AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m afraid,” she mumbles, pulling her lower lip between her teeth.
“Of me?”
“Hammer, I’ve got baggage. If I allow myself to like you, I’m going to end up getting hurt. I’m tired of being hurt.” Her expression is so sad, it’s tearing at my heart.
“You already like me, Duchess,” I tease. “Fight it if you want, but it’s futile.”
“That’s a little cocky,” she throws back, her spine straightening and her eyes narrowing.
I reach over and take her hand. “Babe, the only reason I know what I know is because I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind since the day I saw you sitting on your porch. There you were, this beautiful girl rocking on her porch like there was no other place you’d rather be. I knew then you were special, and the more I’m with you, the harder it is to walk away.” Her face goes soft, and a hint of a smile forms on her lips. “I want to see where this goes. Maybe it works and maybe it doesn’t, but for damn sure, I want to see this through. Are you with me?”
“I don’t want you to hate me. Promise me you won’t hate me if this goes badly,” she murmurs.
“I’ll make you that promise if you let me in. I get that what you’re going through is private and we don’t know each other well enough to bare our souls, but you’ve got to let me in.”
She tilts her head to one side and considers all I’ve said. Then Frankie lets it all out. “My stepfather is a sod.”
“A what?”
“A wanker. An idiot,” she blurts. “My real father died when I was a baby, and my mother married Jessop. There were times when I thought he was an all-right guy, but I was just a kid and didn’t know any better. As I got older, I saw him for what he really was, but my mother loved him, so I accepted it.” I hold her hand tighter as she goes on. “Mom’s illness progressed, and the worse she got, the more Jessop stayed away. I thought it was because he couldn’t deal with seeing Mom getting weaker and weaker, but I found out that he was out on the town having a good old time with his cronies. My Grandparents saw him for what he was. After Mom passed, I went to live with them, and when they died, I became the sole heiress of the Deleigh fortune.” She pauses, waiting for my reaction.
“Is your being rich supposed to put me off?”
“I hope not.” She grins, then grows serious again. “Unfortunately, Jessop was less than pleased that he was on his own without the Deleigh money to back him. Stupid me, I kept up appearances. I would have lunch with him once a week. I maintained the illusion of a cordial family unit, buying him birthday and Christmas presents. None of which were reciprocated, I might add. And it all came back to bite me in the butt.”
“That’s why you left?”
“I wish it were that easy,” she huffs. “Jessop was telling these corporate bigwigs that I was backing a new project he was launching and asking if they wanted to invest. I wasn’t doing any such thing,” she says vehemently. She takes a breath and goes on. “Jessop cheated them out of their money and dragged my family name through the mud. Legally, I’m in the clear, but because of that man, the businesses my grandfather and great-grandfather built are suffering, and that means thousands and thousands of families are in jeopardy of losing their livelihoods. I left England to allow the boards more freedom to represent the companies, even though the gossip hounds are calling for blood.”
“Why isn’t this guy in jail?”
“Because he took off to Moldova with his new young bride. He can’t be extradited. Even though I’ve pleaded with him to set the record straight, for the sake of all involved, he refuses. I needed to be at peace. I needed to find quiet. It was all too much. My entire family is gone, and I’ve never felt so alone and attacked.”
“Fresh start.”
“Yes. But if the paparazzi find out I’m here, it will start all over again. They’ll drag you and anyone who’s around me into a vortex of chaos. I have money and I won’t want for anything, but it’s a lonely existence without having friends to share it with. So, yes, I’d like to get to know you better, but at what cost? What happens if this all becomes a media circus? Sucking you into that barrage of hate would be a terrible thing to do to someone.”
“You don’t think I can take it?” I scoff. “You’re talking to a man who’s been through two tours in Afghanistan and watched people do horrendous acts to one another. I think I can handle it.”
“You shouldn’t have to. And what about Ava, Vi, and the others? Tabloids don’t care who they hurt. They’ll make up stories and twist words to sell papers.”
“You’re not giving those women much credit. Maddie deals with reporters all the time. They say shit that makes War want to rip their fingers off, but they’re still together, raising a family and moving on with their lives,” I remind her.
“Yes, but?—”
“And the entire world lived through the hell of Lucien Bardon. Fucked up by his manager and people who should have been looking out for him. They had a field day with his addiction and tried to tear him down again when he was making his comeback on the music scene. Sofia didn’t cower or hide. They’re still standing strong.”
She squeezes my hand. “You’re very convincing.”
“Leap of faith, baby,” I tell her. “We’ll take it slow.”
“All right, honey. We’ll take it slow.” She calls me honey with her silky, soft voice, and I lean over and kiss her cheek. I’m calling this a win.
“I have a club meeting shortly. I’ll be back as soon as it’s over,” I say.
She grins. “I’ll be here.”
Francesca
