Chapter Seventeen
ADDISON
I shriek again as the truck swerves and dips, hitting a massive bump in the rocky sand of the desert and narrowly avoiding a saguaro before finally coming to a harsh stop.
My body rocks forward and then slams against the backrest, the seatbelt tightening against me as one of Frankie’s arms flings across my body in a valiant effort at keeping me safe.
“Are you okay?” they say, chest heaving for breath as they turn to me.
Their eyes search my body as their hands start patting every inch they can reach.
“Holy shit,” I say, panting.
I hold a hand up in front of me and it trembles as adrenaline courses through my veins.
“Addison!” Frankie’s hands bracket my face, turning my eyes to theirs as they search my head.
“Yeah!” I say. “Yeah, I’m fine. You? Are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” Frankie says, running a hand over my hair to check for bumps as I realize with dawning horror and euphoria what just happened.
“Holy shit!” I yell, a manic grin spreading across my face.
“What?” Frankie says, panic lacing their voice. Their gaze searches me frantically, but they freeze when it lands on my smile. “Addison? ”
“I got it!”
“Sorry?”
“I got the job! The email! Oh my god, I almost killed us, I’m so sorry,” I say.
My emotions are going haywire, jumping from thrilled to horrified and back to ecstatic, then to doubt. My eyebrows pull in as I try to recall the email and can’t picture it clearly. My memory of the last couple minutes is all fuzzy chaos.
“I mean, I think I got the job.”
I start patting around, searching the seat and floor for my phone. Frankie calls it when I can’t find it, and we hear it ring from deep under the seat. I bend over and snag it, then open my email again, my eyes searching for those magic words.
When I look up from my phone, biting my lip against the massive grin threatening to take over my entire face, Frankie is wearing a look I can only describe as cautiously hopeful.
“You…” They pause to clean their throat. “You really got it?”
I nod, my head bouncing so hard I can’t see straight. Or maybe that’s the tears starting to blur my vision.
“I got it,” I whisper, then turn my phone so Frankie can see it.
They clasp one hand under mine, steadying my shaky hold as they read. I watch their face transform. As the doubt turns to confidence, the caution turns to eager anticipation, the hope turns to joy and pride.
“You got it,” they say.
Rich, hazel eyes, glowing in the desert sun, look up from my phone and snag me in their depths. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
Frankie drops the phone in my lap and yanks me in for a hug. “You fucking got it! I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Frankie,” I say, wiping beneath my eyes before the tears can fall. I’ll never have to see either of my horrible exes again. I don’t have to even think their names if I don’t want to; with this transfer, I shouldn’t have to work or correspond with him ever again .
On top of that, Frankie and I can be together.
“Oh my god,” I say, my breath coming faster again as those thoughts settle in. “Holy shit.”
“Addison?”
“We can do it,” I say, beaming at them, the tears in my eyes for a completely different reason now.
Frankie looks bewildered, and I almost feel bad for the roller coaster I’m putting them through.
“We can…?”
“Us, together,” I say.
Before Frankie has a chance to react, I reach over and palm the side of their neck, pulling our bodies together and fusing our lips. Such soft, perfect lips that curve into a smile beneath mine.
“Hell yeah, we can,” Frankie says, pulling away to tip our foreheads together. “Good thing I packed a bag.”
“What?” Now it’s my turn for bewilderment.
Frankie smirks.
“You didn't think I’d just let you go, did you? I haven’t gotten my fill of you yet, sweets.”
I blink at them. They packed a bag… they want to come with me?
Frankie jerks their chin at the bed of the truck and I twist in my seat to see an olive green duffle bag next to my luggage.
Frankie, still smirking, places one more kiss at the corner of my gaping mouth before putting the truck in drive and easing it back onto the highway.
~~~
I have no idea how they did it, but somehow Frankie got the seat next to mine on the plane.
I don’t think I look at my book once the entire flight, I just stare at them with a dopey smile on my face.
I’m astounded that this person who has never cared to leave the tiny town of Stone Ridge before didn’t think twice before hopping on a plane with me to another state.
“What?” Frankie says, glancing at me from the corner of their eye as we wait for our luggage at baggage claim .
“Nothing,” I say, still grinning.
They smile back and sling an arm around my waist, tugging my body into theirs. They grab our bags one by one as they round the carousel and I order a ride.
My leg bounces with nerves during the drive, and my smile has dropped into a nervous grimace.
“You okay?” Frankie asks.
“I’m good, just, I don’t know. A little nervous for you to see my place, I guess.”
“You know I’ve seen pictures and heard about it from Everly, right?”
“I mean yeah, but still. I’ve changed it a lot and it’s…” I pause with a cringe. I was going to say that it’s a lot compared to their place, which it is, but that seems rude.
“Bigger than my apartment?” Frankie says for me, one eyebrow raised.
I grimace and shrug. Of course they knew what I was going to say.
“Sweets, I know. I’m not uncomfortable with how much money you have, same as I don’t care how much Everly has.
I’m used to you rich folks,” they say with a grin, bumping their knee to mine.
“Besides, I’m doing just fine financially.
If you want me to feel threatened, you’ll have to try a lot harder than that. ”
“You sure it’s not weird?”
“Positive.”
“Okay,” I say, slouching into the seat with relief.
“Although…” Frankie says, eyeing me up and down. “I never considered the idea before now, but if you want to be my sugar momma, I might consider it.”
I gasp, my gaze flying to the driver who is clearly holding in a laugh as my cheeks flame.
Frankie doesn’t have much tact. They laugh freely and reach across the middle seat to take my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Then Frankie rolls their window down, turning their face to the fresh air as it whips through their floppy curls.
I trace the tattoos down their arm with my free hand, raising goosebumps along Frankie’s arm as I go.
They smile and close their eyes, head dropping back to the seat behind them.
~~ ~
“You’re sure Everly is cool with keeping an eye on Roasted for that long?” I ask.
Frankie had called Everly from the truck as soon as they heard the good news, and she immediately agreed to help out—for an entire week—while Frankie was gone.
The two teenagers Frankie hired seemed to think Frankie was being silly for worrying that they couldn’t handle it on their own, and Frankie rolled their eyes at their casual dismissal of the situation.
I know Frankie did a good job training them, though. They’ll be fine, especially with Everly there if anything sticky comes up.
“Yeah,” Frankie says. “It’ll be fine, I trust your sister. She spends half her time at Roasted anyways. Stop worrying.”
I’m unpacking my suitcase in my bedroom when Frankie wraps their arms around me from behind. True to their word, they didn’t bat an eye at the multi-million dollar beach house I live in.
I turn in their embrace and twine my arms around their neck.
“Well, if you’re sure you can stay that long,” I say, “I’ve got an idea of something we could do…”
“Check out all your favorite local coffee shops so you can tell me how much better my mochas are?”
I laugh. “Sure, if that’s what you want.”
“Parade me around town and show me off to all your fancy, rich friends?”
“I don’t have any fancy, rich friends, but I’ll happily parade you around anywhere you’d like to go.”
Frankie starts swaying our bodies slightly as they continue to tease me.
“You’ll let me ravish you in every single room of this massive house?”
I grin. “Obviously.”
“Am I getting close?”
“Hmm,” I tip my head sideways. “Parade was kind of close.”
Frankie’s gaze darts to the side as their eyes narrow, trying to figure it out for real now.
“Give up?” I taunt.
“Fine,” Frankie says. “What will we do?”
“Go to Pride, of course! San Diego is so extra. A month isn’t enough for us, so we celebrate in July too.
The parade is the day before we fly back, and there’s always fun events, shows, music, drag, everything!
The whole weekend! It’s really fun, what do you think?
” I end up talking so fast I wonder if they can keep up with what I’m saying.
Frankie is grinning, though.
“You know, I’ve never been to a real Pride celebration. Stone Ridge only puts up a few flags for the month and calls it good.”
“I figured,” I say. “Soooo is that a yes?”
“Yeah, sweets. Let’s go to Pride.”
Frankie twirls our bodies and dips me into a kiss. I laugh against their lips, then dance my tongue against theirs as they pull me upright and back us into the bed.
~~~
I go into the office for at least a few hours every day over the next week to get my old desk cleared out and pick up my new laptop, have IT get everything set up for me, complete all the transfer paperwork with HR, meet my new in-person coworkers and manager, and receive the key card I’ll need to get into the new office building.
We also do as much onboarding as we can while I’m in town, since I don’t plan to be here next week.
When I’m not at the office, I’m working from home trying to close out my current position and ensure I have everything ready to transfer starting next week. I asked if it could be as quick a turn-around as possible, and HR didn’t push back when I proposed a one week timeline.
On the one hand, I wanted to make the chances of seeing Benji as small as possible.
On the other, part of me wanted to confront him.
For the first time since we broke up years ago, I’m confident in who I am and my place in this world.
I feel like I could hold my shoulders straight and look him in the eye without cowering or cringing away.
I realize that knowing that, having the resolve and belief in myself, is enough.
In the end, I’m glad I didn’t see him. He doesn’t deserve any more of my time or energy.
Meanwhile, Frankie drives themselves crazy doing nothing while I’m gone, apart from texting me constantly.
I’ve learned not to check my phone during meetings, since half the time they’re sending suggestive pictures, bordering on nudes.
I try to tell them to relax, but I don’t think they understand the meaning of the word.
Their enthusiasm whenever I get home is infectious, their presence bordering on addictive.
I already can’t imagine my life without them in it.
When I’m working from home, Frankie does everything in their power to distract me, and I don’t hate it.
I swear they get sexier every time I come back from the office.
Their curls get messier, their hazel eyes brighter, their forearms more stark, their tattoos more striking, their smile more dangerous.
I end up working the oddest hours, because somehow I keep losing all my clothes in the middle of the day.
And I don’t utter one peep of protest, because I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“What if you were naked when I got home from work?” I say.
Frankie laughs. “Well, if it wasn’t Friday, I’d do it. Kinda pissed I didn’t think of that actually. Lucky for us though, you don’t have to work tomorrow.”
I kiss their bare shoulder.
“Lucky,” I murmur, pressing a smile against their skin.
That’s definitely true. I’m the luckiest woman alive.