Chapter Sixteen

"NO. OH MY GOD. NO. Stop. Stop. Stop."

"But who else can I tell—-"

"Anyone but me!"

"Please, just pretty, pretty please, let me just share one story—-"

The back door to the store opened, and Frankie nearly expired in relief. "Oh, thank God." She had never imagined a day would come that she'd be thankful to see Thornton Blackwood, but apparently, miracles did happen. "Could you please tell your girlfriend I have absolutely zero interest in hearing about what a perfect boyfriend you are?"

"If I told her that," Thornton answered mildly, "then she'd end up nagging me about the same thing, and I'd rather not have that happen."

Frankie gaped. Wow. In the few years she had known the guy, that was the most number of words she had ever heard him speak in a single sentence.

"The mayor sent Frankie here," Blake was saying as she pulled Thornton towards the reading nook. "She's got papers for you to sign, but she also brought cake."

Frankie tried to keep the surprise off her face when Blake's boss skipped taking his usual place at the head of the table and instead took the chair next to his girlfriend. Blake continued chatting as she served him a slice of cake, and Frankie's astonishment grew when she saw the intent look on Thornton's face as he listened to his girlfriend.

Wow, Frankie thought ten minutes later. Even Curt found Blake's nonstop chatter a challenge at times, but not once had Thornton looked bored. If anything, the man actually seemed to be having the time of his life. It was almost enough to have her buy into this whole love-at-first-sight business (even if it had started one-sided), and maybe she would have...if not for one thing.

Frankie waited until a couple of customers had occupied Blake's time before walking to the counter. "Mr. Blackwood?"

Thornton glanced up, and as Frankie passed him the documents the mayor wanted him to sign, she asked under her breath, "Have you told her yet?"

In the process of signing the documents, his fingers stilled, the pen hovering mid-air. A moment later, he put the pen down and turned to face Blake's friend. "No."

And there was the Thornton Blackwood she knew , Frankie thought. She waited for him to say more, but when he didn't, she asked finally, "Why not?"

"Why not what?" Blake piped in as she handed the customers' purchases for Thornton to ring in.

"It was just a curious thought." Frankie was doing her best not to panic, and having the local John Wick glaring at her just wasn't helping.

"About?"

"About why...Mr. Blackwood..."

"Thornton," Blake corrected her just before turning to her boss-slash-boyfriend. "She can call you that now, right?"

Thornton shrugged.

Blake turned back to face Frankie, saying optimistically, "That means yes. But anyway—-" She quickly changed the subject so her friend wouldn't have any chance to burst her bubble. "What was that you were saying earlier?"

Seeing how Blake's friend was about to break down, Thornton heard himself lie, "She was asking why I felt your grandmother might not like me."

Frankie nearly wilted in relief. That... was such a perfectly plausible thing for her to have said, it was kinda scary knowing Thornton was the one to think of it.

But still.

At least she was out of the woods with Blake now, Frankie told herself. And as for Thornton's reasons for still not telling her friend about Hartland Initiative...

Thornton was unsurprised when Frankie headed back his way as soon as Blake had another set of customers to attend to.

"I owe you for that," Blake's friend muttered.

"You do."

She glared at him. "I know my hands are legally tied and there's no way for me to force you to tell Blake the truth. But if you ever hurt her..."

"I won't."

Frankie was unimpressed. "We'll see, Mr. Blackwood. But just so you know...I'm not the only one who'll be after your hide—-"

"Curt Teller." The way Frankie jumped told Thornton he had guessed correctly, and his lips tightened. "I know he likes her."

Frankie had a hard time keeping her face expressionless. Oh no. Getting Curt to make Thornton potentially jealous had been her idea, and it had seemed like a good one...before. But now that the two were a couple?

She cleared her throat. "About that—-" But before she could say another word, they both heard Blake's mobile phone ring.

"Hello?"

Thornton's gaze narrowed when he saw something flicker in Blake's eyes. "Oh. Hey. It's you...Kate."

Frankie winced. Oh, Blake . She took a peek at Thornton's expression and found it utterly, terrifyingly bland. Oh, shit. That look just about said everything.

Thornton suddenly found his view of Blake blocked when her friend jumped in front of him.

"It's not what you think, Mr. Blackwood," she said in a rush. "Curt—-"

"Is what?"

Shit, shit, shit.

"You don't have anything to be jealous about," she tried convincing him.

"Can you prove that?"

Shit.

Thornton's jaw clenched at Frankie's helpless look. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. Who the fuck was this Curt guy to Blake anyway?