He tapped Send. There would be no answer. He knew that. So why bother sending it? Because Jeanie would have?
He took his shower, ate some of the tenderloin, green beans, and roasted red potatoes Joyce had left for him, then went into his office and got a legal pad and pen. He was about to go to the deck to work, but he stopped and opened his top desk drawer.
Arlington’s letter sat there, waiting.
He picked it up. By the weight of it, there was more than one page. What had Arlington had to say to him? He supposed he’d never know unless he actually opened it and read it.
With a deep sigh, he tucked the letter into the legal pad between the last page and the cardboard backing and took it with him out to the deck. He had no plans to read it this evening, but then again, maybe he would.
If he couldn’t come up with any new ideas, the letter might help. He doubted it, but anything was possible.
When he got outside, he settled onto the couch and put his feet up on the small coffee table. A few streaks of color remained in the sky, but they were nothing like what had been there earlier.
He checked his phone. No response from Kyle.
Frowning, Mitch put the phone on the couch cushion, clicked the pen, and faced down the blank page before him.
ChapterTwenty-One
“That sky,” Frankie said. “It’s so gorgeous. I wish I could do it justice but not even the photographs really show it off.”
Harper shook her head. No photo could accurately capture how spectacular the sky had been. “We don’t get sunsets like that in California.” She put her phone back in her pocket and hooked her arm through her sister’s, wanting nothing more than to be close to her sibling. “Nice day today, don’t you think? Prisha’s a lovely woman. I’m sorry she sort of interrupted our alone time, but I couldn’t very well ask her to leave.”
“No, it was nice of you to invite her. I had been expecting it would just be us, but she is very nice.”
Harper let Frankie’s arm go and hooked her thumb toward the house. “Are you going to do some work now? I was thinking about heading in and having another glass of that wine we opened for dinner. Or would you rather not if you’re trying to concentrate?”
“I’ll pass for now. There was something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh?”
Frankie smiled nervously. “Maybe a glass of wine might not be such a bad idea after all.”
“Uh-oh,” Harper teased. “Am I in trouble?”
“No, no, nothing like that,” Frankie quickly reassured her. “But it is sort of a big thing to discuss.”
Harper’s mind raced with what it might be. She couldn’t imagine. But if her sister wanted to share something big with her, she was ready to listen. Even if it was something not great. She was good at listening. She’d made a career out of it. “This sounds serious.”
“It is.” Frankie added a smile as if to alleviate Harper’s apprehension.
Didn’t work, but Harper appreciated the effort. “Then let’s go in and get that glass of wine.”
Ten minutes later, they each had a glass in hand and were sitting on the big couch in front of the fireplace, each at an end. Archie was sprawled between them on his blanket, snoozing. Harper faced Frankie, leaning on the arm of the couch, feet tucked up underneath her. “What would you like to talk about?”
It was her standard opening line with clients, but it suited the situation.
Frankie took a deep breath. “I had a little cancer scare two years ago.”
Harper frowned. “You never told me about that.”
“It was nothing really. A few precancerous cells. I had a small procedure, and it was all good. My last checkup was perfect. But it got me thinking.”
Harper nodded. “Of course it did.”
Frankie sipped her wine, then held the glass in both hands and stared into the liquid. “Neither of us know much about our medical history. One of the downsides of being a free agent.”
“It is.” Harper laughed softly. “Free agents” was what they’d decided to call themselves not long after being reunited. Sounded a lot better than “foster care kid.” Although Frankie’s experience hadn’t been as difficult as Harper’s.
