The next day at work, Ryan quickly took care of what he had to do before the new employee arrived. He had only been there a day himself, so he would be able to relate to this person's first day jitters, as well.
"Ready to show our new fellow the ropes?" a hoarse voice came up from behind him, slapping Ryan on the back.
Ryan turned around to see his boss, Mr. Kelly, standing behind him with a pipe in his mouth, grinning from ear to ear. "Yes, I am," Ryan replied. "He should be here soon, right?"
"At ten a.m.," Mr. Kelly replied, some smoke coming out of his pipe. "Would hate to see him late, you know what I mean?" he laughed, slapping Ryan on the back.
Ryan smiled as he backed up a little. "I know what you mean, Mr. Kelly."
Just as Ryan said that, the bell on the door could be heard. The new employee marched right up to the front, and looked at both Ryan and Mr. Kelly before speaking. "Hi."
"'Hi', he says!" Mr. Kelly exclaimed, slapping the new employee on the back.
Ryan took a sip of coffee that was in his mug. He walked around the desk and extended his hand to the new employee. "Ryan DiMarco."
"James Neelan," he replied, extending his hand, as well. "We're working together?"
Ryan looked at the schedule that was lying on top of the counter. "Saturdays, Mondays and Tuesdays."
"You two get to know each other, come find me when you're finished and I'll tell you what you have to do today," Mr. Kelly chimed in, removing the pipe from his mouth, and choking a little as he headed to the back area.
"He should be a nice boss," James judged by Mr. Kelly's friendly demeanor.
"You might get a sore back," Ryan hinted with a slight laugh. "Other than that…"
"So, are you from around here?" James wanted to know, walking behind the counter.
"I've been in town for the past three months," Ryan replied.
"I lived here all of my life, except for a few years I spent in Chicago," James explained. "I'm glad I moved back here, though."
"I'm glad I moved back here, too," Ryan added, as he took out his cell phone. "Let me just call someone real quick."
"Sure," James said, sitting down on one of the chairs.
Ryan picked up his phone and dialed Frankie's number to find out whether or not they were still going out tonight, as planned. "Her phone is turned off," Ryan muttered. "Well, I'm sure she didn't forget."
Lalie and Kevin stood in the food court of the outside mall, sipping their coffees that they had just bought.
"I'm really glad that you're letting me take you to your session this morning," Kevin said
"Thanks for offering last night," Lalie replied, stirring the stirrer around in the coffee. "Maybe, I need some anger management courses after last night, too."
"You mean, about the lemon incident?" Kevin asked her. "Don't worry, I think only half the restaurant turned their head to see what was going on."
"I know I attracted Georgia's attention," Lalie remembered.
"I didn't even know she was there," Kevin added.
"She and James were toward the back," Lalie told him, as she looked him into the eyes. "Have you heard from Frankie yet?"
"No," Kevin replied, looking at his watch. "We should be going."
Frankie came out from behind the bush, as she watched Lalie and Kevin walking towards his car and getting inside. "You haven't heard from me yet," Frankie muttered. "But, you will."
Frankie walked to her car and drove off.
Bettina had just finished cutting some extra yarn off of the project she made, as she heard the key going into the lock. She watched as Frankie walked through the door.
"Hello, Mom," Frankie said, kicking off her shoes by the door.
"You got an early start this morning," Bettina acknowledged, as she stood up. "And you're not even carrying any bags," she noticed. "Where were you?"
"Outside, taking advantage of such a nice day," Frankie pointed to the sunrays streaming through the window. "I need to ask you something."
"What is it?" Bettina wanted to know.
"Is anyone using the family cabin this weekend?" Frankie wondered.
"I don't think so," Bettina replied. "Why?"
"I want to use it tonight," Frankie replied. "I need some time to myself, like a mini-vacation just for me."
"Is everything okay?" Bettina asked.
"I'm fine!" Frankie exclaimed. "So, can I use that cabin tonight?"
"If you want, sure," Bettina told her.
Frankie walked over and hugged her mother. "Thanks!"
"Don't worry about it," Bettina told her, walking off into the kitchen area.
Frankie watched as her mother walked off into the kitchen, and then Bettina proceeded to walk down the stairs into the basement.
Frankie walked over to her mother's craft project on the sofa, and picked up the pair of scissors resting next to the yarn. She walked over to the window and looked at her car parked next to the curb, before looking down at the pair of scissors again.
The trees by the Stone family cabin were abundant. Each one was a different type, and was very appealing to look at. Not to mention, the trees offered plentiful amounts of shade during the horrendous summer heat.
It was just before sunset as Frankie parked her car on the driveway of the cabin. She breathed in the fresh air as she exited her car, carrying a small plastic bag, which held a product she had just bought in the pharmacy.
Frankie took a key out of her pocket, and put it in the keyhole to make her way into the cabin. She flipped the light switch that was on the wall next to the door.
The cabin had a quaint feel to it. She opened the curtains to air out the inside. It looked like no one had used the cabin in a while.
Frankie took an object out of the plastic bag, and placed it in her pocket, and then she disposed of the small pharmaceutical bag.
She took the pair of scissors out of her purse and walked back outside to her car. Holding the scissors tightly, she knelt down and punctured her front tire, the air rushing out of it.
Lalie sat on the couch in Kevin's apartment as he walked out of the small, kitchen area.
"I never thought I would be in this apartment again," Lalie pointed out, as she looked around the apartment. "It's strange how this is the same apartment that we all met at before we went to Saint Paul."
"That seems like years ago," Kevin replied, sitting down on the couch. "I know it hasn't been, but with everything that has been going on..."
"It does seem like a while," Lalie agreed. "You know, I-" she started, but the sound of the phone ringing cut her off.
"Hold that thought," Kevin told her, as he walked over to his cordless phone and pressed the button to speak. "Hello?"
Frankie's jaw dropped as she watched the air rushing out of her tire, the tire was beginning to sink to the ground. "Kevin, thank God you're home," Frankie spoke into the phone in a nervous fashion.
"Frankie," Kevin replied, turning around to look at Lalie's reaction.
"I'll go," Lalie said, as she shook her head and proceeded to stand up. She sat back down again when she noticed Kevin putting his hand up, signaling her not to go anywhere.
"What's wrong?" Kevin asked.
Frankie continued to look at her tire, and knelt down next to it. "I went to my family's cabin this weekend to clear my head," Frankie began in a nervous tone, with the pair of scissors in her hand. "I was just about to head back home, when I noticed my tire was flat. I'm stranded up here!"
"How did it get flat?" Kevin wanted to know.
"I don't know!" Frankie exclaimed, sounding very nervous. "I must have ran over a bolt or something."
"Did you call for a tow truck?" Kevin asked her.
"Yes I did," Frankie lied to him. "They said they probably wouldn't be able to send anyone out till morning. You HAVE to help me!"
"Why me?" Kevin asked her in a serious tone. "Isn't your mother home?"
"You know how she doesn't like night driving," Frankie frantically said. "I couldn't risk putting her on the road at night. I'm so nervous. What if there's an emergency and I can't leave tonight?!"
"Where's that cabin?" Kevin asked her.
Frankie told him where she was located, and she clicked off her phone. Just as she did that, she heard a noise from behind her. "Oh, my God!" Frankie gasped as she spun around, the scissors falling out of her hands to the ground. "It was just the door slamming shut from the wind," Frankie concluded in a relieved tone, as she headed back inside.
Kevin slowly put the phone back down on the receiver, as he walked over and seemed frozen in front of Lalie.
"Might as well tell me now," Lalie told him as she folded her arms.
"Frankie has a flat tire," Kevin informed her.
Lalie laughed in disbelief. "And now you have to go play hero, right?"
"Come with me," Kevin suggested. "We can take a ride up there."
"I'll pass," Lalie said, standing up and putting her purse over her shoulder. "Go rescue the damsel in distress," she added, walking out the door.
Kevin sighed as he stood in his apartment by himself.
A while later, Frankie eagerly looked out the window of the cabin. She wondered how long it would take to get from the city to where she was. She looked behind her toward the liquor cabinet, and felt her pocket to make sure she had what she needed.
Suddenly, headlight beams were visible as Frankie excitedly pushed her way through the door and ran up to the car as it parked alongside hers.
"Oh, Kevin!" Frankie shouted, as she ran up to Kevin and hugged him as he exited his car, trying to force some tears through. "I was so scared that I would have been stranded here with no car!"
"Let me take a look at it," Kevin said, backing away from Frankie's embrace.
"You just drove all the way up here," Frankie reminded him in a serious tone. "Please, come inside and relax for a while. Have a drink with me."
Kevin thought about her offer for a moment before replying. His mind thought back to what happened the last time he had a drink. "Thanks for offering, Frankie, but I don't drink."
"Not even a little glass of champagne?" Frankie asked in disbelief. "Why not?"
Kevin sighed. "It's a long story," Kevin simply said. "I didn't even do what the person accused me of doing, but I lived for nearly ten years thinking I had done something awful."
"Whatever Heather accused you of doing, won't happen again," Frankie told him in a kind tone.
"How did you-" Kevin began.
Frankie cut him off. "Who else?" she asked him as she looked toward the door. "Come on in."
Frankie opened the front door, and led her and Kevin inside. 'He can't remember a thing after he has one too many,' Frankie said to herself, watching him walk toward her. 'This can definitely work in my favor.'
"This is a nice cabin," Kevin commented, looking around. "The last time I was in a cabin, was when-" he stopped short.
Frankie raised her eyebrows when she noticed his abrupt stop. "Was when, what?"
"Heather seduced me so she could get me to propose to her," Kevin recalled.
'Wow, this might be easier than I thought,' Frankie said to herself, trying to give him a look of shock as she spoke to herself. "You and Heather have some past, Kevin."
"That we have," Kevin concluded.
"I can see why Heather would be attracted to someone like you," Frankie cooed as she strutted up to him. "Look at the way you came to my rescue tonight."
"I help out my friends," Kevin replied. "Enough said."
"Well, then let's make a toast among friends," Frankie suggested with a smile. "Come on, one little drink of champagne won't kill you," she told him. "Besides, how many years ago was that incident?" she asked him.
"Ten," Kevin replied.
"You can't have a phobia about champagne because of that... you know," Frankie advised him, walking over to the liquor cabinet. "We'll make our toast, you can fix my tire, and then we'll go home and live our happy lives."
Kevin watched as Frankie knelt down next to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of champagne. Frankie walked over to the table, ready to open it.
"Let me help you with that," Kevin offered, starting to walk over.
"No, no, that's okay," Frankie quickly said, as she poured the two glasses and looked over at the window and screamed. "Oh, my God! I could have sworn I just saw someone looking through the window from outside."
"What?!" Kevin asked in disbelief, as he turned around and ran over to the window and looked out. "I don't see anyone, Frankie," he said, as he turned around and saw Frankie standing over their glasses.
"Probably just my imagination," Frankie replied with a slight laugh, as she walked over carrying the two glasses of champagne, giving him a glass.
"What are we toasting to?" Kevin wanted to know.
"Our friendship," Frankie replied. "That it lasts for a long, long time."
"Our friendship," Kevin repeated putting the glass up to his lips and drinking the contents.
Frankie watched on as he drank the contents of the glass. 'Drink up,' she said to herself, not breaking eye contact as she put the glass up to her lips, as well.
Chapter 15
Non-Nsync Fiction
I'll Never Stop {Fiction}
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