Page 39 of Better Watch Out
He turned to find Frannie standing near the space he’d just squeezed the two of them into for apparently no good reason. Her hip was jutted to the side, arms folded, and chin tipped up.
“You’ve got so much explaining to do.”
Boy, did he.
ChapterFifteen
Something has changed.
Frannie didn’t know if it was her teasing remark but the man she’d watched engaging with the boys, laughing on the bumper tubes, and giving her the kind of looks that reminded her what she’d been missing from Calvin—was not the same man who’d just escorted her back to her hotel.
She wasn’t sure what to make of the guarded expression on his face except to note that the only time she’d caught it slip was when they were pressed together hiding from the man trying to return her forgotten bag.
At first, she was confused and a little scared, bringing up the memory of the man from the bookstore, but when it turned out to be nothing, she couldn’t help but find the humor in the whole situation. But Andrew’s tight expression on the Uber ride back to the hotel said his reaction to the unknown man wasn’t a joke and it left her dying to know what was going on in his head. Why had he reacted the way he did? What had Andrew so rattled about someone trying to do a good deed? On the surface it seemed innocent but maybe with Andrew’s background in personal protection, his instinct went to the worst-case scenario.
Just like my brother.
“Pardon?” Andrew paused to let Frannie enter the hotel ahead of him.
Had she said that out loud? She gave him a half-smile before walking into The Peninsula, and once again her breath was captured by the beautiful décor. The ornaments shimmered against the twinkling lights adorning the Christmas trees that had to be more than twenty feet tall. Huge swaths of garland hung from the railing and banisters, making the ornately designed lobby feel even more magical.
“Do you think we made it in time for the carolers?”
Andrew pointed at a sign near the Sweet Shoppe that said due to the weather the carolers were cancelled for the evening.
Frannie frowned. “Oh, that stinks.”
And she felt that sentiment down to her bones. Especially when Andrew started for the elevators. She didn’t want the day to end, or maybe she didn’t want Andrew to leave. Or maybe she just really wanted to know more about the man sending her head on a seesaw of feelings she wasn’t quite sure what to do with. It was wrong to be entertaining thoughts of Andrew when she’d just gotten out of a relationship with Calvin less than forty-eight hours ago, right? Although, technically, Calvin had checked out of their relationship more than a year ago and so really she’d been in a pseudo relationship with herself.
Oh, how pitiful is that?
Was that why she wasn’t lamenting over Calvin’s engagement? Sure, she cried this morning but was it because of love lost or because she didn’t want to face the gossip back in Georgia? Something in her gut told her she knew the answer, but she wasn’t ready to admit it.
And despite the lingering current left pulsing through her from being wrapped up in Andrew’s protective embrace, her heart was probably just desperate to feel the affection she’d been missing from her ex.
“You don’t have to walk me to my room.”
Andrew looked over his shoulder before stepping onto the elevator. “It’s no problem.”
Except it felt like a problem. Like she was a problem.Ryan set this up. He asked Andrew to do him a favor and that’s all this was.
“Thanks for taking me to Bryant Park,” Frannie said when they got to her floor. “It really was a great way to spend my day stuck in the city.”
“Have you heard back from the airline?”
“Oh.” She’d completely forgotten. Pulling out her phone, she cringed. “I missed their call.”
“If you let me know what time they reschedule your flight, I’ll make sure you get to the airport.”
Unexpected disappointment weighed her steps. She was sure Andrew’s offer to get her to the airport was out of kindness … so why did it sound like he was in a hurry to be rid of her?
The side of Andrew’s body brushed against hers when she swiped her room key and unlocked the door. He leaned around her so that his arm reached across the door, holding it open for her. His lips tilted into a smile that could melt chocolate. “And you won’t need the pepper spray since you know me now.”
And just like that, the flirty dip in his tone wiped away her reluctance to believe Andrew wasn’t upset with her. She stepped into her room, her eyes widening. “Oh, look at that.”
The hotel staff had come in for a turn-down service and the Christmas tree sparkled against the backdrop of New York City’s darkening sky. On her pillow was a narrow rectangular box of Godiva holiday truffles. And the television had been turned on to a scene with a crackling fireplace.
Frannie inhaled and spun to face Andrew, who stood just inside the threshold of her room. “Is it me or does my room smell like gingerbread?”
