Page 23 of Frankie (Big Northwest #5)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

FRANKIE

“ T his is stupid.” Frankie was still frowning as JD finally pulled into the driveway of his house.

“Stupid, but good to know.” JD downed the last of his boring, black coffee before shutting off the truck’s engine. “Stay put. I’m coming around.”

She glared at him as he jumped out and rounded the front, turning the glare toward him as he opened her door. “Calm down. I’m literally exactly the same as I was when we left this morning.”

Except now she knew for sure what was wrong with her. Why she’d been having joint issues and the reasons behind her exhaustion and the headaches she blamed on stress.

“And if you’ll remember, I tried to help you get out at the doctor’s office too.” He took the bag of food they picked up on their way home from her lap and held out his other hand. “Now stop giving me shit so we can get inside. I’m fucking hungry.”

“It’s not my fault we were gone all day.” She gripped his palm and carefully slid free of the truck. “You’re the one who made me call to schedule an appointment.”

“How was I supposed to know they’d have a cancellation and could fit you in right away?” he grumbled. “They could have given us a heads-up that this was going to be a whole day kinda thing.”

“You’re the one who made the deal. Can’t bitch about it now.” She didn’t let go of JD’s hand as they walked across the uneven terrain of his gravel driveway. “And we weren’t at the doctor’s office the whole day.” Frankie grinned at him. “We also went clothes shopping.”

She hadn’t been expecting to stay at JD’s very long when she’d packed her bag, so most of her wardrobe went up in the same flames that stole her house. Luckily, in between meetings with doctors and having appointments for bloodwork and scans, she’d managed to pick up a few items to tide her over.

“Shopping was the worst part.” JD unlocked the front door, juggling the food so he didn’t have to let her hand go. “I didn’t know women had to try on everything they wanted.”

“Now you know.” Frankie followed him inside. “Because not only is sizing different everywhere, the same pair of jeans from the same store in a different color won’t fit the same.”

“Stupid.” JD set their food on the table and went to work unpacking it. “Sit down.”

“Just so we’re clear.” She slid into the seat. “I’m sitting down because I want to, not because you told me to.”

“Just so we’re clear.” JD handed her the container of chicken lo mein she ordered along with the foam box of egg rolls. “I understand you will never do something because I told you to.”

“As long as we’re on the same page.” Frankie flipped open the top flaps of the cardboard takeout vessel and dug into the noodles. Her eyes jumped up as JD turned away. “Where are you going?”

“To get all those clothes you bought.” He continued to the door.

“But you’re starving,” she called after him. She frowned as he ignored her, walking right out onto the porch instead of coming back to eat. “Guess I’m not the only one who doesn’t do what they’re told.” She set her dinner down and crossed both arms over her chest, stomach growling as she waited.

A few minutes later, JD came back in, loaded with bags. He kicked the door closed behind him, shooting her a grin. “Got ‘em all in one—” His expression fell to a scowl. “Are you shitting me right now?”

She lifted her chin. “I’m not eating until you eat.”

JD tossed the bags onto the sofa. “Why the hell not?”

What did he mean, why the hell not? “Because I’m being nice. ”

“Well stop it.” JD dropped the last of the bags and came to join her. “It’s freaking me out a little.”

She snatched up her chopsticks and used them to pinch his arm. “Jerk. I’m nice sometimes.”

“Not to me.” He grabbed his own Hunan beef along with a fork and shoveled a load into his mouth.

Frankie scoffed. “I was nice to you this morning.”

JD swallowed, brows lifting. “You mean when you tried to burn my house down?”

She pursed her lips, trying to conjure up a biting retort. But her brain circled back to one of the many problems crowding into her life. “Why haven’t we heard back from the fire marshal?”

“Good question.” JD picked up an eggroll, eating half in one bite. “I was hoping Kenneth might be able to get a little information out of him when he was on site, but I guess that didn’t happen.”

“Maybe we should go into town and see what’s going on.” She was tired—exhausted actually—but at this point she’d been shirking her responsibilities for a few days and it was starting to make her skin crawl. “I also need to go into my office at the warehouse so I can get back to work and…”

“It’s Friday afternoon, Frank. No one’s going to be doing anything for the next two days, so you have some time to breathe and wrap your head around everything that’s happened before you have to jump back in.” JD’s words were even and measured. Calm but firm.

He was right, which annoyed her. About her company anyway. “But the meet-and-greets?—”

“Listen.” He reached out to grab her chair by the edge of the seat and pulled it closer, then rested a big hand on her thigh. “I know these women love the fuck out of you, but they’ll survive while you take a minute to recover.”

Frankie took a deep breath before pushing the remnants of her lunch away. “It might take more than a minute.”

How in the hell did she get here? In barely a week she’d gone from living her best life to homeless with a fucking autoimmune disease. Maybe claiming she was living her best life was a stretch, but still. She had a house and could walk in a straight line… ish.

JD slid his hand into hers, lacing their fingers together. “Would it make you feel better to fuck my hair up?”

“You do owe me.” A little of the melancholy trying to drag her down flared into outrage. “And why are you assuming I’m going to fuck it up?” She stood, managing to get up without pain. “For your information, I’ve been cutting my own hair for years.” Since she’d started shaving one side and discovered how fast that shit grew out. “Come on.” She tugged at his arm. “Let’s go make you look pretty.”

He hefted his big body up from the table. “Pretty isn’t really my style.” JD let her lead him down the hall into the bathroom off his bedroom. “That’s Foster’s thing.”

“He does like to look pretty, doesn’t he?” She frowned. “ I’m a little worried he’s not cut out for the job Craig hired him to do.”

“I bet he’ll be fine.” She pushed him down onto the toilet, facing the tank so she could reach the back of his head. “Phil seems like he doesn’t take much shit.”

“Yeah, but James is a little…” It had been a while since she’d seen her sister, but the youngest Karlson daughter had always been sort of volatile. It was the main reason everyone was so concerned. If anyone was going to lose their cool and show their hand, it was James.

“Vicious?” JD finished for her.

“That’s one way to say it.” By the time James was born, their father was completely off his rocker, and without their mother to run interference, his delusions spiraled at an epic pace. Add on that the girls were left to raise themselves for the most part, and James ended up about as wild as any kid could be. And that wild kid grew up into an epically free-spirited adult.

Frankie pulled out her clippers and plugged them in. “Now hold still or I’ll shave your head.”

“You keep staring at me.” JD tipped back a swallow of his beer. “It’s starting to weird me out.”

“First I weird you out by being nice, now I’m weirding you out by looking at you?” Frankie stretched across the bubbling warmth of the hot tub to poke at him with her toes. “You ever think maybe you’re just weird?”

“ You’re weird.” JD studied her face. “How you feeling?”

She bent her legs, shifting each around at the hip joint to test. “Actually, pretty good.” She’d been worried when the doctor listed out all the issues that came with her lupus diagnosis. So many of them were weirdly at odds. Too much heat was bad. Just enough heat could help her joint pain. Too much sun was bad, but vitamin D was important for cell regeneration. Anti-inflammatories helped with pain and swelling but they could cause stomach issues. “I might have lost my shit if I couldn’t get in the hot tub.”

“I still think we need to keep a close eye on it. Make sure you don’t overdo it.” JD reached for his phone to check the time. “We’ll give you five more minutes then we should probably get out.”

“Five more minutes?” She scoffed. “I’ve dreamed of this thing my whole life and now you’re saying I can only be in it ten minutes at a time?” Frankie floated across the tub melting away more and more of her stress with each passing second. She grabbed the side behind JD’s head and used the hold to pull her body over his, sinking down to straddle his lap. “That doesn’t seem fair.”

He angled a brow. “Fair isn’t the issue I’m most worried about, Frank.” His hands dipped under the water to palm her bare backside. “I want you healthy and feeling good. ”

She leaned into him, rubbing her naked body against his. “If your goal is to make me feel good, I have a few ideas.”

Accidentally, but sort of on purpose, getting drunk at dinner last night with his mom had really put a hitch in her plan to have JD’s dick inside her again. That’s why she’d declined the beer he offered after his haircut and beard trim, and suggested getting in the ‘no swimwear allowed’ hot tub.

“I’m more than happy to offer my services, but not until you get your stubborn, sneaky ass out of the hot tub.” JD used his grip on her ass to drag the seam of her pussy against the hard line of his cock. “Good try though.”

After spending her adult life making sure a man never stuck around long enough to get close, she wasn’t used to being with someone who knew her so well and saw through her tricks right out of the gate. She reached out to give one of his nipples a pinch. “Not funny.”

JD’s lips lifted. “It’s actually fucking hilarious.” He caught her wrist as she started to pull away. “And if you’re trying to punish me with that pinch, you’re real far off base.”

“ Really ?” She dragged the word out, rocking her hips a little as this new tidbit of information sent a throb of arousal straight to her clit. “That’s—” A far-off sound stole her attention, pulling it to the woods surrounding JD’s home. She scanned the dark forest, lowering her voice to ask, “Did you hear that?”

JD’s arm banded around her waist, pulling her close as his own eyes did a slow sweep. “What did you hear? ”

Frankie shook her head, continuing to listen. “I don’t know. It was almost like footsteps.” Holding her breath, she closed her eyes, trying to find what she’d lost. “I don’t hear it anymore.”

“Then it’s a good time to go the fuck inside.” JD stood, hauling her slippery body up with him. “Because I’m not positive I’m on your good side, and meeting the business end of a bear is not how I want to spend the evening.”

Once he had her out of the tub, JD wrapped a towel around her body, flipped the cover back into place, and all but dragged her inside, leaving the lights on and abandoning his beer.

“It’s not that serious.” She glanced over one shoulder in case he saw something she hadn’t. “It was probably nothing.”

“I’ll believe it was nothing when we hear back from the fire marshal and deal with Carl.” JD locked the door and urged her deeper into the house.

“You better hope it’s nothing, because if it wasn’t, someone got a whole look at your dick.” She peered back at him, eyes narrowing on his freshly cut hair and properly groomed beard. “And I don’t think I like the possibility that someone saw all that.” Turning, she made for the door, ready to go ensure it really was nothing.

Because if there was someone out there, they were about to lose their eyeballs.

“Nope.” JD turned her back to the stairs. “Now isn’t the time to be starting fights.”

“But my hips don’t hurt.” They actually felt better than they had in a long time. “Now would be a great time to start a fight.”

JD stopped, leaning down so his lips brushed the shell of her ear when he said, “I thought you wanted to take this beard you put so much work into for a ride.”