8. Frankie
EIGHT
FRANKIE
“Morning,” I say thickly as I see her shuffling into the kitchen. She looks utterly adorable wearing my shirt I took off last night. She shocked the shit out of me when I woke her up from sleeping on the sofa while we were watching a movie, and she asked to sleep in my shirt.
Last night when she called me over, I had no idea what had happened, but hearing the pain in her voice, there was no way that I wasn’t coming to her, I needed to know that she was okay.
Christ, I never expected to find out that her mom was pregnant with her ex-fiancé’s baby. That’s just fucking messed up in so many fucking ways. I thought my ex-wife Vivian was the worst mom I’d ever encountered, but Amanda’s mom will give Viv a fucking run for her money.
“Morning,” she mumbles, and I chuckle as she slowly lowers herself onto the stool and I slide her a cup of coffee. “Thank you for being here last night.”
“Anytime, Kitten,” I say, and I truly mean it.
I cook breakfast as she talks, she’s loosened up a lot in the past two months, she’s a lot happier, the hurt that was etched in her eyes was fading away but right now it’s back, and I fucking hate that.
“Breakfast is served,” I tell her as I place her plate down in front of her.
“Who are you feeding? The five thousand?” she asks, her eyes wide. “I won’t be able to eat all of this.”
“Eat what you can,” I murmur as I take a seat opposite her and get tucked in.
My cell buzzes a few minutes later. I see the email heading and groan.
Christmas Wishing Tree is upon us.
“What’s wrong?” Amanda asks with a furrowed brow.
“I forgot about the charity that I had promised I’d help. I’ve got a ton of work that I have to do and I won’t be able to do what the charity needs,” I say with a bite to my tone. I always try to help out charities each year, something to give back to the community.
“What is it?” she asks softly. “Can I help?”
“Every year, Hope For The Holidays charity does a Christmas Wishing Tree, each year a different business sponsors it. All money from the Wishing Tree goes to Hope For The Holidays,” I say scrubbing my hand over my face. “This year, Caldwell Global Security is sponsoring The Christmas Wishing Tree. I need to find space to put a tree, purchase the tree, decorate it, and promote it.”
She’s nodding along all the while typing in her cell. “Okay and what is The Christmas Wishing Tree?”
“Caldwell Global Security will set up a Christmas Wishing Tree, where children from Hope For The Holidays can hang ornaments with their wishes for gifts or necessities. These wishes will then be fulfilled by my company. Other individuals can also visit the tree and purchase a wish, with all proceeds going directly to the designated charity. Of course, their wishes won’t be fulfilled by me.”
She stares at me, her eyes wide and filled with tears. “That’s beautiful,” she whispers.
I nod. “It’s a worthy cause.”
She smiles at me. “It really is. Leave it with me, I’ll organize it all.”
I raise a brow. “That’s a huge undertaking, Mandy, I don’t want you to
feel overwhelmed," I say, concerned. She's already dealing with so much with her family drama.
Amanda shakes her head, a determined glint in her eye. "No, I want to do this. It'll be good for me to focus on something positive. Besides, I have experience with event planning from my old job."
I can't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Alright, if you're sure. But promise me you'll let me know if it gets to be too much."
"I promise," she says, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand. The simple touch sends a jolt through me.
"So, what's your plan?" I ask, curious to see what she comes up with.
Amanda's eyes light up as she starts outlining her ideas. "Well, first we need to find a high-traffic location for the tree. I’m thinking of either the mall or the local park."
I nod, impressed. "That's a great idea. But I’m not sure given the late notice, either will be available."
"You have little faith,” she says with a grin. “Now as," she continues. "For the decorations, we could reach out to local schools and have children help decorate it, get the entire community out, if not, maybe have them carol sing, what better way to raise money for the schools and charity."
As she talks, I find myself captivated. Not just by her ideas, which are brilliant, but by her passion. The sadness from earlier has been replaced by excitement, and I realize I'd do anything to keep that light in her eyes.
"Oh!" she exclaims. “I’ll speak with dad and Uncle Linc, they’ll no doubt help if I come under any problems. They’re old and know a lot of people.”
I press my lips together to stop laughing. Christ, her dad’s only five years older than I am. He’s not fucking old.
"Sounds like you've got it all figured out," I say, unable to hide my smile. Her enthusiasm is contagious.
Amanda beams at me, her eyes sparkling. "I'm excited about this, Frankie. It's been a while since I've had a project to sink my teeth into."
I nod, feeling a mix of pride and desire. She’s so fucking gorgeous, not being able to hold her is killing me. "You're going to do great, Kitten. Just remember, I'm here if you need anything."
She stands up, still wearing my shirt, and comes around the table. Before I know what's happening, she's wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. "Thank you," she whispers against my neck.
I freeze for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden closeness, before slowly bringing my arms up to return the embrace. She feels so small and warm against me, and I have to resist the urge to pull her closer.
"Anytime," I murmur, echoing my words from earlier.
She pulls back slightly, her face mere inches from mine. For a moment, I think she might kiss me, and I'm shocked by how much I want her to. But then she steps away, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.
"I should probably get dressed," she says, gesturing to my shirt. "I've got a lot of calls to make."
I clear my throat, trying to shake off the lingering effects of her nearness. "Right, of course.” I reach into my pocket and pull out my wallet. “Use this for everything you purchase,” I tell her as I hand her my credit card.
She beams. “Will do,” she reaches for the card and snatches it out of my hand, bouncing on her toes as she does. Which draws my attention to her breasts which are bouncing with her. Fuck. I need to get out of here, I need to get home, get changed, and get to work.
I watch as Amanda bounces away, my shirt barely covering her ass. I have to force myself to look away, reminding myself that she's not mine to ogle. She's been through hell, and the last thing she needs is me complicating things further.
As I hear the shower start up, I begin cleaning up the kitchen, trying to focus on anything but the image of her naked and wet just a few rooms away. I'm just finishing up when she emerges, dressed in her own clothes this time, hair damp and curling around her face.
I quickly move past her and reach for the shirt that she discarded, it’s still warm as I put it on. Fuck, I really do need to get the hell out of here.
"I'm heading out," I tell her, grabbing my keys. "You sure you're okay here?"
She nods, her gaze firmly on me. "Absolutely. I've got this under control. Thank you so much for everything."
“My pleasure, Kitten.” I hesitate at the door, not wanting to leave her alone after everything that happened last night. "You'll call if you need anything, right?"
Amanda looks up, her expression softening. "I promise, Frankie. Now go."
With a final nod, I head out, my mind already racing with thoughts of the day ahead. But as I drive home, I can't shake the feeling that something has shifted between us. The way she looked at me this morning, the way it felt to hold her...
I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I can't go down that road. Amanda has made it clear that she doesn’t want more. I won’t push her, because if I do, I could end up losing her completely.