Page 42 of Better Watch Out
“It doesn’t feel right. This place is expensive and—”
“And nothing, Frannie. You’re staying here and tomorrow we’re going to see about checking off more of your bucket list.”
Her eyes lit up. “Wait, really?”
There wasn’t much of a choice on his part but even if there were, in this moment, the way she was looking at him, he was certain he’d be unwilling to tell her no. “What’s next on your list?”
Frannie reached to pick up the bucket list, and moved in close to his side, and he had to stop himself from reading into the way his insides came alive at her closeness. Her mood had certainly lifted and maybe it was arrogant on his part but there was no denying the pleasure it gave him to be the one to bring back her joy.
“Okay, so I originally scheduled these activities for the entire week but, um”—her voice lowered—“I guess I’ll just pick the things I want to do most and, uh—” Her fingers covered the bottom of the page, but not before Andrew read what was there.
Christmas tree kiss.
It was just the reminder he needed to put an end to whatever unwise feelings he’d allowed to fill his brain. Frannie had just gotten out of a relationship. Unexpectedly. He had no idea why except that whoever she’d been dating had to be three screws loose in the head to let her go. And that was his opinion after only a couple of days.
“What about Santa Claus?”
He raised his brows. “Santa Claus?”
“At Macy’s.” Frannie tugged her lower lip between her teeth. “And then there’s the holiday train.”
Andrew had lived here for the better part of five years and could count on three fingers the number of Christmas-related activities he’d done and then only because his mom and dad came into town. “Are you talking likePolar Express?Because I’m not really the wear-pajamas-in-public kind of guy.”
Frannie’s nose wrinkled with her smile. “Not the Polar Express. These are vintage trains from the New York Transit Museum that only get put on the rails once a year for Christmas and they’re decorated with wreaths and ribbons. No one will be wearing pajamas and not everyone dresses up, but some people do wear period clothing from the era.”
“Are you?”
She hesitated but he could see the sparkle in her eye that said she was all-in before she even nodded. “Yes!”
“Well, then I guess we’re going on a train ride tomorrow after we visit the North Pole.”
“Yay!” Frannie clapped and then wrapped her arms around him in a quick hug that surprised him, and from the doe-eyed expression she gave him when she released him, it had surprised her as well. “Sorry. Sometimes my exuberance gets the better of me.”
“Exuberance is good.”Especially if it results in that kind of physical contact.That thought was just the kind to get him put on Santa’s naughty list. “The world could use more exuberance.”
That put a sparkle in her eyes and Andrew forced himself to look away. “Pizza is on its way. I’m going to find a vending machine and grab some drinks. What’s your preference?”
“Sprite if they have it or a Coke.”
“I’ll be back.” Andrew slipped out of Frannie’s room and rested his back against the wall. He was simply doing his job. She was stuck in the city Sunday and half of Monday now. Just another day and a half, which meant he needed to be here with her. “Keep telling yourself it’s just a job.”
His voice echoed back at him in the empty hallway, and he pushed off the wall and headed toward the alcove with a vending machine and ice maker, repeating the words with the hope they’d keep his focus where it needed to be.
It shouldn’t be too hard, right?Die Hardwas a safe Christmas movie. Nothing romantic about Bruce Willis killing terrorists, right? Or visiting Santa with dozens of parents forcing their kids to smile while sitting on a stranger’s lap—torture for all involved. And a train ride passing by the best of New York City’s graffiti art, no matter how many wreaths and ribbons you put on it, certainly didn’t stoke the flames of passion.
Nope, nothing romantic here at all.
Spending the day with Frannie tomorrow was going to be just fine.
When Andrew leftFrannie’s room after the movie, he went straight to the elevator but kept his pace slow enough to make sure he heard her door close and the bolt latch. When he did, he released a long breath. At the elevator he pressed the button for the second floor, where the security offices were and where he’d wait for Mac to take over and keep an extra eye on Frannie so he could get some sleep. After his overreaction earlier that day, he needed the rest to be on his game for tomorrow.
Showing his ID, he entered the office and was introduced to two other security officers, Milo and Bart, both of whom were older than he was by at least twenty years and didn’t seem put out by his presence. Neither man seemed all that interested in why he was there and left him to an empty chair behind a desk with a view of the screens.
Andrew settled in, his attention focused on the cameras watching the hallway of the twelfth floor. Pulling out his cell phone, he sent a message to Doug updating him on Frannie’s flight. He started a message to Ryan, wanting to update him just in case Frannie decided to spill the details of their day. Would she tell him about the guyfollowingthem? Or about Andrew pulling her into a tight space where their bodies were so close he was sure he would’ve heard her heart beating if his hadn’t been pounding louder?
Sisters didn’t tell brothers those kinds of details … did they?
His pulse jumped beneath his skin. If Frannie did tell Ryan everything and Andrew excluded that little detail, Ryan would pick up on it and he had no idea how he might react.
