Page 66 of Break Me, Daddy

The house was empty when she woke the next morning, and she couldn’t decide if that was for the best or not. With Holden gone, there wouldn’t be any awkward questions about why she’d moved out of his bedroom or why she’d been crying at the party the night before.

At the same time, she just… missed him. It took her nearly an hour of wandering the house with that ache just under her heart to realize exactly what she was feeling.

And she wasn’t exactly sure what to make of it when she realized she was missing him. Missing his laugh, his scowl, the way he told her to sit down and eat when she danced around the topic for too long. She’d gotten so used to him working from home more often than not, she wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself without him there.

The answer came in the rather unexpected form of the doorbell ringing. Curious, she opened the app Holden had insisted she download on her phone so she could see who was there before opening the door.

Lottie. Grinning now, she popped up from the couch where she’d made her nest for the day and ran for the front door.

“Lottie-baby! Thank god you’re here to save me from myself.” Stepping back, she gestured for Lottie to follow her before turning and heading for the kitchen. “Do you want a snack? I was thinking of making myself an apple or something.”

“No, I don’t want a snack.”

Something was wrong. Anger rippled beneath Lottie’s usually sweet voice, freezing Frankie in her tracks. Heart pounding in her chest, she spun slowly on her heel to face her furious bestie.

“What’s up? You seem… pissed.” No point beating around the bush, not when Lottie was standing there, fury all but pumping off her in waves.

“I am. Because you put me in the middle of your fucking lies, and I covered for you. And now I’m in more trouble than I’ve been in sinceforever, thanks to you.”

Shit, shit, shit.Going over the night before, Frankie wracked her brain trying to think of what Lottie could mean. “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about, babe.”

The laugh Lottie let loose was tinged with bitterness. “Seriously? You’re going to lie to my fucking face now, too?”

“I’m not trying to, Lottie, I swear. I’m just confused.”

“Your fucking therapy appointment,” Lottie bit out. “Not only did you lie to me aboutgoingto therapy, you told Holden I was taking you. And when he caught me, I lied to cover for you. Braden is pissed, and he threatened to tell Holden but I convinced him you should have a chance to come clean first.”

“Oh, fuck.” Closing her eyes, Frankie let out a low groan. “I’m so sorry, Lottie. Holden’s been on my ass about making the appointment so I just picked a day and told him you were taking me like you used to. It was the only way I could get him off my back about it.”

“Did it ever occur to you to justfucking go to the appointment?”

“It’s not that simple.” Emotion stuck in Frankie’s throat. “I’m trying Lottie, I really am. I just… need some time.”

“No. What youneedis to get your head out of your ass, Francesca. I did this once, covering for you, convincing everyone you were fine. And I almost lost you because of it. I refuse to do it again.”

Panic beat at her, sharp wings shredding her from the inside out with every heartbeat.

Air. I need air.

“Okay. I’ll go, I promise.” Her voice sounded far away, wooden, and she prayed Lottie couldn’t hear the lie.

Lottie’s eyes narrowed. “And you’ll tell Holden you lied about going the first time?”

“Yes.”Absolutely not. He’d be furious enough with her for not making the appointment. She wasn’t sure she’d survive the disappointment in his eyes if he found out she not only lied, but also dragged someone else in to cover for her dishonesty.

“Good.” Blowing out a breath, Lottie ran a hand through her hair, her expression softening somewhat. “Sorry to be such a bitch about it but I really do just want you to take care of yourself, Frankie. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

An awkward silence fell between them, stretching well past the point of discomfort before Lottie sighed again. “Okay, well, I need to get to the club. Daddy set up a schedule for me since I ‘can’t be trusted to manage my own time honestly’ and I’d rather not be late since I already can’t sit comfortably. Make that appointment, and if you do need me to go with you, I’ll let Daddy know so he can adjust my schedule. Okay?”

“Yeah. Okay.” Guilt twisted in Frankie’s stomach. Her friend was in trouble, every minute of her day being accounted for, because of her. Because she’d lied.

That was even worse than knowing how pissed Holden was going to be if he ever discovered her lie.

Closing the door behind her best friend, Frankie leaned back against it, willing her nervous system to even out. Breathing exercises, mantras, nothing seemed to help. Everything was spiraling out of her control, again, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.

Almost in a trance, she pushed away from the door and made her way to the kitchen, where she opened the fridge. An apple. She’d been thinking about an apple, even before Lottie had showed up. Having a single apple didn’t mean she was going to binge.

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