Chapter 3
Frankie watched the street, searching for Forest’s car. The man wouldn’t leave her alone. She’d finally escaped a week ago and was using her grandmother’s condo after begging her for help.
Penny was her grandmother on her father’s side. The woman had never liked her. It was probably because her father hadn’t liked her, either. If Penny heard about what happened with Forest, she would surely kick her out.
Now she was headed over to the condo with Keel. What if he knew her grandmother? She knew nothing about the people who lived in the condo. She’d shown up two days ago after sleeping at a shelter and then sleeping at the bus station.
When she’d called Penny, she’d been desperate. Luckily, her grandmother had felt charitable in the moment. It probably had more to do with impressing her friends than with wanting to help out of the goodness of her heart.
She moved to block the keypad for the door lock and punched in the code. She glanced back, noticing Keel had been looking away. He hadn’t even tried to see the code. That was a good change from Forest.
“Let me put this up.”
“Sure. We’ll drive over to the store.”
“Thank you.”
She put the sandwich into a storage container and then placed it in the refrigerator. She placed the pastry in a container, taking a moment to sniff the delicious scent. Tonight, she would eat the whole thing.
When Forest realized how much she loved chocolate, he’d started punishing her for eating the treat. No matter how small a piece, or whatever the occasion, if she ate chocolate, she would face his wrath.
When Keel had given her the treat, she’d wondered if he was setting her up for something terrible. It was hard not to see harm in every interaction, but she wanted to believe that Keel really wanted to help her. He’d helped her twice now. Maybe he was a good person.
No men were as nice as Keel. She had to watch her back, because maybe he wasn’t that nice, either.
She glanced over and saw Keel standing in the doorway. He hadn’t even stepped into her place. Instead, he watched the parking lot, then glanced over at her every so often. He was different, nice.
She grabbed another hat, one that didn’t have egg on it, and met him at the doorway.
“I’m ready now.”
He nodded and then stepped out. “I just need to grab my keys. I won’t take more than a minute.” He glanced out at the lot. “I don’t think you should stand out here. I don’t trust that guy. I swear you’re safe with me.”
The implications of his words hit hard. He was right. Forest knew where she was. She should probably run, but she had nowhere else to go, and she was tired of living in shelters.
She nodded. “Forest is a dick, but I don’t think you are.”
He threw his head back, laughter spilling from his lips. “I know a few people who would beg to differ. But no, I’m generally not a dick.”
Frankie believed him for some reason. Her history with men told her that none of them were trustworthy.
The guys she dated in high school, college, and then Forest after getting her degree had proven they couldn’t be trusted.
This man was different, though. There was something about him that made her feel good about herself, which hadn’t happened in a long time.
She stepped into his unit, taking in how clean it was. There wasn’t any dust on any surfaces. How long had he owned the place, and where did he usually live? She had questions, but living with Forest for the last three years had taught her never to ask questions.
Keel changed clothes, swiping on deodorant. He would take a shower later. For now, he wanted to get Frankie to the store before she changed her mind.
He stepped out of the bedroom, glad she was still there. Her eyes found his, and he saw panic in her depths. He grabbed his wallet and keys and then smiled, trying to look as harmless as he could with his six-five height and wide shoulders.
With his facial hair and ugly mug, he wasn’t someone who looked harmless. People saw him and ran, at least they did at work.
“You ready?” Keel said, trying hard to keep everything light.
“Sure.”
The drive to the grocery store took less than ten minutes, mostly in silence. Frankie seemed to want to shrink herself. She still had on baggy clothes so he couldn’t see how skinny she was, but she desperately needed food.
He got a cart and started with the fruits and vegetables. “Do you like broccoli?”
She shook her head. “Not really. Honestly, I’ll eat vegetables, but I don’t like them.”
“I’ll pick up what I need and add some in for when you come to dinner.
” They were on the aisle with cheese, and he saw her eyeing some Brie, so he grabbed it.
He picked up more than he would need for the next few days.
The food she grabbed was functional, no treats.
He picked up extra crackers so she could eat the Brie.
When they were on the aisle with cookies, he picked up a package of chocolate chip cookies after watching her walk past, eyeing the package. He grabbed the meat he would need and put some in the basket for her.
At checkout, she tried to give him some money, but he told her to keep it. He was going to force food on her, and that was the end of the story. She might think he was a dick for making her take food, but he would be a dick about this.
Sure enough, at her apartment, she told him she couldn’t take the food he wanted to leave at her place. He placed his hands on the counter and met her gaze.
“Listen, Frankie, I know you don’t have much. Just take the food and come out to the beach with me so I can tell you the story I promised you.”
Frankie’s lips thinned, and she wanted to tell him to fuck off, but she was starving and wanted the chocolate chip cookies like she wanted air.
“Okay. But this story had better be good.”
“It will be. Now put on some beach clothes and meet me outside.”
Frankie didn’t know what he meant by beach clothes, but she dreaded wearing a short-sleeved shirt. The bruises showed the history of Forest’s anger.
She peeled off her sweats and looked down at the splotches splashed across her calves and thighs. The pain was as deep as the color. When Forest had pulled out the police baton and gone after her, it was the impetus for her to run.
She couldn’t hide forever. Keel had seen the bruises on her face and neck, and yet he hadn’t said anything. Maybe he wouldn’t say anything about the marks on her legs.
She kept her sweatshirt on to hide the worst of the bruises and pulled on a pair of capris. She looked beachy enough.
A knock sounded on her door, and instead of opening it, she looked out the peephole, shock pulsing through her. She opened the door, her mouth agape.
“What in the world are you wearing?”
Keel glanced down and shrugged. “What are you talking about? It’s beachwear.”
She shook her head. “You know nothing about fashion and color matching. Oh my God, I think I’m going blind just looking at you.”
He rolled his eyes. “Stop being dramatic. This is perfect for the beach.”
“How do you think those neon green board shorts with pink flamingos and ducks on them are okay to wear with that pastel purple shirt and yellow flip-flops?”
“Come on, I have chairs and a picnic.”
“We just ate breakfast.”
“I’m on vacation. Don’t spoil my fun.”
She rolled her eyes as she pulled her door shut. If she were on the beach in Malibu or the Hamptons, she would be so embarrassed walking beside him. But that part of her life was over. She’d made the decision to leave that all behind when she left Forest.
They were on the beach in minutes. Keel set the chairs up in the sun. “If it’s too warm, we can move under the boardwalk into the shade.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m usually cold, anyway.
” It was probably because she weighed almost nothing.
Forest had restricted her calorie intake.
After a while, she almost got used to not eating.
It had been over a year since she’d had a period, and that was nice.
Not having to deal with that crap was one of the upsides of being super skinny to the point of malnourishment.
There were times she snuck food. Not in every instance, but about a quarter of the time, Forest would find out and beat her. She was done with that now. She would never get into another relationship again. It was too dangerous.
“Do you drink beer?” Keel asked.
“No. I don’t drink.” Drying out and getting sober had given her the courage to leave.
“Cool. I packed a few bottles of water in the cooler.”
“Seriously, how did you carry so much? Are you a pack mule in your day job?”
He threw his head back, and there was more laughter that was infectious. It had been a long while since she’d laughed, really laughed, not the fake shit she did because Forest would be pissed if she didn’t laugh at his stupid jokes.
“So this story, the one you brought me out here for, are you going to tell it to me since I have to sit beside you and withstand that hideous getup you’re wearing?”
Keel chuckled and shook his head as he opened the cooler and handed her a half sandwich and a bag of chips. She almost gasped. There were more calories in the chips than she usually had been allowed to eat in any one meal.
He raised his eyebrows and looked at her pointedly until she took the food.
She opened the bag and took one chip, putting it in her mouth, moaning at how nice the salty chip felt on her tongue.
The burst of flavor made her mouth tingle first, then it spread to the rest of her body.
Getting used to not fearing for her life by making a mistake felt freeing, like maybe she could actually escape the hell she’d lived with for the last few years.