“It isn’t just sex, Mom, and I know what he wants because I want the same thing. And Matt would never intentionally hurt me.” But she’d hurt him. Badly. She felt a flicker of trepidation. What if she’d hurt him so badly he wouldn’t want to take a risk on her? No. That wouldn’t happen. She trusted what they had and no one, especially not her mother, was going to put doubt in her mind. “I don’t need your help with my relationships. I don’t want it. It’s time to take my own risks and make my own mistakes. But this isn’t one of them. Nothing I do with Matt could ever be a mistake. I’m going to find him to tell him, but first I wanted to talk to you.”
“Well—” Her mother was silent for a moment and then breathed deeply. “I guess we should talk about something else, then. I got a job. Not a fancy job like yours, but it’s still a job. I’ll be working in a deli.”
“That’s great, Mom.”
“And Brad is taking me to dinner tonight.”
“Right.” Frankie wondered how long Brad would last, and then decided it wasn’t her business. Her mother was an adult and it was up to her how she lived her life.
And Frankie was going to live hers. Really live it, not do what felt safe.
“You should be going. We can have a longer chat another time, but right now you have more important things to do.” Her mother reached for her purse. “I’ve got this.”
Frankie hid her surprise. “Thanks, Mom.”
Gina Cole stood up. “If you feel like texting me later to let me know how things went, then do that. And if you want to talk—or anything—” she breathed “—I’m not giving you any advice. Just carry on doing what you’re doing. You do it so much better than I do, anyway.”
Frankie hesitated and then leaned forward and gave her mother a hug. It felt tense and a little awkward, but it was still a hug. “I love you, Mom.”
Her mother held her so tightly she couldn’t breathe. “I love you, too. Now go.”
Before going home Frankie paid a visit to one of Eva’s favorite stores and bought herself a dress in a beautiful shade of green. She paid, ignoring the cost, and wore it right away. It showed more leg than she’d ever shown in her life before and it felt strange, wearing a dress, but it also made her feel oddly confident.
With the rest of her clothes stuffed into a bag, she rode the subway home, her palms clammy.
The closer she got to Brooklyn, the more nervous she became.
What if Matt had lost patience with her insecurities?
No. No, that wasn’t going to happen.
All the same, she was desperate to put things right and she virtually ran the distance from the subway to their brownstone. She was about to head straight up to Matt’s apartment when she saw that the door to her own apartment was open.
Wondering if Roxy had left it open by accident, she went to investigate.
Maybe they needed to fit some sort of child lock. If Mia wandered out onto the street it could be dangerous. She’d talk to Matt about it.
“Roxy?” She walked through the open door and sensed immediately that something wasn’t right.
The apartment was empty.
Where was Roxy and why had she left the door open?
She wandered through to the kitchen and heard glass crunch under her feet.
“Crap.” The small window that opened from the kitchen into the garden was broken, and glass glittered over the tiled floor.
She stepped back gingerly, trying to avoid the worst of it. Was it burglars? That seemed the most obvious explanation, but there was no sign that anything had been taken. And why break the window and then come in through the front door? Or had they gone out through the front door?
She tried to make sense of it, and while her mind was working she heard a sound behind her and realized the apartment wasn’t empty.
She’d been wrong about that.
Her stomach dropped with fear and she turned quickly but she was too late.
A hand came over her mouth and she was slammed up against the wall.
“Where’s Roxy?”