Chapter 43
Chapter Forty-Three
Frankie
I stared down at the burnt scones, black char circles across the cinnamon crumble tops. I’d set the oven to broil. brOIL! It felt like I could only use 2% of my brain and the rest was just reliving the last few days over and over. Violent flashes of Finch and I rolling around in bed together, of her telling me I meant nothing to her, of Jake attacking me like he’d never done before, and of Finch kissing me that one last time. I hadn’t seen her since, not even a glimpse, and if I was being honest with myself, I actively avoided anywhere I thought she would be too.
I glared at the black polka dots of burnt dates. I couldn’t let this affect my job. It was the one thing that was well and truly mine, and I wouldn’t let a broken heart take that from me. Groaning, I headed back to the pantry to start all over again. But when I turned the corner, I stopped short.
A flamingo was standing in the back doorway.
I didn’t know what came over me, but I instantly lost all control over my tear ducts. Hot streams of tears flooded down my cheeks.
“How the hell did you get in here?” I sobbed, swiping away my tears as fast as they fell. “My hormones are a fucking mess right now.” Ron just stood there, cocking his head at me with curiosity. “And now I’m talking to a freaking bird again.”
I took a step back and Ron took a step inside. How was he getting down here? I corralled him into the corner like I had the previous time he’d escaped. But this time I had no idea who to call. If I put out a radio call, Finch might hear, and if she came down and saw my sobbing face and burnt scones, it would wreck me. Now, Jake wasn’t the breakup I wanted to win. Even though Finch and I had never actually been together, I needed her to think I was doing just fine without her. The last thing I could let her do was see this mess I’d become.
All at once, I had an idea. I picked up my phone and rang the only non-Lachlan zookeeper I knew. The words were barely understandable as I sobbed through the phone, but Hannah understood enough to come running. It was early, even for a zookeeper, but at least she sounded like she was awake.
A few moments later, she appeared in the doorway, the top three buttons of her khaki shirt still undone and her pink bra on full display. “Sorry, I dressed as I ran,” she said, making quick work of the last few buttons. The image of her running in just a bra and cargo pants made a half-laugh break through my tears.
“I can’t stop crying,” I admitted, sniffling pathetically.
“Okay,” Hannah said, holding her hands out and triaging the situation. She went and picked up Ron first, detaining him easily by tucking him under her armpit. Ron happily snuffled his head down her shirt, seemingly content to remain that way. “Is this a ‘want me to hold space for your emotions’ kind of crying or ‘help me stop crying’ kind of crying?”
My shoulders rose and fell in a silent laugh as I grabbed a fresh dishtowel to wipe under my eyes. “Tell me something else so I stop crying kind of crying.”
“Oh, thank God,” Hannah said. “I’m much better at that. If you want the holding space kind of friendship, I suggest Wren,” she added with a chuckle. “So.” She wandered over and casually leaned against the table next to me as if she didn’t currently have a flamingo motorboating her. “Did you know that Dove used to be best friends with Deacon Harrow?”
My bleary eyes widened in surprise. “As in movie star, heartthrob Deacon Harrow?” I asked. “Isn’t he filming a movie here next spring? I didn’t know they were friends.”
“Childhood besties apparently,” Hannah said. “Dove says they fell out of touch, but obviously they’re still in contact considering she was the one that landed this place as a filming location. Still close enough to call in favors at least.”
“Wow,” I said, mouth agape. “Could you imagine if the two of them?—”
“Dove says it would never happen,” Hannah said with a shake of her head. “Because she doesn’t realize how amazing and gorgeous she is.”
“Are you going to play matchmaker?” I asked, swiping the remnants of wetness from under my eyes.
“Absolutely not,” Hannah said, making an X with her fingers as if warding off a vampire. “Dove is one of my best friends, and if she marries a movie star, I’ll never get to see her again. I’m determined to find her a nice wildlife biologist to settle down with so she can live here with me forever.”
“So you are playing matchmaker. You’re just not team movie star,” I added with a chuckle.
“Exactly.” Hannah gave a confident nod. She eyed me sideways. “Did that help?”
“It did actually,” I said with another sniff. “Thank you. It’s just been a rough morning.”
“I hope things between you two can work themselves out,” she offered tenderly. “You seemed so good together.”
I shook my head, stroking a hand down Ron’s soft, feathered back. “I don’t think there’s any coming back from this.”
Hannah scoffed. “If there is hope for me and Hawk?—”
“This is different.”
“I literally spied on him and pretended to be someone else to help destroy his family’s zoo,” she pointed out. “So there really is hope for everyone.”
“I appreciate your relentless optimism.”
“You know, just because things between you and Finch are different,” she hedged, careful to tiptoe around any upsetting words, “doesn’t mean that we aren’t still friends. I think we should hang out more, grab lunch, go get coffees. If you’re socially tapped out, I understand, but if ever you want to hang out, I’d love to, okay?”
“That’s really kind of you, thanks.”
She looked at me with sympathetic eyes and it made me want to cry all over again. “I really want to hug you right now but I’m holding a flamingo.” We both chuckled, and I swiped at my eyes again. “Things Only Zookeepers Say for 500,” she added in her best game show host impression.
When I was certain no more eyeliner was running down my face, I said, “I’d really like to hang out some time. Thanks, Hannah.”
“Let me take you out to dinner then,” she said. “There’s a new restaurant on the wharf in town. I really want to go, but Hawk is not a big seafood guy which is seriously criminal considering he lives on a freaking island.”
“He should be locked up.”
“Agreed.”
I thought about how badly I didn’t want Finch to see me feeling like a mess and decided getting dressed up and going out to dinner might help. Fake it ’til I make it. “Well, I love seafood, so let’s do it.”
“Yes!” Hannah cheered. “Okay, I’ll get it all set up and—” Her phone buzzed. “That is probably Hawk reprimanding me for not having my radio,” she said. “I fled pretty quickly when I heard you crying,” she added sheepishly. “I should go before he has to file another incident report.” She headed to the door and called over her shoulder, “I’ll text you about dinner!”