10. Chapter 8
FRANKIE
“ F alling asleep?” Trent asked.
Frankie squealed and quickly turned around. “No!”
Trent eyed her up and down, probably considering how tired she looked. Frankie hadn’t had a cleaning job in a while, and it was kicking her in the bottom. The number of times she had to get up off the ground before lowering herself back down was too many to count.
She was going to be sore tomorrow.
How was she going to do this job if on day one she was panting and wanting to quit?
No, she couldn’t quit. She told Noah she wouldn’t do that to him, and she needed the insurance and money.
She needed to stick it out. It couldn’t always be like this, right?
Maybe they hadn’t had a cleaner in a while, and the person who came in before her didn’t do a good job?
Nothing was making sense in her mind anymore. Was she even thinking in English? What other language would she be thinking in? English was the only language she knew.
“Woah.” Trent held onto her shoulders. “You’re okay. Take a deep breath. Why don’t you sit down?”
She shook her head. If she sat down now, she would not be able to get back up, and it would be embarrassing.
“Are you okay, Frankie?” he asked. “Do you need anything?”
“I’m okay,” she whispered.
But she was anything but okay. Not getting enough sleep, not eating, and drinking enough was taking a toll on her. Or maybe it was everything in her life catching up to her, and she wasn’t dealing with it well.
Trent eyed her, obviously not liking her answer. Or maybe he didn’t hear her.
“I’m okay,” she repeated.
“I heard you the first time, but I have to disagree. When was the last time you drank something?” he asked, keeping hold of her shoulders.
“Lunch?” she replied, unsure. When was the last time? She didn’t keep track of things like that. It was too cumbersome to try to remember it all when so many other important things were happening around her.
“I don’t like that answer,” he grumbled. “You stay right here, leaning against the wall, while I get you a drink of water. Understand?”
“Yes.” she leaned against the wall like he said.
If she leaned her head on the wall, she might fall asleep on the spot. The club was in a good part of town, and having so many people in here was making her feel safe. Which was something she wasn’t used to, and it was showing just how exhausted she was.
How much longer could she keep up being so vigilant about her surroundings? How much longer could she go without getting good sleep?
Frankie knew it wasn’t long, and she was worried she was going to pass out anywhere and be in trouble. Would people look after her, or would they let anything happen to her? A shiver made its way through her body at the thought. No time to think about that.
“Frankie?” Trent called out.
“Yes?” She opened her eyes and looked at him.
“Here’s a straw. You just drink some, and I’ll hold the cup. Why don’t we get you in the employee break room?” Trent suggested. “You're done with work and should be heading home.”
She had been on her way to the employee room when she got dizzy and needed a second to regain her composure. That was when she found herself leaning against the wall, eyes closed and ready to fall asleep.
“I know,” she mumbled against the straw. “I was just about to leave.”
Frankie didn’t know if Dominic was taking her home or if someone else was on shift was. It was something she needed to ask, but hadn’t found the courage to yet.
“Let's get you sitting so you can take a couple of seconds to regain your balance and then I can help you get where you need to be,” Trent offered kindly, wrapping his arm around her waist.
“I just need help getting to the room. I’ll take a couple of minutes, but I should be good after that. I think I just stood up too fast,” she tried to explain.
But she hadn’t been sitting when she got dizzy. She had been walking, which he wasn’t going to find out. Trent then would tell Noah, and she didn’t want that. Not on her first day. She wanted to make sure everything went smoothly. Noah didn’t have to worry about anything.
“Are you sure?” Trent gave her a worried look as he helped her sit down.
“Yes, I’m sure. I just need a couple of minutes to come round, then I’ll be brand new. Sorry about that,” she apologized.
“No need. I’m just glad I was there and you didn’t fall and hurt yourself.” He smiled and held out the cup. “If you need anything, you call out and I’ll be here.”
She nodded and took the cup, holding it close to her so he didn’t see any of the shaking, if there was any. She wanted not to care, but she did.
“Remember, if you need anything, you call out and I’ll come. No matter how big or small it is.” Trent gave her a pointed look.
“Promise.” She gave him a wobbly thumbs up.
Trent exited the room, leaving her alone. She quickly placed the water on the bench and took a deep breath. Everything was going to be okay. She just needed to sit here for a couple of minutes, and then she would be like nothing ever happened.
But as Frankie sat there, the exhaustion weighed down on her. The security of knowing nothing would happen to her here was making her even sleepier. Taking a nap wouldn’t hurt. Closing her eyes for a couple of minutes wasn’t going to kill her, right?
Frankie looked around the room, checking that no one was around. It wasn’t going to kill her, and there was no rule that she couldn’t close her eyes when she was off the clock. With that, she closed her eyes for a couple of minutes.