Of course she wasn’t giving up her independence. And anyway, she already slept in Matt’s bed every night. It was ridiculous to feel that keeping a few items of clothing in his apartment somehow changed things.
“That’s kind,” Roxy said, “but we take up a lot of space. Our things have a way of spilling over everywhere. And you told me you only have one bedroom.”
Frankie felt her face heat. “I’m not using it right now.”
Roxy looked puzzled and glanced at Matt. Then a smile spread across her face. “Okay, that’s one piece of good news. Finally.”
What did she mean by finally?
Frankie opened her mouth to ask, but Roxy was looking anxiously at Matt.
“Before I say yes, you’d better tell me how much the rent would be.”
Matt named a figure that would have covered a windowless basement in the roughest borough of New York.
Frankie felt a lump form in her throat.
Crap, she was turning into a marshmallow.
“We can go back to your apartment and pick up your thi
ngs right now,” Matt said. “Or you can give me your keys and a list and I’ll do it myself.”
“Are you my landlord or my bodyguard?”
A hint of humor lit Matt’s eyes. “I’ll be whatever you need me to be until you’re back on your feet.”
He didn’t hesitate to help, Frankie thought, swallowing hard. He didn’t think about his own comfort or convenience. He wasn’t putting his business first, or trying to protect himself.
He was focused on helping Roxy, a vulnerable woman who had no one in the world.
He was a man in a million.
So why was she feeling so terrified because she’d given up her apartment?
What was wrong with her?
Something squeezed in her chest.
Roxy rubbed her palm over her cheek, undecided. “That’s a really low rent. I don’t want any favors.”
Frankie’s heart ached. If anyone needed favors, it was this girl, but as someone who had turned independence into an art form, she understood and sympathized.
“Right now that apartment is sitting empty,” Matt said. “But I can’t rent it to anyone else because it’s Frankie’s home and all her things are there. It makes sense to have it occupied, but there aren’t many people I’d trust with it.” With those few simple words he threw a bucket of water over the flickering flames of Frankie’s anxiety.
He understood. He understood how she felt.
Frankie felt a rush of warmth and gratitude and all her worries seeped away.
It was fine. Everything was going to be fine.
“It would feel wrong,” Roxy muttered, and Frankie stepped in.
“We all have moments in life when things are tough, Roxy. When that happens, it’s okay to reach out and let your friends help. Look at it this way—one day you’ll be able to do the same for someone else when they’re in trouble.”
“Pay it forward, you mean?” Roxy sniffed and chewed the edge of her nail. “I guess that makes sense. And you’re right that I have to think of my baby. Her safety comes before my pride.”
James walked back to them and handed over a wriggling Mia. “You’re a good mom, Rox.”