Page 15 of Frankie (Big Northwest #5)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

FRANKIE

S he was going to body slam Carl. Maybe drop a tree on his head. Tie his boot laces together. Something to get back at him for being such a fucking pain in her ass right when she needed it least.

“Trying to help, my ass.” She slammed her pen onto the desk, leaning back in the chair to rub at her tired eyes.

She hadn’t been sleeping great. First because of her body’s sudden decision to revolt, and now because of JD’s sudden decision to infiltrate her life. And laying in bed staring at the ceiling wondering why in the hell he was there was starting to catch up with her.

Pushing away from the desk, she carefully stood, a little surprised when everything felt relatively normal. At least one thing seemed like it might be considering going right.

Still being careful just in case, Frankie made her way down the hall and into the kitchen where she rifled through the cabinets in search of something to snack on. It was after lunchtime and her stomach was starting to growl. After a few minutes of foraging, she came across a half-empty box of Cheez-Its and pulled it free, shaking the contents as she collected a bottle of water from the fridge.

Her front door opened and she leaned to peek around the corner even though she already knew exactly who it was. No one walked right into her house, not even her sisters.

Just JD.

“Put the fucking crackers down. If you eat those for lunch, Jeffrey will kill me.” He came right toward her carrying a giant paper bag.

A familiar looking paper bag. “What do you have in there?”

Since JD had been staying with her, the food Jeffrey brought over the day she went to the hospital hadn’t gone as far as it would have if it had been just her. It was grocery shopping time, so unless she wanted to go out or place some orders at the café, she’d have to eat whatever random shit she had on hand—which was the plan she’d intended to go with until JD showed up with this new, much better option.

“Chili.” JD set the bag onto the counter and started pulling out containers. One was filled with soup. Another had a pile of freshly shredded cheese. And a third contained tiny oyster crackers .

Her stomach growled in anticipation and she tossed the box of snacks onto the counter. “How did you get this?”

“I was going around seeing if anyone needed help and ended up at the B&B.” JD popped the lid off the chili and slid the container into the microwave.

Frankie snorted. “Let me guess, everyone was just fine .” She couldn’t keep the fake sweetness out of her voice on the last two words. In the last couple of years her sisters had gone from strong independent women doing it all on their own, to fucking lovesick little puppies who bounced around town with their doting menfolk crammed up their asses.

“I can’t believe how quickly it went from chaos to everything being under control.” JD almost sounded disappointed. Like he was as annoyed by her sisters and their husbands-slash-fiancés as she was.

“Well if you’re looking for something to do, you can go kick Carl’s ass for me.” She popped the lid off her bottled water, leaning back against the counter as she swallowed a few gulps. “It’ll save me from having to do it.”

JD’s focus zeroed in on her, eyes narrowing. “What’s he done now?”

None of her sisters really got her business. Not just the work part—though that intimidated them. They struggled to understand how she could deal with entire teams of men every day after what they’d been through. Especially men who tended to lean toward the rougher side. That left her with no one to really talk to about what happened in her work life. They either couldn’t comprehend or would overreact. Finally having someone who would get it had her confessing more than she probably should have.

“He’s not a bad guy. He’s been with me since I started and does a really good job, but in the past year he’s started acting like he should somehow magically be entitled to becoming a partner in my business.”

It was an asinine expectation. And she couldn’t even begin to comprehend where the hell he found the audacity to begin with.

JD’s brows climbed his forehead. “Has he invested money into the company?”

Frankie snorted. “Not a dime. That’s why I told him he’d lost his damn mind.” She flung both arms out, gesturing at nothing in particular. “He seems to think that because he’s been at the business since day-one, he’s magically entitled to partial ownership. About six months ago he asked me to draft up papers showing he was my partner. Like it was a given.” She thought he was kidding at first.

He was not.

“He told me I had to because his daughter was trying to start her own business and needed collateral for the loan she was trying to get.” Frankie’s voice pitched up as the outrage she’d experienced during the conversation raced at her. “He wanted me to give him half my business so he could put it on the fucking line.” She huffed out an unhinged laugh at the craziness of it. “And when I said no fucking way, he acted like I was the asshole.” Once it was all out of her mouth, she knew she’d said too much and too little at the same time. “I was going to fire him, but…” She hesitated, knowing how much what she said next would give away. “But he was doing it for his daughter, and…” Shaking off the sadness trying to tighten her throat. “And he’s really good friends with all the guys who work for me.” After swallowing around the lingering lump, she continued. “I thought maybe he’d be an ass to me after I turned him down, but if anything, he’d been nicer.” She paused. “But his niceness is usually stepping on my toes and acting like I should be thanking him.”

JD stared at her for a few heartbeats and she held her breath, waiting to see what sort of reaction he was going to offer up. Probably one that was going to piss her off. Like ordering her to fire Carl. That’s what her sisters would have said.

Or worse, he would try to talk about her daddy issues. The ones that made her go easy on Carl and overlook what should have had him drawing unemployment.

JD turned as the microwave beeped, staying silent as he stirred the contents of the container and set it to run again. It wasn’t until he faced her again that he finally had something to say. “He’s kinda got you in a tough spot.” One big hand went up to scratch at his face through the unruly hair of his beard. “If you come right out and fire him, there’s a good chance he’ll be able to turn at least part of your men against you. You could lose a substantial amount of your employees, and then you’ll be fucked.”

All the air rushed from Frankie’s lungs. “Exactly.” Her shoulders dropped in relief that someone finally understood the full scope of her problem. “And like I said, he’s not a bad guy.”

JD clicked his tongue, head tipping to one side. “I don’t think a good guy would put you in a position like this, Frank.” He held up both hands as she opened her mouth to argue. “I’m not saying he’s going around kicking puppies, but anyone who wants to take half a company from the person who fucking bled building it, isn’t a great person.”

Deep down it was a fact she knew. One she’d been trying her best to ignore because she wasn’t super great at hiding how she felt about people. Continuing to choose to believe Carl wasn’t a bad person meant she wouldn’t snarl at him every time their paths crossed. She wouldn’t assign his team the shittiest jobs. She wouldn’t give him hell at every opportunity.

Because all of those things would lead to the same outcome firing him would. The same kind of anarchy JD could also foresee. The unrest and upheaval could take everything from her. Like it or not, she wasn’t just their boss—an easy common enemy—she was also a woman. And sometimes that was worse.

Frankie slouched down, suddenly feeling so very fucking tired. “What in the hell am I supposed to do then? I can’t keep letting him go unchecked.”

“Right now, you eat your lunch.” JD pulled the chili from the microwave, topping it with cheese before tipping his head toward the living room. “You spend the rest of the day relaxing and giving your body the break it obviously needs.” He carried the soup and crackers in and set them on the coffee table, staying close as she lowered to the cushions before settling next to her. “Then tomorrow, we go out there and handle shit.”

She pursed her lips, thinking it over. As much as she hated to admit it, having JD with her would change things. It was fucking bullshit, because honestly she was way meaner than he was. Way more likely to do damage, both physical and emotional.

But the dick between his legs changed fucking everything.

So, for that reason only, she found herself nodding. “Okay. Fine.”

JD’s lips softened into an almost smile as she scooped up a spoonful of chili. “Good girl.”

Her head snapped his way. “I told you I’m not a good girl.”

He smirked. “And I told you I know that.”

“You doing okay?” JD stuck close to her side—well within reaching distance—as they hiked along the gravel lane leading back to the third jobsite they’d visited so far that morning. As a residential clear for a new-build, this one was the most cramped, so she’d had JD park close to the road to keep them from getting blocked in. Unfortunately, that left them with a little bit of a trek to reach the spot where her men would be.

“I’m starting to feel it, but I want to get this over with.” They’d saved Carl’s site for last. Not only was it the farthest one from Shadow Pine, but she was also worried about what would happen when she and Carl collided. It would’ve really fucking sucked to have to go to the other sites after a knock-down, drag-out.

As they closed in on the location, she began to frown. “I don’t hear any chainsaws.” The site was eerily quiet. Definitely not as noisy as it should be this time of day. Normally the guys busted ass to get everything done so they could cut out and go home or hit the bar. Especially since this job was almost complete.

Or should have been anyway.

Frankie’s frown pressed deeper as they reached the area that was supposed to be completely cleared by the end of the day. “Why aren’t they almost finished? Carl said they were ahead of schedule when I talked to him about it.”

She reached the spot where the trucks should have been parked, and her stomach dropped. Where there should have been three big rigs to haul away the cut timber, only a single smaller truck sat on the churned-up dirt.

“What the fuck?”

She yanked on the handle of the driver’s side and found it locked. Leaving a truck on site wasn’t unheard of. Especially in areas like this where they got blocked in easily. But seeing it here in place of a whole-ass crew? It fucking pissed her all the way off.

JD stopped, expression hard as he surveyed the jobsite. “Looks like good ol’ Carl might be full of shit.” He leaned to peer into the cab of the truck, shaking his head as he looked through the filthy window then scanned the thick trees surrounding them. “Cause nobody’s here.”

She was dumbstruck. Shocked into silence by what she was seeing.

“How many men are supposed to be out here?” JD moved to the back of the truck and lowered the tailgate. Once it was down, he hefted her ass up onto it, bracing one hand at each side of her.

“This isn’t a big job, so there were only ten here, including Carl.” She relaxed a little, grateful to be sitting after spending the morning traversing uneven terrain, and even more grateful not to be facing this shitshow alone. “Once they were done here, they were supposed to go join with another team to help finish off a bigger job.” She squeezed her temples, massaging each side with two fingers. “So now that job is going to be behind too.”

So much of her business depended on the schedule. It’s not like you could load up literal tons of logs and haul them wherever you wanted whenever you wanted. It required specific trucks being in specific locations. Deliveries that had windows. When you weren’t on time, everyone down the line had to adjust their schedule too. And since time was money, this was going to cost her.

And it was all fucking Carl’s fault.

“It’s okay, Frank.” JD’s hands moved from the tailgate to her thighs, gently rubbing. “We will figure this out.”

We. Imagining she and JD as a we in any form was a dream she’d given up long ago. She’d worked hard to convince herself JD was the enemy. That she hated him twice as much as she ever liked him.

But here, in the middle of the woods with no one else around, it was easier than she expected to admit maybe hate wasn’t what she felt for him. To find relief she wasn’t alone. That someone she trusted—in spite of their shared past—was here with her. Helping her. Supporting her.

Believing in her.

Frankie nodded, pulling in a deep breath of the rich forest air, letting her eyes fall closed. “I don’t see why in the hell he’s pulling this shit now.”

“He’s doing it now because he thinks you’re not in a position to challenge him.” She opened her eyes to find JD’s lips quirked in a hint of a smile. “He must not know you as well as I do.”

She wanted to argue with him. To tell JD he didn’t know her the way he was claiming. Except…

It seemed like maybe he did.

Not once had he made her feel weak or needy or dependent on him. He hadn’t pitied her or babied her. And he’d done everything in his power to keep everyone else from finding out the truth of what was going on so their eyes weren’t filled with sympathy when they looked at her.

She wasn’t a victim. Of anyone or anything. Not her father. Not whatever was fucking up her body. And not Carl.

But that didn’t make all this suck any less.

“Do you think they’ll figure out what’s wrong with me?” Her question was quiet. Soft. A first venture in finally accepting what was happening inside her.

On many levels.

JD’s wide palms continued stroking her thighs through the fabric of her jeans. “I think they probably already have.”

The next breath that worked its way into her lungs was a little shaky. “Yeah.”

She wasn’t used to accepting her fate. It was something she’d fought since she was old enough to understand what her father planned for her and her sisters. But fighting the patriarchy was very different from fighting your own body, no matter how hard it was attacking you.

JD’s rough hands shifted, sliding up her arms to curve around her face, the gentle press of his thumbs tilting her head back until her eyes found his. His expression was serious and filled with something that had her breath catching.

Something that looked a lot like fear.

“You’re going to be okay, Frank.” There was conviction in his voice, a direct contrast to the uncertainty in his eyes. “I promise.” It wasn’t a statement so much as a plea.

Like he couldn’t—wouldn’t—allow himself to believe anything else.

As if it had a mind of its own, her chin wobbled as she asked, “What if I’m not?”

JD’s fingers curved against her cheeks, holding tighter. “I can’t?—”

His voice broke, revealing a crack that widened so fast it might swallow her up. A split in the wall she didn’t even know was there. Probably because she couldn’t see around the one she’d built.

But now she was looking. Staring over the top of the damned thing in shock at what was really on the other side.

Frankie sucked in a breath, or maybe it was taken from her. Stolen by the man in front of her. The one whose gaze was filled with raw need. Longing. Desperation. Desire.

“What’s…” She swallowed before trying again. “What’s happening?”

The question was barely a whisper. Soft and scared. Her hands gripped his wrists, holding tight as the past raced right at her, barreling through everything she thought she knew to slam into her here in the present.

Right before JD’s mouth did the same.