“I can’t believe I found you! I’m a huge fan of‘Surf City!” The woman moves closer, still clutching her phone in front of her face, now videoing Fran.
I’m out of my seat and in front of the stranger before I have time to think about it. My only thought is to block her from Fran. Junie too, since she’s in the direct line of the video the woman is recording. But it’s Fran who’s in trouble here.
“You’re confused. I’m not Frankie Forsythe,” She says behind me in a shaky, unconvincing American accent.
The woman’s ponytail swings over her shoulder as she angles her phone around me. I block her again. “Turn it off.”
It’s not a threat, but itisa warning.
She glances at me, then lowers her phone and addressesFran. “Can I get one pic with you, Frankie? I swear I won’t post it anywhere.”
That’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one.
“You heard her. She’s not the Frankie you’re looking for. Now delete the pictures and videos. Especially if you’ve got my kid in any of them.”
For the first time, the lady looks at me. I stand taller, my shoulders back, resisting the urge to use my size to force her to do what her conscience should be telling her to do.
Then a hand is on my shoulder. I unlock my gaze from the woman to meet Flo’s stern look. She nudges me off the defensive line and takes my place in front of the woman.
“You’re not the first tourist to make that mistake about our Fran, but she’s a local girl trying out a Bluey voice to entertain my niece,” she explains as she guides the lady back to her group of friends. “Did you enjoy your lattes? I’m thinking of adding them to the menu.”
“They were okay.” The woman glances over her shoulder, and I puff out my chest.
“Everything needs to be deleted before you leave here. All of them.” I say.
“That’s a good idea,” Flo says, more gently than I did, but just as forcefully.
“I’ll delete the ones with his kid in them.”
I don’t like the defiance in the lady’s voice, and I take a couple steps in their direction.
“It’s best to respect everyone’s privacy, including Fran’s. Particularly if you want to be welcomed back here again.” Flo’s words are loud enough to carry across the diner, like she’s warning everyone watching this scene while also signaling to me and Fran that she’s got things under control.
I stop my advance, but I don’t retreat.
Of course, I know the name Frankie Forsythe. Everyonedoes. And, yeah, everyone in Flamingo’s knows she’s hiding out here as Fran McVey.
What I don’t know is the why behind it. By the time I was let in on her secret identity, I knew her as Fran, and her reasons for being here didn’t matter. I’m just happy sheishere. And I don’t want anyone chasing her away.
Fran looks ready to run right now. She’s been increasingly cautious the closer Sanctuary gets to being done and the more strangers coming into Flamingo’s. Every day she’s still at Flamingo’s is another day I get to know her better. And every day I get to know her better, the more I like her.
So, I glare the picture lady all the way back into her booth, then watch as Flo hovers over her while the lady swipes and taps on her phone.
“That all of them?” Flo asks.
She nods, her ponytail sliding up and down between her shoulder blades.
I turn back to Junie who, I’m relieved to see, is busy watching Fran as she puts a plate of pancakes in front of her and offers to cut them up.
“Not big,” Junie instructs.
“I’ll make them big girl bite size. How bout that?” With her lips pulled tight, Fran stabs the stacked pancakes and drags a knife through them. Her hands shake.
Fran’s not the kind of woman whoneedsprotecting. She’s a woman who commands attention every time she walks into a room and who can go toe-to-toe with anyone who tries to give her a hard time. But more than once I’ve caught something vulnerable in her expression—a longing that reminds me of a foal I treated, who’d been rejected by its mother.
Maybe that’s why I rush back to my seat and take the knife and fork from her. “Take a break,” I whisper.
Fran’s eyes bounce from Junie, to me, to the corner of thediner where Flo thanks the intruder and her friends for coming in and tells them their check is covered.
