Chapter 28

Frankie

Josh walked me to my room after lunch, playing the role of gentleman suitor to a tee. He all but kissed my hand and bowed as we said goodbye at the doorway.

“Until next time,” he said in a smooth, melodic voice. It felt like he was putting it on. “I hope to find myself in your company again very soon.”

“You too. Thanks for lunch.” I waved shortly and unlocked the door.

Once inside, I fell onto my bed and looked around for any sign of Val. The bathroom door was closed and a strip of light showed underneath, and when I listened carefully I could hear water running.

I didn’t know how to feel about Josh and I was anxious to talk it over with Val. I could already tell I was overthinking it. He seemed like a nice guy, but I didn’t get the impression he really listened to anything I said. Not like the way Levi listened.

And there I went thinking about Levi again. Josh would only be a good distraction if I didn’t constantly compare him to Levi. I flicked on the TV and put the kibosh on thinking about either of them until Valerie came out of the shower. I surfed the channels until I found a nature show to zone out to, and concentrated all my thoughts on the exotic wonders of the Amazon.

Luckily, Val wasn’t in the shower for long. She emerged a few minutes later, one towel wrapped around her head and the other around her torso.

“Oh, hey,” she said, grinning. “When did you get back in?”

“Only a few minutes ago.” I turned off the TV and sat up in bed, crossing my legs underneath me.

Val stepped over to the full-length mirror and started applying moisturizer. “How was your date?”

“Let’s not call it a date. I’m not sure what to make of Josh.”

She met my eyes in the mirror and nodded. “Good instincts. I love him but he’s got his faults. He said a couple nasty things about the Wheelers, right?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

Val gave a knowing smile. “That boy’s got a massive chip on his shoulder about them. He takes the family rivalry to another level.”

“Why?”

Val shook her head, chuckling. “Bitterness, mostly. He went to school with Garrick and Levi, and they always outshone him. Josh has a habit of taking everything a little too personally.”

“Huh.” I reclined on the pillows and stretched my arms behind my head.

“Don’t let that put you off if you like him though,” Val continued. “I would just take everything he says about them with a grain of salt.”

“Duly noted,” I replied. “He’s nice, though. We had a really good talk.”

Val chortled, pulling the towel from her hair. “Yeah, he’s good at that.” She started raking her fingers through her blonde tresses and picked up the hair dryer.

“Aren’t you supposed to be with Garrick right now?” I asked. “I thought you guys were spending the day together.”

“Right!” Val spun. “I forgot to tell you. My parents, in the surprise play of the year, have decided to come up this afternoon. They’re going to be here in an hour or so and have requested my presence for the day.”

“That is surprising. I thought they couldn’t make it until the day before the wedding?”

She shrugged. “Honestly, it probably has more to do with the fact that Molly and Gerhart are here for the week than their desire to spend time with me. They can’t stand to be outdone.” She turned back to the mirror and sighed. “We’re all having dinner together tonight. Molly and Gerhart too. You’ll come?”

“Of course.”

Val smiled at me in the mirror and started blow-drying her hair.

A year of wedding planning and I still hadn’t met Val’s parents. The opinion I’d formed of them thus far was unfavorable, and I wondered how they would behave at dinner. It would make things interesting, that was for sure.

The door slammed and I bolted upright in bed.

“Sorry!” Val said, wincing. “I didn’t realize you were asleep.”

I blinked at her, then turned to the window. It was just starting to get dark outside.

“I didn’t realize I was asleep either,” I said. “I must’ve dozed off.” I reached for the remote and turned off the TV, which was playing a home renovation show.

“I just came back to get ready for dinner,” she said. “We’re meeting at the restaurant in an hour.”

“You need an hour to get ready for dinner?” I asked.

Val smirked. “I need an hour of peace before I have to go back into the lion’s den.”

“Fair call,” I said. “Your parents have met Garrick’s before, right?”

“Here and there.” She collapsed onto her bed, sighing. “They haven’t seen each other since our engagement dinner, but they’ll be fine. It’s more posturing and subtle one-ups than any open hostility when they get together.”

“How was your day with them?”

She flopped her head to the side to look at me. “I swear we talked about work for half of it. The other half was bearable but not something I would look forward to doing again anytime soon.”

I scooted to the edge of my bed and hopped over to Val’s, sending her bouncing on the mattress. She giggled.

“We need to turn that frown upside down,” I said, poking her in the ribs. “You’re on vacation and you’re getting married to the love of your life. Who cares if your parents are being their typical selves? Let’s do everything we can to have fun tonight.”

She grinned at me, returning my poke to the ribs. “I’m glad you’re here. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“Does that mean you’ll let me throw you a bachelorette party?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows.

Val snorted but shook her head. “Who would we invite? My mom? Molly?”

“We don’t have to invite anyone. It can be just the two of us.” I prodded the tip of her nose.

“Just the two of us getting shit faced at the hotel bar? You know I love you, but I’m not sure that’s worth being hungover on my wedding for.”

“You need to think outside of the box, Val,” I said. “Tell you what. Leave it to me and I promise you’ll have a good time. And that you won’t be hungover on your wedding.”

She studied me, deliberating, before finally giving a short shake of her head. “Fine. I trust you.”

I pumped my fist in the air and Val rolled her eyes.

“I’m going to go have a soak in the bath,” she said, shifting to the side of the bed. “Do we have any wine in here?”

“My bag.” I pointed to the closet, where I’d tucked my backpack in just behind the door. “I brought some of that merlot you like.”

“You’re the wind beneath my wings.”

I blew her a kiss.

Val grabbed the bottle of wine and poured each of us a glass, then retreated to the bathroom humming happily. I moved back to my own bed and turned the TV back on, though I didn’t pay attention. I was too busy running through options for Val’s bachelorette party. It had to be a success.

I’d been to more weddings than I could count, but this one was different. I always strove for perfection, but it was more important this time. Val meant a lot to me. Her happiness was my happiness, and this wedding was so important to her that she’d called to book me almost the second she got engaged.

An hour later, I had a plan, and Val had a wine buzz. We tumbled out of our room, giggling, and I nearly ran face first into Levi’s chest. I wheeled backward in surprise and his hand shot out to steady me. One touch and electricity crackled under my skin.

“Steady there,” he said.

“I’m good.” I twisted out of his grasp. “Thanks.”

“Garrick!” Val exclaimed, throwing her arms around her fiancé. The next thing I knew they were making out like teenagers against the wall.

“I let her get a little drunk,” I admitted quietly.

Levi crooked a brow. I answered with a shrug. Once the two lovers came up for air, I smacked Val on the butt and gestured down the hall.

“We’re gonna be late,” I said.

Val grabbed Garrick’s hand. “Sorry. I haven’t seen him all day.”

“How are you doing, wifey?” Garrick asked, brushing his lips over her knuckles.

I got behind the two and gave them a gentle push as they started catching up. You wouldn’t think that a few hours of separation would give them that much to talk about, but Val and Garrick started chattering away like they hadn’t seen each other in years.

Levi and I trailed behind them. I figured after his limited greeting earlier, we would walk to the restaurant in silence. I intended to, anyway.

“Did you have a nice date?” Levi asked.

I swiveled my head to look at him but he stared off into the distance.

“I did. Thanks for asking.”

He sucked on his bottom lip. “You should be careful with Josh.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah. I know all about your little rivalry,” I said, looking ahead. “Thanks for the warning, but frankly it’s none of your business.”

“Just looking out for you.”

“If this criticism of who I choose to spend time with wasn’t the first thing you’ve said to me all day, I might believe that.”

I was finished talking to him. I walked faster until I caught up with Garrick and Val, plastering on a smile and joining their conversation. Levi’s stare burned a hole in my back the whole way to the restaurant.

We were the last ones to arrive, and I instantly felt bad for leaving Molly and Gerhart alone with the Fieldmans for longer than necessary. They all stood to greet us, the picture of good humor, but the atmosphere was tense.

“Mom, Dad, this is Frankie,” Val said, shuffling me over to her parents.

“Frankie, these are my parents.”

Her dad, a tall beanpole of a man with square glasses and an impeccably pressed shirt, reached his hand out first. “Victor,” he said.

I shook his hand and moved on to his wife, who fixed me with a wide, albeit cold, smile.

“Justine.”

Valerie was the spitting image of her mother. They shared everything from their blonde hair to the way they stood with their shoulders back and their chins held high. Justine’s hair was twisted in a chignon so tight I speculated that she’d end the night with a massive headache.

“It’s great to finally meet you,” I said.

They nodded in acknowledgement and sat down.

I scurried over to greet Gerhart and Molly, who each gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I took a seat between Val and Molly, which put me directly across from Levi. I got the urge to kick him under the table but decided against it.

The dinner conversation flowed well, though it was almost unbearably polite. How Gerhart managed to contain his boisterous personality I might never know, but I caught him shifting in his chair once or twice like his clothes were two sizes too tight. Even Molly looked uncomfortable.

I kept mostly to myself, paying attention and nodding when people spoke but not contributing much. Valerie’s parents intimidated me and, despite knowing that their opinion mattered little to my best friend, I wanted them to like me. I figured the best option was to do recon tonight and work up to speaking to them.

Between courses, I caught sight of Josh approaching from a table nearby. Relief flooded my bones.

“Aunt Justine,” he said, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek. “You’re looking lovely, as usual. I didn’t expect to see you this early in the week.”

He moved on to give his uncle a firm handshake while Justine explained.

“We didn’t think we could step away because we’ve been so busy with orders, but our management team practically forced us.” She smiled cattily in Molly and Gerhart’s direction. “I’m envious of you two for being able to pick up and go. We’ve been run off our feet this quarter.”

I suppressed an eye roll. For a woman who oozed composure, Justine sure had an immature streak.

Josh’s eyes alit on me and he smiled. “Frankie, you look sensational.”

“Looking quite dapper yourself,” I replied.

And he did. Josh had switched out his casual sweater for a dark gray t-shirt and a black fitted blazer. It hugged his lithe form and gave him an effortlessly handsome appearance to go with his effortlessly handsome smile.

“I thought I might run into you here and figured I should look my best.” He winked. “Can I steal you away for lunch again tomorrow?”

A genuine pang of disappointment echoed through my chest. “Sorry, but I’m busy tomorrow. We’re going skiing.”

Josh’s smile flickered but he pulled it back up again. “Not a problem. I’m sure I’ll be seeing lots of you.” He kissed his aunt on the cheek and waved to the others at our table. “I’ll let you folks get back to your dinner. Nice to see you all.”

With that, Josh was gone almost as quickly as he came.

“That one’s a smooth talker,” I heard Molly mutter to her husband under her breath. “It’s a wonder he doesn’t float away with all that hot air.”

I snickered. When I looked up, Levi was glaring daggers at Josh’s back, and that only made my wicked grin grow. Was it wrong to enjoy some smug satisfaction from Levi’s obvious jealousy? It wasn’t every day that I got to experience such a thing, especially since Levi was so hot and cold that I still couldn’t tell where we stood.

What I couldn’t figure out was why he cared in the first place. Was it just because he despised Josh? Or was he just bitter about what he couldn’t have? Either way, my contentment flitted away.

How was it fair for Levi to be jealous when he would just as soon toss me by the wayside after he was done with me? He probably wouldn’t care at all if I hadn’t told him whatever we had was over. He’d be sitting pretty across the table hoping Josh enjoyed his sloppy seconds.

I opted not to think about it, and forced my way into Molly and Gerhart’s conversation instead. As far as I was concerned, the person across the table from me no longer existed.