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“No. You can’t.”
He stalked back to his office before he could snap at anyone else and locked the door behind him. If only it was that easy to lock away the messy feelings ricocheting around his chest.
Head down.
Do the job.
Make it shine.
Soon enough he’d be gone and leave the wrangling of this crazy family to someone else. Once everyone was back from maternity leaves and ready to tackle another season, a new showrunner would step in, leaving him to pursue other projects that he'd earned the right to pitch with these successes. Absolutely nothing in his future looked like staying in the Bay Area long-term for a girlfriend. Hell, he hadn't even thought that far ahead.
Most women who were attracted to him wanted to hook up with someone famous or wanted to tap his connections. No one lasted long enough to be considered a girlfriend. Hell, even his early "relationships" had all taken place on set and had crumbled once the movie wrapped. How had he gone from that to dealing with an irrational father and a skittish love interest?
He didn't know, but he'd figure it out. Puzzles were his specialty. Frankie Valenti was a ten-thousand-piece jigsaw of a brick wall, and Jake couldn't resist running at it full tilt.
CHAPTER10
Frankie practically crawledinto her apartment. After another emotional day of not kissing Jake, a full week after the kiss that was supposed to fix things, she was ready to fall into her bed and sleep through her disappointment. She fed Buster and hooked him up to his yard tether instead of taking him for a proper walk.
She'd pay for that bit of laziness later when Buster was bouncing off the walls, but she simply couldn't muster the energy to do anything more than grab a beer and get herself into the shower.
She scrubbed herself clean, trying to wash away the tension of the day along with the drywall dust. Her traitorous hands lingered places they shouldn't have and left her right back where she started. Exhausted but aroused.
Reaching for her untouched beer, she paused and poked her head around the curtain. Her phone was buzzing on the counter. Ignoring whatever new critique Jake had for her, she took her first cold sip and turned to rinse the conditioner from her hair. If only it was that easy to ignore him in real life. Working with him after her stupid plan to get him out of her system had become a disaster.
They bickered all day long over stupid shit, and it was exhausting. But she had to stay strong and resist her urges. He was Jake-freaking-Ryland, dick-rector extraordinaire and Hollywood star. And she was Frankie Valenti, tomboy and temporary distraction.
Her phone rang again and clattered into the sink, buzzing madly.
Damn it.Couldn't a girl shower in peace?
She snapped down a towel, wrapped it around her body, and snatched up her phone, ready to chew him out once again.
Huh. It was her mom, not Jake. And she'd called three times. The phone began to ring again in her hand as she stared at the caller ID.
"Hi, Ma. What's up?"
"It's time." Her normally unflappable mother sounded breathless and a little manic.
"Time for what? Did you put something on the calendar?"
"No, babies don't tend to follow calendars. Get your butt to the hospital. Sofia just checked in."
Jo relayed the details to her, but beyond which hospital she was driving to, Frankie had stopped listening. Grabbing underwear, she dropped the phone on the bed to put them on.
The baby was coming.
She pulled a sweatshirt on and a pair of jeans.
The baby was coming.
She left her wet hair down and stuffed her damp feet into socks and gym shoes.
Racing down the stairs, she brought Buster in. "Now you be a good boy. Zia Sofia is having her baby." She ruffled his ears, and kissed his head, and closed him in her bedroom before sprinting back downstairs and into her truck. It had been five minutes. Adrenaline was an amazing thing. Her fatigue had completely vanished. Her hands shook as she gripped the wheel.
The baby was coming!
* * *
