Chapter 16
NOAH
“That will be twenty dollars and fifty-two cents,” the cashier said.
Noah’s phone started to buzz as he pulled out his wallet. Who could be calling him right now? Noah handed the cashier his credit card as he looked at his phone.
Rainey.
Worry flowed through him as he answered the call.
“Rainey? Is everything all right?” Noah asked.
“No!” Rainey’s panicked voice came through the phone. “Frankie has locked herself in the bathroom, and we can’t get her out.”
Noah’s eyebrows pulled together as he looked at the cashier and grabbed his credit card.
“Receipt in the bag?” she asked.
“Please,” he responded. “What do you mean she is locked in the bathroom?”
“She knocked over her tea and ran out to look for you before she ran into the bathroom and locked it. No one can get in and we are worried about her,” Rainey whispered toward the end. “Where are you?”
“I’m on my way.” He hung up and took the bag from the cashier.
Once Noah got onto the sidewalk, he ran the rest of the way to the coffee shop. It didn’t take him long, and before he knew it, he was throwing his stuff on a random table and making his way to the back of the coffee shop where the bathroom was.
“Is she still in there?” Noah asked.
“Yes,” Rainey replied, tears in her eyes.
“Why don’t you guys go sit at the table and let me talk to her?” he suggested.
He knew Frankie wouldn’t want a group of people around while he tried to get her to come out, even if they were her friends. All the girls left, leaving Noah standing outside the women’s bathroom.
“Little One?” He gently knocked on the door. “Can you open for Daddy?”
Silence.
He looked at the door, worry filling him with each passing second.
“Can you let Daddy know if you are okay?” he asked. “Daddy is really worried about you.”
Did something else happen?
“Frankie, I need to hear your voice to know whether you are okay. Are you hurt?” he asked once again. “Are you physically hurt?”
“No,” she whispered.
Noah sucked in a breath and slowly let it out. She wasn’t physically harmed, which was great. He had no doubt she felt embarrassed for spilling the drink, but she didn’t have to worry about that. That was the last thing she should worry about when she was hanging out with the other Littles.
“Can you open the door for Daddy?” he gently asked. “I would love to see you and make sure you are okay. Do you want a hug?”
More silence filled the hallway they were in. Patient. That was what Noah needed to be right now.
“I can wrap my arms around you tightly and hold you close to me.” Noah kept talking, trying to coax her out of the bathroom.
This had worked once while they had been together, and he hoped it would work again.
“Little One?” he called out. “Daddy is getting awfully lonely out here. He would love for his Little to come out and give him a hug. Help ease his worries.”
The door unlocked, and he patiently waited for her to open it when she was ready.
“Can Daddy come in?” he suggested.
“It’s the girls’ bathroom,” he heard her say.
“Rainey won’t mind if I come in to help calm you down. I think she would want me to do that. All of them are worried about you,” he spoke.
The door cracked open, and he could see Frankie’s eyes.
“Really?” she whispered.
He nodded. “They really are. Rainey called me right away and told me to come.”
“Where were you? I ran to the car,” she mumbled.
His heart broke in two. He wasn’t there like he told her he would be.
“I’m sorry, Little One. I went to the store to buy something,” he told her. “I looked in and saw how happy you were with them. I thought I had time to go to the store. I’m sorry.”
“I went looking for you,” she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes.
“Come here.” He held his arms open.
Frankie opened the door wider and rushed into his arms, holding him tight. Noah wrapped his arms around her, making her feel secure.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. Next time, I won’t move from my spot until you are done hanging out with them,” Noah told her.
There was going to be a next time, he was sure of it.
“Now, why don’t we go out and let the other Littles know you are okay?” he suggested.
Frankie pulled away from him and shook her head. “Can we just go home? I just want to go home and crawl under the covers.”
Noah felt conflicted as he looked at her. He wanted to tell her they couldn’t, so she faced her fears and saw that it wasn’t as bad, but he didn’t want to push her too far. What if he made them stay, and she retreated to not going to the club?
“Frankie,” Rainey called out. “We were so worried about you!”
Frankie held onto him tighter as he looked over at Rainey. She was walking down the hallway, Echo following close behind her.
“You have to come back out and stay with us,” Echo begged.
“I want to go home,” Frankie whispered.
“Stay for a little while longer?” Echo asked. “Please. Everyone makes mistakes. I promise it won’t be the last one in the coffee shop today.”
“Echo is right. We have people spilling all the time,” Rainey pointed out.
Noah pulled away and grabbed Frankie’s hand. “Let’s go out and see the other Littles, and then you can make a decision. Sound okay?”
Frankie pouted but nodded her agreement. The four of them walked back into the main room and straight toward the table they had been sitting at. No one looked at them, and Noah was thankful. Frankie would have bolted if everyone were looking at her.
“Frankie!” Monroe announced. “Come sit by me again. We are going to be best friends.”
Frankie gripped his hand tighter, staying silent.
“Excuse me?” An older lady stopped them. “Young lady?”
Frankie and Noah turned to see the woman looking at Frankie. Noah was on alert, waiting to defend Frankie if she needed it.
“I used to be the same way you are, hands tremoring and worried people were looking at me all the time. Worried I was going to spill anything I picked up or break it,” the older lady started.
“But at some point, you just have to let it go and not care or worry about it. Life goes on, and you have to enjoy it. Everyone makes messes in this world. You aren’t the first, and you aren’t going to be the last, either.
So don’t worry about it. Live your life instead of watching it go by. ”
Everyone was quiet. Noah wasn’t expecting her to say something like that.
“Umm,” Frankie whispered.
“Here is my phone number. I’ve gone through exactly what you are going through. If you want to talk, call me.” The older lady handed a piece of paper to Frankie. “And make sure to keep your Daddy close. He’s even invited if you want to bring him along.” She winked at Frankie before walking away.