Page 14 of Frankie (Big Northwest #5)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

JD

“ W ell look what the cat dragged in.” Danny stood behind the counter in her shop and gave him a bright smile. “I thought maybe you decided to take another day off.” Her tone was light and teasing. She regularly gave him a hard time—like he did her—but the way she went about it couldn’t be more different from how Frankie dished out her shit.

“I kinda thought I was taking another day off too.” He joined her behind the counter, looking over the notepad in front of her. “You get another call about a restoration job?”

“I’m always getting calls about restoration jobs.” Danny sighed. “I wish I could take them all, but I don’t have time, so I have to pick and choose.”

He already knew all of this, but Danny repeated it every time a new request came in. Like she had to convince herself it was okay to turn some of them down. There weren’t many people around who could do what she did, and those who could weren’t nearly as good at it as she was. So, everyone who needed an aging taxidermied animal repaired came to her first in the hope they would be one of the few she accepted.

“You can only do what you can do.” JD slid the notepad away from her so he could get a better look at it. “You’ve got a husband and a son you want to spend time with, plus a business to run and everything else that happens around here.” He frowned down at her neat handwriting. “Does that say rhinoceros?”

Danny nodded, eyes bright, lower lip pinched between her teeth.

JD tilted his head, lifting his brows in consideration. “That sounds way more interesting than most of the stuff you get.”

The air burst from Danny’s lungs as she grabbed his shoulder, eyes wide. “Right? When will I have another opportunity to work on a rhinoceros?”

JD clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “Probably not again in this lifetime.” Most of what came in was woodland animals. Deer. Birds. The occasional fish, or sometimes even a pet.

But a rhinoceros? That ranked right up there with the polar bear she’d done a rhinoplasty on.

“You’d probably have to work on him at Frankie’s warehouse like you did with the polar bear.” JD thought through the process. “But at least we know it this time, so we can have it delivered straight there.” The delivery company had dumped the polar bear right in the middle of the street and left it for them to deal with. Luckily—again thanks to Frankie’s business—they had lots of options when it came to hauling big shit around, but it was still a pain in the ass.

“You’ll have to ask her if it’s okay.” There was an off pitch to Danny’s voice. Nothing dramatic, but enough that he could tell she was fishing.

And right now, he didn’t have the faintest idea how much he should let her catch.

Luckily, Craig walked through the door, striding in like he hadn’t almost had his ass handed to him right in this very location on his first visit to Shadow Pine. He greeted JD with a slap on the back before sweeping Danny into his arms, pulling her close.

JD would normally grit his teeth at their blatant show of affection, but today it hit different. Different because the more he really thought about it, the harder of a time he was having justifying all the reasons he’d been leaning on for years.

If a stranger like Craig could walk into town and insert himself as Danny’s protector and lover, then why the fuck couldn’t he do the same with Frankie? After all these years, wouldn’t it be obvious he had her best interest at heart? Wouldn’t it be clear he wasn’t only hanging around hoping to fuck her one day?

It sure as hell should be, considering the number of men who’d accomplished that very feat in a matter of months instead of the decade he’d been putting in.

He stood there for a few seconds longer before it became obvious both Danny and Craig had essentially forgotten his existence. They were wrapped up in each other and oblivious to everything happening around them as they spoke in hushed voices and low tones. Sharing the kind of secrets only a husband and wife did.

Sliding the notepad away, he rounded the counter and made his way out the front door without either of them noticing his departure. Obviously Danny didn’t need his help. She hadn’t put him to work immediately, and now she had Craig to help with whatever she might end up needing. And if she did need him, she knew how to find him. So he went to the place that he was second most likely to be able to lend a hand.

The general store was packed—it always was—and he dodged more than a few groups of chatty women as he made his way to where Kenneth stood behind the counter. “Looks busy.”

Kenneth chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s always busy.”

That boded well for him. “Can I help with anything?” He needed some time away from Frankie. A little space to think without her in his head .

“Shockingly, no.” Kenneth looked over as Adam and his mother came out of the back room carrying boxes. “I think we’re keeping up somehow.”

Fucking great.

Yet another sister who had absolutely no use for him. All thanks to some other random guy who showed up in town.

It’s not that he didn’t like Adam—he did. Charlie’s fiancé was a good guy. Always ready to jump in and help, and the guy loved the shit out of her.

It was just...

What he’d accomplished chapped JD’s ass almost more than Craig. By all accounts, Adam should have been their enemy. He definitely didn’t come to Shadow Pine with the best intentions. Yet here he fucking was, curled up next to Charlie every night and working at her side every day.

“Glad to hear you guys are hanging in there.” It took everything he had to make the comment sound genuine, but the smile on his face was tight and as fucking fake as it got.

Leaving the general store, he stalked down the sidewalk, peering through the glass windows at the bakery as he passed. Seeing Sam behind the counter, Tate helping her serve up pancake balls and cinnamon rolls, made him want to throw a punch. If he crossed paths with Alex and Edward, chances were good something was gonna end up broken.

Maybe a nose.

“Fucking fuck.”

Turning the corner, he stomped up the side of the bakery, not even sure where he was going, just knowing he couldn’t go back to Frankie’s. Not right now. He was in a bad fucking mood, and there was no telling how it would play out. There was only one place left in Shadow Pine that might offer the escape he needed, but it was going to be a big fucking gamble.

He stopped in front of the bed-and-breakfast, staring up at the large structure as his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Maybe Jeffrey could put them to work cleaning toilets or washing dishes. Something that might distract him from the thoughts threatening the foundation he’d built his life on.

But being around Jeffrey would be almost as dangerous as being around Frankie, just for a completely different reason. The man was many great things, but capable of minding his own business was not one of them.

And that reminder was what had him turning away, ready to go hike through the woods under the guise of checking his trail cams.

“Oh!” Jeffrey nearly collided with him. “I wasn’t expecting you to turn around and come this way.” He smiled, looking thrilled to see him. “What are you doing out here?” The older man looped one arm through JD’s and started dragging him toward the B&B. “Are you hungry? I made a big pot of chili last night. It’ll only take a few minutes to warm some up.”

He’d known Jeffrey long enough to understand nearly every question the man asked was rhetorical, especially if it involved food. The level of a person’s hunger was irrelevant when they showed up at this doorstep. Like it or not, you were getting fed.

“I guess I could eat.” He’d had a breakfast burrito earlier, but only one, and it took a little more than that to keep him going into the afternoon.

“Of course you can.” Jeffrey led him into the main hall, squeezing his arm a little tighter as they made their way to the kitchen. “I’m so glad you came to see me. I was planning to come check on Frankie later this afternoon, so you saved me a trip.” He acted like it was a given he could provide an update on the middle sister. “How’s she doing today?” Jeffrey’s eyes brightened. “She seemed okay at the meet-and-greet.”

Frankie would be relieved to hear that, but it made him wonder how well everyone around her actually paid attention, because Frankie’s discomfort had been obvious as hell to him as she sat on that stool. Her smile had been tight. Her eyes pinched. She’d shifted uneasily from side to side, like it was impossible to find a comfortable position. By the time it was over, she’d looked exhausted.

That was part of the reason he’d ordered her a coffee. The other part of the reason was to give her an excuse to stand still while she got her feet under her. He knew Frankie didn’t like to show weakness—none of the sisters did. They learned early on that weakness could be exploited.

But that wasn’t her concern in this particular case. The people around her wouldn’t take advantage, but they would do something she might find just as bad.

They would smother her with well-meaning attention. And Frank would fucking hate that.

“She’s doing better.” JD had no problem lying right to Jeffrey’s face. “She’s trying to get caught up on all her office work right now.”

Letting anyone in on how well Frankie was or wasn’t doing would be her decision, and it was clear she didn’t want her family knowing about her struggles. Having a houseful of people crawling up her ass was her worst nightmare. She didn’t like to feel weak or be at anyone else’s mercy. Even the people she trusted most.

Which made him wonder why in the hell she would call him. Shouldn’t he be the last person she wanted seeing her like this?

“I’m so glad to hear that.” Jeffrey pulled out a giant tub of soup from the fridge and started loading spoonfuls into a bowl. He slid the filled bowl into the microwave and turned to face JD across the counter. “I’m so grateful you’ve been there to help her out.”

JD tucked his chin in a nod. “I’ll always be there for her.” He caught himself and added, “For any of them.”

Of course he would always be there for all the Karlson girls. But would he have been there the same way if it was Danny or Alex? Would he have been willing to do all he was for Frankie?

Probably not. The minute Danny had to pee he would have called in reinforcements, no matter what she wanted. Just the thought of having to help her out of her pants had him squirming in his seat.

But taking care of Frankie was different. She was different. Always had been.

And likely always would be.

It was a problem he was only beginning to come to terms with. He’d thought the years would be kind to him. That they would loosen the connection between them. Ease the desire he had to be close to her.

No such fucking luck.

“Of course you’ll be there for them.” Jeffrey slid the steaming hot chili in front of him. “But Frankie needs you in a way the others don’t.” The older man added a sleeve of crackers and a spoon to his setting. “I know she’s an independent girl, but independence can get lonely.” Jeffrey’s expression took on an odd focus. “Especially when the alternative is right in front of you every day.”

Taking the napkin Jeffrey offered, JD spread it across his lap. “I’m sure it’s strange being the only single sister left in town.”

Jeffrey stared at him a second. “That too.” He held JD’s gaze a second longer before turning back to the bucket of chili. “I’m going to package up some of this for you to take to her for lunch. Otherwise she’ll be ridiculous and eat half a box of Cheez-its.”

JD scowled down into his bowl, imagining Frankie sitting at her desk existing on crackers and coffee. “She needs to take better care of herself.”

“I don’t see that happening.” Jeffrey peeked at him over one shoulder. “Not without someone standing there making her do it.”

JD’s scowl eased, along with a little of the discontent he’d been carrying around. He’d been caught between a rock and a hard place for years, and Jeffrey’s words had moved that boulder a few inches. Far enough he could wiggle into a more comfortable spot.

“I’ll make sure she does what she should.”

Jeffrey’s smile was bright as he turned with a large paper shopping bag. “I knew you would.” He slid the bag across the counter. “Frankie needs someone in her corner who will put her first, cause she sure as hell won’t ever do it.”

It’s what he’d always done. Put Frankie first. To his own detriment.

But what if it was to hers too? What if all this time, Frank needed him in a way he’d been too stubborn to notice? What if he could have prevented the suffering she was facing now by making sure she didn’t put her body through more than it could take?

All because of that damn promise he’d made. A promise that might have done a hell of a lot more harm than good.

A promise he was thinking might be worth more broken.