Page 5 of Enemy Kisses

“Shall we collect Frank?”

“Of course.” I hold out my elbow, and Beverley loops her hand through. Then, we stroll a few doors down to Frank’s room.

Beverley knocks, and when Frank opens his door, his eyes light up when they land on her. I’ve often wondered if maybe Frank has a crush on Beverley. “Hey, Frank. Look who’s here to visit with us.”

It’s only then he spots me and his smile grows wider. “Harry.”

I move in closer and give him a one-armed hug, holding up the treats I brought with me. “I have treats. Shall we go to the visiting area, and I’ll make you both a cup of tea to go with these?”

We wander slowly down the corridor at a pace Frank can manage with his walker. They get comfortable and I set about making them each a cup of tea, then join them in the club chairs. Frank never talks very much, but he joins in the conversation now and then, nodding along, and smiling at the funny things Beverley says.

After we’ve chatted about our respective weeks over tea and croissants, Beverley glances around and then whispers, “Let’s play a game of poker.” She tilts her hips and pulls out a bag of M&M’s and a packet of cards from her pocket. “I brought my cards, and we can play for these.” She wiggles the packet in front of us.

Frank chuckles. “Where’d you get those? We’re not supposed to have them. Choking hazard. As if we don’t know how to eat anymore. We may be old, but we still know how to eat,” he grumbles.

She shrugs with a glimmer in her eye. “What can I say? My grandchildren love me.”

“If we get caught with them, I’m blaming you,” Frank tells her. I guess being in law enforcement for most of his life makes him a stickler for following the rules.

“Go ahead. What are they gonna do? Lock me up?” She holds out her hands with her wrists together toward Frank. “Go ahead, Officer Frank. Lock me up and have your way with me.”

I spit out the tea I just drank, and I’m sure my eyes look like they’re about to pop out of their sockets. Frank goes bright red, and Beverley taunts him by moving her hands up and down. “Oh my God, Beverley. You’re too much sometimes.” I chuckle as I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. “I love you.”

“Settle down, woman. There’s a time and place for such things.” Frank huffs.

“You’re such a party pooper sometimes, Frank. I don’t know why I bother. I’m quite the catch, you know.”

Frank mumbles something under his breath, then says, “Are we playing poker or not?”

I grab the deck and shuffle. “Of course we are.”

We spend the next hour playing poker until the dinner bell rings, signaling the end of my visit. We quickly stash the prohibited treats out of sight, and I say my goodbyes with tight hugs until next week. Climbing on my bike, I can’t wipe the smile from my face. Since losing Grand-Mère, Beverley has kind of stepped into the role of being my grandmother, and I couldn’t be more thankful.

CHAPTER4

–finn–

I parkin my usual space and climb out of my car. Glancing at the back area of the café across the alleyway we share withHarry’s House, I notice everything appears to be clean; what the hell is Harry complaining about? I shove my hands in my pockets and head over to check out the side wall of his building and sure enough, I can see the stains shown in the photos. The closer I get, the more I notice the faint smell of urine. I crinkle up my nose and spin on my heel to head back to my side of the alleyway. Thank God people don’t piss against my building.

As the back entrance to my pub becomes visible, so does a pile of trash, and I come to an abrupt stop. Placing my hands on my hips, I study the mess, noting the coasters, napkins, and is that a … used condom? I swivel my head back toward my neighbor and narrow my eyes.

What the fuck?

The sound of a truck pulling into the parking lot tears my attention away from the mess. Blaze climbs out of his black 4x4—which has flames painted along the sides—and is at my side in four long strides. “What the fuck is that?” He points to the pile of trash.

“A pile of trash,” I reply dryly.

“I can fucking see that. Why is it at our door?”

I thumb over my shoulder. “I have a feeling our new neighbor was pissed at my response to his email.”

Blaze narrows his eyes. “What email?”

“I’ll show you when we get inside.”

I grab a nearby crate and use it to scrape the mess out of our way, then unlock the door and disarm the alarm. Being my day head manager, I had already planned to tell him about the email to keep him abreast of the situation. He follows me into my office, and I fire up the laptop to show him the email. “Have you seen Harry? He says he’s been over a few times to speak with me about it.” I point to the screen, highlighting the sentence.

Blaze shakes his head. “Nope. Some chick that works there has come in a couple of times asking for you. But not Harry. You want me to go over and have a chat with him?”

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