I’m a dead man. There’s no question about it. Frank’s close to my height and much wider. Clearly he’s been lifting inside. He looks harder, too, around the neck, the jaw. He’s got so much ink now I’m shocked his face isn’t covered.
Then again, Frank was always one of the smart ones. He knew perception was everything. Knew he’d get out one day and need to get a job. He took classes in prison, studied his ass off, got a fucking law degree. Not that you’d guess it to look at him.
After a moment, he loosens his sister’s hold and sets her away from him, eyes on mine like missiles to their target. Steadyand sure. He doesn’t even have to threaten. Hell, I know I’m in the wrong. I shouldn’t have done this. Any of it.
He doesn’t want me with his sister. He’d want someone better.
“Brother,” he says in that way that makes me wonder where he’s hidden the shiv and what part of my body he’ll strike.
“Good to see you, Frank.”
“Yeah? Then what the hell are you doing over there?” For a handful of seconds, I watch him, not understanding what he means in the slightest. Then he moves and I tense up for the blow I know is coming.
He grabs me in a bearhug that’s so fucking tight I figure he’s opted for the less popular option of crushing me to a powder. But then he’s slapping my back and telling me he’s so fucking glad to see me and he sounds choked up.
It takes me a sec to give in and hug him back. It’s probably the lack of sleep and all the shit that’s gone down in the last day, but when he pulls away, emotion clogs my sinuses in a way I don’t usually let it. I look down.
Silence.
When I glance back up, his eyes are swinging from me to Kit and back again. “So what’s the deal here? This a thing?”
Kit looks over at me and back to him without speaking.
“I’d like that,” I finally say. “I’d like this to be…something.”
“Whoa. You two just figuring it out?”
She gazes at me, nodding. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s new.”
“This mean you’re moving here?”
My brows go up. “Got a contract in a couple days.”
“You’re leaving?”
“No.” As soon as I say it, it’s the truth. “I’m staying.”
“Nice.” He gives an evil grin. “Fucking worked.”
“What worked?” Kit asks.
“My plan. Been waiting for you and that prick to break up.” He slaps me on the back, hard. “Told you Jake was the best guy I know.”
“Jesus Frank,” Kit mutters, shaking her head at me with big eyes, which suddenly, go wider. “Wait. How are you here? You didn’t like, bust out or anything did you?”
Frank laughs. “Fuck, no. I’m on parole. It’s official.” His face goes slack and I feel his shock in my bones. “I’m a free man.”
EPILOGUE
Six months later…
Jake
The roof’s fixed. As of now, the front walk’s officially finished. That took longer than anticipated, because Kit wanted cute little cottage garden flagstones and I wanted something we could roll a stroller down. Not that a stroller was necessarily in the cards, but we wanted different things.
Actually, the same, but different.
Kit wants ambiance, atmosphere. She wants it to feel good. I get that. It’s the whole premise behind her restaurant, after all, and the place is magic.
