Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
MOJAVE
It didn’t normally take long before Frankie bounced back from whatever was bothering her.
I’d seen her after a fight at school, after a teacher unfairly scolded her, and after facing disappointment when she really wanted something and we had to say no.
She never let it keep her down for long.
So the fact that she was so upset about the origami that she couldn’t stop crying once we’d walked away from the school surprised me. She wasn’t normally this emotional.
“Frankie,” I murmured, sitting on a bench in the shade of a tree and settling her beside me.
She curled in on herself, shoulders still shaking, and buried her face against my side when I put my arm around her shoulder.
It made my chest ache and I wasn’t sure how to fix it.
I wished Rachel had been able to come with us.
She’d probably know what to say better than I did.
Shifting my weight, I pulled the origami I’d promised to bring Frankie out of my back pocket. When I nudged her shoulder, she looked up, sniffling and wiping tears with the backs of her fists. Her voice was still stuttering when she asked, “What’s that?”
“A frog. You said you were doing a project on frogs. Watch.”
Putting it on the bench beside us, I pushed on a spot near the back and let go. It made the paper frog do a little jump and seemed to surprise Frankie enough to stop her tears. She sat up, a smile sweeping over her face as I did it again. “It can jump? But it’s just paper!”
I hummed, handing her the frog with a shrug. She took it, eyes widening in shock as she demanded, “Did you make it from money?”
“It’s all I had on me,” I replied. I didn't want to explain that I got into an argument with Killian that white paper didn’t count because it wasn’t green and frogs weren’t white. The new artist he’d hired was the one who suggested money.
“It’s so little!” Frankie squealed. “Can we make more? I want a bigger one.”
“Not out of money, but yeah. What’d you make?”
Her smile fell and she slumped a little. “A heart. Mr. Ted showed me how to make it. I tried three times to get it right.” She sniffled and dashed away another tear. “I wanted to give it to you…”
I had to close my eyes and take a deep breath to stop myself from going back to the school to find out where that teacher lived.
I wanted to rip her a new one or destroy something important to her to show her how it felt.
Who ripped up a little girl’s paper heart just because her son was being a little shit?
“I’m sorry,” Frankie murmured in a trembling voice. “I shouldn’t have shown anyone. If I kept it in my backpack–”
“No,” I cut her off, forcing my eyes open and my attention onto her. “You didn’t do anything wrong. That asshole kid and his mama are the ones who fucked up.”
I probably shouldn’t have been talking that way around a little kid, but I couldn’t help myself. I was pissed.
Whether my words made her feel better or she was trying to distract me, she moved on from the subject, holding up the frog and asking, “Can you show me how to make one?”
That was a better idea than any I could come up with when I was this pissed off. I nodded, shifting to pull my wallet out of my pocket. “Sure. Let’s sit on the ground. We’ll use the bench as a table.”
I was showing Frankie the way to fold the frog when Rachel came to join us. She looked a little frustrated, but I saw her push the emotions aside and force a smile as she moved to stand behind the bench so she could look at what we were doing.
“What are you making?”
“Money frogs!” Frankie chirped. “Look, they jump!”
She pushed on the back part of the frog I’d made her, letting it hop to show Rachel, then focused again on what she was doing, her tongue poked out as she very carefully lined up the edges before folding the crease.
I was honestly surprised she was so patient.
For a kid who talked almost constantly and had more energy than an entire circus, she was careful with each fold to do it right.
“Those are cute,” Rachel commented, picking up the one I’d made for Frankie and laughing when she noticed the paper. “And they’re made of dollar bills! That’s inventive, I never would’ve thought of that.”
“Can you make more than frogs out of dollars?” Frankie asked curiously, looking up at me.
I nodded. “A few things. I know how to make a butterfly and a swan. The guy who taught me can make more. He made a dragon once that looked cool.”
“Oh yeah? That sounds interesting,” Rachel said. “Who taught you how to do this?”
Hesitating, I considered not answering that.
A part of me didn’t want to admit that it was one of the counselors at the Vet Center who taught me how to do it.
I went there with Killian when I first got out because the nightmares got so bad, I wasn’t sleeping.
I hadn’t been in a while before yesterday.
After that kiss, I felt like I needed to go back.
My mind wasn’t in a great space lately and I wanted to do better for Rachel and Frankie.
Admitting I went to the Vet Center for therapy and learned origami there to help with anxiety didn’t feel like it put me in the greatest light. I didn’t want to lie, though, either. That felt wrong.
Rachel’s hand touched my shoulder, drawing my attention, and she gave me that reassuring smile she always did whenever I was feeling uncomfortable. “It’s okay. Tell me what else you can make. I’m guessing it’s not just those three things.”
“No,” I croaked in agreement. How the hell was she so good down to her core? What had I done to get attention from a woman like her?
It might’ve been guilt or something I couldn’t name, but I felt the explanation spill out of my mouth without my say so. “I learned from one of the guys at the Vet Center. It helps when I’m having a rough day.”
Her surprise was only momentary, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of what I said or because I answered her at all, but it quickly faded into that sweet smile that threatened to buckle me. I was getting addicted to that smile.
“That’s smart. I think Ted uses it in the same way for older kids who are struggling with the new transitions.” Her lips pursed thoughtfully. “I might need to learn so I can share the skill too.”
“Do you got a dollar?” Frankie asked. “You can make a frog.”
“You know, I think I do,” Rachel agreed, searching through her purse before pulling out a dollar from inside. She moved to sit on the ground beside Frankie, smoothing her skirt under her knees and getting comfortable. “Where do I start?”
I let Frankie explain the steps, only adding in corrections if she got them mixed up, and together the three of us spent the next hour folding frogs out of every dollar me and Rachel had.
Rachel got a call and had to go back to work after that, but after a few weeks, she was more comfortable with me taking Frankie home alone. I stooped when Frankie tugged on my cut, slid her bag over my shoulder and let her climb onto my shoulders before walking Rachel to her car.
Rachel put her hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun as she smiled up at Frankie. “You look like you could touch the clouds all the way up there.”
I couldn’t see Frankie’s face, but I could hear the joy in her voice when she said, “Next time there are clouds, I’ll try it!”
Chuckling, Rachel nodded in agreement. “We’ll make sure to do that. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
Before she could slide into her car, I cleared my throat awkwardly and pulled out another origami from my back pocket. I had to put it together, and it was a little rumpled from being in my back pocket for a while, but she looked curious when I eventually handed it over.
“What’s this?”
“A flower,” I answered awkwardly. “I made something for Frankie. I wanted to make something for you too.”
The sweet smile that overtook her face was everything and when she took my hand and squeezed it, it was filled with affection. Maybe if Frankie wasn’t on my shoulders, I would’ve gotten another kiss. I’d have to make her another to find out.
“See you tomorrow,” she said and for a split second I didn’t want to let go of her hand. I had to force myself and hold Frankie’s ankles instead to keep myself from following her.
Frankie leaned her arms on my head, sounding curious when she asked, “Do you love Ms. Rachel?”
Clearing my throat, I turned toward Frankie’s house and started walking without answering her. It was too soon to use words like that. I wasn’t even sure what we were doing.
Frankie wasn’t about to let it go, though, because she leaned to look at my face and I had to tighten my grip on her legs to keep her from falling. “You like her?” she offered.
“Yeah,” I agreed, trying not to grimace. How was the question still awkward just talking to a little kid?
“Are you datin’?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” I answered before changing the subject. “Think your parents will be home today?”
“I dunno,” she shrugged. “Why?”
We still hadn’t gotten the permission slip signed, Frankie’s parents had either not been home or had been asleep when we dropped her off, so I was hoping to get that done today.
With Rachel gone, they might at least not ignore us knocking.
I didn’t want to get Frankie’s hopes up though, so instead I said, “I wanna know if we’re eatin’ together or not. Your dad cooks sometimes, right?”
“Sometimes,” she agreed. “It’s not that good, though.”
I sighed. Somehow I wasn’t surprised. “Then we will drop off your bag and go get dinner before I drop you off at home.”
Her parents weren’t home when we dropped her stuff off, but they were there when we got back. Her dad opened the door when I knocked, giving me an irritated look when he realized it was me. “What?”
Pulling the form out of Frankie’s bag, I shoved it against his chest. “Sign this.”
He stumbled a little but seemed to think twice about pushing me back. He took the form with a frown, demanding, “What is it?”
“Permission slip for school.”
He looked irritated and ready to argue, but I snapped at him before he could say anything stupid. “Sign it. I’ll do the rest. We both know you won’t be man enough to do it yourself.”
I was done letting him and Frankie’s mom disappoint her. She was going to the damn field trip even if I had to bring her myself.