Chapter 37
Frankie took Archie’s leash off as soon as they were inside. He went for his water bowl even though he’d had water at Lucas’s. She’d never imagined she’d be gone as long as she had been, but it had been a wonderful morning that had drifted toward afternoon surprisingly fast.
She’d said goodbye before Lucas felt obligated to feed her lunch, too. He’d done enough for her today. She was eager to work on his logo and had a few ideas burning in her head. “Harper? We’re back.”
No answer. She walked over to the deck to see if Harper was out there. Nope. But movement below caught her eye. Her sister was in the pool. Suddenly, that sounded so good. Frankie ran upstairs, changed into her suit, grabbed a towel, and went downstairs.
Archie followed, so she let him tag along, figuring he’d stay close. He was too worn out from his playdate with Scout to go wandering. “Hey, sis.”
Harper made the turn on her last lap and looked up. She stopped swimming to tread water. “Hey, there you are. I was starting to think you’d kidnapped my dog and had run away from home.” She blew a kiss at Archie. “Mama missed you.”
Frankie laughed as she came down the steps into the water. “No running away. Things just went differently than I expected today. We took the dogs to the dog park, where they ran around like crazy. We ended up talking about logos, and he invited me back to his place for breakfast. I wasn’t about to say no to that.”
Harper swam closer, shaking her head. “I wouldn’t have either. Lucky you. What did he make?”
“Omelets with prosciutto, mozzarella, and roasted red peppers.” Frankie held her hand up. “I swear to you, easily one of the best omelets I’ve ever eaten. The man cooks like it’s his superpower. Which it might just be.”
Now in the shallows, Harper stood and fluttered her fingers under her chin as she grinned like a teenager. “Was there kissing?”
“Shut up, no. It wasn’t that kind of date. It’s just business. He was pretty burned by the last woman he was involved with, so I don’t think he’s remotely interested in a relationship. And I’m fine with that. I’m happy to work with him on this logo thing.” She walked all the way in. The water came to her waist. It felt great. “How was your day?”
Harper was still smiling. “Mitch hired me to work for him, but you can’t say a word about that to anyone. I mean it. Just telling you violates my own non-disclosure agreement, but I’m going to be going over there every day, so I’m sure you’d have figured it out.”
Frankie took a second to absorb that. “What? Explain.”
Harper shrugged. “I inadvertently helped him with his book the other day and now he wants me to come over in the evening and discuss the day’s work with him. Help him brainstorm new ideas and even do some beta reading.”
“That’s incredible. So you’re going to know what happens before anyone else.”
“Basically, yes.”
“That’s so unfair.”
Harper laughed. “I know. And you still can’t tell anyone.” Then her face fell. “That wasn’t all that happened today.”
“What else?” But Frankie knew without asking that it wasn’t good.
Harper trailed her fingers through the water. “Prisha called and said Suzanne might be up to something. She doesn’t like me, apparently, and told Prisha I’m not what I seem.”
Frankie frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“That’s what I asked.” Harper wasn’t making eye contact. She shook her head. “I’m worried that Suzanne’s going to use her connections to out me as the woman who broke Ford Keating’s heart.”
“Yikes,” Frankie said. “Do you really think she would?”
Harper finally looked at her. “After talking to Prisha? Yes. Suzanne is a known troublemaker and likes to be the center of attention. Telling her media connections about me would certainly fit the bill.”
Frankie thought a moment. “Do you think you should get ahead of it? Reach out to a source and tell your side of things?”
“I don’t want to do that. I feel like that would just add fuel to the fire. And it might make me look like I’m trying to get attention.” Harper sighed. “I just want this all to go away. It could ruin my life.”
Frankie didn’t think it was all that bad. “I don’t know about that. There are a lot worse things than being romantically linked to an A-list celebrity.”
Harper pressed her lips together until they were a thin, straight line. She looked like she was trying to keep herself from saying anything else.
Frankie had seen the look in more kids than she could count. “What is it? Out with it. What else don’t I know?”
“Nothing. Are you going to swim? I want to do a few more laps. I got shrimp out for dinner. Might just panfry them and have them over salad, if that’s all right with you.”
Frankie didn’t buy “nothing” as the truth. There was something Harper wasn’t telling her, she just wasn’t ready to talk about it, obviously. Her sister had changed the subject as quickly as she could. “Yes, I want to swim. Shrimp and salad is fine.”
“Great.” Harper pushed off from the wall and resumed her laps.
Frankie stood there a moment, wondering what was up. Harper was afraid of something, and it had to do with attention being focused on her. Why? Frankie had no idea. The only thing she could figure out was that Harper didn’t want the world to know she was adopted, but what was the big deal about that?
Frankie sank down in the water, going all the way under. When she emerged, she wiped her face, then dove forward and swam. It felt good to move and the water was refreshing. If she lived here, she’d be in this pool every day.
Her little unit in her no-frills apartment complex offered nothing in the way of amenities except for a small patch of grass with a single, rusty barbeque grill, and a swing set with three swings, one of which had been broken since she’d moved in. Mostly that patch of grass was used for walking dogs, so the kids avoided it due to the landmines left behind.
If she could have afforded a nicer place, she’d have moved out years ago. One of the teachers had been looking for a roommate and Frankie had briefly considered that, but ultimately decided against it. The woman’s house hadn’t been much bigger than Frankie’s apartment. If she was going to share a place, it needed to be better than what she already had.
The company would have been nice, though. Sometimes being alone was great. Mostly, it wasn’t.
She and Harper passed each other going in opposite directions. The pool was huge. Big enough for several people to swim laps at once.
She swam the length of the pool six times. When she finished, Harper was already out and laying on a lounge chair. Archie was under it, enjoying the shade. Harper looked like a postcard advertising the good life in Florida. Frankie decided she should at least give the oat milk a try.
She floated on her back for a while, staying as still as she could so the water was flat and smooth all around her. Her ears were under, and she could hear the occasional aquatic blip and slosh. It was calming and made her a little sleepy.
But she hadn’t put on sunscreen, so she finally put her feet down and got out. She spread her towel on the chaise next to Harper, but just sat on it. “You know, if there’s anything you ever want to talk about, I’m here for you. Anything. I don’t care if it’s good or bad, pretty or ugly. I’m your sister and I love you and I would never judge you.”
Harper pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. “Thanks, Frankie.”
“You’re welcome. I really mean all of that, too. Whatever happens with our birth mother doesn’t matter. I don’t want it to change us. We’re in each other’s lives again and that’s the most important thing to me.”
Harper sat up a little. “It’s really important to me, too. I appreciate the offer. The same goes for you with me. If you ever want to talk about anything, I’m ready. I don’t care what time it is. You can wake me up if you need to. I’m really good at listening, you know.”
Frankie nodded. “I know you are.” She hesitated. Things were so good between them. She didn’t want to do anything to upset that apple cart. “It’s just that…it seems like there’s something going on with you. Something you don’t want to talk about.”
Harper shifted uncomfortably and looked out at the water. “Am I that obvious?”
Her suspicions confirmed, Frankie exhaled. “No, not at all, but I spend a lot of time with kids. It’s honed my crap-o-meter. Not saying you’re full of crap. I’ve just gotten really good at sensing when someone’s holding back.”
Harper smiled briefly, nodding. “I bet. I have been keeping something in. I’ve been wanting to tell you. I wasn’t sure how you’d react. I’m the big sister, you know? I’m supposed to set an example and…”
She shook her head and played with the waistband of her bikini bottoms. “I don’t want you to think less of me.”
Frankie pulled back. “Less of you? Never. I can’t think of anything—well, you’re not secretly a serial killer, are you?”
Harper snorted. “No. It’s nothing like that.”
“Then what is it?”
Harper let out a sigh that seemed to come from her soul. She kept her gaze on the river. A boat motored past slowly, keeping the wake down. “It’s just that…”
After a few seconds, Frankie said, “It’s just what?”
Harper sat up and pulled her knees to her chest before looking at Frankie. “The thing is, my whole life is a lie.”