Chapter 15
The coast was clear, and they took off, driving back to his place. He should tell Frankie he wasn’t up to the task of being a boyfriend. No question, he would disappoint her. She needed more than he could deliver, but he didn’t want it to end what they had.
It was late when they arrived at his place, but they unloaded the car and brought everything inside.
He could tell she was exhausted as he showed her to the guest room, not letting the thought of sleeping with her rise to the front of his mind.
He could control his desire. She needed a friend, and though they’d kissed, he would be what she needed, and not what he wanted.
When he woke in the morning, he heard a noise and sat up, then remembered Frankie was at his place. After a stop in the bathroom, he pulled on shorts and a T-shirt, then went out to the kitchen.
“Hey, I hope you don’t mind. I made coffee and eggs.”
He nodded. “It’s all good. You’re up early.”
“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep. Too much running through my mind. I’m worried that Forest and Stone will show up here.”
He poured himself a mug of coffee and took the first sip, sighing in satisfaction at the dark taste. “He doesn’t know where you are. Just don’t post anything to social media.”
“I’ve tried to block him on socials, but I think he created a fake account a long time ago, and he’s someone on one of the socials watching me.”
“Just don’t post. At all. Sometimes it will show based on location, and those companies switch settings all the time to screw you over.”
She nodded. “I’ve noticed that. I won’t post. I stopped posting on a regular basis a while ago.”
“Would you like to go for a walk? There’s a park not too far from here with an oval paved track around a lake.
I could run, and you could walk. That way, I’d get in the first part of my workout, and you wouldn’t be alone.
There’s only one area where trees block the path, and I wouldn’t be able to see you. ”
“Sure. Let’s eat first.”
“Sounds good.”
He chowed down, then drank a protein shake, knowing he needed the extra calories if he was going to head back to work next week.
Some of their days weren’t as packed as others, but they always did something physical together.
And this week, with him getting back from vacation, they would be kicking ass.
He’d already read over some of the messages in their group about what Chase wanted them to do, and it would challenge him.
He was on his fifth time around the oval when he saw Link and Ansley. He waved as they walked over from the parking lot, then slowed and turned, seeing that Frankie was close.
He jogged back and met up with Frankie. “Hey, I want you to meet some people.”
“Um, sure.”
She looked a little nervous as they made their way over to Ansley and Link. She’d been through crap, so he wasn’t surprised that she was nervous to meet new people.
He shook Link’s hand, then flashed a smile at Ansley. “Link, Ansley, this is Frankie. She’s been here for a while. Link owns the condo where I was staying.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you weren’t the owner,” Frankie said.
Link patted Keel on the back. “I let my friends use it when they need a break.”
“That’s nice.”
Ansley reached out and shook Frankie’s hand, her smile wide. “It’s nice to meet you. Would you like to walk together while the guys run?”
Frankie glanced his way, and he gave a short nod. “Um, sure.”
“Awesome.”
They took off jogging while the women walked together. Link threw his thumb over his shoulder. “When did you meet her?”
“At the beach. I sent you a message about your neighbor having a disturbance.”
“Ah, yeah. What was she doing?”
“It wasn’t her. The guy she broke up with came around and was acting like an asshole. He pulled a gun on me twice.”
Link snorted a laugh. “Dude, that was stupid of him.”
“Yeah, he’s in lockup for now.”
“Damn. Is that why she’s staying with you?”
“Yeah. I offered, and she accepted.”
Link lifted his eyebrows. “So how long ago was her breakup?”
“She’s sleeping in the guest room.”
Link raised his hands, acting all innocent. “Hey, I didn’t say anything.”
“I couldn’t leave her behind. The guy’s brother is a real piece of work, and he’s an asshole.”
“Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. Just be careful.”
“I will.” He had to be. He didn’t want to screw her over.
She didn’t deserve his bullshit. Soon, he would tell her that he wasn’t good for her.
By then, she would know more about her money situation and where she could afford to live.
She would be okay and eventually be thankful they didn’t get deeply involved.
Frankie could tell that Ansley had taken off faster than she could walk, then slowed. She felt bad about making the woman slow down. “You don’t have to stay back here with me. I know I’m not going fast.”
Ansley chuckled. “It’s actually good for me to not go so fast. I had a leg injury, and it has been bugging me. It’s why I’m not running.”
“Oh.”
“I was in the Marines. It’s how I met Link.”
“Is he a Marine?”
She shook her head. “No, he’s in the Army. We just crossed paths. Actually, he saved my life.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. He’s a good guy. Actually, all of them are.”
“All?” Frankie had no idea who Ansley was talking about.
“Link works with a group of guys. It’s more than just a typical military unit. His friends are people he can trust, like deep trust. There’s Keel, of course, then there’s Chase, Bean, Stanley, Mick, and Scott.”
She nodded, unsure what to do with the information. Forest’s friends had been abusive, so she didn’t trust guys in general.
“They are all good guys. Mainly because they’ve seen so much.
I mean, they aren’t perfect. Last night Link didn’t want to grab his clothes for the washer and took an attitude, so I told him to get his shit together.
He apologized, and then after he put his clothes in the laundry room, we talked.
He was upset about something from work, and he made a mistake.
We talked it out, and it was good. Just saying they make mistakes, but they own them. ”
“That’s…odd. No, wild.”
“Yeah. I’ve never been with a guy who takes accountability for things he does wrong. I mean, I’m not perfect either. We argue like all couples, but we forgive each other.”
“I’ve never been in a relationship like that.”
Ansley chuckled. “Neither had I until Link.”
The guys shouted behind them that they were coming up to them. Then they raced around as they continued on their path.
“They’re fast.”
“They are. They’re fit. It goes with their job in the Army. They kind of have to be.”
Frankie looked around, checking the parking lot for any sign of Forest. He shouldn’t know where she was.
There weren’t any real clues. She guessed that if he searched, he might tie Keel to Link and then trace him back here, but it would be difficult.
Honestly, she was relieved Keel didn’t own the unit next to her grandmother’s place.
It was one more layer of protection for her against Forest finding her.
“Friday, tomorrow, Garnet and I are getting together for a movie night. Garnet is dating Bean, one of the other guys. Want to come?”
Frankie wasn’t sure why this woman was being so nice, but it felt good to have a friend.
Forest had made sure she had no friends.
When he was in a mood, she would go months without talking to anyone other than him.
Even if they were at a party, he made her stand next to him and wouldn’t allow her to speak.
It was weird to think about joining regular people in regular activities.
She realized she hadn’t answered and spoke fast, her words spilling out. “Sorry, yes. I think that would be good.”
Ansley flashed her a big smile. “It will be. Garnet is really nice, and we’ll have fun.”
The guys passed again, and Frankie noticed she and Ansley hadn’t even made it around the loop once. “How long do you think they’ll want to go?”
Ansley shrugged. “Who knows? We can stop at any point you want.”
“I can keep going.”
“Cool. It’s nice having someone to talk to on these walks. Garnet comes sometimes, but her schedule is a little more demanding than mine.”
“Oh, what do you do for work?”
“I teach English to people around the globe. It’s an online thing. It’s not too many hours a week, but I enjoy it.”
“That sounds cool.”
“Do you have a job?”
She shook her head. “No, Forest, my ex, didn’t let me work. It’s embarrassing that I stayed with him. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Ansley shrugged like what she’d said wasn’t a big deal. “Sometimes we just make mistakes.”
“I was with him for years. I mean, I kind of know why, but still, it’s awful that I stayed.”
Ansley reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “Hey, don’t beat yourself up over it. You can move forward now.”
“I hope so. Keel has been so nice, I’m just not sure I deserve his kindness.”
“Most of us don’t deserve the hell we experience. Sometimes, things happen, and we screw up. That doesn’t mean we deserve the problems that get tossed our way.”
Frankie nodded, her thoughts twisting around everything.
Keel had been so nice to her. Was it just because he wanted sex?
No, he could have forced himself on her or talked her into sex easily, but he hadn’t.
He hadn’t tried to have sex even after the kiss.
She’d been surprised when he’d stopped before the action between them got too hot.
Maybe she could trust Keel, or maybe she was delusional.