Chapter 20
FRANKIE
The second I close the front door behind Logan, Sloane and Liz come sliding down the hall from the kitchen, jockeying for who gets to ask the first question.
I hold up my hand to finish my text messages with Logan, which gives them a chance to catch their breaths.
“Okay, spill,” Liz says when I finally put my phone down. “He followed you here?”
“I don’t know where to begin.”
“He’s…” Sloane fans her face at Liz. Then she waggles her eyebrows at me. “Is he big all over?”
“Sloane!” I press my lips together and nod. “Yeah.”
“Amazing.” She sighs and swoons onto the couch. “He seems fun.”
“He’s a hockey player.”
“Oh,” Liz says.
“For my dad’s team.”
“Oh.” That’s Sloane.
Liz’s eyes bug out. “Shut up. What are the chances? And you didn’t know that in Vegas?”
“Not that night. I, um, figured it out right before we fell asleep.”
“Wow.” Sloane nods slowly. “He does look like a hockey player.”
Liz laughs. “It’s funny that he said he works in TV.”
“He’s very clever,” I admit. “And I don’t know, maybe I was in denial? I knew he was athletic, but we agreed not to talk about his job, because he was having a bad week, and it was his birthday.” I take a deep breath. “We did something stupid, and you can’t tell anyone.”
Liz laughs and looks at Sloane. “What, did you get married?”
I don’t say anything.
As one, they both gape at me.
“No way,” Liz whispers.
“It just happened. Accidentally, sort of.”
Sloane nods, like she can understand finding oneself in that predicament. “In the same way you accidentally eat a chocolate bar, because it’s just too delicious?”
I hate how accurate that comparison is.
“One thing just sort of led to another.” I tell them the whole story, starting with the fact that my dad healthy scratched Logan, even though he’s the best player on the team, and ending with us going back to his room a married couple who somehow never talked about his job or the reason my father was in Vegas.
“Our dads actually played together briefly when I was little. Minneapolis. It’s where Logan’s family lives.
His dad played his entire career there, and now his oldest brother plays there, too. ”
“I thought that meant something more than he was letting on,” Liz muses.
“Oh.” Sloane’s eyes go really big. “So he’s not just a hockey player, but like, hockey royalty?”
I don’t like it when she puts it like that. But I nod, because it’s true.
“And your asshole dad who couldn’t move his family to a new city every few months doesn’t like the son of one of his former teammates? Shocker.” Her voice shifts to cool detachment. “Honestly, I like this for you. It’s poetic.”
“It’s not. Don’t say that. I don’t want to get back at my dad or anything like that.”
“No, of course you don’t, you’re a nice person.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “But I can enjoy the karma of it all.”
“Well, since you’re such a fan…would you mind if I ask for you guys to be scarce tomorrow evening? As much fun as I know you had watching me twist and turn as you grilled him, I want to have one on one time with him.”
“He should rent you a fancy suite at a nice hotel,” Sloane says. “Pretty Woman style.”
Liz rolls her eyes. “You saw how she came shlepping out after her shower in…” She gestures to my sweatpants. “That. She wants to test him with real life Frankie.”
“Real life Francesca,” Sloane says, swooning.
“Fuck you both.”
Liz sticks out her tongue. “I can stay at Merry’s apartment, no worries.”
“I guess I can see if Hot Thoracic Fellow wants to have a sleepover,” Sloane adds. HTF hasn’t yet risen to the level of having his real name shared with us.
“You don’t have to stay away all night,” I protest. “Just maybe don’t join us for dinner.”
“Babe, if he’s all that, and you’re not going to see him again for months… We’ll stay clear until the morning.”
“I rescind the fuck you both. I love you. Thank you.” And then I grab my phone again, not even bothering to hide my silly, girlish smile.
Frankie
Liz and Sloane are going to make themselves scarce tomorrow night, so we’ll have the house to ourselves
Frankie
And you asked if I preferred Francesca or Frankie…my friends and family all call me Frankie…I’m just Francesca at work
Frankie
But it’s up to you, whatever
Logan
I can’t wait to see you tomorrow night, Frankie
Logan
And I just started chapter eleven of your Shadow Daddy book
I grin, thinking about what’s coming in the next few chapters.
Frankie
Oh yeah? Chapter thirteen is my fave.
Logan
Please tell me they kiss soon.
Frankie
Didn’t she just threaten to kill him?
Logan
You gave me murder eyes and I immediately got a kiss afterwards
Frankie
Murder eyes?
Logan
Compliment, I swear