Page 78 of In You
My eyes roam her body, seeing she's in her favorite maroon loungewear complete with the floor length cardigan. Her curly hair hangs loose down her breasts and arms, and I note with pleasure she's got a little mascara on. Though I hope she doesn't feel like she needs to put make up on because we have company.
After a long, tense minute, she walks to me and then tries to lean in to give me a little timid, one-armed pat, still staring at Frank, but I jerk her to me, and she falls into my lap, blushing. "You don't gotta act like that just cause he's here, hun. Come in here with us, I want you to meet Frank."
Frank's eyes slide to mine before going to hers, and he just stares silently.
"Sir, this is Camilla," I say soberly.
She rolls her eyes, shifting her weight on my leg before cutting them to me. "It's Tamryn," she breathes in a low voice.
"It's nice to meet you, Tamryn," Frank says with a wink, letting me know his hearing is as sharp as ever.
"Likewise, sir," she says quietly, sliding off my lap. I let her, aware she probably doesn't want to be so handsy in front of someone she doesn't know. I'm not sure how Tamryn is with public displays of affection.
Apparently, I'm all for it. Who knew.
I feel like a kid who gets to bring his girl home for the first time, eager for Frank to tell me what he thinks about her.
I bite back a grin, looking at her with amusement. "Sooo, does that mean we can have bacon this morning then?" I ask quietly, my eyes flickering from hers to her lips, then back again.
We never eat without each other in the morning, and I always wait to see who I'm going to be greeted with before cooking, so I don't dare start anything without her. She nibbles her bottom lip and scoffs shyly, her lips twisting as she looks away.
"Yeah, I'll get some started." She looks at Frank, who's drinking a healthy glug of coffee. "Do you like bacon, sir?"
He grins and then puts his mug down with an amused look. "Little lady, I used to operate a pig's farm once upon a time. Probably before you were even born. I love it, and the thicker the bacon, the better."
She raises her brows, and I almost wonder if Camilla isn't trying to make an appearance to freak out on him about that. I get up, grabbing eggs, bacon, heavy whipping cream and butter out of the fridge, and I ask Frank a bunch of questions about his new life and family while we whip breakfast together.
Frank only throws a couple questions her way, letting her do most of the leading in the conversation, and I find that Tamryn is quite the witty conversationalist, andverysmart. From the gleam in Frank's eyes, it looks like he might think so too. When we finish, I place the dishes in the sink and then place a soft kiss on her lips. "Don't worry about the dishes, okay? I'll do them when I get back in."
She nods, but I know when Frank and I come back in, this kitchen will be back to being spic and span.
I lead the way out the door, stopping at his truck so he can get his cooler.
"You still eat them things?" I ask.
He nods his head, and we walk in comfortable silence to my shed, our breath billowing white in the chill of the air. I can't believe she's been here two months already, it feels like just yesterday I brought her home. Her presence in my house lifts my spirits and completes something within me I hadn't known I was lacking.
If Frank tells me he feels like Alexander does, it might be too heavy of an emotional blow for me to tolerate.
Our boots crunch along the frosty leaves. I don't even bother asking him if he wants a tour of the acreage because he already took himself on one, and grab a few pieces of wood from the side of the shed before making my way in and starting the stove up.
For some reason, now that it's just me and him alone and he's gotten his first impression of Tamryn, I don't know what to say.
I freaked out after she'd turned into Cunty, and now that he's here, I'm not sure what to say. How to elaborate on what I'm feeling, or why I even need him. Frank has always seemed all-knowing to me, like God's brother, or something. That's how high I regard the man. And it might be silly at my grown ass age of forty, but in my mind, all roads lead to Frank.
"Well,speak.I had to come all the way over here, I don't wanna just stare at ya." He bends over my door, the same door I impaled Tamryn on, and inspects the carpentry and stain work with a hard eye. "This looks pretty good."
"Thanks. That one's going in my basement." I point to another more intricate door on the table in front of it. "And that one's being commissioned."
"So, this is what you do with yourself nowadays? Carpentry?" He turns to walk between the two tables, seemingly very interested in my work.
"Yeah, I mean, on top of the other thing…of course."
He turns his head and locks eyes with me. "Good for you, son."
I nod.
"So, despite the phone call I got the other night, you seemingly appear happy," Frank says, turning his body to face me now and folding his arms. His eyes are piercing. Which is nothing new because they always have been…but there's something a bit more raw in his perusal of me today. He narrows them slightly, and gets that frown on his face that lets me know he means business. "But I can tell deep down inside that you're more bothered than what you let on."
