Frankie's Back in Town (21 page)

“You look beautiful, by the way,” Susanna called after her.

“Thanks,” Brooke tossed back over her shoulder. “You should dance, Mom. Mr. Shaw has been talking about how hot you are.”

Susanna ignored that, but scanned the crowd for Mr. Shaw, a bad boy if ever there was one. She spotted him on the dance floor in the middle of a crowd of ladies, naturally.

Making a mental note to avoid that side of the room, she spotted Brooke, who’d caught up with Gabby again. Their exchange was animated and casual, and Susanna watched them, realizing that she had a choice here, too.

The next time Karan called on a rant about Frankie, Susanna could choose not to go along for the ride. That didn’t mean she had to give up her best friend. It simply meant she was responsible for making choices that wouldn’t hurt others or leave her feeling so horrible about
herself. And who knew? Maybe in the process she might find opportunities to diffuse Karan’s prejudice, too.

What had Skip always said?

Be part of the solution, not the problem.

She glanced upward with a smile. “Well, hon, you always said they’d help us become better parents along the way. Looks like better people, too.”

J
ACK HAD ALWAYS BELIEVED
that when he found the right woman he’d know. Nothing mysterious, just a gut feeling—one that served him well in the other areas of his life. He’d never second-guessed his position, had defended himself more times than he could count, had always believed there was a woman who’d be suited to him and his life—the perfect woman
for him.

As he drove to Bluestone, he considered what to do now that he’d found her. Frankie was
his
perfect woman. He knew it in his gut, had suspected she was different from the moment they’d officially met.

He’d wanted this woman. Period.

But finding her didn’t mean he had a clue about what came next. That much had been clear as he’d stood in O’Hare Airport, watching Frankie disappear beyond the gate, frustrated because he hadn’t been able to swap his ticket for a standby seat on her flight, irritated to waste time they could have spent together.

Finding her had only been the first step.

Getting her to give him a chance had been the second.

As far as Frankie was concerned they’d enjoyed an incredible “break from reality” and tomorrow would work itself out. Jack didn’t want to leave so much to chance. He didn’t want to be her break.

So what came next?

After seeing her with her family, Jack knew she wouldn’t be inviting him into her reality without being convinced he was reality material. His own past was biting him in the ass, and he could almost hear his mother chanting, “How do you expect any girl to take you seriously…”

His cell phone rang, a welcome distraction from his overworked thoughts, until he glanced at the display and saw his mother’s cell number.

“What are the odds,” he said into the quiet interior of his car and flipped open the phone. “Hello.”

“Jack.” His dad’s voice shot over the line. “Your mom and I are hoping you can help us out.”

“Sure. What’s up? Gus-Gus?”

“No, thank God. He’s still hanging in there if you can believe it. He refuses to leave your mother, and I told him there’s no way she’s going with him.”

Jack laughed.

“Your grandfather needs to be picked up from Greywacke Lodge at ten. You anywhere around?”

Jack actually pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it before asking, “What’s Granddad doing there?”

“Some function or another. Judge Pierce had to make an appearance but didn’t want to go alone. He recruited your grandfather. I remembered what you’d said about the place and encouraged him to go even though your mom and I had this board meeting at the credit union. The judge picked him up and they had supper together first. It was good for him to get out.”

“I can’t believe he actually went.”

His dad laughed. “The judge doesn’t take no for an answer. Come to find out he doesn’t drive at night, either. Michaela’s on death watch until we get back, so I thought I’d give you a try before sending a taxi. You know Granddad. If he gets it into his head he put us out, he won’t leave the house again.”

No argument there. “Tell Mom I’m glad Gus-Gus is okay. Don’t worry about Grandpa. I’ll be there at ten.” Even sooner if he could make it.

“Excellent. Thanks, Jack.”

“No problem, Dad. No problem at all.”

Jack disconnected the call and found himself smiling as he glanced at the clock and hit the accelerator.

Some things were meant to be.

That was the only explanation there could be for arriving at Greywacke Lodge to find Frankie’s Jeep double-parked in the front and the main lobby looking the town square decorated for the holidays.
All
of them.

The event board read: Reach for the Stars.

A quizzical glance at the front desk clerk dressed in formalwear brought the explanation “Prom night.”

Jack nodded, understanding why Judge Pierce hadn’t wanted to make a solo appearance at the event. Jack remembered his prom, but had no clue whether or not Frankie had attended.

On impulse, he considered the fresh floral spray on one of the sideboards in the main lobby before plucking a bright orange flower from the arrangement. Some sort of daisy, he thought. Then he went to join the party.

Had the age demographic of the party-goers been about six decades younger, the banquet room at Greywacke Lodge could have been hosting any high school dance. Gaudy decorations. Blaring music. Lots of dancing and laughter. He spotted his grandfather and the judge, deep in discussion over port at a corner table.

He noticed Susanna, a wallflower, as she watched the party from just inside the entrance.

“Brings back memories, doesn’t it?” he said.

She glanced up at him in surprise then smiled wistfully.
“It does. Only we were the court back then. Tonight they crowned Quinta and Ted Flood.”

Jack could see the requisite archway, but couldn’t spot the king and queen in this crowd. He did spot a few people on the dance floor he knew. “Is that Brooke? When did she grow up?”

Susanna grimaced. “Overnight, it seems. Got back into town to find out she was one of the hosts of tonight’s shindig.”

“I see.” And he did. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her close in a one-armed hug. “Been a rough couple of days. You okay?”

She leaned into him, as if drawing strength. “Thanks to you, I’m fine. You’re my hero.”

Her new hero, maybe. There was a missing hero very present in the room. Jack pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “So you’ll forgive me?”

“Only if you forgive me. I’ve been acting like a big butthead, as Brooke would say.”

Jack laughed. “Nothing to forgive, Susanna.”

They lapsed into a companionable silence, taking a moment to savor the mended fence. But Susanna looked so wistful, a woman with a lot on her mind.

He nudged her shoulder. “You really didn’t think I’d let Skip’s best girl fry, did you?”

That got a smile. “Not unless you wanted him to haunt you. Or for our kids to show up on your doorstep the next time they needed a hot meal or a ride.”

“You guys seem to be hanging in there.”

“We’re okay.” She smiled softly. “Some days better than others. Prom night has me reminiscing.”

“We had a lot of good times back then.” Too many of them hadn’t been memorable enough to have weathered the passage of time, but there were also those worth remembering.

“At that age I didn’t imagine there was a limit. Skip and I thought we had our whole lives ahead of us. We planned to rear our family then retire and travel and host big family gatherings at our summer home on the Sound.” She exhaled a sigh. “If we’d have realized our time was limited, we could have made so many different choices. We’d have lived more instead of putting off our dreams. “

Another easy silence fell between them, a thoughtful silence filled with realizations and cautions. Jack understood exactly what Susanna was saying. Her family hadn’t had enough time with the man they loved. She shared nothing more than conventional wisdom, but somehow, in this moment, it applied to his life in a way it never had before.

Nobody had a clue what tomorrow would bring. He saw proof of that daily in his line of work. But limitations on the future had never felt personal. Not even when he’d lost Skip, one of his best friends. Not until today when Frankie had given him a kiss and entrusted their
chance
to fate.

Tomorrow will work itself out.

He wasn’t okay with that. His work might not lend itself to a white picket fence and two point five kids, but Jack wanted memorable.

“How would you have prioritized differently?” he asked.

“We would have definitely taken that vacation to Florida for a sunny Christmas instead of building an addition on the house. Maybe we’d have even accepted that job promotion to California. Think about all the quality time we’d have had together without our families and friends around. It would have been just us creating a whole new life together.”

She sounded so sad that Jack slipped his arms around her shoulders again and pulled her close.

She glanced at the flower he held. “That a corsage?”

“Not very impressive, is it?”

“If you like gerbera daisies.”

Jack twisted the flower between his fingers. “That’s what this is?”

Susanna nodded. “Who’s the lucky lady?”

“Francesca.”

Susanna inclined her head and glanced out at the dance floor where Brooke and Gabrielle were teaching Frankie some dance steps to some amusing results.

“I don’t know her as anything but a director, Jack, but she’s a really good one.”

Jack smiled, knowing Susanna’s admission was a blessing of sorts, one that put the past where it belonged. “Get a good night’s sleep. I promise there won’t be any officers showing up on your doorstep tomorrow.”

“Thanks to you. You better get that corsage to your date before it wilts.”

Jack smiled at that, and took Susanna’s advice, bypassing his grandfather who was still deep in conversation, and heading toward the dance floor.

“Ladies, mind if I cut in?”

“Jack?” Frankie’s eyes widened when she recognized him, and to his profound pleasure, she actually blushed when he handed her the daisy. At least it looked like a blush in the shifting dance floor lighting.

“Hey, Uncle Jack.” Brooke popped up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.

“Hey, kiddo. You’re getting way too gorgeous. I’m going to have to assign you a patrol.”

“Please don’t say that to Mom. She’ll want you to.”

He laughed. “Good evening, Gabrielle. Nice to see you again. Mind if I dance with your mother?”

Her green eyes lit up with mischief. “She’s all yours, Chief Sloan. Go for it.”

“Gabrielle Concetta,” Frankie said, but her daughter was already disappearing into the crowd.

Jack slipped an arm around Frankie’s waist and pulled her close for a dance more suited to the Golden Era music than the one she’d been attempting to learn.

Frankie tucked the daisy into her lapel, where the long stem hung comically. She didn’t seem to notice or care. “What brings you here?”

“I missed you.”

She narrowed eyes that sparkled in the flickering light. “Really, Jack.”

“My grandfather’s here.”

“Is he? Where?”

“With Judge Pierce. If you don’t mind, I’d like to introduce you.”

Their gazes met. He wasn’t sure exactly what he saw in those beautiful gray eyes—a mixture of excitement and uncertainty maybe—but he knew she understood that he wanted to introduce her to his family for a reason.

“I want my chance here in Bluestone, Francesca,” he said simply. “I want to be part of your reality, Francesca. Not a break from it.”

Because somewhere along the line tonight, he’d figured out what he wanted. And for the first time in memory, Jack was excited about what the future would bring.

They could figure out the logistics of two demanding careers, his and hers. He’d always believed his career didn’t lend itself to committed relationships. He’d seen so many marriages fail under the ongoing demands of law enforcement. But Jack found himself considering those relationships that had stayed the course and endured.

And there were some. He suspected the real trouble lay with his views and his commitment. As Susanna, and his parents, had pointed out, work was only one part of life.

Or should be.

“I want someone to miss me if I don’t come home at
night, someone who depends on me. Someone to love me like you do.”

“You sound very sure of that, Jack.”

“I am.” He pulled her closer. His body remembered the feel of hers, the warm promise between them. “I want you and Gabrielle to make some extra room in your family for me. And who better to be a stepfather to a beautiful teenage girl than the chief of police?”

She leaned against his arm and gazed up at him with such excitement. “That’s definitely in your favor.”

And when she smiled her dazzling smile and said, “I’d like to meet your grandfather.” Jack knew he wouldn’t have too hard of a job ahead. Not if he opened himself up to the unique possibilities tomorrow could bring. They’d figure everything out. Together.

Frankie was, after all,
his
perfect woman.

Over a year later

O
NE GLIMPSE OF
B
LUESTONE
Mountain in full summer bloom reminded Francesca of exactly why her hometown was so special. The sun shone from a clear, cloudless sky, sparkling over the lush mountainside in one of those uniquely exquisite Catskill days that, viewed from the lodge’s restaurant, was nothing short of breathtaking.

She’d slipped from the banquet room to catch her breath after one too many dances, a stolen moment to watch family and friends enjoying a day that couldn’t have been more perfect.

Her wedding day, and the future looked as bright as the sunny vista outside.

Though it was her second marriage, it was her first wedding. Jack’s, too. Nothing but a “real” affair would do, Gabrielle had insisted, complete with a white dress—a Nonna original as it turned out.

Nonna had had faith. She trusted that Francesca would one day come to her senses and had intended to be ready. So she’d beaded a bodice and packed it carefully away….

Francesca had gone to pieces while unwrapping the heavy satin where delicate beads and sequins twinkled up at her, each exquisite row hand-sewn with so much love.

She, Nonna and Gabrielle had designed a dress worthy
of that bodice. A good thing since most of the BMPD had shown up in their dress blues to stand honor guard for their chief at a wedding that had turned into a full-scale event.

Nonna had given her away and Gabrielle was maid of honor. Kimberly, Judith and Stephanie had traveled in with their families from Phoenix to stand beside Gabrielle as bridesmaids.

They’d all been partying nonstop ever since the guests had started arriving. Since she and Jack hadn’t wanted the traditional rounds of showers, bachelor/bachelorette parties and rehearsal dinners, the days preceding the wedding had been filled with simply enjoying time with people they cared about.

Jack’s parents had thrown open their apartment in the city to host a grand tour of Manhattan that culminated in the hottest show on Broadway. They’d had to charter a bus to get everyone there and back again.

Francesca should have been exhausted, but the wave of love and excitement still carried her along. She scanned the crowd and caught sight of Gabrielle dancing with Stephanie’s son, who’d grown to be more than six feet tall in the time they’d been away from Phoenix.

Life with her beautiful daughter, who’d recently turned seventeen, had been a little less tumultuous lately. Gabrielle’s interest in boys was at an all-time high—evidenced by the way she’d been keeping in touch with Stephanie’s son—and she considered her mother dating the police chief common ground, which had opened up the lines of communication between them in ways that were all good.

Francesca had been getting to know her daughter as she matured into this incredible young woman, and their relationship was changing subtly. They’d spent quality time together as Gabrielle had learned to drive. They’d had long
philosophical conversations while they’d worked on selling Nonna’s house.

And after Gabrielle had gotten an after-school transportation aide job at the lodge’s nursing center, she’d been showing up more and more often in Francesca’s office with invitations to grab lunch or drop by Nonna’s for coffee. Lately they’d been slipping away on weekends to tour colleges for the upcoming year.

Francesca embraced each and every one of these bittersweet moments, knowing she was living on borrowed time. She wanted to build a solid foundation for the years ahead, hoping Gabrielle would include her family no matter where her interests led her.

With any luck they wouldn’t lead her as far away as a third-world country.

Even Francesca’s ex-husband, Nicky, had come through in his own way. The girlie-girl had left him long ago, and in the failed relationships since, he’d discovered a newfound appreciation for the daughter who loved him no matter what. They e-mailed often nowadays, sharing their love of music and everything Mexican.

Nicky had even text messaged Gabrielle before the wedding and asked his daughter to kiss the bride.

“That was really nice of your dad. Send him a hug for me,” Francesca had said, and was rewarded by a beaming smile.

Life was good.

And never better when she caught sight of her handsome new husband, dressed sharply in his uniform. He came to a complete stop when he saw her, a slow smile transforming his handsome face, that famous Jack Sloan smile, for her alone.

His gaze raked over her and his expression was one of such pleasure, such appreciation, that he literally stole her breath.

He covered the distance between them in a few long strides. “Mrs. Sloan.”

“Chief Sloan.”

“Hiding from all the confusion?”

She just smiled as he came close and drew her into his arms. Melting against him, she savored the familiar feel of his embrace and the warmth of the sun streaming through the windows.

“Your grandmother and my grandfather actually got up from that table, to dance.”

“I told you, they’re becoming friends. Who knew?” Francesca had witnessed firsthand how well Jack’s grandfather had been settling in since his move to the lodge, a decision that had startled, and pleased, everyone who cared about him.

“Nonna wants to know if we want to take the china home with us tonight or wait until we get back from our honeymoon. I had no clue what to tell her, but I got the feeling it was code.”

She chuckled. “You’re very smart, you know.”

He caught her hand in his and raised it to his lips. Brushing a warm kiss across her knuckles, he fixed those dark eyes on hers above their clasped hands, and promised all his love in a glance.

“May I have this dance, Mrs. Sloan?”

“I’d like nothing better.” Francesca nestled against him as he rested his cheek on the top of her head. They swayed to the music pouring from the banquet room, so content for this stolen moment, just the two of them together.

“So,” he whispered into her hair. “You going to tell me about that code, or is it a secret?”

She tightened her grip around his waist and exhaled a sigh that got lost in the curve of his neck. “It means that life doesn’t get any better than this.”