Part 59 (1/2)
”We can get you different shoes.”
He felt her gaze on him when she asked, ”Pardon?”
He glanced at her then back to the road before he answered, ”Different shoes. Ones without high heels like all the ones you've been wearing since you got here.”
”Do you not like these kinds of shoes?”
”Oh yeah, I like 'em,” he told her, gave her a squeeze of his hand and dropped his voice. ”But, baby, until you're used to walking in them, you can wear other stuff. I'll take you guys to a mall tomorrow. Josette'll like that and I figure you will too. And since Valentine took some of your stash, converted it to cash and opened you both bank accounts, you got a s.h.i.+t ton of money to spend, so you can have some fun.”
”I'm perfectly fine in the shoes Valentine bought me, Noc. I'm growing accustomed to them. And just to say, I had time this afternoon to go through the things she procured for me and there are five similar pairs in my chamber and they're all very lovely. I'm looking forward to donning them.”
He wondered if she'd lose the way she talked the longer she was in his world.
He hoped she did, she'd fit in better and he didn't want her to feel awkward.
He also hoped she didn't because it was so Frannie.
”You can have both,” he said.
”I like what I have,” she replied.
He gave her hand another squeeze. ”Babe, what I'm trying to say without saying it is that today, when we left the phone store, you tripped and then went funny on me. I don't know if that's why you went funny, could be you're not used to riding in cars and you weren't looking forward to getting back in mine. But whatever it was, I noticed it, and whatever it was, I want you to know I'm here to look out for you. So let me do that.”
She didn't say anything and this lasted so long, he glanced to her from the GPS he'd programmed, something he needed because a week in NOLA was not near enough to know how to get around.
His eyes went back to the road and he noted gently, ”Nothin' to be embarra.s.sed about, Frannie. Again, just lookin' out for you.”
”I know,” she murmured.
”You wanna keep the heels, I am not gonna complain. You look great in them.”
She was silent a moment before she said, ”It isn't about the shoes.”
”Right,” he replied. ”Then you'll get used to being in cars. Seeing them. Hearing them. The speed they can have. The number of them there are. Coupla weeks, it might help if I take you somewhere open with no one around and show you how to drive. You're in control of the car, you'll understand it better and maybe be better sitting in the pa.s.senger seat.”
”It's not about your vehicle either, Noc.”
That caught her another glance. ”Then what was it about?”
She didn't answer.
”Frannie, you shut down on me for a while there. You bounced back at lunch but I've been in your world. I know how freaky it is when everything around you is new. It can be overwhelming. And I can't look after you if you don't share what's on your mind.”
At first she didn't say anything and Noc was about to prompt her when she spoke.
”Is it safe, having a discussion while you're operating this machine?” she asked. ”All the lights, k.n.o.bs, wheels, levers, it seems a lot to look after.”
He gave her hand another squeeze, but let it go thinking that maybe she'd feel more comfortable if he was using both of his to drive until she got used to riding around, doing this while he answered, ”I've got a lot of practice. Been driving a car for twenty-two years, officially. This is not counting my dad teaching me how to drive at fourteen, with my stepmom having a conniption that he did it, and me joyriding with the guys numerous times before we got caught and Dad put a stop to it.”
”Joyriding?”
”Taking a car out without permission and driving it around. Legal age to drive is sixteen. We were not legal.”
”You're thirty-eight years of age?”
She sounded shocked and that bought her another glance.
”Yeah,” he confirmed.
”Odd how I didn't know that,” she murmured.
”Babe, we're off the subject. To confirm,” he said with a grin in his voice, ”I can have a discussion while operating this machine.”
Even after he confirmed, she didn't say anything.
”Frannie,” he pushed.
”I know,” she said softly.
But she didn't say anything else.
”You know what?” he prompted.
He felt her eyes on him when she stated, ”About you and the Circe now in this world.”
f.u.c.k.
He didn't have to ask what she knew.
He knew what she knew.
f.u.c.k.
He glanced at her again. ”How do you know?”
”I saw you...that night, I...” There was a long hesitation and then, ”I was coming down the hall. You were both in her door. It was obviously, er...after. I could...well, I could tell what had occurred. I retreated. Not much later, you walked into the sitting room and...” Another long pause before she finished, nearly on a whisper, ”You know the rest.”
After they got their phones, Josette had mentioned going out to dinner with Circe and Franka had tripped. Clearly, she did this not because she wasn't used to her heels. Clearly she did it because this was on her mind.
”I...well, I...” she went on uncertainly. ”I considered this often when we were parted. Of course, I could not know what would happen upon our reunion. I will admit, as I'm sure you can gather, that I was desirous of that being the path we took and you're very aware that I'm happy that we've taken it. But I couldn't a.s.sume it would be what would happen. What I knew was that you'd been intimate with Circe. You two, well...you suit. She's here. You're here. And I'm-”
Noc cut her off with words he hoped would set her mind at ease. ”It was a one-time thing. We had that one time. Now it's done.”
Again with the silence before, very quietly, she shared he had not come close to setting her mind at ease.
”Noc, what we have, it's very new. I understand I have no claim on you. You need give me no promises.”
f.u.c.k.
That time, it was him that was silent and he was that way looking for a place to pull off.