A bell jingled when Elaine entered. Frankie looked up from wiping down the front counter of her shop, and a double-take suggested that Elaine was one of the last people she expected to see.
“Hey,” Elaine said, once she secured Frankie’s attention. “Do you have a few minutes? I’m not really here as a customer. I… wanted to talk to you about something and don’t have a lot of time before I have to get back to my own shop.”
Frankie nodded, although said nothing. While not the most inspiring response, Elaine took the initiative to approach and explain her presence.
“I talked to your brother about a week ago,” Elaine began, “and he asked me if I had a… well, he seemed to imply that you thought I had an issue with you, and that’s not true at all. Just wanted you to know that.” She cleared her throat. “Sorry if this is so weird. I’ve never had to do something like this before.”
Frankie averted eye contact, although from the way her throat trembled there was something she wanted to say. Yet instead of coming out with it, she let out a breath and smacked her towel against her counter.
“I know you don’t have a problem with me. It’s me who has the problem.”
Elaine attempted to hold Frankie’s gaze, yet every time she tried, Frankie only became more intent on avoiding the woman standing before her. “What do you mean by that?” Elaine cautiously asked. “I really hope I have not done something to offend you. Sometimes I’m not so good at reading people’s thoughts.” Then again, who was? Yet it felt like the kind of thing Elaine must apologize for if she wanted to repair whatever the hell was going on between her and Frankie.
The towel ripped off the counter. Frankie tossed it into a sink behind her and sighed, a handful of braids sliding off her shoulder and grazing against the counter she had cleaned.
“Like I said, it has nothing to do with you,” she muttered, her gaze still averted. “I’ve got some issues of my own. Totally unrelated to you.”
“As you keep assuring me.”
“Look.” When Frankie finally returned Elaine’s stare, it was with a knitted brow and a twitch of the lips that made it seem like she was about to impart secret information about a cult on the brink of bringing down the whole town. I really need to stop watching Netflix before bed… “You happened to show up in town while I’m going through some… personal stuff. If I’m a bit weird of off-putting, that’s why. Don’t listen to my brother, please. He likes to stick his nose into things that are no concern of his. He’s not a shit-stirrer, not really. I swear, he means well, but he’s often off the mark, if you catch my drift.”
Elaine tilted her head. No… no, I don’t catch your drift at all. Other than this was about family drama. Unfortunately, Elaine knew a thing or two about that.
“Yeah, I think I catch you.” Elaine sighed. “I’m really sorry I bothered you, but it was bothering me. You know, I’m new in town, and the thought of already pissing off people, let alone without intention, gets to me. That’s my own issue, I guess. It’s… well…” Ah, heck. This might be awkward as hell, but what else was Elaine supposed to do now that she had uncorked her insecurities? “I recently had a friend stop talking to me online, so I’m being sensitive. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but we were good friends for years. Ever since I came here, my relationship with her has been really strained and, I guess…” She matched Frankie’s sigh. “I was really worried that I had somehow changed and was pushing people away. It’s hard being the new girl in town and struggling to make friends. Especially since there are a lot fewer people to make friends with here than back home.”
“Yeah…” Frankie braced herself against the counter. “I get that. Just because you don’t meet your online friends, doesn’t mean they’re not real.”
Somehow, those words reassured Elaine that she wasn’t as weak as she thought she might be. “Absolutely. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to get back to my shop. I left Christina in charge while there was a lull in guests… God only knows what’s happened since I left.”
Frankie chuckled. She muttered something about a fire, which went over Elaine’s head.
At least that had been cleared. Still, as Elaine made her way back to Tea & Thyme, her steps quickening as she realized it might start to rain, she wondered what Frankie was going through in her personal life to make her standoffish to someone as innocuous as Elaine. I didn’t ask her how her Thanksgiving was. I wonder if she spent it at home with her brother, or if they went somewhere. Elaine had Facetimed her family back in the Midwest, but they had never been big Thanksgiving people. Not since her mother saw a four-day weekend as an opportunity to network with fashion-industry types, never mind the marketing potential of Black Friday.
Should I go back… no, that would be weird. Elaine couldn’t quite place why she wanted to make things right with Frankie, of all people. Was it because she was on the board of the Chamber of Commerce? Because she was one of the only other black women in town, let alone a business owner who might have advice to give her?
Because she was trying to fill the void Fran left behind when she disappeared.
Elaine stopped at the only main intersection, waiting for a line of cars to pass. I wonder… no, that would be too crazy. Besides, if it were true that Fran and Frankie were the same person, then Elaine really made a creepy ass out of herself!
She stepped into Tea & Thyme five minutes later, eyes widening to the sight of five small groups overwhelming poor Christina as she attempted to take their orders and steep the tea. Elaine didn’t have time to contemplate her woes. Not when she was needed to intercept an irate lady who simply wanted to know which was a good decaf tea before she bought anything. After shooing Christina into the kitchen to collect the other tea that was ready for someone else, Elaine flashed a smile at the next customer and offered a sample of vanilla rooibos.
She didn’t have time to think about Frankie for another twenty minutes. She was too busy watching the daily total slowly increase as she settled the five small groups around the teahouse and commended Christina for keeping her cool under so much pressure. Instead of griping, Christina merely said, “Maybe you should leave more often. That way I can have something to do and more people will be inspired to show up and spend some money. By the way, I get to keep those tips right? I took the orders.”
Laughing, Elaine patted her only employee’s shoulder and said she could keep the tips for the whole day. All six dollars in tips. Then again, to a teenager, that was a small fortune that could easily go toward a movie ticket or a lunch out with her friends.
Elaine wouldn’t begrudge her that. Like she wouldn’t begrudge Frankie for going through some personal stuff, as long as it really had nothing to do with Elaine.
Chapter 15
FRANKIE
If there was one thing Frankie didn’t suffer, it was consequences she had nothing to do with creating. Which was why when she realized her great folly with Elaine, she sat back and took stock of her reactions.
She really doesn’t know who I am… Dominic had been telling the truth about that, at least. If Elaine knew anything about Frankie’s identity, she truly kept it a secret. The kind of secret that Frankie would never penetrate.
So, she probably didn’t know.
What the hell was Frankie supposed to do? Here she was, the only one between them who knew the truth. You’re Z. I’m Fran. This whole time I thought you were here stalking me, and it turns out this is the greatest coincidence in the world. Seriously, though, what were the odds? Z had never said anything about moving to Oregon or a town full of lesbians like them, but Frankie could see why it happened. Hadn’t she moved to Paradise Valley for similar reasons? Except it made more sense for her to move to Oregon from Olympia. Moving to Paradise Valley from Chicago, never mind to open a business, was a completely different beast. Then again, how many of the business owners here are from other parts of the country? The mayor was from California – and was the butt of every transplant joke because of it. Hesper the CPA was ori
ginally from Idaho, and Meadow, her girlfriend, was also from California. While most people transplanted from either Portland or other parts of the west coast, it wasn’t unfeasible for a woman in Chicago to set her sights on a small town business in specifically Paradise Valley. You know, if she’s gay.
Frankie sat in silence at the kitchen table Saturday night. Some event took place on Dominic’s game, keeping him glued to the computer for most of the day. Every once in a while he let out a shout of disbelief over his headset. “Bro, what the hell are you doin’?” he cried more than once. “Rez the tank first! Rez the tank! Leave my ass for dead, I’m only the DPS!”
Frankie attempted to distract herself with her brother’s game. She grabbed a cup of decaf and stood behind him, her desire to understand what “rez” and “DPS” meant outweighed by her noting that, indeed, her brother had a character that looked much like him, all the way down to the dreads. When he finally had a break while waiting for a friend to join his party in a dungeon, he explained that the character was “lore friendly” although the culture was based on Arabia more than any part of Africa. Frankie still didn’t know what the hell he was talking about, although part of the problem was how distracted she was thinking about Elaine.
“You okay, Sis?” Dominic turned in his gaming chair. Behind him, on a monitor big enough to cover the desk, his character played a flute. One by one, his friends joined him by playing a drum and a lyre. They were terribly out of sync. “You look like somebody left a threatening message on your phone and you don’t know what to do about it.”
She sighed. “That is an oddly specific look I have, then.”
“It’s true, though. You usually do. Have specific looks, I mean.”
Frankie pushed her forehead into her hand. “I was thinking about the whole situation with Elaine. Or Z. Or whatever her name really is.”
Dominic nodded as if he understood.
“Elaine came into the deli earlier today. She said that you talked to her, and asked me if I had a problem with her. Except she wasn’t defensive about it. She really didn’t know what to make of it.”
“Almost like she has no idea that you and her online friend are the same person?”
“How can she not know? We’re both named Fran!”
Chuckling, Dominic leaned back in his large chair, hands folded on his stomach. “Remember what Mom and Dad said about you getting back into a relationship?”
“Only vaguely. I definitely remember a lot of nonsense about my love life and then you showed them that picture of Elaine and really got them going!”
“Maybe it’s because it’s time for something to happen in your life, Sis. You’ve been kicking ass at making a name for yourself in this town, but it’s time to address the big elephant in the room.”
Frankie narrowed her eyes. “And what’s that? You think I can’t be happy if I’m not in a relationship?”
“Pft. No. I think you’re happier when you are in a relationship. You shouldn’t have to do everything by yourself. I’m not gonna be hanging out here forever, you know. What are you going to do when I finally move out on my own? Hm? You gonna live here by yourself and pretend that you’re not lonely? Maybe if you had some real friends I’d be inclined to think you can do it, Sis, but let’s face it. You’re more of a family person than a friends person.”
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“It means exactly the way it sounds. You want a lot of family, not a lot of friends. Which tells me you’re happier with a girlfriend, a partner, whatever, than a bunch of people you see a few times of week outside of the home. Probably because you’re a homebody, straight up.”
A voice muttered something over Dominic’s headset. He held up a finger and spun around, announced that he was still there, and called over his shoulder that he had to get back to his hobby. Frankie eased the tension from her shoulders and returned to the kitchen, where she sat down with her phone and looked at the most recent messages from Z.
“I’m sorry if I freaked you out. I understand if that’s too much for you.”
Guilt sagged Frankie’s heart into the pit of her stomach. If Elaine really had no idea who Frankie was, then this must have looked… shit. It must have looked absolutely terrible. Like Fran had panicked at the mere mention of meeting up. Like she was that weak.
How much had it broken Elaine’s heart?
Frankie’s finger hovered over the text box. When she finally got up the nerve to write something, she said, “I’m so sorry for not getting back to you in so long. I’ve had some personal issues recently. I should have said something. I’m sorry.”
She hit send before she could change her mind. However, she would need to say more if she didn’t want to raise a bunch of questions from Elaine’s direction.
“I haven’t told you something really important. I actually know who you are and where you live. Please, don’t freak out. It wasn’t something I meant to uncover, but a couple details you mentioned over the past few weeks made me realize you live in Paradise Valley. I only know it because I don’t live far away from there. You’re right. We do live nearby now.”
Frankie hit Send again. Neither of her messages had been labeled Read.
“We totally should meet. I have to work tomorrow, though, so how about we meet in Paradise Valley when I’m on my way home. Meet me in the park. You know, the big one. There’s a bench under a flood lamp and the whole area in general is pretty well-lit. Anyway, five-thirty should do the trick, although I know that’s pretty dark around that time. I’m sorry. Let me know if this doesn’t work for you or if you’ve changed your mind.”
Frankie put down her phone so she wasn’t tempted to immediately check for a response. After a quick trip to the bathroom and hovering behind her brother again, she finally announced, “So I’m trying to meet with Elaine tomorrow night to tell her everything that’s going on. You got any advice for me?”
Dominic glanced over his shoulder but kept playing. “Yeah. Make sure you shower first and put on a nice sweater. You always kinda smell a little when you get home from rolling around in the meats all day.”
She had half a nerve to smack him on the back of the head. Instead, she sniffed her underarms, and told herself they didn’t smell that bad. Still, she would probably take a shower before going to meet Elaine. It was the polite thing to do.
Chapter 16
ELAINE
The floodlight was late to flash across the park. Elaine was one part glad that it finally arrived, and one part scared to death that everyone in the neighborhood would now know what she was up to at five thirty on a Sunday evening.
It’s so dark… During the day, the park was home to a few squirrels and the occasional child who didn’t mind getting a little cold after kindergarten let out. I bet it’s more active in the summer. I hear they have free movies. She also heard those movie nights were popular make-out spots for some of the town’s more adventurous couples.
She didn’t want to think about making out right now. She was too busy shivering beneath her heavy coat and thinking that she should go home and give Fran a proper apology for standing her up. “I’m sorry. It was too cold…” No, that wasn’t a proper apology. Damnit. She wasn’t sure what she should say, though. Wasn’t this meetup what she wanted?
Maybe not like this…
Elaine checked her phone. No updates from Fran. What if this was a prank at Elaine’s expense? What if Fran was getting back at her for daring to suggest they break their vows of privacy? The amount of time that had passed between messages from Fran certainly allowed plenty of opportunity for digging into Elaine’s life. How hard had it been to figure out she lived in Paradise Valley? Did it take only a couple of innocuous clues? Or had Fran finally looked into Elaine’s number and followed her trail across social media?
Elaine should have felt violated. Instead, she felt somewhat relieved. At least, after tonight, she would know exactly where she stood with Fran. She could move on. Regardless of the outcome.
She only hoped she wasn’t crying by the end of tonight.
Elaine didn’t see another soul for more than ten minutes. I’ll give it half an hour. Fran said something about going through Paradise Valley on her way home from work, implying that she lived in another town. Yet the longer Elaine sat there, the more she felt like a fool for sitting in a park by herself after the sun had gone completely down.
What she would do for a hot bath right now!
“Hi, Z.”
Elaine remained completely frozen on her bench. That voice had come from another dimension, clearly. No way did she recognize it. Nope. That definitely was not Frankie’s deep voice sounding quietly behind her. That implied that Frankie and Fran really were the same person, never mind that Frankie Delacour knew that Elaine’s real name started with a Z.
Yet… wasn’t this the most relief she had felt so far?
Elaine turned in her seat. Looking back at her was Frankie, bundled in a hoodie and a pair of gloves. Her breath turned to steam in the evening cold. Her lips disappeared into her mouth as she lifted her hands and eventually said, “I swear I’ve only known for a couple of weeks. That’s why I disappeared. I had no idea that you were… that we were… for hell’s sake, Z?”
Elaine had no idea what to say. Her brain was mush. Her heart was elated. In a perfect world, she and Fran would embrace and get on with their lives, either as friends or apart. This was… well, she didn’t know what to make of it. Because Fran wasn’t Elaine. She didn’t jump into things headfirst and hope for the best. That was more Elaine’s style.
“What if I said…” she finally began. “What if I said I hoped it was you this whole time?”
Frankie rounded the bench, her eyes glued to the grass before them and her hands wringing in her lap. “I wouldn’t know how to take that, really. Nobody’s ever said something like that to me before.”
November Rains (A Year in Paradise Book 11) Page 10