It was quiet in the car the rest of the short trip to her house. Once there she got out and closed the door. "I'll see you in just a few short hours," she said to Yaeger.
"Of course you will, darlin'. You know I don't miss a night you work."
Yaeger walked her to her door and kissed her soundly. "See you again in a bit," he said and headed back to the SUV. He needed to drop it off for Locke to use and pick up his truck, which was back at the cabin.
Frankie watched them go before turning to the front door.
"Let me go first. I want to make sure it's safe," Sumi said when Frankie unlocked the door.
"Okay," she said instead of arguing like she wanted to.
"Wait here." Sumi was only gone a few minutes before she came back. "All clear."
"Make yourself at home," Frankie told her once they were inside. She led her to the guest room. "You can put your bag in here," she added.
"This is a nice place you have. I like the warm tones," Sumi said, looking around. The house was done in warm browns and oranges with splashes of gold accents here and there.
"Thank you. I'm an Autumn girl even if we don't get much of one here in Thorne Bay," Frankie said in reply.
"Have you lived here your whole life?"
"Thorne Bay born and raised except for the five years I lived in Seattle with my ex. To be honest, when I moved away, I never thought I'd be back. I was young and naive, I thought I was in love and that love conquered all."
"What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Rick, my ex, cheated on me. More than once it turns out. Our marriage went down in flames. I had nowhere else to go but I still had the house here so I came back to lick my wounds. When I met Yaeger, I was determined to keep him at arm's length because I didn't want to get hurt again but fate has a funny way of stepping in when you least expect it. He wore me down with that Southern boy charm of his."
"He is charming, I'll give him that. Don't worry, I have no interest in your mate," Sumi assured her.
"I'm aware he hit on you, and you turned him down flat."
"Don't get me wrong, the man is sex on a stick and if I swung that way, I'd have been all over the invitation. As it was, I was flattered, but he didn't rev my motor."
"Did you tell him that? Or did you let his ego take the hit?"
"I told him the truth. I told him I preferred tacos to sausages. We shared a drink over it, and all was good. Now Lila, that was a different story. She just wasn't interested. Between you and me, I think she's got it bad for the boss man, so anyone else is out of luck."
"Well, I can see why. Locke is a sexy man," Frankie admitted. "Maybe not as sexy as Yaeger, but still."
"I like you, Frankie, you speak your mind. I think we're going to get along just fine."
"Well, I need to start getting ready for work. Like I said, make yourself at home," she said in reply before she headed to her bedroom. Once there, she pulled out clothes for work—jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt—then went to her en suite bathroom for a shower. Having bodyguards meant no more alone time for her and Yaeger, which really sucked. She enjoyed their time together.
After her shower, she dressed quickly and went back to the living room where she'd left Sumi. The woman was still standing where she'd left her. "You don't make yourself comfortable, do you?"
"Not when I'm working. I have to stay vigilant for any danger."
"Okay then. Let me get my coat and I'll be ready to go," Frankie told her. She put her coat on and they headed out the door to her car.
Sumi insisted she check it over to make sure it wasn't tampered with before they got in. "It's safe," she said.
"Do you really think he would have done something to my car?"
"I leave nothing to chance when I'm protecting a client," Sumi responded. "There is no telling what a stalker might do."
"Goddess, how is this craziness my life?" she asked as she got in the car.
"Just lucky I guess," Sumi said with a grin.
