Frankie was just an atrocious flirt. That’s all this was. He’d never given even the slightest hint of being unfaithful to me.
And women couldn’t help flirting with him, because he was so charming.
I took an abandoned cup and began to idly build a little sandcastle by my feet as I waited for him to join our picnic. There was a sandcastle building competition every year at Ramshackle Bay, but I was always too busy as the mayor’s wife to be able to compete.
When was this game going to be over?
At leastshewould be leaving soon. She was only a tourist. I could make it a few more days.
God, I hated that my jealousy was tainting this perfect day. So there was someone in town he’d gone on a few dates with in college? So what. After all, I had an ex in town, too. It was fine.This was fine.Nothing to worry about.
Finally, the game ended and Frankie came up to me, shaking the sweat from his hair, his board shorts hanging low off his flat belly.
“Hi, baby! Guess what? Christabelle loves it here so much she’s thinking of looking for a place and a job in town? I told her we were thinking of hiring for Perk Up & Read.”
He bent down and grabbed a chicken leg.
“Oh, look! Sweet. Here, take one.”
I stifled my surprise as Frankie handed Christabelle the biggest chicken leg.
“But we haven’t even put up an ad yet,” I protested.
“Ah, baby, we don’t need that. We run the business, we can choose who we hire. Christabelle is very friendly & I think she’ll be perfect with our customers.”
She smiled sweetly at this praise, sitting down right on our picnic blanket, scattering sand everywhere and grabbing one of the turkey salad sandwiches I’d made that morning.
“I just love your cute little coffee shop!” she enthused. “I love that it’s part coffee shop and part bookstore! I love reading!”
“All right,” I said slowly, as Frankie plopped down beside us.
I guess this was going to be a three-person romantic picnic?
“But can I see a resume—? Or maybe you could tell us your job experience?—?”
My husband waved all these objections aside.
“That’s all just red tape, Jillian. You know we run the Perk Up & Read exactly how we like! And I know you can trainanyoneto doanything.”
He gleamed at me, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek, and I felt myself melting into his charm like I always did.
“Oh my god, try a bite!” Christabelle squealed, digging her spoon into the middle of my lemon cake. “It’s sooo good!”
I drove down my unease and worry.
He wasmyhusband.
We were very happy together.
And wedidneed help at the cafe. . .
“All right,” I said. “Let’s do a two week trial and see how it goes.”
CHAPTER 2
Frankie
The thing is, Iwas not a cheater.
