“How come, when you were going through the divorce, you never asked me for help?”
Frankie’s brow furrowed. “I’m not sure what you mean. You were there to listen to me. That was really helpful. I’m sure you got sick of it, but you never said so.”
“I mean financially.”
Frankie laughed softly. “Harper, I thought you were a personal assistant. I didn’t think you were any better off than I was. Why didn’t you offer?”
“Because I didn’t think you’d say yes. And I knew I’d have to tell you the truth about what I did to explain how I could afford to help. I figured if you asked, you would be seriously in need, and I’d spill everything. But you never did, so I thought you were all right.”
“I will be,” Frankie said.
“You could let me help now.” Harper didn’t like how tight things seemed for her sister. And she did have money saved up. Even if she might need it to live on, family came first.
“I’m okay,” Frankie said. “But thank you for offering. That means a lot.”
Which was pretty much the response Harper had been expecting. “How about refills and then we find a movie to watch until it’s time for dinner?”
“Sounds good. Do you mind if I grab my laptop and work on those logos for Lucas while the movie’s on? I promised him I’d have some ideas for him to look at tomorrow.”
“No problem.” Harper grabbed their empty glasses.
Frankie went upstairs to get her laptop.
Harper took the champagne out of the fridge and poured. She’d give it a day or two, then talk to Frankie about the money again. There had to be something Harper could do to help. Some bill she could pay that would ease things up for her sister.
With her mom in the end stages of life and no longer aware of who Harper was, Frankie was the only family she really had left.
Regardless of who their birth mother was, as far as Harper was concerned, meeting her wasn’t going to change a thing.
ChapterThirty-Nine
Frankie settled into her spot on the couch with her laptop, her drawing tablet, and the special pen that went with it. Harper was looking through the streaming services for something to watch. Archie, snoozing between them, hadn’t moved.
Harper had the remote aimed at the screen. “How about13 Going On 30? That’s a classic.”
Frankie nodded. “That’s a good one. Been a while since I’ve seen it, too. I’m in.”
“Done.” Harper pressed Play.
Frankie set the tablet and pen next to her and opened her laptop. She’d been so occupied today she hadn’t checked email. She could have done it on her phone but she didn’t like responding to email that way, so she usually waited until she could access her computer.
She opened her inbox and saw that Shar had sent another email about meeting.
Frankie stared at it. Should she tell Harper about it and read it out loud so they could both hear it at the same time? Or read it herself first and see if it was good news or bad news?
Her finger hovered over the touch pad. This was her undertaking, which meant she was responsible for how it all turned out. Better that she read the email and then make a decision. If it was bad news, she’d respond to Shar and see if she could change her mind.
She tapped the touch pad to read the email as the movie opening played.
Great to hear from you, Frances. I can’t wait to see you and your sister again. I miss you both so much. I know I’ve already said it but I’m thrilled you found me. I have someone who’s willing to drive me to Florida. If you give me your address, I’ll see if I can find a reasonable place to stay. I don’t have a lot of extra money, but I’ll make this trip work. It’s worth anything to see my girls.
Frankie didn’t want to give her the address. Not the real one, anyway. As much as she wanted to meet Shar and hear her story, she didn’t know the woman. Giving her this address could lead Shar to believe that they were well off.
The last thing Frankie wanted was for Shar to think the children she’d given up had become wealthy, and for her to come with her hand out. It seemed like a possibility, since Shar had already mentioned money.
Although Frankie had been pretty upfront about how broke she was, too. Did that kind of candor come from her birth mother?
Regardless, Harper would flip if Shar thought meeting them would result in some kind of financial windfall. Frankie would flip, but not to the extent Harper would. For Harper, it would be the end of everything.
