Page 20 of Keel

Keel enjoyed spending time with Frankie. It was easy, like they were supposed to spend time together. Maybe it was because they were friends. It kind of felt like he was just hanging with his guys, but Frankie was beautiful, and no one would ever mistake her for one of the guys. He needed to stop thinking about how sexy she was and concentrate on other aspects.

The couch moved, and he could feel Frankie standing beside him. “Hey, I’m going to go. I’m tired.”

“Okay. Sounds good. I need some sleep, too.”

He stood in one fluid motion, ignoring the desire that had built. They were friends, nothing more. He would need to text Chase in the morning and get another kick in the rear.

He knew Chase would want updates and admonish him if he stepped over the line with Frankie. It was the best course for now. Maybe things would change over time, like maybe after Frankie gained some perspective. It wouldn’t be fair to make a move on her now. Plus, he never wanted another relationship, even if the woman made him feel things he hadn’t felt in years. He couldn’t let himself get in too deep because he never wanted to be that deep with another person. Getting close to Frankie would be a mistake and would only end in pain.

Sleep came easily, and when Frankie stepped out on her balcony to watch the sun rise, he glanced over and caught her smile. It was almost as beautiful as the sunrise.

“Good morning,” he said, almost adding beautiful to the end of his statement. Luckily, he stopped himself before he said the word out loud. He still had some restraint. Which reminded him he needed to text Chase and make sure he knew to hold the line where Frankie was concerned.

Frankie sighed. “The clouds make it beautiful this morning.”

“Yeah, it is really nice. You almost ready for breakfast?”

“Sure. I’m going to bring the eggs you put in my bag over since I’m mooching breakfast from you.”

Her words made him smile. “You’re not mooching. I’m offering.”

“You’ve been very nice. Way too nice.”

“Come over, and I’ll get the eggs going. Then let’s go do something fun.”

Frankie was at his door, handing over her small carton of eggs. “So, fun. What were you thinking?”

“Let’s take a boat out.”

“A boat?” She said the word like it was a foreign concept.

“Sure.”

“Do you know how to drive a boat?”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “I sure do. Part of my training. It comes in handy on weird missions.”

“Weird missions?”

He shrugged. “Can’t really talk about it.”

Frankie laughed and waggled her eyebrows. “Ah, so super-secret missions like Spy Kids but for adults.”

It felt good to laugh with her as he made their eggs. She poured more coffee for herself and leaned against the kitchen counter.

“Thank you for taking me on. I’m a mess.”

He shook his head. “No, you’re not. In the Army, I’ve led groups of young men who were total messes. You want to talk about messes, take a group of eighteen-year-old boys who are trying to become men. Jesus, they are such drama queens.”

Frankie chuckled. “Tell me a story.”

“Okay, but you’ve got to remember I was just as fucked up when I entered the military, so no shade. I was probably just as much of a headache as this kid.”

“Okay, so get on with it. I need to hear that I’m not the only screwed up person out there.”

He snorted a laugh. “Okay, so this one kid, he joined up to say fuck you to his overbearing parents. And when I say his parents were overbearing, I mean like they never let him even make himself a peanut butter sandwich. He didn’t even have to pour his own glass of water. His mom got everything for him because she thought he would screw everything up. He’d never washed his clothes, folded them, or hung them up. He didn’t know how to buy toiletries or make any decisions. Seriously, it was like taking care of a child.”

“Wow, that’s wild.”