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Dom’s grin faded. “What do you mean? You’ll always be my baby girl.”
“Is that why you went behind my back with Jake? To keep me your little girl and close to home forever?”
“What are you talking about?” Dom's face crinkled around the edges, years of laughter and frown lines pulled up in confusion.
“You set me up, Dad, and I’m calling bullshit.” Frankie slapped her hand on the hood of his truck.
Dom swung his door open and stepped out of the vehicle. He wagged a finger at her, his own hair-trigger temper catching right the hell up. “You watch your language, young lady.”
Something inside Frankie snapped.
“This is some god-damned-fuckingbullshit, and I will say that however I want to say it! Did you plan to take over the show before or after you put me on the hook for a hundred grand?”
The confusion lines on her father's face deepened beneath the red bluster. "What are you talking about? I’m not taking over any show. God, after that first week, we all know what a disaster that would be.”
“Then why are you filming critiques of my work for Jake?”
“I didn’t. Jake said he needed some reaction shots to talk about how things go wrong on work sites, since I have more experience there than you. He’s not even using them. Did you see the pilot?”
Frankie desperately wanted to believe that her father hadn't been in on the plot to screw her over. She felt her anger softening. “Yeah, both of them.”
“Then you know. I’m not anywhere in it. It’s you handling it all on your own. Made me damn proud."
So Jake was manipulating her father too. “Then you don’t think I’m doing a terrible job?”
“No, Frankie. Despite working on a jinxed jobsite, you’ve got it under control. I love the plans you kids came up with for your mother. I’m impressed.”
“So you think I’m ready to take over the company so you can retire?”
“I think between you and Adrian, I am leaving it in capable hands. I meant what I said. Once he and Fi are back on their feet, I'm done."
Frankie soaked up her father's approval. She'd been chasing it for so long. To have it acknowledged loosened the knot around her lungs that had constricted her breathing since she'd taken on responsibility for the project.
She had finally done it. She'd kept her promise to Gabe, and the weight of that slid off her shoulders as well. She was damn close to floating away. Dom's next words brought her firmly back down to earth.
"Back up a minute. What’s this about ‘both’ of the pilots?”
Frankie took a deep breath and braced for a blowup. “There are two versions of the pilot. One featuring me running the show, which it sounds like you’ve seen, and one interspersed with clips of you narrating and criticizing my work. The execs apparently didn’t trust that viewers would buy into a woman as head contractor, especially not after I’d been the comic relief.”
As she explained, she watched her father's anger rise to match her own. At least she came by her temper honestly. His face turned redder and redder, and she was afraid he'd have a stroke if she laid too much more into Jake.
“Well, thatissome bullshit."
"Also, the jobsite isn't jinxed. It's been deliberately sabotaged for dramatic effect, in spite of the fact that I could lose all that money. Actually, because I could lose all that money."
"That slimy bastard. When I get my hands on him…”
Frankie put a hand on her father's shoulder to bring him back down. “Dad, no. It’s my build, my problem. I’m on it.”
"But no one messes with my little girl and gets away with it."
"You're right about that, but your little girl is going to be the one to put him in his place."
Dom’s face contorted for a full minute as he bit back all of his arguments and frustrations before nodding. “Okay, but I’m right here if you need me." He cupped her face in his callused hand and stroked a rough finger over her cheek. "He doesn't deserve you, angel.”
“Thanks, Dad. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
Frankie was already walking away with her phone in her hand, heading back up to the house.
