AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m glad you’re laughing,” I said. “I was half expecting you to kick me and Grum out.”
“What kinda name is Grum anyway?” Brady asked.
Looking around, I saw at least six different families in the center, playing card games or huddling up by the fire in the main room, trying to convince their kids that a night stuck in the community center would be fun, probably with no cell service or internet for their phones and tablets.
I shrugged. “Short for Grumbly.” I couldn’t stop the smirk from forming on my face as I thought about Frank’s grumbling tendencies.
Brady chuckled. “Makes sense.”
“Well”—Theo moved Grum to his side and sat up—“you and Grum are both welcome here. I’ll ask Vern to shovel a little patch out in the back parking lot for him to do his business.”
“Thanks, guys.”
“Frank is welcome to wait the storm out here, too, you know,” he said as he stood, dusting himself off. Grum sat next to his legs, looking up at Theo.
“Thanks, but he’s patrolling tonight in case anyone needs help.”
“He’s still looking for Murphy,” Brady told Theo. To me he said, “He was pretty intense on the phone.”
“I know. I’m sorry. He’s worried about Murphy, but I think I made things worse. Murphy was right there, and I let him get away, and now Frank can’t find him. It’s really upsetting him.”
“Does he have any idea where Murphy could be?” Theo asked. “He hasn’t been back here.”
“I don’t think so. If he does, he’s not telling me anything. This kid seems to be good at hiding, but I think maybe there’s more to it than just a cop looking for a missing kid. I think that’s why he’s so focused on finding Murphy.” Looking down at my boots, I shook my head. “I don’t know. I wish he’d talk to me.”
Theo came to stand beside me, hooking his arm around my shoulder. I turned into his chest and tried to hide the tears welling in my eyes. I’d really messed things up with Frank, but how could I have known? He still hadn’t told me anything about his childhood, and I was betting there was a lot there to unpack. And this whole thing was doing nothing but convincing me further that I wasn’t the right person for Frank.
He’d never treated me like I was immature because of my age until today.
Theo steered me into his office. Brady followed and sat next to me in the office chairs, flicking his long, silky black hair over his shoulder. It had grown so long that it fell to the middle of his back. Usually he wore it in braids or pulled it back into a low ponytail, but this evening, it was loose and wild.
As Theo shut the door behind us, Brady’s warm voice was a comfort. He rarely used the nickname he’d given me when we were five-year-olds, running around Wisper, getting sunburnt and voyaging out on the adventures I’d told him about from the books I’d read. “It’s gonna be okay, Sunny Samshine.”
“Will it? I’ve really fallen for Frank. God. Like, he’s all I think about. And now, I’m pretty sure he’s too angry with me for us to get past this. I should’ve trusted him, but I thought I knew better, and now, what if Murphy’s really hurt? What if he dies in this storm?”
“We should help Frank look,” Theo said while Brady patted my back.
“You can’t go out into this storm, Theo,” Brady said. “Look outside, love. The snow’s already startin’ to dump on us. It’s gettin’ darker by the second, and even my bones are cold. The temperature’s definitely droppin’. It’s not safe.”
“You’re right,” Theo said as my cell rang in my bag. “I know you’re right, but—”
Pulling the phone out, I checked the caller ID. “It’s Frank.”
Brady nodded silently, standing and wrapping his arm around Theo’s waist. I felt a small twinge of annoyance at how easy it was for them to be so in love. But almost instantly, I remembered when I’d first moved to Wisper and how miserable they’d both been before they found each other. Could Frank and I ever have what they had? Was this our “miserable” phase?
I wanted my happy-ever-after, too, damn it. Didn’t I deserve it? Didn’t Frank?
As I sat there, staring at Frank’s name and the purple smiling devil emoji I’d assigned to his profile in my phone after he ate my cake, I realized that no matter how angry I was with Frank for not talking to me about how he felt, I was the one dumping obstacles in our path. I was lying to him. Well, not outright, but a lie of omission was still a lie.
I wanted to be with him, no matter our ages, no matter my inability to give him children, but if I didn’t tell him, he couldn’t decide if he wanted me too.
“Hi,” I answered. “Grum and I are at Ace’s House. Is it getting bad already?”
“Yeah,” Frank said quietly. “I’m sittin’ here in my truck, just watchin’ it dump down. It’s intense. Thanks for keepin’ an eye on him. I just wanted to hear your voice. It’s gonna be a long night. We got a few deputies from Jackson stayin’ in town to help. Two of ’em are already out at accidents, and you know more people are gonna try to drive in this crap.”
“A-and Murphy? No sign of him yet?”
“No,” he said, and my heart sank at the dejected tone of his voice.
