He backed out of the driveway and drove off with my family. I decided then and there, tonight might be a great night to spend a little time with my favorite niece.
I drove to the clubhouse and picked up Charlie. Sam didn’t question my motives, and something told me that if I told her what I was doing, she wouldn’t bat an eye. For weeks she’d been trying to set me up with Kat. I was giving her what she wanted.
And what I wanted.
Because I wanted them both.
My daughter and her gorgeous, infuriating mother.
Chapter Thirteen
Katrina
“What did you talk to Derek about?” I asked Frankie, looking at her over my shoulder. Zero had been quiet since pulling away from the house, but his eyes swept up and looked in the rearview mirror.
“It was private.”
“Frankie,” I warned. We didn’t keep secrets. Ever. Not after what happened.
“Babe, leave her.”
“What do you mean, leave her?” I asked him, ignoring the way he called me babe. I kept telling myself it was a biker thing. It didn’t mean anything, but I knew it did when he said it. “You told me he shouldn’t be around her.”
“WHAT?” Frankie shouted. “Why would you say that?”
Zero rubbed his hand over his face and turned to me. “We should talk about this later.”
“No, I wanna talk about it now. Why would you say that about him?” Frankie demanded, leaning forward between the seats.
Zero looked at her reflection in the mirror. He knew he was skating on thin ice where Derek was concerned. He’d been careful not to say anything about him in front of Frankie.
“He’s done things. Bad things.”
“And you haven’t?” she asked, folding her arms and flopping back against the seat. “I know all about the stuff bikers do.”
I closed my eyes. What the hell was I doing? Frankie was right. I couldn’t have a relationship with Zero even if I did feel something—which I clearly didn’t. Every time he touched me, it felt wrong.
He was a nice guy, and he would make a great husband and father someday. Just not for me and Frankie.
“Zero’s right. We can talk about it later,” I said as we pulled up to the theater in town. Frankie opened her door immediately and climbed down. I waited for Zero to open mine, knowing he preferred it that way. But when he brought us home, I would have to talk with him and try to let him down easy.
He held the door for us, and Frankie walked in without a thank you. I gave him an apologetic smile, and he shrugged, but I could see the tension in his shoulders.
My daughter wasn’t making it easy for him.
He bought the tickets and offered to purchase popcorn and drinks, but Frankie declined. He asked about candy, and she shook her head.
She walked ahead of us toward the theater door, and I whispered, “I’m so sorry about Frankie.”
“It’s okay. I knew she’d be tough to win over.”
He smiled and winked. And I knew he thought he’d already won me over. I was leading him on because I hated confrontation. He placed his hand on my back, and I tried not to tense up.
We found our seats, and Frankie sat in the middle. She looked up at Zero, silently daring him to complain. And to his credit, he only smiled and said how lucky he was to sit next to her.
She rolled her eyes, and I wanted to smack the back of her head. I’d never hit my daughter, not even a tap on the hand when she reached for something dangerous. But if she didn’tchange her attitude soon, I’d no longer be able to claim that accomplishment.
The lights dimmed, and as the previews played, I offered Frankie some popcorn, but she was holding on to her grudge and refused. It was going to be a long ninety-five minutes.
