“Mom.” Willa hoisted herself onto a seat at the counter beside her mother, then held her coffee mug in both hands to drink. “You were in tears last night. You can’t blame us for wondering.”
“True. But things are lookingdifferentthis morning.” Try as she might, Frankie couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “Yesterday, when Lucas did his live broadcast from Thieves’ Island, he mentioned me. Gave me a shoutout or whatever it’s called. And it definitely worked. I have a list of emails to respond to and at least one person he referred who wants a logo done.”
“That’s great,” Harper said. “No wonder you’re in such a good mood.”
Frankie nodded. “Not only that, but I sold a bunch of stuff from my shop. I’ve already added some new products. It’s given me some real hope. Made me feel like…like maybe I could do things differently with my life.”
“Mom, that’s awesome. Are you thinking about staying, then? And not breaking up with Lucas?”
“I am thinking about moving here. And I am definitely not breaking up with Lucas.” She looked at Harper. “I understand all of this hinges on you, though. Have you thought any more about making this your home?”
“I have, but it’sjustbeen thinking. I haven’t made a decision yet. It’s a lot to consider.”
“I know.” Frankie nodded. “Trust me. Actually quitting my job scares the daylights out of me. But I can’t keep that job and be here.”
Harper stirred her coffee. “Did you see the email from Buck?”
“No, not yet. I’ve been working on my shop all morning.”
“Came in late last night.” Harper sipped her coffee. “He wants to meet us. And I really want to meet him.”
Frankie thought a moment. She was firmly on this path of wanting to change her life. Of wanting to find happiness again. Would meeting Buck help her do that? She didn’t know. Meeting Sharlene certainly hadn’t. “I’ll have to read the email first.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Iunderstand,” Harper said. She really did. Frankie had been burned by Sharlene. Her hopes and expectations for that meeting had not been realized. “But I’m going to meet him. I know we said we wouldn’t meet him alone, but I need to do this. I can’t fully explain that, but I do.”
“I get it,” Frankie said. “I felt that way about Shar. Like I owed it to my kids.” She gave Willa a quick smile. “I know he’s not Sharlene, but even so.” She sighed. “I’ll read the email, okay?”
“That’s all I ask,” Harper said. “You go do that while I take Archie out and then we can make breakfast.”
Willa got out of her seat and picked up her coffee. She didn’t look totally awake. “I’m going to shower, but I’ll be back to help with breakfast.”
Harper took a few more gulps of her coffee, emptying the cup to the halfway point, then she grabbed Archie’s leash. She didn’t have shoes on, though. She left the leash on the counter and went to the bedroom, sticking her bare feet into a pair of sneakers.
It wasn’t a day for flipflops, not with that rain. And Archie would need a good wipe down when he came in. As a matterof fact, he could probably use a bath. He’d been in river water yesterday and, frankly, he was a little stinky. Being stuck in the house with a smelly dog was no one’s idea of a good way to spend the day.
The bathroom downstairs would be the perfect way to take care of that.
She gave Archie a look, unable to hide her smile. “You have no idea what you’re in for, baby dog. Come on. Let’s get this done.”
She attached his leash and took him downstairs, going out the back. She did her best to stay under the covered area and out of the rain. Archie had no choice but to get wet.
And, naturally, today he found three million things that needed sniffing. He stood there, inhaling whatever delicious scents the backyard had to offer, acting like he didn’t even notice the rain.
He was getting a bath, so it didn’t really matter, but still. She had to laugh. Dogs were so funny.
He tracked in some grass with his wet footprints, adding to her list of things to do for the day. Mopping the floor hadn’t been one of them, but it was now. She’d have to figure out that steam mop.
She got him into the downstairs bathroom with her, then looked around for towels and shampoo. There was a small container of baby shampoo. That would work. And the towels looked fairly nice, but they were all she had.
They were hers now, inherited with the house, so if she wanted to use nice towels to dry her dog off after a bath, no one could say a thing.
She unbuckled his collar and got him into the tub. He was pretty good about baths, but even so, she knew she’d end up getting wet, too.
“Guess I’ll be showering after this, huh?” She took the showerhead down, thankful it was the handheld, detachable kind, and started the water, making sure it wasn’t too hot.
She sprayed him down, then drizzled a little shampoo onto him, and gave him a good scrubbing. He was covered in foam and apparently thought it was a party, because he kept trying to lick her.
