AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The look in her eyes promised retribution.
Well, I’d really torn it now. But I had Archie at my back, and he was right… I really didn’t want to go find somewhere my mother could slap and rail at me for not having her side in this. I wanted her to be happy, but so much about this was just wrong.
“Maddy,” Mr. Standish caught her hand. “Maybe we’ve gone about this the wrong way…”
She sank into her chair. Her expression was so stricken, my heart squeezed.
“We have sprung this on them rather abruptly.” Mr. Standish sounded all kinds of reasonable. “Maybe let’s start over at the beginning…and with the goals.” Then Mr. Standish focused on me. “I know it’s just been you and your mom, and I know you’re protective. She’s very protective of you, too.”
Archie snorted, but Mr. Standish ignored him.
“This is really important to her, and it’s even more important that she has your support.” He leaned forward. “And there are a lot of benefits here for you, too. Like the brand new car waiting for you outside.”
Brand new car.
Was he for real?
“And we’re done,” Archie pulled away his napkin and stood, then took hold of my chair. “C’mon…”
I glanced up at him then at my mom. I could read thedon’t you darein her eyes.
“Frankie’s not for sale, Edward. You two have a lovely dinner. You really do seem well-suited to each other.”
I couldn’t even get the words out as Archie hustled me out of the restaurant. The valet went to get the car, but not fast enough. My mother was outside and she caught my arm. The bite of her fingers hurt. “Frankie, we need to talk.”
“Not here, Mom,” I told her as Archie moved to get between us. “Please…I don’t want to have this fight.”
“Why are you doing this? Do you want me to be unhappy?”
“No, but I also don’t think this is what you think it is. It’s not just about you. You want to change everything in my life, get rid of my cats, and expect me to just stand here and say yay? Why? Because he has money? I don’t want his money.”
“Let her go, Ms. Curtis.” The warning in Archie’s voice seemed to give Mom pause, and she let me go. The fact we also had something of an audience in the other valets who were present also sank in.
“Archie,” my mom turned to him, from furious to imploring in a heartbeat. “If you would just be more open to it, you and Frankie are close. You surely can’t object to having her around more.”
“Not even in the slightest, but Ms. Curtis, I know my dad. This is not going to end well for you. I wish I could make you see it. Frankie’s worried about you, and she doesn’t want you hurt. But all you can see is what you want, and that’s pretty normal for the people in Edward’s world. You don’t get to hurt Frankie in the process, we are close and I am going to protect her, even if you won’t.”
“You’re ruining everything.” My mother’s tone turned almost mournful. Then Mr. Standish came out.
“Come along, Maddy. Let the children go home and have their temper tantrum. We can celebrate privately.” He wrapped an arm around my mother like he really cared, then he looked at me. “I hope you reconsider, young lady. I am well aware of everything your mother has had to give up for you. It would be a consideration if you could be bothered to do at least a little kindness back.”
“Fuck off,Eddie,” Archie said with a tight smile. Thankfully, his car pulled up and he opened the passenger door for me before the valet had even hopped out of the driver’s seat.
The fact his tires squealed when he accelerated actually helped the semi-sick feeling in my stomach. Reaching over, I caught his hand, and he gripped mine as he drove.
“Sorry, Frankie,” he said. “I thought I’d make it longer before he pissed me off.”
“No,” I said. “You don’t have to be sorry. I thought you were amazing. You said all the things I was thinking, and you didn’t even bat an eyelash.”
“Oh, I batted a few. This whole thing is just fishy as hell. I don’t know what game he’s playing, but I don’t want you in the middle of it.”
It wasn’t exactly where I wanted to be either.
“Did you mean it about the roomies thing?”
“Hell yes, I meant it. We wanted to get a place all together for college. We could totally start now, and then you don’t have to worry about your cats.”
I sighed.
