Page 10 of Frankie (Big Northwest #5)

CHAPTER TEN

JD

“ I ’m a pain in your ass?” He was wet. He was tired. He was pissed Frankie was standing there staring at him like he was the crazy one. “And you’re a fucking angel, right?”

“I think I’m gonna go.” The older man—Carl—scooted away from Frankie. He edged around JD before giving Frankie a half-assed wave. “Enjoy the cheesecake.”

JD kicked the door closed behind him then prowled toward where Frankie stood, looking fresh and clean and like she couldn’t listen for shit. “You should have waited for me to come back to take a shower.”

She looked him over, her eyes lingering a little on his chest. Then she turned away to dig into the bag on the table. “In case you haven’t noticed, I do what I want.”

“Oh, I’ve noticed.” For years he’d been forced to watch as Frankie did whatever she wanted and whoever she wanted. He pretended not to care. That it didn’t matter.

But he fucking cared and it fucking mattered.

“Good. Then go home.” She didn’t turn his way, even as he got within inches of her. “Obviously, I’m fine.”

There was a slight hitch in the way she said that last bit. The tiniest hint of emotion that most people would miss.

Not him.

Because all he did was notice her. Everything about her. The way she moved. The way she smelled. The way she breathed.

It was fucking maddening.

“You’re not fine.” He couldn’t stop himself from reaching out to catch the edge of her robe as it started to slip from her shoulder, tucking it back into place. “You haven’t been fine since Sam left.”

Frankie’s spine went stiff, proving he’d hit the nail on the head.

All the sisters had an independent streak. One that kept them from asking for or accepting help of any kind. He’d assumed they would grow old alone together. Hidden away in the isolated safety of Shadow Pine.

But then Craig showed up. The PI crawled right under Danny’s skin and made him think maybe…

“Sam didn’t leave.” Frankie’s tone sharpened. “She just moved.” Spinning to face him, her chin lifted high. “And she should have moved. Tate’s house is better for them.” She met his eyes. “For Lily.”

The explanation flowed too well. Too freely. Like she’d repeated it over and over. “That doesn’t mean it hasn’t been hard for you.” His chest tightened at the thought of her sitting here all alone on her side of town while everyone else was happily shacked up. “The right choice for someone else can still suck for you.”

Frankie’s expression tightened. “It was the right choice for Lily and that’s all that matters.”

JD studied Frankie’s face. The resolution she tried to hide behind. “That’s not all that matters, Frank.” He gently pushed back a loose curl, being careful not to ruin the perfectly crafted coil as he tucked it away from her face. “You’re allowed to be upset about it.”

Frankie lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “How I feel about it is irrelevant.”

“Not to me.” He’d seen her unhappiness. Watched as Frankie became more and more miserable while her sisters went about their happy little lives. Leaving her behind.

Leaving her alone.

And not a single one of them seemed to notice. Maybe because Frankie was so good at hiding how she felt behind snark and attitude. Maybe she just came across as unbreakable so no one even looked for the cracks. Whatever the reason, he knew she was unhappy. Knew she was struggling .

And he’d still gone and done something that would make it all worse. “I’m sorry I brought Lena to Lily’s party.”

Any hint of softness was gone from Frankie’s face in an instant at the mention of the woman he’d gone on a handful of dates with. “Whatever.” She stood taller, gaze hard as it held his. “You can fuck whoever you want. It’s none of my business.” She turned away, making it two steps before he stopped her in her tracks.

“I didn’t fuck her, Frank.” He’d wanted to. Wished like hell it was possible.

But every time they got close…

Frankie turned back to face him. “Well you should have. She’s exactly what you’re looking for.”

Was she? Did he want someone like Lena? Someone soft and sweet and kind and gentle.

Raking one hand through his wet hair, JD paced across the floor, trying hard to drag himself back from the brink. Away from the edge of a confession he could never make.

A knock on the door saved him.

Or damned him. Only time would tell.

“Who the fuck is here now?” he grumbled on his way to the front of Frankie’s house. He yanked the door open, scrubbing one hand over his face when he saw who was on the other side.

Danny’s brows were high as she looked him over, taking in his rain-soaked appearance before leaning to peer in at Frankie. “Am I interrupting something? ”

“No.” She was, but it was probably a good thing. “I was just leaving.” If Frankie could take a shower on her own, she was probably right that he didn’t need to be there. It would be better for both of them if he went home and left her alone like he’d promised to all those years ago.

Stalking out of the house, he left Frankie with her sister. After digging out the truck keys stashed in the pocket of his wet jeans, JD got behind the wheel and drove out of town. Should he have maybe stuck around to see if Danny needed him at the shop? Maybe.

Then again, it was possible Frankie wasn’t the only one who didn’t need his help. Danny had Craig now, and while the guy was useless when it came to the processing they did in the back room, he could handle just about everything else that came through the door.

While JD had once been the first and only line of defense in town, the sisters now had plenty of people standing between them and anyone who might want to cause problems. So maybe it was time to move on. Time to put this chapter of his life behind him.

Time to finally accept the reality of what could never be.

Arriving home, he parked in front of the garage that didn’t fit his truck, and went inside, peeling off his wet clothes and dropping them into the washer on his way to the primary bedroom to take a shower. After scrubbing down and drying off, he paused for a second in front of the mirror, assessing the state of his beard.

It wasn’t really that bad, was it?

Tipping his head from side to side, he took it in at all angles before finally deciding that maybe it was a little unruly. Not as awful as Frankie claimed, just slightly overgrown.

Digging out the clippers he used to tackle the coarse hair, he plugged them in and went to work shaping things up the best he could. Once the whole thing had been knocked down about an inch, he dug through the cabinet for something that might smooth it out a little.

The best he could come up with was a bottle of lotion. It was better than nothing, so he rubbed a little into his palms then ran them over his face and the hair covering it.

“Huh.” It actually seemed to work a little. The wavy strands laid somewhat smoother and their texture felt a tiny bit softer.

He’d never admit doing it to anyone—grooming wasn’t something he saw much of a point in—but his skin felt less itchy and his beard less dry.

After cleaning up the hair now sprinkled all over the bathroom, he went to the closet and gathered a pair of jeans and a new shirt. Once he was dressed, he went to make himself some dinner, staring into the sad pot of condensed soup as it heated.

While he might not have been head over heels for Lena, it had been nice to have someone to talk to. Frankie wasn’t the only one feeling the loneliness that came with all her sisters being paired up. Back in the day, they all ate together nearly every night, filling Sam’s kitchen into the late hours. But those dinners became fewer and farther between as time went on.

The worst part was, he’d done it to himself. He was the one who got the ball rolling with Craig and Danny. He was the one who carefully guided the private investigator as he attempted to navigate the treacherous waters of Shadow Pine.

And for what? Because he’d foolishly thought if Craig could be with Danny then maybe?—

His cell phone rang, dragging his attention away from things that could never be.

Going to collect the phone from where he’d left it inside the front door, JD stood staring at the screen in surprise when he saw who was calling. After swiping his thumb to connect the call, he pressed the phone to his ear. “What now?”

The number of reasons Frankie would be calling him were slim to none and all of them involved a fight.

“If that’s how you’re going to be, fine. Never mind.” There was something off in Frankie’s voice. A tightness he couldn’t ignore.

“What happened?” Going back to the kitchen, he flipped off the stove, sliding the soup away from the burner. “Where are you?”

Frankie sighed, the sound loud and filled with annoyance. “I said never mind. I’ll figure it out on my own.”

He pressed one hand to his forehead, using his thumb and fingers to squeeze his temples. “ Frank .” The hint of threat in his voice wouldn’t get him anywhere with her, but damned if he could stop it. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Again, Frankie sighed. “I was thinking about those guys the other night and thought maybe they might come back, so I decided to go keep an eye out and...”

She couldn’t be serious. He knew she was, but— “Let me guess. You’re stuck again.”

Frankie scoffed. “I’m not in a net, if that’s what you’re getting at. I’m not stupid enough to do that twice.”

Grabbing his truck keys, he paused at the closet beside the door to collect his rain gear. “I hope you weren’t also stupid enough to go out without your raincoat.”

The line went quiet.

He turned to grab a few more items, then stormed out the door. “Sit tight. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

After loading everything into the backseat of his truck, he got behind the wheel and backed up to the smallest of his three trailers. The rain stayed steady as he hooked it up to the hitch, but as soon as he pulled away, the pace of the drops picked up.

Dramatically.

By the time he parked in front of Frankie’s house, it was pouring. Even the raincoat and bibs he pulled on couldn’t keep him dry as the wind started to pick up, sending the biting drops sideways while he attempted to move the gear from the backseat into the cab of his enclosed side-by-side. After zipping himself in, he drove down the ramps and cut a line across the field behind town.

As if it wanted to punish Frankie for being a pain in the ass as much as he did, the wind kicked up even more, blowing hard against the soft-sided panels keeping the worst of the elements at bay. As soon as he reached the spot where they’d entered the woods earlier with Kenneth, JD skidded to a stop, the wheels slinging mud as they dug into the wet earth.

Leaving the bulk of what he brought behind, JD strapped on a set of climbing spikes and the waist strap that would hopefully be enough to keep him balanced with Frankie’s added weight. Then he stomped into the forest.

It didn’t take too long to find the spot they’d been that afternoon, and it took even less time to figure out which tree Frankie was in.

At least she recognized her body was still limited in what it could do, because his sure as hell was. And there was no way he’d be able to scale the kind of trees she normally chose. Tonight, though, she’d picked one he could probably handle. It was sturdy looking, with wide branches and textured bark. Not too thick, but big enough he’d had plenty of leverage.

Frankie peered over at him from where she sat at the first fork in the trunk, shivering violently. “About t-t-time you got here.”

“Don’t act like this is my fault.”

JD slung the belt around the tree and pulled in a little of the slack. Then he started to climb, digging the spikes on each foot into the wood before slinging the belt up a notch. It was slow going, but the only way he could think of to safely get her down. It felt like it took forever to reach her, and when he did, the sight of her hit him like a punch in the gut.

She was soaked to the bone. Water dripped from her flattened curls and tracked paths through the grown-out design shaved above her left ear. Her eyelashes spiked together as she hugged her middle, teeth chattering behind her pale lips.

“Fuck, Frank.” JD reached for her, hooking one arm around her waist. “Why do you have to be such a pain in my ass?”

“Everyo-o-one else is b-b-busy.” She came easily when he tugged, her skin cold where it touched his. “I j-j-just wanted t-t-to make sure th-th-they didn’t come back.”

“You thought they would come back in this rain?” JD carefully slid her between him and the tree. “Hook your legs around my waist.”

She did as he said, as well as lacing her arms at his neck. “It w-w-wasn’t raining when I c-c-came out here.”

“Hold on tight.” He unhooked one foot, jamming it into the tree a few inches down, repeating the process with the other foot. Then it was time for the hard part. “I gotta move the belt. Get ready.”

Frankie nodded, her hold tightening. When he leaned forward to ease the slack, she moved with him. After a quick flip of his wrists, the belt dropped down, giving the slack he needed to lower his feet again. “Good girl. Just like that.” He repeated the process, warning Frankie each time he had to move the belt.

Their descent felt painstakingly slow, especially with her shivering against him, but he couldn’t risk letting her fall. Not when she couldn’t do anything to save herself.

After what felt like hours, his boots finally hit the dirt. He quickly unhooked the belt, leaving it where it dropped. He’d come back and get it later. All that mattered right now was getting Frankie warm and dry and safe.

“I’m s-s-sorry.” She clung to him, holding on as he carried her through the trees for the second time. “I was j-j-just bored.”

“Then get a hobby.” He was trying not to be pissed at her, but she could have gotten hurt. “What if you fell out of that fucking tree? You would have broken your neck.”

Frankie sniffed. “I know.”

He reached the side of the UTV and quickly unzipped the panel with one hand, using the other arm to support Frankie as she slid down his body to her feet. Once she was steady, he met her eyes, knowing she was about to unleash seven hells on him for what he was about to say next.

She’d have to get over it.

“Now strip.”