The phone went silent for a moment, and Veronica wondered if Calvin was even still on the line.
“Hello?” she spoke into the phone, wondering if he had somehow cut out.
“Oh hey!” Calvin said, his voice clearly illustrating his shock. “Sorry, I just honestly didn’t expect you to say yes.”
“Well I want to go,” Veronica said. “So when are we doing it?”
“Um, let me check!” Calvin said, and Veronica waited for him to respond. “Actually, tomorrow looks good! I was going to take you to that Italian place you like. Is that good for you?”
“Yeah that sounds wonderful,” Veronica said. That particular restaurant was her absolute favorite, and she hadn’t been in quite a long time. All in all, it was a very thoughtful gesture for him to put forth.
“Great!” Calvin said with a laugh. “I get off at five, what time would be good for you?”
“Why don’t we call it six?” Veronica suggested. She knew that Frank normally got home about five thirty, and he would be able to take over care of the girls for the night. “I know that seems a little early, but I told Davenport I would be back in by midnight.”
“Alright Cinderella,” Calvin teased her. “Six it is! God, I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this. I’m so excited to see you!”
“I’m excited to see you too,” Veronica said, hoping that she sounded at least a little genuine.
“Okay well I have to be getting to work,” Calvin said. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I can’t wait! I love you!”
“See you,” Veronica said. “I love you too.”
Veronica hung up the phone just as Frank walked into the kitchen. Veronica had already gotten him a glass of water, which he immediately drank.
“Thank you,” Frank said.
Veronica nodded, but remained quiet.
“Was that Calvin?”
Frank asked quietly, and Veronica knew that he already knew the answer to that.
“I called and set up our date,” she explained quietly. “It’s tomorrow at six, and I told him I had to be back by midnight.”
Frank looked a little surprised.
“I thought you would want to take the whole night,” he said.
“That is probably the very last thing I want,” Veronica scoffed.
“Hey,” Frank moved closer to her and placed his hands on her waist, looking into her eyes. “Don’t be down about this.”
“I can’t help it,” Veronica sighed. She thought for a moment, and she was grateful that Calvin granted her the time to process her thoughts.
“I haven’t even seen him in weeks,” she said softly. “I just… I just don’t know how to be around him anymore. Especially not with all this. With you and me.”
“Don’t worry about all that,” Calvin said softly. “You just be you. You’re smart. You’re going to know what to do in whatever situation you find yourself in. I believe in you.”
Veronica nodded, and she found that his words served to comfort her quite a bit.
“Are you sure you want me to go through with this?” she whispered, and he smiled down at her.
“Like I said,” Frank gave a half smile. “I think you need to see him. And I think it will help you to figure out what you really want to get out of this situation.”
Veronica nodded. She moved closer to Frank and rested her head against his broad chest. She inhaled the scent of his musk after his workout and shivered as the scent filled her lungs.
“I just want you to remember one thing,” Frank said, pulling back slightly. Veronica looked up at him, waiting for him to tell her what was on his mind.