolling up onto his knees. “Frankie, nothing you’ve done is going to disappoint me. Do I like all of it? No. Do you have the right to be mad at us? Yes. Do I want you to let us try to fix this—yes.”
“Maybe we don’t try tonight.” It was the closest to a concession I could come to. “And maybe—maybe don’t be so mean to someone who was trying to be a friend to me.”
“Rachel?” Skeptical didn’t begin to cover it, and Coop shot a look at Ian.
“Didn’t know you two were friends,” Ian said slowly.
“Well, my circle has dwindled. You guys take a lot of time and effort.”
A grin softened his mouth. “We like having your time.”
“And your efforts,” Coop tacked on.
“But,” Ian continued and gave Coop a look before focusing on me again. “If she’s your friend, we’ll try not to be assholes. I think we can manage that.”
“Yeah okay, I’ll try,” Coop said. “But I’m not promising anything for Archie or Jake.”
Ian snorted. “You know they can make their own apologies.”
Not likely, Jake already made it clear he wouldn’t apologize for anything except hurting me.
“You going to be okay to go home?” Coop switched the subject.
“I have to see her sooner or later. Lately, she’s never there, so…” I shrugged.
“Can I hitch a ride home with you?” Coop asked.
Ian frowned, then said, “Or I can follow you home. Or both. Just so we can make sure you get there, and if she is there, you have an escape route if you need it.”
“Guys, she’s not going to do anything. If she is home… I’ll just tell her I’m tired and go to bed.” If Archie’s dad was there? I’d grab some stuff and go sleep in my car.
“Just looking out for my best friend… besides the party’s kind of a bust.”
Considering the noise level? I somehow doubted it.
“If you really need a ride, I’ll take you home, but I’d rather just be on my own for a bit.”
Coop sighed.
“I’ll make sure he gets home,” Ian offered. “Will you text us when you get there?”
“Please?” Coop added.
“Okay.” I could do that. It was a plan at least.
Ian squeezed my hand, and then Coop stood up and motioned toward the far fence. “There’s a way out over there, I can walk you up the driveway to your car, save you the trouble of having to go through the party.”
“Can I call you tomorrow?” Ian asked. “Maybe before you go to work? Just to say hi?”
“Let me call you? If I’m up for it?” I barely knew how I felt right this second, I had no idea how I’d feel in the morning.
“Okay.” He accepted it easily enough.
“And I’m not working tomorrow.” I couldn’t remember if I’d told Archie that or not. “I planned to take it off cause I was supposed to spend the night.”
His expression fell. “And we screwed it all up.”
The fact I wanted to comfort him messed with me a little. “I’ll text when I get home.”
He nodded before he started to reach out to me and then withdrew his hands and put them in the pockets of his trunks. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Arms folded, I followed Coop along the path toward the fence, then we paralleled it. There was a gate, tucked there in the corner. I guess that made sense. The gardeners had to get in. It let us out on the small service path that circled the house. It shouldn’t have surprised me when we emerged out front that the number of cars in the driveway had grown to a ridiculous number. There were easily a dozen between where I’d parked off to the side and where the driveway was down to a single lane to get out.
There was no way I was getting my car out any time soon.
Coop raked a hand through his hair as he glanced back down the driveway, then at my car. “This could be a problem.”
“No kidding.”
Crap.
I should have just left earlier.
“We’ll figure it out,” Coop promised. “I know who owns some of these cars, we’ll just make them move them.” Yeah, that would be difficult. Half those people were probably already trashed.
There was a note under the windshield wiper of my car, and it had my name on it. He frowned and hesitated as I reached for it.
“Do you want me to stay or should I give you some privacy?” The tight lines at the corners of his mouth promised me that wasn’t what he wanted to offer, but he had offered it.
That meant something.
Maybe that was why I said, “It’s okay.”
I slit the envelope open, and there was a note inside in neat—not typed this time—lettering.
I wanted to talk to you tonight, but you seemed very sad. I don’t kno
w why and it’s not my business. I like to believe that everything works out for a reason. Maybe we can try again soon. I hope you like the roses. I wish I’d planned ahead, then I would have brought you one. Next time. I promise.
“Well, I guess you don’t have to worry about him,” I told Coop, and he glanced from the note to me. Before he could respond though, there was a shout that echoed from the back. What the hell?
But Coop gripped my arm as the chant reached us.
“Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Oh. Crap.
Chapter Three
P.S. I Ha…
“Frankie wait…” Coop tried to stop me as I headed for the path to circle the house. The shouting had gotten louder, drowning out the music. Coop jogged next to me and caught my arm.
I hesitated and glanced at him as he caught my arm again.
“Not a good idea,” he said. There were squeals, and then a shout.
That—that was Jake.
“Son of a bitch,” Coop swore.
Jake was fighting, and a sudden fear swept through me. “Were you guys watching my car?” Had they seen someone who left the note?
“No,” Coop told me firmly, but kept hold of my arm as we reached the gate to the pool. The partygoers were gathered in a half-circle, blocking our view of the covered porch. They were still chanting.
“Shut up,” Jake bellowed again. “Dammit, Bubba—let him go.”
Shock rippled through me. Ian?
The crowd scattered a little, but everyone had their phones out, and my phone buzzed in my pocket. So did Coop’s. The noise level began to climb, and it gave me my first good view. Archie was sitting on the ground, his nose bloody and his face reddened and swelling. Jake had a hold of Ian and had dragged him a few feet back.
“C’mon,” Coop said. “They can sort it out.”
But my gaze locked with Archie’s, and my heart squeezed. Ian had punched him. I knew why. I should have kept my mouth shut. “Coop, go help him.”
My best friend stared at me. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not…” But Archie was already climbing to his feet, and I knew the moment Ian told Jake, because he swung his head to glare at Archie. With almost a smirk, Archie wiped at his nose and then picked a can out of one of the buckets and put it against his face.
“He’s fine. Archie can take a hit. C’mon, I’ll walk you back to the car, and then we can figure out how to get you out of the driveway.”
“You know what—I’m fine. I’m going to leave the car here and just call a ride share.” Guilt scraped through me as I pulled out my phone. The notifications were pictures from Instagram tagging the guys. And a text message with a video.
Coop said, “If you’re taking a ride-share, then I’m definitely going with you.”
A sigh speared through me. I could barely look away from Archie, and even as the partygoers scattered and the music climbed again, Archie, Jake, and Ian were still on the covered porch. “Coop…” My tone turned pleading as much as I hated to admit it. “I need air. Archie…”
“Got what he deserved, and like I said, he can handle a hit. You need a break, go back to your car. I’ll haul people out there and make them move theirs. Or I go with you if you get in a stranger’s car…”
“Why would she get in a stranger’s car?” Cheryl’s question made both of us jump. The blonde stood a couple of feet behind us, dressed in a tank top and shorts over what looked like a bikini. “Sorry, I had to run out, I forgot—something.”
Something? You know, it didn’t matter. “I’m blocked in, so Coop was going to get people to move their cars.”
“Oh. I can help, Danny Galligan is parked right behind you, and Lars Cowen, I think he’s right behind Danny…”
“They can keep their cars there, I’ll take you home,” Ian said from directly behind me. “I can get out no problem.”
Coop sighed, and I glanced back to find Ian and Jake both staring at me.
“You sure?” Cheryl asked. “I mean it’s no problem, I can just whip in there and get those guys moving. I think Rachel’s in that line, too and Sharon.”
“I’m sure,” Ian said. I couldn’t see Archie anymore, and Coop exhaled.
“The bike can get around the cars,” Coop admitted.
“I’ll bring you back to get your car later,” Ian promised.
“Or I can,” Jake said, but the tightness in his jaw worried me. “We’re supposed to go out tomorrow night.” The last came out as almost a soft reminder.
“Well, you’re busy,” Cheryl commented in a bubbly voice lacking any judgment. She gave me a side hug. “I’m going to rejoin the party if you’re good.” Still, one arm around me, she waited for me to let her off the hook.
“Yeah,” I said slowly, trying not to notice the relief swimming across the guys’ expressions, even Jake, who wore an air of aggravation. “Thanks, Cheryl.”
“Anytime,” she promised before giving me a squeeze. “See you later, guys!”
And then we were alone in our awkward little bubble.
“Does that mean you’ll let me take you home? Or anywhere else you want to go?” Ian asked.
“Home would probably be best.” Even if it meant coming back here the next day for my car, I could ride share back, none of them needed to know when.
Coop rubbed my arm once and nodded. “Text when you get there? Let me know you’re okay?”
“Let us know you’re okay,” Jake said, turning the request into an order. “You are okay, right?”
“No,” Coop told him before I could answer. “She’s not. Don’t be a dick right now.”
“I’m not being a dick,” Jake snapped, shooting Coop a dirty look. “I’m worried.”
“We all are,” Ian told him. “And I’m going to take her home.”
“You coming back?” Coop asked.
“Undecided.”
Jake frowned. “You’re really not dressed to be on the bike. C’mon.” Then he caught my hand and tugged me with him. We made it halfway back to the driveway before I got my hand free. “Sorry,” he muttered. “But I have an extra jacket in my car. I think I might have some sweats, but you’d probably be swimming in them.”
“I’m not going to race with her on the bike,” Ian argued.
“I don’t care. I don’t want her hurt.” Jake whirled and went toe to toe with Ian. “You should be careful with her, she’s not dressed for your bike.”
I had a headache.
Coop sighed, eyeing the pair before we locked gazes, then he rolled his eyes. I almost laughed, almost. As it was, a half-chuckle escaped. None of this was funny.
“You’re just pissed because she said yes to letting me take her home,” Ian countered. “Get over it…”
“You’re an ass,” Jake snorted.
“You’re a prick,” Ian countered. “What else is new?”
A throat clearing had all four of us turning. Jeremy stood there, his expression somewhat severe. “Miss Frankie, is everything well?”
No. No it wasn’t, but I didn’t want the guys to get into trouble. “Ian is taking me home, Jeremy, because I can’t get my car out of the drive. I hope you don’t mind if I leave it here for now.”
“Of course not. Though I am happy to make up a room for you, away from everyone if you’re looking for quiet, or I can call a car for you.” Again, his focus was locked on me.
Ian shuffled. “I got it, Jeremy.”
“I do not believe I was talking to you Mr. Bubba.” The fact Jeremy could deliver that address in a straight face was a testament to his professionalism. We’d all cracked up the first time he’d greeted Ian that way, but over time—the formality stuck. “I believe Miss Frankie has had quite enough of you four at the moment.”
He wasn’t wrong, but the fact he included Archie in the four said no way did he not know I’d stayed the night before.
I was never escaping at the rate we were going.
“What if…” Ian began, and I twisted to glance a
t him. “What if I take you home, and if your mom is there, we come back and you can take Jeremy up on his offer?”
“What if she just stays?” Jake countered. “Then we don’t have to worry about anything happening on the bike, and you can get some rest—though I don’t blame you if you don’t want to stay here.”
“Guys…” Coop said with a sigh, and I held up a hand.
“Stop.”
That pulled all their attention.
“Seriously, stop. I get it, you all care. You all want to fix this, and you all seem to think you can make decisions for me better than I can make them myself.”
Jake opened his mouth to argue, but Coop elbowed him, earning a glare instead.
“I don’t want to stay, I’d rather drive myself out of here and just be alone…”
Ian’s face fell and guilt stabbed me all at once.
“Fine,” Jake said. “Coop, grab people. They can move their damn cars.” He pivoted and stalked off, Coop a half-step behind him.
Jeremy regarded me for a moment. “The offer for the car or the room stands, Miss Frankie. Would you like me to wait here with you until the young gentlemen have gotten the cars moved?”
The offer was sweet. “Thank you, Jeremy.” Of everyone here, even knowing he had to have known, I didn’t blame him. “But I’ll be fine.”
“As you say.” He inclined his head. “I’ll be just inside.” The last he directed at Ian before he turned and re-entered the house, leaving Ian and I alone.
“We could just go right now,” Ian offered.
The hell of it was, the idea tempted me. “I don’t really think that’s fair to you,” I admitted.
“I don’t care about fair to me,” he said. “I care about you. I care that you’re hurting and I’m part of the reason why.” He held out his hand, and it was hard to miss the bruises on his knuckles.
“Did you have to hit him?” The earlier guilt swam up. As aggravated as I was with all of them, I didn’t want them hurting, too. No, I didn’t always understand myself.
“Yes,” Ian said simply. “I did.” He raised his brows, hand still outstretched. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Changes and Chocolates: Untouchable Book Two Page 4
