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"Thanks," she whispered before righting herself and clearing her throat. "I hate these things." She pointed her toe out in front of her, calling his attention back to her sexy ankles. "Fi talked me into these for the party."
"I'll be sure to let wardrobe know. No stilettos for Frankie," he teased, trying to bring things back to their normal vibe. God, what if she did start wearing heels around the work site? He'd be toast. She righted herself and he offered his elbow.
Frankie looked at it like he'd tried to jab her in the chest with it, before tentatively accepting it, placing her small but capable hand in the crook. "Why did you come looking for me anyway?"
"I was talking to your mom, and she asked me point-blank about the vineyard project. I didn't know how you'd spun it to her, so I said I needed to talk to you and ran."
Frankie laughed at that, breaking the tension between them. "Jo Valenti is a force to be reckoned with." Frankie confirmed that his intuition was correct. Like mother, like daughter. "We've basically kept her in the dark. She knows we bought the property and are renovating for a potential client, but we didn't really get into details. I will probably try to play it as straight as possible, without naming the client obviously, because my mom can smell a lie a mile away."
They walked back into the bar side by side, laughing over outrageous excuses to tell her mother. Jo hovered near the door and her eyebrow went up when she saw them together. Frankie crossed to where Alex and Brian were still chatting with Winston, and Jo stepped up to him again.
"You found her."
"I did. Hot cocoa run." He watched as she charmed his executive producers and had them laughing at whatever smart-ass comment she'd made. The smirk on her face and the glance in his direction told him it had likely been about him.
"Did you get your question answered?"
Jake turned his attention back to Jo. He thought about all of the uncomfortable revelations he'd run up against in the last fifteen minutes and grimaced. "I think so."
"You should come to Friday dinner soon."
The non sequitur pulled Jake into the present, and left him stuttering. "Um, yeah, sure. I'd like that. Can I bring anything?"
"Just your patience and a sense of humor," Jo replied. She hugged him briefly before rejoining the party.
The warmth in his cheeks he felt from her invitation was nothing compared to the searing heat in his chest he'd experienced with Frankie pressed up against him, but it stayed with him long into the evening.
Christmas had been a pity invite, but Friday dinners were for family. This simple invitation shifted his entire relationship with the Valentis. He couldn't help but wonder why Jo had invited him now? His director brain wanted to pick apart her motivations, but the little boy always on the outside looking in just wanted to wallow in that hug.
CHAPTER6
“This isn’t a hallway,guys. Maybe a secret passageway, but that's not in the blueprints. Oh dear God! No one tell Sofia I said that, or she'll have me add one just for fun."
Jake suppressed a smile at Frankie’s banter as he walked into the main house of the vineyard property. The rest of her crew laughed freely, and she chuckled right along with them.
He had to give her credit. She was walking the line between crew boss and court jester well, keeping her men in good humor while holding them accountable. Jake checked that Trina was catching this little dramatic moment on camera.Good.The misplaced wall would be the tension trigger for the living room episode. With any luck, they'd get their shots on the first take.
“But boss, the schematic says the stud walls should be at twenty and twenty-two feet from the eastern wall.” Rico pointed to the build plan they were working from.
“Son of a… That should be twenty-four. Who builds a two-foot hallway? That's not even to code! Whatever. This wall needs to come down and move two feet that way. I’ve got a lotto card for whoever volunteers to do it first.” She pulled the scratch-off card from her pocket and wiggled it between her fingers.
“I got it!” Rico enthusiastically snatched the card from her and tucked it into his back pocket before reaching for his sledgehammer.
"Easy there," Frankie said and slapped a hand on Rico's chest. "This isn't demo day. Get an electric saw and cut through the nails, top and bottom. Then slide the wall in one piece. Work smarter, not stronger."
Jake took a deep breath when she dropped her hand. He hadn't realized he'd been holding it. Was there something between them? Were they looking at another Sofia-Adrian situation? Why did that piss him off?
He stepped up behind Frankie as she pored over the drawings. “Problem?” he asked directly in her ear, chuckling when she jumped.
“Only the heart attack you just gave me.” She turned back to double-checking the blueprints, head bowed, her lip caught between her teeth.
Rico covered by a fixed cam, Trina stepped up behind Jake and filmed Frankie's arresting face from over his shoulder. She was so good he didn't have to tell her to catch any sound bites he might pull from Frankie. Trina was a gem and would frame the perfect shot. He was going to miss her like hell when she transitioned into movies.
The tape of Frankie torturing her poor lower lip was going to torture him later, but it was worth it to get the shot.
“What about the wall you just told Rico to rebuild?”
“Minor snag. Rico will have it done in twenty. He'll just slide it over and reattach it.”
