“Yep.”
“Be right back.” She scurried to retrieve the food and his tablet. It was almost like they were becoming friends. She was being weird, and she knew it, but she couldn’t stop herself from being a little bit of a fangirl.
As she walked across the breezeway, she glanced out at the boats, scowling at them. Even if they were the reason Jack Marsh was about to cook her family dinner. She was going to have to tell Buck about this. He’d never believe it.
Although she supposed she couldn’t tell Buck just yet. Jack’s being here was still a secret. Or was it? Hadn’t it been revealed that he was here? Were they pretending he wasn’t? She was confused about that. She’d ask when she got back to the main house.
She went into the guest house. Jack’s cologne lingered in the air. Or maybe that was a scented candle. There was one burning on the side table. She blew it out, just to be safe.
She found the food on the counter just as he’d said. The bag of shrimp was still pretty icy and sitting in a small puddle of condensation. She let the excess drip into the sink, then wiped up the water with a kitchen towel.
The package of steak was wrapped in white butcher paper. She grabbed it, the shrimp, and his tablet off the coffee table. She carried everything back to the house.
Willa was in the kitchen, talking to Harper and Jack. Archie was drinking from his water bowl. Frankie put the steaks on the counter, the bag of shrimp in the sink, and handed Jack his tablet. “There you go.”
“Thanks, man. Much appreciated.” He took it, giving Frankie a big smile.
“Mom, one of the boats came in close and yelled questions at me.”
“Like what?” Frankie asked. She didn’t like the idea of her daughter being harassed by paparazzi.
“They kept yelling, ‘Is Jack inside?’” Willa rolled her eyes. “Idiots.”
“What did you tell them?” Frankie could only imagine.
“I ignored them,” Willa said. “Seriously, I didn’t even make eye contact.”
Jack nodded proudly. “That’s my girl.” He exchanged a fist bump with Willa, who seemed to be glowing ever so slightly. Jack pointed at her. “Sous-chef?”
“Sure,” Willa said with a happy little shrug. “What do you need me to do?”
“We’ve gotta clean these shrimp and put them in a quick marinade, and we also need to season the steaks and figure out our sides. Cool?”
“Cool.” Willa nodded. “Just show me what you want done.”
“You two have fun,” Frankie said. “I’m going to work for a bit.” She headed back to the office.
Harper followed her, taking a seat on the loveseat as Frankie sat behind the desk to check her email. “I won’t bother you,” Harper said. “Just wanted to hang out. Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
“Jack and Willa cooking is kind of cute.”
Frankie nodded. “It is. She’s having a blast. He’s very sweet.”
“He is.” Harper had her phone in her hand. “I hope Angelo can help him. And Mitch.”
“So do I.” Frankie opened her email. There was the response she’d been waiting for from Stacy. Plus another email from an address she didn’t recognize, but the subject line caught her eye:Stacy sent me about a book cover.
Frankie took a breath. “Hang on, I have some emails I need to deal with.”
“Go right ahead.”
Frankie clicked on Stacy’s first.
Hi Frankie,
I love LOVE the logo. It’s literally perfect. I am beyond happy. I cannot wait to see the T-shirt designs. You’re really good. I know from Lucas that you’re still getting your business going, but I have no doubt you’re going to be huge immediately. I will happily give you a shoutout when I reveal my AMAZING new logo. Go ahead and invoice me for anything not covered by the deposit if the logo was more than that.
