in the balls than a blow to the heart. It had lasted twelve intense months and it had woken him up to what he wanted. Not just wanted, needed. Trust. Honesty.
“Frankie hides a lot.”
“Maybe, but the difference is that Frankie doesn’t hide it because she’s manipulative or conniving. She hides it because she’s scared. I joke about women being difficult to read but Paige is pretty much an open book and as for Eva—she’s not just an open book, she’s an audiobook. Everything she feels comes out of her mouth with no filter. Which makes it simple for guys like me. But Frankie—” Jake pulled a face “—she’s different. She’s guarded.”
“I know.” Matt didn’t mind the fact that she was guarded. What he minded was the fact that she was guarded around him. Why would she feel the need to wear glasses around him? Didn’t she trust him?
“What? You expect her to open up and spill all her secrets to you?” Jake shook his head. “You expect too much.”
“I expect trust. Is that too much to ask?”
Jake shrugged. “It’s everything. Trust is serious. More serious than sex. Think about it. When you trust someone, you’re giving them the power to hurt you.” He drained his beer. “That’s scary stuff. Like saying, ‘Hey, here’s a really sharp knife. Stab me in the chest with it anytime you like.’”
“I would never hurt Frankie.”
“That isn’t the point.”
“So what is the point?”
“She had a rough time growing up, you know that. Her mom is scary. Remember the last time she visited? She pinned me against the wall. I almost lost my virginity right there in Frankie’s kitchen. It’s no wonder Frankie is guarded.”
Matt remembered Paige telling him that boys had hit on Frankie at school, assuming she was like her mother and that sex was guaranteed.
Like mother, like daughter.
“I don’t know how to handle it.”
“You’ll figure it out. Getting wounded creatures to trust you is your special gift. If you don’t believe me you only have to look at that damn cat.”
“Are you comparing Frankie to a cat?” Matt shook his head. “How did you ever get any woman, let alone my sister?”
“I used my abundance of natural charm.” Jake yawned. “How’s work? You never return my calls. Are we breaking up?”
Matt was too preoccupied to smile. “I’m snowed under. I’m in the middle of a big project and I’ve lost a key player.” His skill lay in design and hard landscaping and much of that was already completed. They still had to deal with lighting and furniture. He’d planned three log seats, and had completed one of them. His problem was the planting and it would remain a problem until he could find someone to take Victoria’s place. “I need to try and recruit someone with Frankie’s skills.”
Jake shrugged. “So ask Frankie.”
“What?”
“Why bother trying to find someone like Frankie, when you can have Frankie. If she has the right skills, give her the job.”
“She already has a job.”
“So you’ll need to be creative. Find a way.” Jake paused. “The best way to get someone to trust you is to spend time with them. You have the perfect excuse right there under your nose.”
Matt stared at Jake, wondering why that solution hadn’t occurred to him. “Sometimes,” he said, “you’re not a bad friend.”
“I’m the best friend on the planet. You love me. That’s why we’re getting married. And we’re going to live happily ever after.”
“Until I divorce you.”
“You couldn’t afford to divorce me. We haven’t signed a prenup.”
If you want unconditional love, get a dog.
—Frankie
“We had a call from Mega Print. Remember them? We ran their office party last month.” Paige checked all the requests that had come through overnight. “The vice president of sales wants regular dog walking. Can we cover that?”
“I’m on it. I manage everything canine.” Eva slid into her chair and toed off her running shoes. “Matt recommended a fantastic dog-walking business called The Bark Rangers on the Upper East Side and so far our clients are impressed. The owners are twins. My new favorite game is trying to tell them apart. They’re called Fliss and Harry.”
“You can’t tell a man and a woman apart?”
“Harry is short for Harriet. I’ll give them a call.”
Paige frowned. “Matt recommended them? He has a cat. When did he need dog walking?”
“The twins’ brother is a client of his. I think they play poker occasionally. Daniel Knight?”
“The lawyer? I’ve met him. Brilliant by all accounts, not to mention smooth and charming.”
“Single?”
Paige laughed. “Very. He’s also as dangerous as they come. Definitely doesn’t mate for life.”
Eva sighed. “Not my type, then. I’ll have to keep looking.” She perked up as she checked her schedule. “I used to loathe Mondays when we worked for Star Events, but now I love them.” Through the floor-to-ceiling glass behind her, Manhattan basked in a pool of blazing sunshine. Urban Genie operated out of Jake’s company building—he ran a digital marketing firm and had generously let them use one of his boardrooms as they got their own company off the ground. “I love running my own business. And my blog followers tripled overnight so the work side of my life is perfect. Which, of course, means that my love life is totally crap because everyone knows both parts can’t go right at the same time.”
“You need to teach me how to flirt.” The words came out before Frankie could stop them and Eva stared at her.
“Excuse me?”
“Flirt. You know. That thing you do with men without even thinking about it.”
“Er—it’s true that I flirt if I have someone to flirt with, but it’s been so long since I met anyone I’ve probably forgotten how to do it.” Eva slumped in her seat. “There are so many men in Manhattan. They’re everywhere. And I don’t meet a single one of them. My life is a manless, sexless desert. And the con—”
“The condom in your purse has expired. We know. You keep telling us.” Paige gave her an exasperated look. “It’s boring, Ev!”
“It’s a tragedy, that’s what it is. Here I am, a warm, willing woman, and no one wants me.
