Frankie tapped her finger thoughtfully on the steering wheel of her car. This woman, Stevie Hunt, had seemed like a good person as well. A good and protective mother of her children, obviously. And wow, those two were adorable! She chuckled, shaking her head at the memory of the small, silver-eyed munchkin asking if Frankie was a leprechaun. How cute!
So, what was Frankie to do with this new information? The news that Edward had twin grandchildren?
Of course, Edward hadn’t hired her to find his grandchildren. But the twins were her only connection to the father.
Biting her lip, she considered her options. In the end, Frankie decided that she’d just have to talk with Stevie Hunt. There was no other honest and ethical way to go about this.
Chapter 10
“Hey Frankie, what’s up?” Kinsley Meyers called out as she waddled into the coffee shop. At seven months’ pregnant, Kinsley was big and glowing as she carried her herbal tea over to the table and sat down.
“You look great!” Frankie said, smiling at her friend. “How are you feeling?”
Kinsley sighed, resting her hand on her belly. “Yeah. I’m doing okay. It’s a bit much right now. When this little guy,” she patted her belly, “gets the hiccups, he prefers to have them at night.”
Frankie blinked, surprised and…a touch horrified. “The baby gets the hiccups?”
Kinsley nodded emphatically. “Oh yeah! I know that sounds like a science fiction novel, but yes. Babies in utero get the hiccups, and I feel them happening.” She laughed, shaking her head. “Lincoln gets jealous when it happens. He’s such a goofball.”
Frankie’s eyes widened upon hearing the terrifying Lincoln Meyers described as a goofball. Nope. No way could Frankie see that man as anything other than tall and intimidating. Plus, he was smart in a spooky kind of way. No, wait. He’s smart in a MacGyver kind of way. Lincoln Meyers was the guy who invented that thingamabob that car manufacturers now install in their cars to make them more fuel efficient. And he invented a doohickey for hospitals last year that warned doctors when a patient was struggling to breathe before the patient even realized it. That little contraption had saved so many lives! Every hospital emergency room and intensive care unit had ordered one as fast as the factories could make them. He’d invented several other things too. Some things, no one even knew about because they were top secret and for government use only.
How Frankie knew that was a secret that she’d take to her grave. But yeah, the guy was scary smart. And so nice too! Nice and ethical and just an all-around good guy. Frankie could sort of see why Kinsley said he was a goofball. But only to Kinsley. That man doted on his wife and it was obvious how much they loved each other.
“Okay, so tell me what’s up. Why do you have that look on your face? You look lost. Frankie Winward is never lost. She loses other people, never herself. So, what’s up?”
Frankie laughed, shaking her head at her friend. “How can you tell?” No one else could read Frankie quite as well as Kinsley.
“You have that line between your eyebrows that says you’re worried about something. And since you don’t worry about many things, I’m guessing this has to do with Edward Meyers?”
“Yep. I…” she hesitated, worried about privacy issues. “Okay, so here’s the deal. Edward did that DNA test in the hopes of finding his sons. He checked the box that said he’d like to be notified if familial matches turn up. A few days ago, he was notified that there had been a match. The other party also checked the box that they’d like to be notified.”
“Okay, so both people want to find family members. They are looking for the same thing. So, what’s the problem?”
Frankie swirled her coffee cup nervously. “It’s not his son that submitted his DNA.”
Kinsley leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. “What’s the problem, Frankie?” Kinsley urged gently.
Frankie bit her lip and glanced out the window. “The problem is that the DNA matches his grandchildren.”
There was a long silence as Kinsley processed that. “Plural?”
“Yeah.” Frankie sighed, bowing her head. “A son, an adult, could probably withstand Edward’s intimidation tactics. But grandkids?” She leaned back, shaking her head. “And their mother is really nice. She’s beautiful and kind and a freaking kindergarten teacher, Kins!” Frankie sighed. “I can’t ethically subject those two beautiful kids and a nice person to Edward’s intimidation tactics and threats. He’d make mincemeat out of them!”
“So, your dilemma is whether to tell Edward or not?”
“Exactly.”
Kinsley nodded thoughtfully, then a smile blossomed on her pretty features. “Wait! That means that I’m an aunt!”
Frankie blinked at her friend. “That’s true! You’re an aunt!”
“So is Linc! Well, an uncle. But wow! Our baby will have cousins!” She chuckled softly. “Lincoln is going to be thrilled. He wants a big family. But…” She paused, looking worried at the odd expression in Frankie’s expressive eyes. “Wait,” Kinsley frowned. “You can’t tell us either, can you?”
Frankie shook her head. “I don’t think it would be ethical to tell you and Lincoln about these kids until I’ve spoken with the mother. Or the father. And that’s the problem.
