Page 29 of Keel

“I teach English to people around the globe. It’s an online thing. It’s not too many hours a week, but I enjoy it.”

“That sounds cool.”

“Do you have a job?”

She shook her head. “No, Forest, my ex, didn’t let me work. It’s embarrassing that I stayed with him. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Ansley shrugged like what she’d said wasn’t a big deal. “Sometimes we just make mistakes.”

“I was with him for years. I mean, I kind of know why, but still, it’s awful that I stayed.”

Ansley reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “Hey, don’t beat yourself up over it. You can move forward now.”

“I hope so. Keel has been so nice, I’m just not sure I deserve his kindness.”

“Most of us don’t deserve the hell we experience. Sometimes, things happen, and we screw up. That doesn’t mean we deserve the problems that get tossed our way.”

Frankie nodded, her thoughts twisting around everything. Keel had been so nice to her. Was it just because he wanted sex? No, he could have forced himself on her or talked her into sex easily, but he hadn’t. He hadn’t tried to have sex even after the kiss. She’d been surprised when he’d stopped before the action between them got too hot. Maybe she could trust Keel, or maybe she was delusional.

Chapter 16

Frankie told Keel about the movie night thing, and he was excited for her. “That will be great. We’ll go by and pick up snacks for you.” She shook her head, and his eyebrows pinched together. “What?”

“It’s just I spent years with Forest restricting my food, and you’re encouraging me to eat. It’s just weird. Like, how can you be so nice? You don’t care if I eat pizza or chocolate or potato chips.”

He put his hands on her shoulders. “If you want to eat a certain way, like vegetarian, or high protein, I’ll support you as long as you’re doing it in a healthy way. Health is the key. We need food for fuel. It should never be used as a weapon like Forest used it against you.”

Her eyes burned with tears as she stared into his beautiful eyes. “Why are you so nice? I’m not worth it.”

His arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. His lips were on her forehead, soothing her. She should pull away, force him to see that she wasn’t good, but his arms around her felt so good. She wanted him in her space, touching her, kissing her.

“I think you’re worth it. I’m the one who isn’t worth it.”

She pulled back, shaking her head as shock rolled through her. “How are you not worth it?”

Keel’s failures hit him hard. He’d messed up so much with Shana. “I’m just not good. I won’t be good for you.”

Frankie’s eyes narrowed, and she frowned. “How are you not good?”

He shook his head as his eyebrows pinched together. “I wasn’t good. I messed up.”

“Your ex?”

He lifted one shoulder, and his lips thinned. He looked annoyed. She wondered if she should stop questioning him. No question, if this conversation were happening with Forest, he would have already hit her.

“Yeah. My ex. I wasn’t good for her.”

Frankie hesitated, unsure if she should push more or step back. “From what I remember, she was a mess.”

He shrugged. “I was a mess, too.”

She rolled her eyes. “I doubt you were that messy.”

“I wasn’t good.”

No question, this was the weirdest conversation she’d had with a guy. But Keel was different from the men she’d known before. Instead of pulling away and hiding, she decided to dig deeper.

“So you know about my relationship and my failures, tell me about yours.”