Page 126 of Summer Breakdown
“I know,” Jasmine says. Frankie wipes the tears from her face. “I know. I’m sorry for bringing it up.”
“You can say anything,” Frankie whispers. “I was cruel and unkind and untrue, and you’ve had no one to talk to. Talk to me. Tell me.”
Jasmine looks at her with a kindness in her eyes Frankie would never deserve. She steels herself for what Jasmine will say. Frankie deserves to know the pain she put her through.
But Jasmine is the light of her life. She always has been.
Jasmine smiles, leaning against her. “Tell me something.”
“I love you.”
Jasmine hums and rests her head on the pillow next to her. They’re so close that their noses almost touch. Frankie might go cross-eyed if she keeps looking at her, but she’s doing it anyway.
“Tell me again.”
“I love you.”
Jasmine giggles, and Frankie’s heart floats to the ceiling. She doesn’t need it anymore; she gave it to Jasmine the moment she met her.
“Okay,” Jasmine says, clearing her throat. “Tell me again.”
Frankie smiles, her hand against her jaw. “I am so in love with you. I will love you today, tomorrow, and every day until the end of time.” Jasmine closes her eyes, and Frankiedraws circles on her back. Jasmine did it for her the other day. It wasn’t made up.
Jasmine was there. And Frankie’s never letting her go again.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“Mama,”Lanisays,herlittle voice close to her face. Jasmine smiles. She missed her.
“Morning, baby.” She opens her eyes slowly, moving her legs around, but there’s no ankles to touch.
Oh. She turns slyly, trying not to jostle Lani. Frankie’s gone. Jasmine wants to pretend she’s not surprised. That this is what she knew she’d do, but it wouldn’t be true. She believed her wholeheartedly.
“Mama, I think it’s sunny today,” Lani says. The excitement in her voice makes Jasmine smile somehow. Maybe the wild garden with animals won’t work out here. Ezra won’t be able to help Marcel create it anymore, but they could go somewhere else. She thought this town was their home, but it might have been Frankie all along.
“Mm-hmm,” Jasmine replies. “You want a pool day?”
Lani hums, threads of laughter caught in her throat. “Please. Please.”
There’s an ache at the back of Jasmine’s eyes. “What’s the time?”
Lani looks to the side, which means it’s not time to get up. Jasmine looks at her clock. Five fifteen a.m. Wow, Frankie really left in the middle of the night. Perhaps she didn’t sleep at all. Maybe she waited for Jasmine’s hopeful eyes to close and dipped moments later.
Jasmine can’t even contemplate believing it. There’s a reason she’s not here. She’ll check her phone and there will be something.
“Baby, it’s too early. You’ll be so tired at lunchtime.” Lani grumbles. “How are you going to play mermaids with me all day if you’re so sleepy?”
She giggles. “‘Kay.”
“‘Kay,” Jasmine replies. “Let’s get you back to bed.” Lani goes back down easily, and the walk back to Jasmine’s room isn’t as long as she’d like. She isn’t sure she’ll go back to sleep, but she hopes so. God, she’s tired. Her room looks the same as it did when she left, and she was hoping it would look different.
“Is it just you?” Frankie asks, and Jasmine yelps.
“Frank?”
She pops her head out from under the bed like a jack-in-the-box.
“What are you doing?” Jasmine asks, with her hand over her heart. She’s here.
