Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
F rankie woke early and went downstairs to make coffee, in case it wasn’t already made. Sometimes Harper beat her to it. Today was not one of those days. She had a feeling Harper and Jack had stayed up late, talking.
She’d gone to bed around ten, knowing she had a busy day ahead of her. Not only was she going to the art supply store for all the necessary supplies for Arlington’s portrait, but she had every intention of getting the canvas prepped and ready. Maybe she’d even sketch out the lines for the painting.
Ambitious, yes, but even more so because at some point she was hoping to see Lucas, too.
She measured out the coffee, filled the reservoir with water, then pushed the button to start it brewing. She leaned on the counter, her gaze captured by the beautiful blue water visible beyond the sliding glass doors.
Were the camera crews still out? Still hoping for a glimpse of Jack? He’d stayed until well after dark last night, laughing with them at an old Steve Martin movie and telling them stories from his childhood that included more stars than she could remember.
The man had lived quite the life. She didn’t covet it, though. To be watched all the time? That was no way to live.
She went to the doors and looked out. There were only two boats, but it was easy enough to see the camera tripods set up on the decks. All of them aimed at the house.
She frowned. What a bunch of losers. Did they really have nothing better to do? Probably not.
Harper came out of the bedroom, Archie dancing around like he knew he was about to go out. “Are they still there?”
“Yep. Morons.”
Harper snorted softly as she shuffled toward the coffee.
Frankie looked over her shoulder. “How late were you up?”
“Too late. Midnight. But we got to talking and you know how it is.”
“Yeah.” Frankie went to get coffee, too.
“You’re going into town, right?” Harper got two mugs down and handed one to Frankie.
“I am. You need something?”
“We could use a few groceries. Plus I told Jack I’d get him some grapes. Oh, that reminds me—he gave me money to give to you. For the painting. Like a deposit. Anyway, he thought you could use it for buying supplies.”
“I can, definitely. So do you want to come with me? I think Willa’s coming, although she might change her mind. If she thinks she can get her picture taken by the paparazzi just for laying out by the pool, she just might do that instead.”
Harper chuckled. “Yeah, I’ll come. I was supposed to go over to Mitch’s this morning to work with Kyle, but he texted around four a.m. to say Ruthie was fussy and he was going to try to sleep in. So I’m free.”
Frankie grabbed the pot and filled their cups. “I’m glad you’re coming. How much did Jack give you?”
“A thousand dollars. In cash.”
Frankie looked at her. “Seriously?”
Harper nodded as she got the creamer out. “He always travels with a lot of cash. Most celebrities do. At least they do if they’re tippers, which Jack and Teddy are. They got that from their dad. Arlington was a huge tipper.”
“Nothing wrong with cash.” A thousand dollars. That would buy her everything she needed and then some. This was really happening. “I’ll, um, get him a receipt.”
Harper lifted her mug and drank like it was the only reason she’d gotten out of bed.
Frankie just grinned and fixed her coffee the way she liked it.
Willa came down the steps, yawning, hair sprouting out of a messy bun on top of her head. She was still in her pajamas, which consisted of a Taylor Swift T-shirt and loose pink shorts patterned with smiling cactus plants. “Coffee?”
Frankie lifted her cup. “Hot and fresh.”
“I’d take it cold and stale at this point.” Willa made her way into the kitchen, going straight to the cabinet that held the mugs.
Frankie moved out of the way. “Are you going to the art store with me today?”
“I don’t know. I just got an email with my welcome packet from the school. There’s a whole list of stuff I need to do or prepare to do. I feel like I should read through that before I make any decisions about my day. And I need coffee before I do that, so...”
Harper shot Frankie an amused look. Frankie smiled back. She glanced at her daughter. “How early is your teaching day going to start?”
Willa stirred creamer into her coffee and groaned. “Seven thirty a.m. That ought to be illegal. I’m going to have to get up at like six thirty. Maybe six forty-five.” She shook her head. “That is going to take some getting used to.”
Frankie, using her gentlest tone, said, “Maybe you should start getting up at that time now. Might help you adjust faster.”
Willa’s lip curled. “Mom, please. Let me enjoy what’s left of my summer. In fact, I’m going back to bed.”
She took her coffee and went upstairs.
Frankie rolled her lips in to keep from laughing, but Harper didn’t hold back. She looked at Frankie. “I guess she’s not going shopping with us.”
“That’s all right,” Frankie said. “We’ll have a nice sisters day out.”
“Oh! That reminds me,” Harper said. “I have news. I completely forgot to tell you what Mitch told me last night.”
“What?”
“He hired Beryl to be Ruthie’s nanny. Isn’t that awesome? She’s going to be moving here permanently!”
“Joyce must be thrilled. That’s great!” Frankie gasped as a new thought occurred to her. “Lucas will be thrilled, too. He thinks those two could have their own show. He’s already dying to have them on again.”
“But their episode hasn’t even aired yet.”
“It will Friday. Doesn’t matter. He’s convinced they’re going to be very well received.”
“I can’t wait to see it.”
“Same here.”
Harper set her cup down. “I’d better take Archie out before he starts crossing his legs.”
“I’m going to check email, then shower and get ready to go. You don’t mind leaving early, do you? I have a lot to do today.”
“Not a problem. I’ll get ready when I get back in with him.” Harper went to her bedroom.
Frankie took her coffee into the office and sat down at the desk. She pulled her email up and found quite a few waiting for her.
There were sales from her shop, about thirty dollars’ worth, which was nice to see. Just a T-shirt and a coffee mug, but sales of any kind were great. Adding a new design wasn’t a bad idea, though. The more the better.
Which brought to mind the designs she was working on for Stacy. She’d finished up the final three last night while they’d been watching the movie. She still needed to refine the designs, something she was eager to get done so she could get them in front of Stacy. With the shopping trip ahead of her, it wouldn’t happen until later this afternoon. Or possibly even tonight.
Maybe she should send the two she had ready right now. Or maybe she should send them all, despite the last three not being completely polished. That way she could get some feedback from Stacy and Frankie would know if she was going in the right direction. There might not be a reason to finish those last three.
Either way, whether Stacy liked them or she didn’t, it would be good for Frankie. If Stacy liked them, Frankie would know she was going in the right direction. If Stacy didn’t like them, Frankie would have some new designs, after making a few tweaks, to offer in her shop.
Decision made, Frankie wrote a quick email to Stacy and attached the designs. She hit Send and went back into her inbox to see what else was there.
She found an email from Allan Westmore in response to the one she’d sent telling him she was definitely interested in doing book covers for him. He wanted to talk later today. She didn’t quite know what her schedule would be, so she replied asking if she could text him when she was free.
Also in her inbox were several requests that had come through her website’s contact form. Two were asking about pet portraits, and one was a request for a customized bridal invitation. She found that interesting, as it was something she’d been thinking about offering.
She sent a few quick responses, then took her coffee and went upstairs to get ready for the day.
She jumped into the shower, taking some extra time under the hot spray. It felt good. She felt good. For the first time in a while, money wasn’t an issue. The thousand dollars that Jack had given to Harper for her would easily take care of all the painting supplies she needed to buy.
It would also let her contribute to groceries and gas. The feeling of not having to worry about money, at least for a few days, was really something.
It felt like freedom. The kind she hadn’t experienced in a while. Of course, the money Buck had given her was a big deal, too. A huge deal, honestly. Not the kind of gift she would ever really get over. But now, with the rest of the money from this portrait of Arlington, she’d be able to pay off the remaining debt to her attorney.
Not having that monthly bill would be a huge step toward financial independence. She would still be careful with her money. That was never going to change. Being frugal was just too ingrained in her. There might come a day when the illustrating jobs petered out.
Things looked good right now, but she knew how quickly circumstances could change. She wanted to be prepared for that possibility. But it was nice to breathe easy.
She got out of the shower, dried her hair most of the way, then got dressed. Just shorts and a T-shirt with simple, summery canvas flats. She took the time to do her hair and makeup the way Clive had shown her.
Nothing wrong with looking nice.
Empty cup in one hand, purse in the other, she went back downstairs. Harper was still getting ready, but Archie was on his blanket on the couch, gnawing on a nylon bone.
Frankie poured a half-cup of coffee, then sat at the counter with a pen and paper to make a list of all the things she’d need for the portrait. It had been a while since she’d painted in oils, but she was looking forward to it.
She’d just finished when Harper came out in denim cut-offs and a black and white polka-dotted tank top. She looked at Frankie as she handed over the cash from Jack. “Why do you look so nice?”
Frankie frowned, tucking the hundred-dollar bills into her wallet. “I’m just in shorts and a T-shirt.”
“Yeah, but you’re fancy from the neck up.”
Frankie snorted. “It wasn’t a lot of effort. Just a few things Clive showed me.”
“Clive?” Harper shook her head. “I don’t know who that is.”
“Lucas’s hair and makeup guy. He brings Clive in when he has guests on the show that he thinks could benefit from a boost of confidence. He had Clive there for Joyce and Beryl, but Clive gave me a few minutes, too.”
“You look great. I might need to meet this Clive.”
Frankie laughed. “I doubt there’s anything he could do for you. You look great all the time.”
“You’re sweet, but I’m open to suggestions. Maybe we should invite Clive to our housewarming?”
“Hey, that’s not a bad idea.” Frankie jotted down one final thing, then clicked the pen. “Ready to go?”
“Are you going to check on Willa?”
“I’m pretty sure she’s sleeping, but I’ll text her.” Frankie sent the text, then shook her head. “I don’t think we’re going to hear back from her.”
“Then let’s go,” Harper said.
Frankie didn’t need any more encouragement. She grabbed her keys and purse and, with a smile on her face, went out to the car.