She blinked at the sound of his voice and looked back in his direction. He was waving.
Stunned, she waved back. “M-morning, Mitch.”
He gave her a nod. And a smile.
How about that.
ChapterThirty-Two
Frankie didn’t really understand what her sister did. Being a personal assistant didn’t generally mean you needed to watch your employer do their job, did it? Maybe that’s how celebrities were. What did Frankie know about Hollywood and all of that craziness?
If Harper wanted to watch the talk show and see her boss, so be it. But also, how was Harper able to do her job from thousands of miles away? Didn’t a personal assistant do things like walk the dog and pick up dry cleaning? What kind of stuff did she do that required a Zoom call?
Frankie didn’t get it, but again, what did she know?
Footsteps announced Harper and Archie’s return.
“You are never going to believe this,” Harper sang out as she entered the room.
“Why? What happened?”
Harper went straight for her coffee cup, taking it to the machine to refill. “Mitch Ripley was out on his back deck, and he not only waved, but actually said good morning to me. By name. Hell must have frozen over for him to be so friendly all of a sudden.”
“You said you talked to him yesterday and he was nice.”
“Nice-ish. But I didn’t expect him to keep it up. And I never thought it was a permanent change. If it is. I guess time will tell.”
“Maybe something else happened?”
“I don’t know what that could be.” Harper fixed a new cup of coffee then headed for the couch. “I’m going to get Hulu up so we can watch Kimmel. Well, so I can watch it. You don’t have to. You probably want to get ready for your walk with your new boyfriend.”
Frankie rolled her eyes. “Settle down. We are just walking the dogs. That’s it. And I am ready.”
Harper looked over her shoulder. “Really? You’re going like that?”
“Why not?” Frankie glanced down at her knee-length shorts, T-shirt and sneakers. “What else do people walk the dog in? This is Florida and it’s hot.”
“I know, but you look like a mom.”
“Spoiler alert—I am a mom.”
“No one really says spoiler alert anymore, and I know you’re a mom, but the shorts are too long, and the T-shirt is three sizes too big for you. I just think you could look cuter, that’s all. You have good legs and a great hourglass shape. Stop hiding your assets under those shapeless clothes.” Harper looked at the television again. “A little mascara wouldn’t hurt, either.”
“I’m going to have sunglasses on.”
“What if he invites you for coffee after?”
Frankie hadn’t thought about that. She didn’t say anything for a moment. No one had ever complimented her legs or her shape before. Not in a long, long time anyway. “I don’t know what I could put on. I didn’t bring that much. I guess I could look. Go ahead and watch the show. I’m going back upstairs.”
She didn’t wait for Harper’s reply, just went to the guest bedroom, opened her suitcase on the bed and sorted through what was in there.
She had some capri-length leggings. She hadn’t intended to wear them out of the house. They were really just for lounging around. They did have side pockets, which was nice. She slipped out of her shorts. To be honest, they weren’t great shorts. They’d been left behind by her son when he’d moved out. And they’d been big on him.
Harper was sort of right, though. The only time Frankie put any thought into her clothing was when she was working. And even then, she preferred things a little oversized. Easier to hide the weight she’d gained that way.
She put the leggings on then looked in the mirror. The leggings weren’t bad. The Spandex definitely sucked everything in a bit. But the T-shirt was still long and shapeless. That was what she liked about it. How much it hid.
She thought about Harper’s T-shirt last night, how she’d tied it on the side at the hip. Frankie tried that. Still hid a lot but didn’t make her upper half look like a big blah rectangle. Was it an improvement or just silly? She’d see what Harper thought.
