Page 61 of Better Watch Out
“Michael Kors?”
“The designer. Ms. Malone thought it was funny to start calling me that whenever she disagreed with my opinion on her clothing choices.”
Andrew released a chuckle. “And Ms. Jay L. Pez?”
“Jennifer Lopez.” He lifted his brows, looking guilty. “After the ninetieth outfit option I may have mentioned to the stylist that Ms. Malone was no Jennifer Lopez.”
“You didn’t.”
“Not my finest moment but I had to draw the line when she asked me to model a feather boa.” Joey cringed. “I knew she was messing with me but it happened right as her father and Oskar walked in.”
Andrew cringed. “Oh no.”
“Yeah, so I’ll be living that down never.” Joey looked over to the tray sitting on the table and then back to Andrew. “You hungry?”
“No.” Andrew started for the door. “I need to get back to The Peninsula.”
“You sure? Because I’m pretty sure whatever Jennifer Lopez sent down is probably poisoned.”
“I’m sure it’s not.” He opened the door to let himself out. “But maybe call up to Doug and double check.”
Joey let out a pitiful laugh before his expression sobered. “Hey, for the record, love doesn’t have a timeline, sometimes it happens fast and unexpectedly. Ms. Frost isn’t technically our client but it sounds like you’ve done your job keeping her safe. And her FBI brother trusted you enough to ask you to be there for her.”
Andrew paused in the hallway. “You make it sound so simple.”
“Man, you’re not asking her to marry you.” Joey scoffed playfully. “Just ask what her plans are for New Year’s and go from there.”
ChapterTwenty-Four
Frannie woke up feeling a little Grinchy. She packed her toothbrush and toothpaste in her toiletry bag and grabbed her brush. Running it through her hair, she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror.
She should be excited to finally be leaving New York City, about seeing her niece and spending time with Vivian. And she was. Mostly. But there was an ache inside her chest that felt like her heart had grown a size larger for the man who somehow managed to turn a disastrous trip into a serendipitous experience she didn’t want to say good-bye to yet.
It was like the melancholy of the holidays. The buildup of excitement leading to Christmas Day and the joyful euphoria of making memories with her family that eventually dissipated in the days following the holiday that always left her feeling a little empty.
That feeling had come early this year—before Christmas—and there was no reason to feel this way, especially after Andrew’s late-night text had her heart dancing like sugar plums in her chest.
Star-Lord: It’s a good thing Christmas is the season of hope for the future. Would it be okay if I picked you up early tomorrow?
Her heart screamed even as her brain told her not to read into the sweet and simple sentiment. But it didn’t stop her from kicking her feet beneath the covers on her bed like a child too excited to sleep on Christmas Eve.
This was bad. Frannie packed her toiletry bag into her suitcase and zipped it up, feeling the tightness in her chest grow. Andrew Bishop was just a nice guy. A friend of her brother.A protective agent doing his job to keep her safe until she left the city.
If she focused on those facts, then it shouldn’t be hard to get on the plane to D.C. Yep, all she had to do was keep reminding herself of that and completely ignore the way her heart was kicking against her ribs harder than a Radio City Rockette.
She glanced down at her bucket list and the new items she’d added and checked off. Her lips curled into a smile as memories of her weekend with Andrew scrolled through her mind. The reel paused for dramatic effect worthy of a Nora Ephron movie when they were dancing at the train station, when their bodies were pressed together while they were hiding at the market, when their breaths mingled beneath the twinkling lights of Dyker Heights and she caught the hungry expression in Andrew’s eyes that matched what was vibrating in her chest.
A knock startled her from the memory.
He’s here!Frannie forced herself not to move. She didn’t want to seem too eager and she needed a second to let the blush in her cheeks cool. Just ten seconds—nope, five. She hurried to the door and swung it open.
She locked gazes with Andrew before her attention drifted to his smile.
“Good morning.”
“Morning.” The word came out shy. Why was she being shy? Because something had shifted—at least on her part—and while she didn’t want to read into his text, she couldn’t help wanting him to define whathope for the futuremeant to him.
“Are we good?”
