Page 65 of A Shot at Love
“Maybe I can make it for the three of us. You, me, and Mackenzie. I’d really like to spend some more time with her if she’s really that important to you.”
He gave her a tighter squeeze. “I’d really like that and so would she.”
“What are you thinking right now?”
Frankie’s fingers brushed through her hair as they laid together on Frankie’s couch, the light from an unwatched movie on the TV filling the darkness of the living room.
The remnants of the meal Jules cooked for them sat on plates on the kitchen island and half empty wine glasses rested on coasters in front of them on the coffee table.
Jules had been forthcoming about the job opportunity because it made no sense to keep it to herself, not when it affected both of them in ways she wasn’t quite sure of yet, but the mood changed when she’d mentioned it.
Frankie had been so excited about the home cooked meal, kissing Jules deeply against the fridge in thanks before they sat down to eat and the smile on her face had been luminous.
So Jules had waited to bring it up.
They ate their meal and laughed as Jules reminisced about her mother in the kitchen and the way it was a complete mess anytime she made a meal. It was justpart of her process, her mom had always said, and then she and Cam would help with the cleanup while their dad took out the trash.
It was a nice memory, one that made her a bit emotional as she recalled it, but then Frankie had asked if she’d spent time with her brother lately and she didn’t want to lie.
So she told Frankie all about the conversation she and Cam had at the grocery store, about the ways in which her brother had matured without her noticing, the way his new girlfriend had made him accept the reality of their lives, how he admitted to wanting more for Jules in life.
And she told Frankie about the job her brother said she’d be perfect for. The only problem was…the job was with the Halifax Harbour. It was instantly an elephant in the room and Jules had no idea how Frankie felt about it because she’d barelyopened her mouth since Jules mentioned it,.
“Frankie…it doesn’t have to be a big thing. It can be…” Jules trailed off, unsure of what she even wanted to say.
“I know.”
Jules sat up, shifting to face Frankie. “It’s not like I’m one of the players on the team.”
”I know.”
“Do you have more to say than justI know?”
Frankie pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes as she released a long sigh. “Your brother doesn’t even know we’re dating yet, Jules. I’m his coach. That already complicates things for me and I literally share a wall with him in this building.”
”Yeah.” Jules swallowed and looked down at where her hand was resting on Frankie’s thigh. She pulled it away then sat up, putting distance between them and in that moment, a few inches felt like a mile. “You aren’t wrong.”
“When are you planning to tell him about us?” Frankie’s voice cut through the quiet and it wasn’t angry, but it was laced with frustration. “If you’re planning to tell him at all. I don’t want to be your secret.”
Her secret? That stung.
If Frankie really felt that way, this was the first Jules was hearing of it and it hurt. Should they have talked about the situation they were in before they became intimate? Yes. Could they change anything now? No, but Julesneverwanted Frankie to be her secret and the thought of it made her stomach curl.
“That’s not fair and you know it. Of course I’m going to tell him, but this is new to me. I’ve never been in this position with him before and it’s…hard to navigate.”
“That makes two of us, Jules.”
She expected there to be some hesitation as they worked through the decision together, but Jules didn’t think Frankie would sound so unsure about everything, that she would doubt Jules the way she seemed to be doubting her now. Maybe they needed to work through some things on their own before they could figure it out together.
This wasn’t how she thought the evening would go but Frankie herself had said that Jules being who she was made things complicated, so she would uncomplicate things for a little while.
“I should go.”
She stood and carried her wine glass to the island. She placed their plates in the sink and out of the corner of her eye, saw Frankie watching her from where she still sat on the couch.
She stared down at her white knuckles as she gripped the edge of the counter then moved towards the door.
”Jules, wait…”
