Page 47 of Better Watch Out
And here Frannie was in her vintage dress, ruby lips, blonde hair falling over her shoulder in waves, her blue eyes flashing up to him beneath dark lashes … Andrew blinked.
“You didn’t hear anything I said, did you?”
Heat climbed his neck. “No, sorry. I was thinking about”—you—“my grandma.” Frannie’s eyes widened and he grimaced. “That came out wrong. I’m thinking of how you look like Trudy O’Connor.”
Frannie’s brow crinkled. “Trudy O’Connor?”
They walked around a congested area near the cologne section where tourists were taking pictures of the décor overhead. “I was remembering how my grandma used to make my sister and I watch old Christmas movies.” He watched her expression soften. “There was one calledIt Happened on Fifth Avenue, and this military veteran gets evicted and befriends a homeless man who is squatting inside of a mansion. It’s a good movie, funny, and the heroine is Trudy O’Connor.”
“I’ve never seen it.” Frannie paused by a table filled with men’s ties. “Is she sassy? I like sassy heroines.”
Andrew did too. “Yes.”
Her eyebrow lifted in his direction. “Is she unapologetically independent?”
“She is.” Why did it feel like Frannie was describing herself?
Frannie lifted a blue tie and held it next to her eyes. “Are her eyes the color of Midwest skies in the summer?”
Andrew moved in, tilting his chin down, and he thought he heard her breath hitch. His breathing felt heavy.Bishop!The elongated warning his coach used to practically growl whenever he came close to earning a spot in the penalty box echoed in his head. And just like on the ice, the warning caused him to pull back.
“The movie is in black and white so I can’t comment on the color of her eyes but I remember she had a kind heart and my grandmother said—” Andrew stopped. His grandmother had encouraged him to find a woman with a kind heart because kindness was a special sort of beauty. One that grew more radiant with every passing year. He’d had no idea what she meant until now … and it waswaytoo soon to admit these kinds of thoughts or feelings when he barely understood them himself. “Um, I actually can’t remember what she said after that but I think you’d like the movie.”
Frannie looked like she knew he wasn’t being entirely honest. She set the tie down. “I’ll add it to my movie bucket list.”
“How many bucket lists do you have?”
She paused at the tree rack and began pulling off hats. “A few.Mygrandma always reminded us that life is short. I didn’t really believe that until I got older. Ryan was a deputy and he and his now-wife, Vivian, had a pretty close call that opened my eyes to the reality of what my grandma was saying.” Her voice dipped, blue eyes darkening with an emotion he couldn’t name.
“I’m sure that was scary.”
“It was but everything turned out fine. Ryan saved the day. Joined the FBI. Married Vivian.” She inhaled, rolled her shoulders back, and the light tone returned to her voice, but it didn’t sound natural. “And my whole life is dictated by crime stats, warnings, and cautionary tales to keep me safe and sound in Walton, which is really ironic when you think about it because Walton is where the whole my-baby-daddy’s-wife-wants-to-kill-me-and-anyone-who-tries-to-tell-the-secret-thing went down.”
There was no mistaking the sarcasm but he couldn’t help the laughter escaping his lips.
She frowned at him. “You think I’m joking but if you compare the population of Walton with New York City and then compare crime stats …” She bit the inside of her lip and then shook her head. “Well, I can’t remember the statistics but it basically proved I’m just as safe here as I am in Walton.”
“Your brother really didn’t want you to come to New York, did he?”
“No.” Frannie held up a gray fedora like she was sizing it up for him. “But I think it was partly because of …” Her eyes flicked to his. “Did Ryan tell you about my, um, the reason I came here in the first place?”
He didn’t want to lie to her but he also didn’t want to embarrass her. “All he said was that your trip didn’t turn out the way you hoped and he wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Frannie picked up a herringbone newsboy cap. “It definitely didn’t turn out the way I thought it would but—” She handed Andrew the hat. He started to put it back on the rack but she took it from him and reached up to place it on his head. “My grandma said that sometimes the best moments in life aren’t planned or expected.”
“I think I’d like your grandma.” Her fingers brushed against his temple and his heart twisted against his ribs. “Am I buying a hat?”
“No.” She tipped her chin up and adjusted the cap over his brow. “I’m buying you a hat.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m dressed for a vintage train ride.” She stepped back and appraised his outfit. “The dark jeans aren’t exactly vintage but the wool coat—” she ran her hands over his shoulders and down his arms, unknowingly making his chest squeeze—“is timeless and you have the jawline of Jimmy Stewart. The hat pulls it all together.”
“If I’m Jimmy Stewart, are you Donna Reed?”
“I can be.” She gave him what he could only describe as a flirty smile. “If you lasso the moon for me,” she said catching his reference toIt’s A Wonderful Life.
There was supposed to benothingromantic about today. Santa. Shopping. Train ride. He’d left the security office this morning understanding his role: keep an eye on Frannie, protect her, if required, and make sure she made it on her flight tomorrow evening.
