Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 81584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
“Fair enough. So, what’s new with you? Anything exciting? You still dating what’s-her-face?”
“Emma? She’s still around. Nothin’ serious.”
“If it’s not serious then why are you still seeing her?” she asked in exasperation.
“You really want me to answer that?”
Mom’s nose wrinkled in disgust.
“You need to find someone you want to build a life with. I don’t want you to turn into one of those guys who sits in the clubhouse every night because you don’t have anything else going for you.”
“Tell me how you really feel,” I replied with a smile.
“I want grandbabies,” Mom announced. “And you better hurry so I can catch up with Rose.”
“Not gonna happen.”
“What, never?” she whined.
“Not for a while.”
“Yeah, no shit, since you don’t even have a girlfriend.” She held up her hand. “At least not one that counts.”
“Emma’s not my girlfriend.”
“Good, we’re agreed.”
“You don’t like her?”
“From what Harper said, she’s rude, and you don’t seem to like her very much either.”
“She’s okay. Can we talk about something else?”
“Sure. Talk your sister into coming home for good, would you?”
“If it was that simple, don’t you think she’d already be home?”
“I swear, I shouldn’t have been so intent on making sure you two were independent. I dug my own grave with that bullshit.”
“She’ll come home when she’s ready.”
“So, never,” Mom said with a sigh as she pulled into the clinic’s driveway.
She let out a whistle as she parked right next to Frankie’s Tahoe. “You want to talk about this instead?”
“Nothin’ to talk about.”
“I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that’s unequivocally false.”
“Saw her from across the street.”
“You were at the diner?” she asked. “That’s a strange coincidence.”
I shrugged. “Protesters hassled her on the way in.”
“There aren’t any out there now.”
“Me and the boys took care of it.”
“Oh, really?”
“Made sure they were gone by the time she got done,” I continued, ignoring the smirk on her face. “So, she didn’t have to deal with that shit on the way out.”
“Okay, so I raised you right. But that doesn’t explain why her car is still here, and she’s not.”
I paused with my hand on the door handle. “She was pretty out of it, Ma,” I said, leaning back in my seat. “Didn’t think it was safe for her to drive home.”
“Out of it, how?” she asked, her gaze sharpening.
“Total space cadet. She pretty much just followed wherever I led.”
“That doesn’t sound like Frankie.”
“No shit.”
“Did she tell you anything?”
I shook my head sharply. “Didn’t think it was the time to ask.”
“You’re probably right.”
“She was in bed when I left the house. Climbed in with her shoes on.”
“Shit,” Mom said quietly.
“Not sure if I should just drop the Tahoe off and leave or stay with her until Lou gets home.”
“Did you call Lou or Myla?”
“She didn’t want me to.” I scrubbed my hands over my face. “Pretty sure she doesn’t want anyone to know.”
“The boys—”
“They didn’t realize she was inside,” I explained. “Made sure they were gone before she came back out.”
Mom smiled and reached out to pat my cheek. “I did a good job with you.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“I’d play it by ear,” she told me, dropping her hand. “Check on her when you get back and go from there. Maybe she just needed a minute to get her bearings.”
I nodded and swung open the door.
“You’re a good man,” my mom called, making me pause just outside the car. “Proud of you, bud.”
“I’m a grown ass man,” I said, looking at her in disbelief.
“You’re still my little buddy,” she sang. “Love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Turning, I moved to shut the door. “You’ll keep this to yourself?”
“Don’t keep anything from your dad,” she reminded me. “But it won’t go further than that.”
“Thanks, Ma.”
“Anytime, kid.”
I shook my head as I closed the door and unlocked the Tahoe with the fob. Frankie wasn’t that much shorter than I was, so I barely had to adjust the seat when I got in. Hopefully if she noticed, she wouldn’t be too pissed about it.
The SUV was a nice ride. Frankie took really good care of it, and the inside was spotless except for a travel coffee mug that was sitting in the cupholder. She was getting low on gas, so I took it through the gas station and filled it before I headed back to her place. Next door was a car wash, so I ran it through there, too.
When I got back to the house and opened up the door, I was surprised to hear music playing in the kitchen. Following the sound, I found Frankie on her hands and knees, mopping the floor.
“Decided against the nap?” I asked, dropping the keys on the counter.
“Fuck!” she screamed, spinning to look at me and falling flat on her ass.
“A little light cleaning?”
“You scared the shit out of me,” she said, one hand pressed to her chest.