“I just want to lay down, Mom.” Frankie wrapped her lanky arms around her slender middle and I knew she was probably starting to deal with cramps and aches for the first time.
“We’ll go to the play first. Go put on a dress.”
“I don’t want to. I don’t feel well.” Alexis held her hand up, silencing Frankie so she could answer her ringing phone. She tossed a look at Evander and rolled her eyes before walking out of the kitchen.
“Come on, Frank.” I hooked my arm with hers and hurried upstairs before her mother sank her claws into us.
“I don’t want to go to this stupid play,” she huffed, flopping on her bed.
“I know but you gotta go where your lovely mother takes you, babe.” I sat beside her and rubbed her back. “Pick out a dress and a pair of black stretchy workout shorts.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll be right back,” I told her, hurrying out of the room. When I returned, I handed her the white Chanel bag she was drooling over earlier. The look on her face was priceless. I knew right then, once I had a kid, I would do anything to see that look.
In other words, my children would be spoiled rotten.
“Are you serious right now, Xari?” Frankie’s hand flattened against her chest.
“I’m dead ass serious. You can borrow it.” I looked at the dress in her arms and smiled. It was an adorable yellow Calvin Klein dress. But it was yellow. The girl just started her period, she couldn’t wear yellow. “First, you have to put that dress back and find a dark one. When Mother Nature is on your ass, always cover it with something dark.”
“Ugh. So many rules. I liked it better before I became a woman,” she grimaced tossing up air quotes.
“Girl, you and me both. I wish I could be twelve again. My parents paid for everything and I got to wear amazing clothes at no expense to me. It was a good time.”
Frankie ignored my poetic waxing and went back into the closet.
“Hey, can I ask you something?” I called from her room.
“What’s up?”
I listened to the shuffling of hangers for a few seconds then said, “Why didn’t you want Alexis to know about your period?”
“Because,” she sighed, walking out with a burgundy dress and a denim jacket draped over her forearm. “She’d say something basic then bury it and not talk about it again. At least you tell me stuff like…don’t wear yellow and take Tylenol.”
“And water. Drink lots of water. Oh, and ginger helps slow the flow so eat ginger snaps or drink ginger tea or ginger ale,” I rambled, sticking my finger in the air.
“See? She’s not going to tell me things like that.” I didn’t know what to say. When I was her age, I had my mother and Navy to help me when it was that time of the month. I had no idea what it felt like not to have support.
“The burgundy dress is good. It’s dark enough. I like the jacket too. You can tie it around your waist if you need to. Take some Tylenol before you go, okay?” I smoothed the hair back from her face and looked at how pretty she was. “Try to have some fun. I’m always here if you need to text me.”
“I know you are.” She gave me a hug then I kissed her forehead and left her alone to get dressed. I’d never kissed anyone on the forehead before but Frankie felt like my…I don’t know. Not exactly a best friend because she was so much younger than me, but I loved that little girl. I wanted to protect her and make sure she had everything she needed.
I hated how sad she looked when she had to leave with Alexis. The moment the door closed, Evander pushed out a pent up breath. “That never gets easier,” he said.
“I can’t even imagine. If I hate seeing Frankie look sad, I know it must fucking kill you.”
“It does,” he nodded solemnly. “Alexis is her mother though. She has to learn how to get along with her and she has to form her own opinions. I can’t stand in the way of that no matter how much I want to. As long as Frankie isn’t being abused or neglected, I can’t step in and play papa bear.”
“I know. I’m always counting down the hours until she comes back,” I confessed.
“Me too, Xari.” He kissed my temple then eyed me for a few seconds. “You busy today?”
“Well, practice seems like a bust so, I guess not. Why?”
“I’m having charity events all day and I hate them with a fucking passion. I was thinking maybe if you went with me, I wouldn’t feel so lonely.”
My lips fell at the mention of loneliness. “You feel lonely?”
“All the time. I don’t have real friends in politics. Just people I keep up appearances with and for. There’s nothing of substance.”
“So, would you say we’re friends, Senator Freeman?” I rocked back and forth waiting for his answer.
It was begrudging and came with a lot of huffing and puffing but he finally said, “Yes, Xari. I consider us to be friends.”
“With amazing benefits. Like…your dick inside of me.” I had to cover up the nagging warmth spilling into my chest with something funny.
“I can’t argue with that. Now take your bad ass upstairs and get dressed. We’re hanging out today.”
I had no idea why his words pumped new life into me but I couldn’t wait to go somewhere with Evander. I wasn’t even pissed that I barely got in any harp practice.
…
Evander
What the fuck was I thinking inviting Xari with me for a day of charity events followed by dinner at the governor’s mansion?
You know what? Scratch that. I knew exactly what I was thinking. I didn’t want to be lonely again at one of those things. I was always plastering a smile on my face that never reached my eyes. With Xari around, I knew my smiles would be genuine and my laughter would be honest.
Sure, I’d get a lot of eyes on me for having someone as gorgeous as her on my arm but I’d make sure it was understood that she was a friend.
Besides, Navy would be there too. Navy was usually at my side for events but there’d never been any speculation about if we were together or not. Things should go equally smooth with Xari there.
I waited in the kitchen while she got ready and drank a cup of coffee while I went over my schedule and answered emails. The distinct cadence of heels against the floor made my head lift.
When Xari walked in, the temperature in the room shifted to accommodate her heat.
She wore a blush pink dress that wrapped around her slender waist and dipped low in the back giving me a view of her delicate spine. The dress stopped right before showing off the small of her back and the two shallow dimples above her ass. A string of modest pearls was wrapped around her neck with matching earrings nestled against her lobes. Her thick hair was sleek and polished in a chignon. Her eyes were lined with an understated swipe of black and her lips were painted plum.
She was stunning.
I had to blink my eyes a few times to jumpstart the words in my brain and force them out of my mouth. “Damn, Xari,” was the best I could do on such short notice. It still granted me a soft laugh. One that brought out those dimples like sunshine.
I took her hand in mine and kissed the back of it. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said.