Chapter 18
Keel worried about Frankie, but both Ansley and Garnet were good people. He took a beer from Link and dropped to the couch next to Bean.
“You look worried,” Bean said.
He took a sip of the beer, then groaned. “You know, I shouldn’t be, but I am. I know Garnet and Ansley are good people.”
Link tipped his beer at him. “They are.”
“She’s had some real shit hit her. Her ex is a real piece of work.”
“How so?” Mick asked.
“You can see her fading bruises if you look close enough. They were worse the first day I met her. He had her on a calorie-restricted diet. She is probably ten, maybe fifteen pounds underweight. She wears baggy clothes to cover, but she’s skin and bones.”
Chase shook his head. “Man, that sucks. She could have long-term health problems.”
Keel nodded. “Yeah. The first time I bought snacks for us, she almost cried. It’s like some of the people we run into in war zones.” He glanced around the room, meeting his friends’ gazes. “Don’t say anything.”
“Hey, it’s cool. We won’t,” Chase said.
“Any way for her ex to figure out where she is?” Bean asked.
Keel shrugged. “I don’t think so. I’ll make sure the alarm is on and the cameras are recording. If you see anyone weird around, tell me.”
The guys laughed. “You mean weirder than normal,” Mick said.
Keel nodded. “Yeah, weirder than normal.”
They’d ordered pizza and planned to play poker. None of them wanted to take advantage of the others, so they played for pretzels. Sticks were worth five, and twists were twenty. Chase had started them in on playing for pretzels after seeing too many guys desperate after a night of poker.
Keel had played plenty of poker games during his time in the Army, and it was fun to win money, but not at the expense of a brother.
Going from being regular Army to being a Delta had changed more than just his skills.
He had grown as a person. Life seemed more serious now.
But it was nice to just kick back and have fun.
Maybe he could be successful in a relationship with Frankie. He would have to work at it, and for Frankie, he would.
Four hours into their gameplay, Ansley texted Link, telling him they were done with the movies. The guys who didn’t live close were spending the night. Scott and Stanley were staying at his place.
They all went over to get Garnet and Frankie from Ansley’s place. The stars were out, and a fresh breeze blew the trees. It was a nice night, a little cool if they had to stay out for hours, but not bad.
The porch light flashed on, and the door opened. The three women stepped out, laughter coming easily. It made him feel good to hear the laughter. It looked like Frankie had enjoyed her time with the pair. He was glad she could find some happiness.
“Sounds like you all had fun,” Chase said.
Ansley flashed a wide smile. “We did.”
Keel kept his eyes on Frankie and was glad to see her nod. She needed friends if she wanted to recover from what she’d been through.
He would be there for her, but there had to be other people she talked to about her recovery and what she needed. Getting through it all would be difficult, but he had faith in her.
“I’m glad you had a good time,” Bean said to Garnet.
She flashed him a wide smile. “They let me practice on them.”
Chase’s eyebrows shot up. “Practice?”
“I’m trying out new non-alcoholic recipes for drinks. They approve of my strawberry basil lemonade.”
“That sounds good,” Scott said.
“It is,” Ansley said.
“Maybe you can be our mixologist,” Chase said.
Garnet chuckled and shook her head. “I’m far from being a mixologist. I’m just dabbling in it.”
“You did a great job for dabbling,” Frankie said. “Those were great drinks.”
“Thank you for coming over tonight,” Ansley said.
“Thank you for having me. It was nice to get to know both of you better,” Frankie said.
“We should do a cookout next month,” Garnet said.
Bean draped his arm around Garnet’s shoulder. “We can do it at our place.”
“I think it’s my turn to supply the beef for burgers,” Keel said.
Chase nodded. “We’ll plan it out next week.”
“Thank you,” Frankie called out as they started their walk down the walkway to the street. She still had a smile on her face, and that made him feel great. She’d been so worried about hanging out with the women. He was glad he’d been right, and the other women had been nice.
Once back at Keel’s place, Scott and Stanley began getting ready for sleep. Stanley was sleeping on the couch, and Scott was sleeping in Keel’s room.
She felt guilty for taking up the bed in the guest room and had suggested she sleep on the couch, but all three men had told her there was no way they would let her sleep on the couch.
Before going to bed, she went out to the kitchen for some water. Stanley was on the couch, his eyes closed. She felt bad when he opened his eyes and smiled.
“Hey, I hope we don’t disturb you too much.”
Frankie shook her head. “You’re not disturbing me. I’m sorry I came out here and woke you.”
“I wasn’t asleep yet. Besides, I can drop off to sleep in just a few seconds. It’s something I learned in the Army.”
His words were nearly shocking. “Heck, I wish I could do that. Some nights, I’m up for hours before I actually drop off to sleep.”
“Yeah, you have to quiet your mind. Keel can teach you how. It is a learned mechanism.”
“It would be nice to know,” Frankie said as she filled her glass with water. She took her water with her, not wanting to interrupt the rest of Stanley’s night.
She’d been impressed by Garnet and Ansley. Both women had been so nice. It was refreshing to spend time with them and not have to deal with any issues with jealousy.
The guys weren’t leering at her either. That surprised her. She was used to men taking advantage of her, but none of these men came close to suggesting anything remotely sexual. It was a nice change, one she may not have been ready for a year ago.
Every part of her life had been so weird.
She had to perform for Forest. He demanded she be alluring at all times.
He didn’t want strangers flirting with her, but she had to be perfect so they desired her.
It had been very strange trying to do the right thing all the time, but knowing she would fail.
With Keel, everything was different. She didn’t feel like a failure. She felt valued for the first time in a long time.
Maybe being with Keel would be the change she needed. Already she felt hope for her future, which was something she hadn’t felt in a long time.