Page 15 of Winning You

“I brought an app with the braille alphabet so I can check the dates myself,” Francisco said.

Lucas’s jaw ticked. “Oh. Well. Aren’t you special.” He felt immediately like an asshole because that was most definitely not something other health inspectors did.

Francisco just sighed. “Would you mind stepping aside so I can?—”

Lucas shifted over before the man could finish his sentence. The voice was too familiar. He took a breath, waited to hear the fridge door open, then said, “Did Elodie ever calm down?”

“Oh, yeah, she—Shit.”

“Yeah,” Lucas said darkly.

Francisco—or was it Frankie?—he was very quiet for a long second.

“Let me guess, you didn’t think I’d recognize you because I’m blind?”

“I wasn’t sure. You didn’t seem to know who I was last night, and I thought it might be better if you liked your neighbor more than the asshole who fucked up at his job yesterday.”

Against his will, Lucas felt his frustration and anger begin to unknot at the base of his spine. “Yeah, well…” He bit his lip. “Didshe calm down, or did you have to duct-tape her to the sliding door?”

Frankie let out a small laugh. “She’s been a handful since the day I got her, but luckily, I’m not the kind of man who would do that to a child. I’m the master of the empty threat.”

“Is she adopted?” Lucas felt the tension in the air immediately after asking the question, and he felt like shit.

“Do you mind if we avoid talking about her while I’m on the clock?”

“Nope. Yep. Sorry, I’m being a dick.”

“You owe me, so…” Frankie said, trailing off.

Lucas wanted to agree, but also, he wasn’t so sure. Everyone had bad days. Hell, he had them all the time. He wasn’t the most pleasant person to work with when he was overstimulated, so he probably shouldn’t be too hard on this guy.

But damn it, he’d been enjoying having an archnemesis.

He turned his head again and listened, but whatever Frankie was doing, it was damn near silent. “What’s going on?”

“I’m looking up the dates,” Frankie said quietly.

Lucas scoffed and walked over, one hand in front of him until he came into contact with Frankie’s body. He felt…solid. Very solid. And very warm. And good. Kind of hot and— Fuck, no. No, no absolutely not, he told himself sternly.

“Move. I’ll read them to you.”

“That’s against—you know what, fine. That works for me.”

Lucas pulled his hand back. “I don’t want to cheat, okay? But you sound…” He trailed off, hating the fact that he was softening. “Stressed, I guess. What happened yesterday that made you leave?”

Frankie was quiet for so long, Lucas thought maybe that was his way of saying fuck off. Then he took a breath and said, “Elodie had a seizure.”

Lucas’s brows furrowed. “That little spitfire had a seizure yesterday?”

“Mm. She has cerebral palsy, so she gets them a lot. It’s been…” He heard Frankie swallow thickly. “I have a court thing coming up for her, and I’m scared they’re not going to let me keep her if her health is bad. Like…what if they decide there’s some other very rich family with more resources who would be better for her than I am.”

“They can’t take your daughter just because?—”

“She’s my sister.”

Lucas’s jaw snapped shut. “Oh.”

“It’s a very long, very complicated story, and I won’t burden you with it. But yeah. She’s, ah…” He trailed off.