by Debra Webb
She rolled her eyes as she moved around to his side of the desk. “We should be setting a better example, Mr. Abbot.”
“I’ll wait to apologize until we get reprimanded, thank you.” He caught her hand in his. “What did you need?”
It felt so close to normal she wanted to linger in the performance. “I found a recipe online.” She pulled out her phone and showed him the pictures. “Maybe for tomorrow night, since we’re going to Mom’s tonight. What do you think?”
He scrolled through and when he looked up at her he was all smiles. “I think you could’ve emailed me.”
“Well, I could have.” Her tone was flirtatious. They both knew she couldn’t risk leaving that kind of trail. His comment was for whoever was listening and potentially watching. She was getting used to their double-meaning conversations. “But then I would’ve missed your reaction.”
“That has potential,” he said. “Where’d you find it?”
“It was one of those email newsletters,” she fibbed. “You could show a little more enthusiasm.” Surely he understood the implication of what she’d found.
“I’ll withhold judgment until I taste it.”
He was reminding her not to jump to the obvious conclusion. Though this seemed crystal clear to her. “Fine.”
He slid a hand over her thigh and she stopped the motion just before he reached one of the many scars. Recalling how she should react, she smiled and kissed his cheek. “We’re at work,” she said in a stage whisper as she escaped to the safe side of the desk.
“Can’t wait until we’re not.” His eyes flashed with that attraction and awareness she couldn’t deny. Her fingertips tingled as though she’d been playing with fire.
“I’ll meet you at the car at five.”
“I’d rather pick you up at your office and walk down together. I can carry your books if you have homework.”
Shaking her head at his antics, Frankie returned to her office and the work her mother expected of her. She couldn’t afford to alienate anyone or squander the access she hadn’t anticipated.
* * *
ON THE DRIVE to the apartment, Aidan let her theorize about what she’d found, unable to find any flaw with her concerns. While she changed clothes, he took another look at the pictures and skimmed every article he could find, taking one last minute to email a friend of his at Interpol.
What Frankie wanted to see as proof positive, Aidan saw as coincidence, until they had independent confirmation the picture looked like proverbial smoke. He had yet to pin down anything that resembled a fire. Paul and Sophia could very well be trying to help a friend overcome and take positive strides forward. But his opinion was met with a stony silence.
He pulled into Sophia’s driveway and parked behind Paul’s sedan. Frankie stared straight ahead, her frustration clear in the tight fists balanced on her thighs. He’d expected her to use the time in the car to launch another debate about her discovery. “You’ll be okay during dinner?”
“What’s not okay?” She gave him a patently false smile. “We’re all nearly family, right?”
He didn’t like the hard edge she put on family. “We don’t have to stay long.”
“Of course we do,” Frankie countered. “This is a great chance to dig into Paul’s background.”
That made Aidan wary. “Are you bucking for a confrontation?”
“No way. It’s too soon. I just want to know how they wound up building my dad’s dream.”
“Your parents dreamed up Leo Solutions together.”
Frankie closed her eyes a moment and let loose a weary sigh. When she opened them again her gaze was sharp enough to cut glass. “Be warned, she’s going to push for a wedding date. I told her we weren’t in a rush, but apparently she is.”
“I’ll manage.” He took her hand. “Do we need a safe word?”
“What?”
“If one of us gets in trouble or wants to bail, maybe we should have a code word or phrase so it’s not obvious.”
Her gaze drifted to the house, and her dark eyebrows plummeted into a scowl. “Not a bad idea.”
“Baby,” he said.
“Do not call me that,” she snapped.
“Which makes it a perfect code word,” he clarified, holding up his hands in surrender.
“Oh. Okay.” With a resigned expression, she climbed out of the car and headed for the porch.
Right on her heels, he caught the subtle way she adjusted her stride at the steps, as if she anticipated pain with the short climb. “Are you feeling all right?”
She glared at him over her shoulder but didn’t answer as her mother opened the door wide to welcome them in. Paul was at her shoulder and hugs and handshakes were exchanged.
Aidan seconded Frankie’s reservations about Paul. He picked up a bad vibe from the older man, as if he didn’t want to share Sophia or the company with Frankie or anyone else.
“We’ve got the salmon going out back,” Sophia said. “I have drinks and appetizers to tide us over.”
Aidan noticed Frankie didn’t even turn her head as they passed the formal dining room and the family portrait that had tripped her up during their first visit.
When the four of them were situated around a teak outdoor table sharing a plate of baked Brie and fruit, Aidan leaned back and draped his arm across the back of Frankie’s chair. On the other side of the table, Paul mirrored the move with Sophia.
“What kind of flowers are those?” Aidan nodded at the flowering vines climbing the pergola.
“Moonflower,” Frankie replied, sliding a glance at her mom. “Do you have a spot for sunflowers here?”
“Yes!” Sophia pointed to the other side of the yard. “That corner gets plenty of sun. I’m thinking of adding a swing or bench nearby.”
“She means I’ll have a new building project soon,” Paul added.
As Sophia launched an unconvincing protest, Aidan asked Frankie about the sunflowers.
“We found a place to plant them whenever we moved.”
“It was part of making each house a home, wasn’t it?” Sophia smiled.
Frankie nodded, clearly uncomfortable.
“You’ll have so much fun creating your own traditions with Aidan,” her mom noted.
“They don’t have any green space in the apartment,” Paul observed.
“Aidan and I were just talking about starting a container garden on the balcony,” Frankie said.
He nodded, supporting her improvisation. “Maybe you could share some plants, if that’s how it works.”
“What a great idea,” Sophia said, twisting in her seat as if assessing the best choices.
“Wouldn’t it be better all the way around to find your own place?” Paul queried, raising his drink to his lips.
Aidan watched him as Sophia insisted “the kids” were welcome to stay in the apartment as long as necessary. “Are you still driving the rental car?” she asked.
“We’ve been debating what to do about that,” Aidan improvised.
Sophia nudged Paul, who said, “We can set you up with a company car.”
“Mom, that’s too much.” Frankie patted Aidan’s knee. “There’s plenty of time to figure it out.”
Aidan caught the flash of satisfaction on Paul’s face, then did the mental calculations of buying a car for the sole purpose of the case. It wasn’t impossible if he was smart. Driving back to Chicago when the job was done wasn’t the worst scenario. Just as Frankie wanted to avoid living with her mother, Aidan didn’t want to be saddled with a company car.
He and Frankie had enough stress with the assumption that the apartment was wired. A company car would have active GPS at the very least, if not a dash cam or mic that would pick up every word they exchanged. They needed more space to speak pri
vately, not more places where they had to play the happily engaged, electrically attracted couple.
Sophia enlisted Paul’s help getting the salmon to the table, and the delicious meal kept everyone distracted for a time. Frankie surprised Aidan by conversing amicably with Paul and her mother, getting both to open up—in the vaguest sense—about their friendship and the partnership.
Aidan hadn’t expected her to have such a deft touch with those questions. Sophia so obviously wanted Frankie and her fiancé to feel welcome. She wanted them to stay and was doing everything possible to nurture the olive branch Frankie had offered by showing up.
It would make Sophia miserable if she guessed her daughter’s real purpose here. He had a feeling it would make Frankie miserable, too, if she found something to confirm her worst suspicions about her mother. She might believe she wanted to take her mom down, but Aidan wasn’t convinced.
“So, have you decided on a wedding date?”
Frankie, caught off guard, lowered her loaded fork back to her plate. Under the table, he rubbed her knee with his for encouragement. “Not specifically,” he answered. “Are there dates we should avoid?”
Sophia’s dark hair swung gently as she shook her head. “I don’t think so. Paul?”
He shrugged and dropped his gaze to his plate. “Whatever suits the happy couple.”
“Do you have your heart set on a particular venue, Frankie?”
Beside him, Aidan felt Frankie tense up. “I really haven’t thought about it. Being engaged is enough for us right now,” she added, sticking with the excuse she fell back on whenever the topic came up.
He recalled her comments about expectations and realized what she meant. No one in either family had been quite this pushy after he proposed before. There hadn’t been time. Shortly after the engagement parties they were planning a funeral rather than a wedding.
“We need to get started,” Sophia said. “The best places are likely booked for June.”
Frankie coughed and reached for her water glass.
While she sputtered, Aidan jumped into the fray. “June feels terribly quick. I’d marry her anywhere, anytime,” he added, when Sophia’s happy expression faltered. “To do it right, maybe we should look to the fall?”
“That would give your family more time to make travel arrangements,” Sophia said. She glanced at Paul. “Maybe we can help with some of that. The company has an account with a charter airline service.”
“Really?” Frankie asked. “I didn’t realize we had clients that required so much travel.”
Paul blotted his mouth with his napkin and set it beside his plate. “Primarily the charter service empowers accounts where personal security arrangements are necessary. Your mother and I worked out a strategy to give the company a global reach and relevance right away.”
Sophia nodded, immediately returning to her preferred topic. “If your family comes all this way, I hope they’ll take some extra time for enjoying the city in addition to the wedding.”
“I’ll certainly suggest it,” Aidan said, once more grasping Frankie’s hand. Despite his plan to take a step back, he couldn’t quite keep his hands to himself. Of course, in public it was considered part of the job, he thought, justifying the pleasure he felt in the contact.
“Are there dates that are important to your family, Aidan?” Paul asked.
Aidan recognized the veiled interrogation. “My parents were married in late September.”
“A lovely time of year.” Sophia’s smile bloomed on her face, and her eyes crinkled with happiness. “Would you like a September wedding, Frankie?”
“That could work.” She squeezed Aidan’s hand. “Just don’t get your hopes up for anything big like the officers’ club,” she said. “We’d prefer something simple.”
Aidan watched the barb land perfectly. Sophia’s enthusiasm dipped momentarily. “We can manage a simple, tasteful day that suits you both.”
“We could just go to the courthouse,” Frankie suggested, looking up at him. “What do you think?”
He wasn’t about to let her off the hook or give her mom heart failure. “We could manage that next week,” he pointed out, calling her bluff.
Frankie blanched. “Or in September, after we settle in here.”
“Absolutely not,” Sophia protested. “I only have one daughter, and while it’s your day, I want it to be a celebration you’ll remember.”
Aidan decided this was another woman, family and case he’d never forget.
Sophia wagged a finger at her daughter. “Pull up a calendar and choose a date. It will give us a target even if we have to adjust it.” The woman sounded as though she’d been the general in the family.
Obediently Frankie did as requested, and she and Aidan chose the last Saturday in September to appease the mother of the bride.
Aidan expected to feel snared. Instead, he heard himself laughing as he leaned over and kissed Frankie’s temple. “Always a good idea to have a target for any successful operation. Does it feel too real, my love?”
“Maybe a little.” She elbowed him in the side and had all four of them grinning. “Just wait. You won’t be laughing when we’re confronted with dozens of choices over the smallest details.”
“You know I trust your judgment.” As he said the words he realized how true they were. Not just as her pretend fiancé. Watching how she’d handled this evening, he knew she’d play this investigation the smart way: patiently, until they had the necessary evidence to take action against the right person.
While Frankie would surely disagree, he was increasingly confident Sophia wasn’t that person.
* * *
“I NEED A RUN,” Frankie said as they entered the apartment. She wanted some space to sort out the crazy day and crazier dinner. In the navy, she’d never been required to maintain this sort of cover. The assignments had been handed out, planned and executed. There were gaps and improvisations, of course, but she’d never had to second-guess every breath the way she did now.
“You’re going to the gym downstairs, right?”
“No.” She stalked past Aidan, grabbed her running gear and ducked into the bathroom to change. He was sitting on the bed, glaring at her when she emerged. “What now?”
“You can go to the gym,” he declared.
She laughed. “I’m a big girl, Aidan. I’m going running outside.”
“Not alone at night.”
“You’re overprotective all of a sudden,” she said, for the benefit of any prying surveillance. Reaching into her drawer, she showed him her knife, then tucked it into the sheath clipped at her waist. She tugged her T-shirt down to hide it. “I won’t be long.”
“We’ll go together.” He stood and she backpedaled out of the room before he could catch her or kiss her into submission.
“No.” She gathered her hair into a ponytail. Frankie could hardly confess she needed to escape him. It seemed his intriguing scent filled her every breath. Here, in the car, at dinner. She had to stretch her legs, let her mind wander and just be herself for a bit. “I’ll be back within the hour.”
“Frankie—”
“I’m going alone. You won’t change my mind.”
“Fine.” He scowled at her. “At least take your cell phone.”
With a sigh, she grabbed it and dashed out the door. Considering it a good warm-up, she took the stairs down for a few flights, pausing to stretch on the landings.
Outside, the cool night air washed over her and she drew in a deep breath as she set out down the block toward a nearby green space that flowed along the waterfront. Using the app on her phone, she programmed a route that circled back to the building. That way she wouldn’t be tempted to stay out later just to annoy Aidan.
Probably not smart to alienate her only ally in town. If she could call
him that. He kept insinuating she wasn’t capable of objectivity. It stung, knowing he was right. But couldn’t he put himself in her shoes for just a few minutes?
The man had been a top investigator in Europe and he was a whiz with undercover work. He should be able to see her point of view on this. How was she supposed to frame her life if everything she’d learned about love and strength, and all she’d known about the two people who’d mattered most, was false? In her place, up against these terrible questions, she couldn’t imagine Aidan doing anything different.
She ran, letting the questions float through her mind, releasing the pent-up stress with every exhale. Her father had been relocated to Washington during her senior year of high school. She and her mother had stayed behind so she could finish school with her friends. Had that decision also been motivated by trouble in their marriage Frankie hadn’t seen?
She concentrated on her footfalls, rather than get sucked into that quagmire. She was out here to escape the situation, not wallow in it. Her legs were warm, her stride strong and powerful, though she was mindful of the smallest twinge in her back.
She knew the difference between healthy and a signal to ease up and evaluate. Every step was a victory over the initial, bleak prognosis. Good thing she didn’t believe in quitting. Her mother must have been told the odds were slim that Frankie would even walk again. Odds were no match for grit and determination, though the navy wouldn’t believe her. Their loss, she thought as she pressed on, feeling the welcome strain in her lungs now.
She checked the route on her phone, thinking about Aidan’s comments that Sophia had chosen to be with her in those early days. It was a point in her mom’s favor that she’d never once told Frankie a full recovery was impossible.
Giving a nod to passing runners, she was tempted to snap a picture for Aidan. There was nothing to fear out here, especially not for an armed woman trained by the military’s best experts. She didn’t take the picture, nearly turned off her phone, except he’d likely call out a search party if she did that. The mental image made her smile. No one had cared so much about her survival since she left the navy. Aidan would probably tell her Sophia cared, but Frankie didn’t want to think about her mother any more tonight.