Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
mack
I was prying the cap off a much-needed beer when I heard the knock. My gut clenched, and I went to answer it.
As expected, it was Frannie. Her usual warm, friendly expression was a mixture of relief and what-the-fuck.
“Hi,” I said quietly. “Come on in.”
She stepped into the house and I shut the door behind her. Crossing her arms over her chest, she eyed the beer bottle in my hand. “What’s going on? Where have you been?”
“At the ER with Winnie,” I said grimly.
Frannie gasped and dropped her hands. “Oh no! Is she okay?”
“Yeah. She fell down the stairs at my sister’s house. Knocked a tooth out and split her lip. Luckily, it was a baby tooth, but …” Shaking my head, I exhaled heavily. “There was a lot of blood and she needed stitches. She was pretty terrified.”
“Oh my God. That’s awful.” Her pretty features contorted in sympathy. “The poor thing. Where is she now?”
“She’s in bed upstairs. We got home about twenty minutes ago.”
“And the other kids?”
“Still at my sister’s in Petoskey. Frannie, I’m so sorry,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. My head was pounding. “This day has turned into such a fucking disaster.”
“It’s okay, but … why didn’t you call?”
“I can’t find my fucking phone. I don’t even remember where I had it last. I know my sister called me on it, frantic and crying, and then I jumped in the car, but I don’t know if I had it with me or not. I didn’t even realize it was missing until I was already at the ER.”
“Did you check the car?”
“Yeah, just a few minutes ago. But it was dark in the garage, and I didn’t want to leave Winn alone upstairs too long. I’ll search again tomorrow when it’s light out.”
“Oh, Mack. I’m sorry.” She slipped her arms around my waist and hugged me tight.
“I feel like such an asshole for doing this to you.” I wrapped my arms around her big puffy coat and kissed the top of her head. “This is exactly what I was talking about. This is the shit that’s going to happen.”
“Hush. You’re not an asshole. You’re a dad. I get it. It’s not like you stood me up on purpose.”
“No, but it still sucks. Want to come in for a beer? I know it’s not the night we planned, but now that you’re here, I’d love it if you could stay a little.”
“Sure.” She stepped out of her boots and unzipped her coat, which I hung up for her.
In the kitchen, I grabbed another beer from the fridge and popped the cap off before handing it to her.
“It’s so fucking scary when something happens to one of them.
There’s nothing worse than seeing your child in pain and being helpless to make it better.
And it was worse because I wasn’t there when it happened.
I feel so guilty, especially because I’d been so glad to have them out of the house for the night. ”
Frannie took a sip from her beer and leaned back against the counter. “You shouldn’t feel guilty, Mack. You take care of them twenty-four-seven. Anybody would be glad for a break.”
“I guess.” Rationally, I knew my unhinged excitement at another all-night fuck-a-thon with Frannie hadn’t caused Winnie’s accident, but something in my gut would not let me be.
“Then once she’d been treated and my head was clear, all I could think about was you out there in the cold, knocking on the door and waiting for me to answer.
I let you down too.” I set my beer aside and pulled her into my arms. “Do you have frostbite?”
She chuckled. “No, silly. I’m tougher than that.”
I leaned back and tipped her chin up. “I was really looking forward to tonight.”
“Me too. But life happens.” She kissed me and placed a hand on my chest. “I know what I’m getting into, Mack.
Okay? I know there will be nights like this, where we have plans that fall through because one of the kids needs you.
Yes, it’s disappointing, but I understand, and I still want to be with you. You’re worth it.”
There was no way that could be true, but my feelings for her deepened at hearing her say it. “Thanks.”
My stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly, and she glanced down at it. “Hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Let me get you some dinner.” Setting her beer down, she went over to the refrigerator and pulled it open. “I should have brought leftovers with me. I had a ton of food.”
“What did you make?” I asked, knowing it would be torture to hear the answer.
“Spinach and ricotta stuffed shells with meat sauce.”
I groaned long and loud. “That sounds so fucking good.”
“It was.” She rummaged around in my fridge and took out a few things I’d bought earlier today. “I’ll bring you some this week. I made plenty.”
“You don’t have to make a real dinner for me,” I told her as she set a cutting board on the counter. “I can eat something quick. I’ll stick a frozen pizza in the oven or whatever.”
“No, you won’t.” She began mincing a clove of garlic. “I enjoy cooking. When I’m done with these sliders, if you still want a tasteless frozen pizza, be my guest.”
“Sliders?” I asked, eyeing the roast beef and provolone on the counter as my salivary glands went into overdrive.
“Mmhm. With roast beef and caramelized onions. Can you grab a can of beef broth from the pantry? I’m pretty sure I saw one in there last week.” She turned the oven on to preheat. “Oh, and I’ll write my number down on that notebook by the phone. That way it’s there in case of an emergency.”
As I stood there watching her, my heart began to feel like a jackhammer in my chest. Clearing my throat, I headed for the pantry before I did something crazy like tell her I loved her.
But honest to fucking God, I almost did.
Frannie sat at the dining room table with me while I ate, slowly sipping her beer and telling me about the conversation she’d had with her sister Chloe about starting her own business.
“You already know I think that’s a great idea,” I said between bites of the delectable roast beef sandwiches. “I’ll help you any way I can.”
“Thanks.” She smiled gratefully. “I still have a lot of research to do, but I’ve been working on it here and there over the last few days.”
“Have you talked to your parents?”
She sighed. “I brought it up with my mom and we argued about it. She trotted out her same old arguments about my health and the stress, blah blah blah. In the past, I’ve always backed down, but this time I won’t.”
“What have you asked for in the past?”
She pulled one leg up, wrapping her arms around it and setting her chin on her knee. “Mostly I just wanted to be like other kids. Go to school. Run around at recess. Play soccer.”
I paused with a slider halfway to my mouth. “You didn’t go to school?”
“I was homeschooled.”
“Ah.”
“Later I wanted to go away to college. Backpack around Europe like my sisters had. Do you know that I’ve never even been out of the United States?”
“No?” I asked, surprised.
She shook her head. “No. I have a passport and everything, gathering dust in a drawer.”
I reached for the last slider. “Where would you go first?”
“Hmmm.” She thought for a moment, pressing her lips together.
“France. I’ve always wanted to go to Paris, of course, but I’d also like to visit other places.
We had a French pastry chef at Cloverleigh years ago, before you came on, and he was from a little town in the Loire Valley that has the castle that inspired the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. ”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes. Chateau d’Ussé,” she said with perfect French pronunciation. “He’d tell me all about it, and I’d dream that one day he was going to pluck me from my humdrum life and whisk me away to his enchanted castle, where we’d live happily ever after.”
I laughed as I stuck the last bite in my mouth. “Didn’t happen?”
Giggling, she shook her head. “Alas, Jean-Gaspard did not prefer women. Eventually, he moved back to France, leaving me alone and heartbroken. But I learned a lot from him.”
“Well, I’m no French pastry chef, but I have total confidence that you can start your own business.” I sat back and tipped up my beer. “Christ, that was good. Thanks for making dinner for me.”
“You’re welcome.” She smiled happily. “The bride from the wedding at Cloverleigh last weekend offered to help me, did I tell you that? She’s a commercial real estate agent, and she said she sometimes invests in female-owned small businesses.
When she gets back from her honeymoon, she’s going to get in touch. ”
“That’s awesome,” I told her. “See? The universe wants you to do this. All signs point to success.”
She laughed. “Maybe. We’ll see.”
I finished my beer, picked up my plate and took it to the sink. “I should go check on Winnie.”
Frannie rose to her feet too, stifling a yawn. “Yeah, it’s late. I should get going.”
“Wait, don’t go yet. I’ll be right back down.” I touched her back as I passed her on my way to the stairs.
Hurrying up to Winnie’s room, I looked in on her, double checking that she was breathing easily and her lip hadn’t started bleeding again.
I picked Ned the Hammerhead from Shedd up from the floor, tucked him in next to her and pressed my lips to her forehead a moment, thanking God again that she was okay.
I’d never take the health and safety of anyone I loved for granted. I’d seen too much for that.
Quietly I left her room, leaving the door all the way open and the nightlight on in the hall. I’d sleep in Winnie’s room tonight just in case she woke up and called for me. But first I wanted to say goodnight to Frannie and walk her to her car.
Downstairs, she was loading dishes into the dishwasher.
Affection and gratitude for her overwhelmed me.
What had I done to deserve the kind of devotion she showed me?
I came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist, burying my face in her sweet-smelling hair.
“You’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time, you know that? ”
She placed her arms over mine. “That makes me feel good.”
“And I wish you didn’t have to leave.” I kissed her shoulder.