Page 18 of Better Watch Out
“No problem.” But Andrew’s gaze roamed the street for several seconds before he looked down at her. “You have my number, right?”
“Yes.” She patted her purse where she’d tucked the card.
Andrew held out his hand. “Can I see your phone?”
“Why?” Instant panic flooded her chest. Did he know she’d been referring to him as Star-Lord to her brother?Did Ryan tell him to get back at me?Ugh, it was something he would do.
“I’d like to put my number into your phone. If you need me, it’s going to be a lot easier to hit my name than dig my card out of your purse.”
It looked like he wanted to say more but instead he waited for her. Frannie unlocked her phone. “What’s your number?”
Andrew gave her his number, apparently not bothered by her unwillingness to give him her phone. Adding an “SL” next to his name, Frannie finished putting him in her contacts.
“Which direction are you going?”
Frannie glanced up and down the streets again, unsure of where she was headed. “I don’t know. I was thinking of just walking.”
“There’s a subway this way.” Andrew tipped his head to his right. “I’m headed that way and there’s brownstones but I can’t make any promises about their quintessential magic.”
His sardonic tone almost made her smile. Instead, she started in the direction he indicated, convincing herself that knowing where the subway was would be a smart idea since it’d be cheaper than taking an Uber back to her hotel.
Andrew fell in step next to her and she couldn’t help but feel better that he was with her. She would never admit it to Ryan, but the city and all of the people were intimidating. Not that she was scared, but it was nice to have someone here that she knew and could call on because there was no way she’d be calling Calvin or his family for help.
Frannie bit into her cookie and groaned with happiness. “Wow, this is amazing.” She took another bite. “Thank you for the recommendation.”
“You can thank my ex-girlfriend. She loved that place.”
Swallowing her bite, Frannie couldn’t explain why that little knowledge nugget about Andrew’s ex made her insides twirl.
“If you really want to see something magical, you should make sure to add Dyker Heights to your list.”
Frannie looked over at Andrew, noticing, not for the first time that day, that he seemed to be on alert. It was a behavior she’d learned to recognize with Ryan. The scanning, open posture as if his senses were heightened to the possibility of threats, and poised to defend her against the evils of the city.
Was he always like this? Serious? Focused? Granted, the whole smoldering intensity thing he had going on worked well for him. More than once she’d caught women’s eyes lingering on him. And she was pretty sure he was aware of it.
Just as he’s aware of me perusing him right now. She scrambled to remember what he’d just mentioned. “Dyker Heights?”
Andrew sipped his coffee. “In Brooklyn. The neighborhood goes all out and puts up elaborate displays and thousands of lights. It’s crazy.”
“And magical?”
He almost gave her a smile before he dropped his cup into the nearest trash bin. He pointed to a sign for the subway. “This will get you back to your hotel. It’s a straight shot, but if you feel like braving the cold you could walk a few blocks that direction and you’ll end up at Central Park. You’re not too far from the Natural History Museum either if that’s on your list.”
Frannie thought about the list in her purse. A museum didn’t emote romance and so she’d left it off. Perhaps she should reevaluate because, after all, she’d already crossed the last item off her list.
“Lincoln Center.” Andrew was still naming off tourist attractions but paused when he saw her face. “What’s wrong?”
She swallowed and gave a quick shake of her head, not wanting to reveal yet another item she’d need to check off her list. To celebrate her and Calvin’s anniversary, she’d bought tickets to see theNutcrackerballet at the Lincoln Center. Her tutoring job paid the bills to live conservatively in Walton, but to afford the two tickets in the center of the theatre she had to save for four months and eat more ramen noodles than she cared to admit.
“Um, nothing.” She spotted a bookshop. “I’m just going to stop in there. Thanks for the company and everything.”
With a quick wave, she cut in front of a guy walking a dog and opened the door to the little shop, not wanting Andrew to see the tears that had gathered on her lashes. The bookstore welcomed her with the scent of aged dust but at least it was warm. She folded the cookie sleeve over what was left of her treat and darted a quick glance through the storefront window to find Andrew typing a message on his phone.
Probably letting Ryan know he wouldn’t be doing any favors for his crazy sister again. It felt rude to walk off the way she did but she didn’t know what Ryan had told Andrew and she didn’t want to give the guy the impression she was unstable and couldn’t take care of herself.
“Ma’am, you can’t have food or drinks in here.” A tall man in a sweater that looked like a cat had been skinned to make it stood behind a counter. He pointed at her cup of tea and then to the trash can next to her.
Frannie obliged, discarding what was left of her tea, but she tucked the cookie in her purse. “Do you have a restroom?”
