Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
“ J ust come in the house,” Frankie said to Jack. She felt for the guy. And not just because he’d agreed to pay her ten grand for a portrait of his father, but that had definitely given him a spot in her heart. “You can hang out inside until it’s dark, then you won’t be seen going across the breezeway. We’ll turn off all the outdoor lights to be sure.”
Harper nodded. “That’s a great idea. You can have dinner with us, hang out, watch a movie, whatever you want to do. We’ll keep you entertained.”
“We can play cards,” Willa offered.
Jack smiled. “You ladies are all right, man. That’s a righteous offer. I think I’ll do that. Let those paps stew. I’m not ready to wave the white flag just yet.”
Mitch clapped him on the back. “You’re in good hands.” He tipped his head at Harper. “We can skip tonight’s chat if you want. Wait, maybe we can’t.” He made a face. “I just remembered Kyle wants to talk to you about brainstorming.”
“No worries,” Harper said. “I’ll be over at six like usual.”
“All right, thanks.” He got back in the golf cart. “Have a good night.”
They all waved. Jack held his hand up the longest. “Take it easy, brother.”
Archie tugged at the leash. Willa nodded. “Okay, let’s go.” She looked at her mom. “I’ll be in as soon as he’s done.”
“We won’t have too much fun without you.” Frankie could only smile. Jack Marsh might be too old to be a heartthrob to Willa, but he was still a major movie star and Willa had to be beside herself with excitement knowing she was going to hang out with him tonight.
Frankie was pretty excited, too. Sure, she’d rather be with Lucas, but he needed time with his brother. But spending an evening with Jackson Marsh? Nothing like that had ever happened to her before.
“Come on,” Harper said. “We might as well go in and get comfortable.”
They went inside, Jack letting the women go ahead of him. As they walked into the living room, Jack looked around. “You haven’t changed anything. I guess I didn’t really notice that before, man.”
Harper shook her head. “Nope. I didn’t see any reason to. It’s beautiful. And I like that it reminds me of your dad.”
He smiled. “Hey, would it be cool if I made dinner? Seems like the least I could do.”
Frankie already liked the guy, but this increased his star power in her eyes. “You cook?”
“You better believe I do, man.” Then Jack groaned. “I just remembered I have a package of four beautiful filets and some frozen shrimp out on the counter. I was letting the shrimp defrost and the steaks come to room temperature.”
Frankie hooked her thumb toward the guest house. “I can run over there and get it. No one has a clue who I am.”
Jack nodded. “Cool, cool. That would be great. Would you grab my tablet, too? It’s on the coffee table.”
“Sure,” Frankie said. “Is the door open?”
“Yep.”
“Be right back.” She scurried to retrieve the food and his tablet. It was almost like they were becoming friends. She was being weird, and she knew it, but she couldn’t stop herself from being a little bit of a fangirl.
As she walked across the breezeway, she glanced out at the boats, scowling at them. Even if they were the reason Jack Marsh was about to cook her family dinner. She was going to have to tell Buck about this. He’d never believe it.
Although she supposed she couldn’t tell Buck just yet. Jack’s being here was still a secret. Or was it? Hadn’t it been revealed that he was here? Were they pretending he wasn’t? She was confused about that. She’d ask when she got back to the main house.
She went into the guest house. Jack’s cologne lingered in the air. Or maybe that was a scented candle. There was one burning on the side table. She blew it out, just to be safe.
She found the food on the counter just as he’d said. The bag of shrimp was still pretty icy and sitting in a small puddle of condensation. She let the excess drip into the sink, then wiped up the water with a kitchen towel.
The package of steak was wrapped in white butcher paper. She grabbed it, the shrimp, and his tablet off the coffee table. She carried everything back to the house.
Willa was in the kitchen, talking to Harper and Jack. Archie was drinking from his water bowl. Frankie put the steaks on the counter, the bag of shrimp in the sink, and handed Jack his tablet. “There you go.”
“Thanks, man. Much appreciated.” He took it, giving Frankie a big smile.
“Mom, one of the boats came in close and yelled questions at me.”
“Like what?” Frankie asked. She didn’t like the idea of her daughter being harassed by paparazzi.
“They kept yelling, ‘Is Jack inside?’” Willa rolled her eyes. “Idiots.”
“What did you tell them?” Frankie could only imagine.
“I ignored them,” Willa said. “Seriously, I didn’t even make eye contact.”
Jack nodded proudly. “That’s my girl.” He exchanged a fist bump with Willa, who seemed to be glowing ever so slightly. Jack pointed at her. “Sous-chef?”
“Sure,” Willa said with a happy little shrug. “What do you need me to do?”
“We’ve gotta clean these shrimp and put them in a quick marinade, and we also need to season the steaks and figure out our sides. Cool?”
“Cool.” Willa nodded. “Just show me what you want done.”
“You two have fun,” Frankie said. “I’m going to work for a bit.” She headed back to the office.
Harper followed her, taking a seat on the loveseat as Frankie sat behind the desk to check her email. “I won’t bother you,” Harper said. “Just wanted to hang out. Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
“Jack and Willa cooking is kind of cute.”
Frankie nodded. “It is. She’s having a blast. He’s very sweet.”
“He is.” Harper had her phone in her hand. “I hope Angelo can help him. And Mitch.”
“So do I.” Frankie opened her email. There was the response she’d been waiting for from Stacy. Plus another email from an address she didn’t recognize, but the subject line caught her eye: Stacy sent me about a book cover.
Frankie took a breath. “Hang on, I have some emails I need to deal with.”
“Go right ahead.”
Frankie clicked on Stacy’s first.
Hi Frankie,
I love LOVE the logo. It’s literally perfect. I am beyond happy. I cannot wait to see the T-shirt designs. You’re really good. I know from Lucas that you’re still getting your business going, but I have no doubt you’re going to be huge immediately. I will happily give you a shoutout when I reveal my AMAZING new logo. Go ahead and invoice me for anything not covered by the deposit if the logo was more than that.
Again, thank you so much. Utter perfection.
Love,
Stacy
With an exhale of relief, Frankie sent a quick message back.
Hi Stacy,
I’m so pleased you liked the logo. It is one of the more beautiful pieces I’ve done, if I do say so myself. The deposit covered it. I should have a few T-shirt designs to you tomorrow. I hope they make you just as happy.
I’ll send the high-resolution files of the logo along shortly.
All the best,
Frankie
She went into Stacy’s folder and opened her logo file. Frankie changed the name so that she’d know it was the final version, then she made three new versions of the logo, just like she’d done for Lucas. One that had a transparent background, which could be used on pretty much anything, one specifically for light-colored backgrounds, and one for dark-colored backgrounds.
She attached those in a new email and sent them off. Then she opened the other interesting email about the book cover.
Ms. Vaughn,
My name is Allan Westmore. I write epic science fiction under the name A.T. Westmore. I’ll be launching a new trilogy soon and I’m looking for something really eye-catching. I want original art. I need this new series to stand out. My friend Stacy said that’s something you can do.
I’ve looked at your website and didn’t see anything specific to my needs, but I’d still like to talk. Is a sci-fi book cover something you feel you could do? What would the price range for something like that be? Keep in mind, I’d need three covers.
If you’re interested, I’d like to talk further.
Allan
Frankie smiled. She was definitely interested.
“What are you smiling about?” Harper asked.
“Lucas’s influencer friend, Stacy, who I did the logo for? She referred one of her friends to me for possibly three science-fiction book covers.”
Harper’s brows went up. “Hey, that’s cool. You’ve done book covers before, right?”
“A few, and mostly just children’s books, but if he gives me an idea of what he wants, I don’t see why I couldn’t do it.”
Harper grinned. “You’re really making a go of this, aren’t you?”
Frankie took a breath. “I am trying. With everything in me, I want this to work.”
“It will. Between the money Buck gave you, and the commission from Jack, you should be in good shape.”
Frankie nodded. “I will be. Thanks, by the way, for telling him ten grand. I never would have done that.”
“I know,” Harper said.
“That painting for Jack could take as much as two weeks, which I don’t mind at all. I want it to be amazing. But I don’t think I’ll be able to get much else done in those two weeks.”
“Maybe you could work a little at night, you know, while we’re watching TV or whatever. And listen, you don’t have to worry about cooking or cleaning up or any of that during those two weeks. Willa and I will handle it.”
“I’ve thought about working at night. Just depends on how much brain power I have left after a day of painting. As for not helping around the house, that’s very kind of you, but I don’t want to feel like a freeloader.”
“Frankie, you’re working on building your business. Getting things on a firm footing. Let Willa and I help.”
Archie came in and looked longingly at the space on the loveseat next to Harper. She patted it and he hopped up, settling in. Harper scratched his head.
“I appreciate it. I really do.” Frankie was blessed to have a sister like Harper. And now she was starting to see what a blessing it was going to be to have Willa here, too. Even if she still thought Willa shouldn’t have left school.
Harper lifted her phone again. “I know you do. Now get back to work.”
With a smile, Frankie did just that.