Page 67 of The Ex Effect
“You didn’t.” Frankie chuckled. “Just at your place, though, right? Not mine?”
It was still hard for both of us to think of Peaches’s place as Frankie’s, and it took Frankie until late October to call it “hers.” So many changes in such a short amount of time, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Being reunited with my love, my best friend, my partner, completed me.
Against all the protests from me, Frankie calledBirch & Willowto turn down the job. Although the company ideally wanted Frankie living in New York for in-person creative sessions, turned out they wanted Frankie so much they were willing to work with her to find a solution. They told her to come up with a plan.
Frankie and I worked around the clock, coming up with a pitch thatBirch & Willowagreed to—an entire series based in small-town Midwest America. Everything from diners to artgalleries, from the Boundary Waters to the sun-streaked corn fields in Iowa.
There’d still be a lot of travel, we knew, especially over the holiday season when Frankie was needed in the office for collaborative sessions. So far, this ended up being perfect for Frankie, who missed Quinn and the city, and was one of those weirdos who loved flying. But really, it was a small sacrifice, at least on my end. I’d been single for so long that having Frankie here a little over half the time was just right. And right now, even though Frankie had her house, and I had mine, we already talked about selling my place and me moving into Frankie’s. I had no emotional tie to my townhome, but plenty to Frankie’s.
Besides, Frankie’s house was begging for a remodel. And I itched to take on a project like that again with my love.
I filled the pot with water and fired up the stove. “Is Quinn coming early with you, then? Or taking the original flight?”
“No.” An exasperated breath left Frankie. “Seriously, she needs to quit her job, but she’ll never listen to me. Her manager revoked her time off. Can you believe that? I don’t even understand how that’s legal.”
“Oh no! Poor Quinn. That’s got to be so rough. Can’t we just kidnap her or something to get her out of that place?” I tore into a chamomile package. “Someday maybe she’ll follow in our footsteps and open her own business.”
“I hope so. She’s going to come home the following weekend for a few days. I’m going to do everything to convince her to stay and never return to New York.” The sound of a zipper rang through the receiver. “A cross-country road trip in a U-Haul with my sis would be so freaking fun. I’m gonna get her drunk tonight and make her sign a contract.”
God, I loved Frankie. In every fiber of my being, I knew Frankie was the one. She’dalwaysbeen the one. “That sounds fun and totally illegal. I’ll pretend I never heard you say it.”
“You know…if we were married, you can’t be forced to testify against me in court.”
Frankie was teasing, of course. Kind of. We’d talked about it, many times. I knew it was a matter of when and not if. Already a lifetime of wasted moments had passed and neither of us wanted to lose any more. At the same time, we had all the time in the world.
“And you have way better benefits through your company than I do on my own.” I grinned and poured the steaming water over the bag. “This is kind of sounding like a win-win situation.”
“Definitely.” Frankie laughed. “Okay, I’ve got to go. When I get home, though, can we do that thing we like so much?”
My chest flushed.I cannot wait until Frankie is home.“The one thing, orthe one thing?”
“Definitely that one.”
A smile filled me, with more than anticipating a recently found sweet spot we’d been exploring.Tomorrow, I get to see my person.My one true love.
I pulled the phone to my mouth. “Done.”
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