How to love

twenty-three: Dinner's ready

Frankie's point of view:

"I can't believe it, who would do such a thing - so close to Christmas too!" Jenny exclaims, engulfing me in a bone crushing embrace. She holds me at arms length, her boney fingers driving into my shoulders as the sympathy swims across her flawless features. "If you need anything, literally anything - money, food, a place to stay, you just tell me!"

I smile at her thankfully. "Thank you, but I'm covered. I don't keep cash in my apartment, they didn't even touch any presents they were stored in the cupboard by my front door - they didn't have a reason to look there. The officers brought them over yesterday when they finished securing the apartment."

"Where are you staying?" She asked with a curious frown. As the blush succombs my cheeks and my lips pressed together in a tight line to suppress the smile. Seeing this, her eyes widen and a large, exciting grin turns her frown. "You're staying with Mr Moody!"

I hush her, eyeing the surrounding empty hallway. "You need to keep your voice down and please, don't repeat that to anybody!" I sigh. "Yes, I'm staying with Mr Hayes. Only until after Christmas and until the forensic teams gets the report back of the fingerprints they found. He was nice enough to offer me a place to go until then."

"Oh, Frankie." She giggles. "I can't believe this! It's awful your home got ransacked, but you're getting to stay with lover boy. That has to be in a book somewhere."

I roll my eyes at her. "Don't get too hyped up. He's just being friendly, and saving me a few hundred on booking into a hotel."

"Whatever you say." She giggles childishly. She glances down at her watch and taps the face. "I have to run. I haven't got anything in for Christmas and I'm pretty certain if I was to hand my brother another pair of socks, I'll be disowned. Apparently I don't learn from past years. Don't think I've forgot about your arrangement either, I'll be looking forward to hearing more about your nasty nights with Mr Moody."

"They're not nasty!" I call after her. She walks backwards, puckering her lips before turning and disappearing from view.

I return upstairs to my office, the snow falling outside the window and leaving a heavy blanket on the ground twenty-one floors down. I scribble across the thin layers of paperwork that was left on my desk early this morning, confirmation for the Chalet's to have a go ahead in mid January when the knock on the door interrupts me.

"Shouldn't you be heading?" Jason's voice greets as his head pokes through the door. I smile, finishing with my signature at the bottom of the paper and stapling them together.

"I should, and I am now. I just wanted to finish these." I tell him, popping my pen back into the holder. He hovers in front of my desk, suit perfectly buttoned and tie neatly knotted. "Did you want me for something?"

"Graham's going to take you home, I'm going to be late. We have a late night skype call with Mr Yung to discuss the new contractors." He tells me and I sadly smile. After Colin's announcement that Natasha's father would have nothing more to do with any of Jason or David's businesses, he roped in new contractors that he himself had previously worked with and trusted. "I had groceries delivered today, so help yourself when you go back."

"What about you?"

He tries to hide his smile. "I'll be fine, Frankie. Go, Graham's waiting."

As I throw my belongings into my bag and stand up from my chair, Jason has my coat in hand. I thank him as he shrugs it over my shoulders. I pull my ponytail from getting trapped at my neck as I turn to him. "Are you sure about this still? I mean, I can still go and try to get a room somewhere-"