Chapter 6
Even with Ed’s keys safely tucked away in the back of a kitchen drawer, it took forever for Frankie to get over his surprise intrusion.
After the third time of checking the doors, she’d blocked the back door with the kitchen table and was just wrestling an armchair towards the front door when her phone rang.
Spotting the name on the screen, she flopped down into the chair and answered it. ‘Hey, Kat, is everything okay?’
There was a soft chuckle from the other end. ‘That’s what I’m calling to ask you. I’m sorry I had to hang up earlier but Harry needed my help with Ed for a minute.’
Help with him? Frankie’s anxiety ratcheted back up. ‘Why, what’s wrong with him?’
‘Other than Ed being Ed, you mean?’ Kat laughed again, which served to calm Frankie a little. ‘I think he’s just exhausted and, coupled with the shock, he’s crashing hard.’
‘He did say something about having been travelling for forty hours…’ A hint of guilt nipped at her conscience and Frankie brushed it off, annoyed with herself. She hadn’t done anything wrong!
‘It’s nothing a hot shower and a decent night’s sleep won’t fix and, besides, I’m not calling to talk about him. I wanted to make sure you’re okay. He must’ve given you such a fright.’
‘Yeah, he really did.’ The admission surprised Frankie.
Though she’d been lucky on a few occasions, too many of her experiences in foster care had taught her the dangers of admitting any kind of vulnerability.
She’d learned the hard way that when push came to shove the only person she could rely on was herself.
As a consequence, friendships weren’t high on her agenda.
Even when she did meet someone who seemed to be on the same wavelength, bitter experience made it hard for Frankie to overcome her barriers and let them get to know her.
Kat and her three friends, Issy, Anya and Chloe, had blown their way straight through her defences with their relentless kindness and good humour.
They never treated her like she was something special – not that Frankie thought she was, but any kind of public profile these days seemed to elevate people in this age of social media.
To most of the people she met Frankie wasn’t a person, she was an accessory, a make-me-famous-by-association promo tool for others to boost their own profiles.
She’d learned quite quickly that nothing was out of bounds when it came to someone demanding a selfie – in the middle of a conversation, with a forkful of food halfway to her mouth in a restaurant, even once as she’d emerged from a bathroom stall.
That woman hadn’t even given Frankie a chance to wash her bloody hands before she was flinging an arm around her shoulders and shoving a camera in her face.
Frankie had seen the photo on Instagram soon after – because of course the woman had not only tagged her profile, she’d used any and every hashtag she could possibly think of to reach as many users as possible – and the toilet had been in plain view behind them!
Frankie’s displeasure had been obvious from her expression but the woman gurning beside her had either been oblivious or simply hadn’t cared.
It was her chance at catching a bit of vicarious stardust and she’d been determined to milk it for all it was worth.
Frankie had locked down her notifications not long after that.
There had been a few selfie hunters around Halfmoon Quay, but the majority of people had been like Kat and her friends – a quick double take of recognition followed swiftly by a polite greeting and then general conversation about the village and, more importantly, about Frankie herself.
How was she settling in? Did she have everything she needed?
Assurances that if any problems came up all she had to do was pop into the café and speak to Issy, and if she couldn’t help she’d definitely know the right person.
Frankie had been a bit wary at first, but after she’d been sitting quietly in the café a couple of times and observing the comings and goings, it became clear that she hadn’t been singled out for special treatment.
Issy, Kat and the others genuinely cared about their friends and neighbours and moving into her pretty little cottage had automatically granted Frankie a place in that circle of generosity and consideration.
By her third visit, Frankie had a ‘usual’ order.
By her fourth she had her own table and she was part and parcel of the daily morning flow.
She knew that Chloe was always in a rush and couldn’t possibly stop to chat but somehow was still at the counter fifteen minutes later, filling the air with her vivacious laughter and positive energy.
Kat was a gentler spirit but no less warm and welcoming in her quiet way.
Harry, Kat’s boyfriend, had a similar energy to Chloe and it hadn’t surprised Frankie to discover they were related.
But where Chloe was outgoing and effervescent, Harry was more contained, as if holding himself in check.
He and Kat seemed like an odd match at first, but Frankie hadn’t needed to spend long in their company to notice they were completely smitten with each other.
‘Do you want me to come over?’
The question startled Frankie back into the present. ‘Come over?’ Her gaze strayed to the smartwatch on her wrist that tracked her every movement. The alarm would be going off in less than six hours.
‘I just thought with Ed bursting in on you like that you might still be a little bit unsettled. I know it’s crunch week for filming and you need your rest, so I’ll come over and sleep on the sofa if you’d rather not be alone.’
For a second Frankie was tempted to accept, but she wasn’t the only one with a busy day ahead. Kat and Harry were providing on-set catering and they’d have to be up even earlier than her. ‘That’s very kind of you, but I think I’ll be okay.’
‘If you’re sure?’ Kat’s sweetness was almost enough to bring Frankie to tears.
‘I am, thank you.’ Frankie laughed. ‘I was just shoving the armchair in front of the door when you called.’ It was another of those unexpected admissions.
Kat’s giggle bubbled over the phone. ‘I don’t blame you, though the state Ed was in when he turned up, I know who I’m backing in any fight. No one messes with Frankie Webber!’
That stupid twinge of guilt pinched at Frankie again. ‘Is he all right?’
‘God, don’t worry about Ed, he got exactly what he deserved! Serves him right for not bothering to let any of us know he was planning on coming home for Christmas, doesn’t it?’
‘I still don’t understand why he came here, though,’ Frankie said. ‘He was very insistent that he lived here.’
‘Oh, well, he and Matt used to share the cottage before he went travelling, but circumstances changed while Ed was away.’ Kat sounded a bit evasive, which wasn’t like her at all and Frankie found herself wondering if there was more to the explanation than the vague gloss Kat was applying.
Before she could probe further, Kat spoke again.
‘Look, if you’re sure you’re going to be okay on your own then I think we’d both better get to bed and try and get some sleep, or we’ll be fit for nothing tomorrow. ’
The last of the adrenaline from her encounter with Ed must’ve worn off just then because Frankie was overwhelmed with tiredness and all she wanted to do was drag herself back upstairs and curl up under the covers. ‘I’m fine. Thanks again for calling to check on me.’
‘As if I was going to leave you on your own without making sure you’re all right. Meet me for breakfast tomorrow?’
‘So you can make sure I’m okay, Mother Hen?’ Frankie asked with a laugh.
‘I know I’m a fusspot, but indulge me!’ Kat pleaded through her own laughter.
‘I’ll be in The Cosy Coffee Pot at the usual time,’ Frankie told her.
‘Great, I’ll see you then. Night, Frankie, and you know where we are if you need us.’
‘Go away!’ Frankie said in mock-exasperation.
‘I’m going, I’m going!’ Kat was laughing as she hung up.
Frankie tucked the phone into her hoodie pocket and looked around the small sitting room.
She considered turning the lights off, but decided against it.
As she wearily climbed the stairs, she crossed an arm over her belly, holding in the warmth there that someone in the world cared enough to check up on her.
She crawled under the duvet, still bundled up in her hoodie, and was asleep almost before her head touched the pillow.
* * *
It was really nice to have friends.
When she walked into the café the next morning, Frankie was faced with a full welcoming committee.
Kat must’ve rallied the troops early because not only was she waiting at Frankie’s usual corner table, but Anya, the other woman who made up their friendship quartet, was waiting beside her.
Frankie had taken less than half a dozen steps from the door when the bell above it rang and she glanced behind her to find a breathless Chloe letting herself in.
Her hair was still wet and her face was bare of make-up.
‘There you are!’ She grabbed Frankie in a tight hug before stepping back to examine her.
‘Are you okay? When Kat told us all what happened I was ready to hunt Ed down and skin him alive! What the hell did he think he was playing at, scaring you half to death? Bloody idiot.’
Frankie bit her lip to hold in a smile. With the way her eyes were blazing with promised retribution, Frankie didn’t fancy being in Ed’s shoes when Chloe did catch up with him.
‘I’m fine, Chloe, I promise. He just caught me by surprise, that’s all.
’ She looked around at the gathered women.
‘You didn’t have to get up early on a Saturday morning just to check on me. ’