Chapter 37
CHAPTER 37
DIXIE
I was so not looking forward to this, but I had to do it. I was not going to let this thing between me and Frankie fester. I was hoping after some time she would calm down and realize that this anger she had was silly. She had a new man in her life. I was carrying Hayes’s baby. There was no reason to deprive my child of his or her father because Frankie got her feelings hurt by a guy she never even slept with.
I wasn’t going to say it exactly like that, but something relatively similar. She had to see she was being ridiculous. Again, I wasn’t going to put it quite like that. I would try and be diplomatic, but if she was a jerk, I was going to leave and that would be that. It would be on her to decide if she was willing to cut off her only sister and future niece or nephew.
I climbed out of the car and stood in front of her building. Frankie’s apartment building was one of those modern ones with big windows and sleek metal balconies that screamed “I make more money than you.” I hadn’t been here often, and honestly, I’d hoped my next visit wouldn’t feel like a battlefield. But here I was, walking down the hall with my stomach in knots, praying my sister would hear me out.
When she opened the door, her expression told me everything I needed to know. She wasn’t ready. Her eyes were narrowed, her lips pressed in a thin line, and the warmth I used to take for granted was absent.
“Dixie,” she said flatly.
“Hi, Frankie.” I smiled, trying to break the tension, but it didn’t work.
“What?” she snapped.
Behind her, a man peeked out of the kitchen. Simon, I assumed. He was tall, with neatly combed hair and a disarming smile that made him seem like the kind of guy who always helped old ladies with their groceries. If she had a man like him, why in the hell was she so dead set on keeping me away from Hayes?
“Can we talk?” I asked.
Frankie hesitated before sighing and stepping aside to let me in. “Simon, this is my sister, Dixie.”
“Nice to meet you,” he said warmly, coming forward to shake my hand.
“You too,” I replied. He was attractive. Smooth. A real charmer. He looked like a man that was successful. I could see why Frankie liked him.
“We’re in the middle of brunch,” Frankie said.
It was her attempt to shoo me away. I wasn’t going to leave so quickly.
“No worries. I won’t stay long.” I glanced at Simon, who was picking up on the tension.
“Actually, I’ll clean up while you two talk.” He gestured toward the kitchen, clearly trying to give us space.
Frankie nodded, then led me out onto her balcony. The view was stunning—city skyline stretching into the horizon, sunlight glinting off glass buildings. I used to tease Frankie about her need to live somewhere so picturesque, but now I could see why she’d chosen this place. It wasn’t as nice as Hayes’s place, but with the way Frankie was moving up in the world, she would have a big penthouse one day.
We stood there in silence for a moment. I could feel the tension. I had really hoped I could walk in here and she would tell me she was sorry. I hoped she would pull me in for a hug.
Clearly, that was not going to happen.
“I’m sorry about what I said,” I began, my voice steady despite the lump in my throat. “I don’t want us to be like this, Frankie. You’re my sister. I love you.”
She didn’t respond right away. Instead, she leaned on the railing, staring out at the city. She was doing her best to pretend I wasn’t there.
“I know you’re mad at me, but whether you like it or not, you’re going to be an aunt. We need to figure out how to move past this. I want you in my baby’s life.”
Her head snapped toward me, her expression sharp. “Easy for you to say.”
“Easy?” I laughed bitterly. “Nothing about this is easy. I’m pregnant, Frankie. I’m scared, I’m overwhelmed, and I need my sister.”
Her face softened for a brief moment, but then her walls went back up. “I just… I’m not ready for this, Dixie. I’m not ready to accept it.”
I wanted to scream. I wanted to shake her and make her understand how much her support meant to me, how much I’d always been there for her when she needed me. But I swallowed the frustration, knowing that pushing her wouldn’t get us anywhere.
“Before I knew about the baby, I was ready to give Hayes up for you. I was ready to put you first, like I always do. But this—this changes everything. Now I need you to do the same for me. I need you to put me first, Frankie. Just this once. Not even me—my baby.”
She looked away, her jaw clenched. “I don’t know if I can.”
“Frankie, you have a man in there. A nice, attractive man. Why in the world do you want me to be single when you’ve obviously moved on?”
“That’s not the point,” she snapped.
“Isn’t it?” I asked with disbelief. “You’ve dated a lot of men since Hayes. I know you never slept with him.”
She shot me a dirty look. “And why does that matter?”
“That tells me it was never serious,” I said as gently as possible. “You’re staking a claim on a man you went out with a couple of times. You weren’t serious. And it was a long time ago.”
She was pissed. I could see the anger in her eyes. “You’re cruel, Dixie,” she said, shaking her head.
“I didn’t mean to be,” I said, stepping closer. “Frankie, I love you. And I want you to love me again. I want you to be in my baby’s life. And I want you to be happy for me.”
“With the man that broke my heart,” she said with disgust. “You’ve always been jealous of me. This is your way of getting back at me.”
“No, it isn’t. I’ve admired your drive, but I would never try and get back at you.”
“Whatever,” she said and rolled her eyes.
“Frankie—”
“You can leave now,” she interrupted, her tone final.
“Frankie, we’re sisters. Cradle to grave. I just heard that, and it is so true. We’ve been close our whole lives. When Mom and Dad are gone, it’s just us.”
“Is that all you came for?” she asked, her tone cold.
I wanted to yell, to fight, to make her see reason, but I knew it wouldn’t help. Instead, I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “I’ll be here when you’re ready. When you want to talk, when you want to work through this—however you need to. I’m not giving up on us, Frankie.”
For a split second, I thought I saw hesitation in her eyes. But then she shrugged it off and turned toward the door. “I’ll walk you out.”
Our goodbye was awkward, stiff, and completely unlike us. I felt like a stranger in her life, and it hurt.
As I stepped into the hallway, I heard footsteps behind me. Turning, I saw Simon jogging to catch up.
“Hey,” he said, scratching the back of his neck nervously. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but is there anything I can do to help? I mean, Frankie’s been really upset lately. I can tell this has been hard on her. I just… I want to support her, you know? She’s upset in there.”
I studied him for a moment. He seemed genuine, his concern written all over his face. He really cared about Frankie. She was a damn fool to let a good one get away because she was hung up on a man she couldn’t have.
“It’s good to know she has someone like you looking out for her,” I said. “That makes me happy. Honestly, just be there. Listen when she needs to vent. And if you really want to win points, bring her scalloped potatoes. That always worked when we were kids.”
Simon chuckled. “Scalloped potatoes, huh? I’ll keep that in mind.”
I smiled at him. I was grateful my sister seemed to have a good man who cared about her.
“This is just such a weird time,” he said with a shake of his head.
“I bet,” Dixie said. “But you’re a good guy, Simon. A lot of men would have their ego hurt if they knew this was all over an ex-boyfriend.”
“I didn’t realize it had anything to do with her ex,” he said with a frown.
I froze. My mouth moved before my brain could catch up. I realized what I said about ten seconds too late. “What?” I squeaked.
“You said it was over an ex-boyfriend,” Simon said with a confused expression. “Is that true? You guys are fighting over a man?”
My heart pounded in my chest. “No, I didn’t mean—I mean, it’s not… Look, Simon, I shouldn’t have said anything.”
But it was too late. His expression changed. He was not happy. I could already see the way this was going to spiral, and Frankie was going to go from being pissed at me to being furious with me.
“I should have known,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I should’ve known it was more than just a disagreement between sisters.”
“Simon, wait?—”
“Thanks for telling me the truth,” he said, cutting me off. Then he turned and walked back to the apartment, leaving me standing there with my heart in my throat.
For a moment, I considered running after him, trying to explain or smooth things over. But deep down, I knew the damage was done. No amount of words would fix this right now. She had kept the truth from him and I had let it slip.
So I fled, my stomach twisting with guilt and regret.
Shit .
I really messed up. If there was ever a glimmer of hope that Frankie would forgive me for staying with Hayes, it was gone now. That ship had sailed.
I walked back to my car, my hands trembling as I fumbled with the keys. I had just made everything worse—much worse. All because I couldn’t keep my damn mouth shut.
As I drove away, my mind raced. What would Frankie do? Would she confront me? Ignore me forever? And Simon—God, Simon. He seemed like such a decent guy. I’d just handed him a reason to doubt Frankie, to question her feelings for him. I’d dragged him into our mess without even realizing it.
I walked in the shop and heard my phone buzz in my purse. For a split second, I hoped it was Frankie. And then I changed my mind. If she was calling me, she was going to yell at me.
I pulled out my phone only to discover it was from scam likely .
It was the first time in my life I had been relieved by one of those calls.