Graduation and Gifts (Untouchable Book 8) by Heather Long (best books to read for beginners TXT) 📕

was with Rachel. Not when we were all perfectly capable of waiting right here to escort them both.

"So do I," Coop admitted. "He reminds me a lot of her." The consensus among them all was positive where Hank was concerned. Henry "Hank" Jackson seemed like a good guy. Honest. Earnest. Kind. Warm. He was a lot like Frankie, right down to some of her awkward charms.

He'd also arrived at a very convenient time, as she was coming into some serious inheritance.

"Arch doesn't like him," Jake commented.

"Archie hasn't formed a full opinion of him yet," I corrected. "We spent a few hours with him and he impressed Frankie and made her smile. That's definitely a positive in his favor." That didn't mean I hadn't ordered a background check. I'd done that the minute Wittaker had a name.

"But?" Bubba asked, studying me with a measuring look. He wasn't the only one studying me.

"But nothing. He impressed Frankie. He made her smile. He appears to be asking for nothing." I shrugged. "We have graduation to focus on. And a ride on a shock-challenged bus because the school thinks we all need to arrive together. I could have arranged better transport."

Coop hid a laugh as he ducked his head to glance at his phone. Jake didn't even bother to try. "It's humbling for you," Jake said with a faint smirk. "You didn't have the privilege of bussing as a kid. Time to enjoy a little of how the other half lives before you take over the world."

I spared him a look that just had Coop doubling over in real laughter and Jake shoving him playfully.

"Is there a problem?" Bubba asked quietly while Coop and Jake got into a playful shoving match. We were all dressed, comfortably for Coop and Jake, in half-suits for me and Bubba. Though Jake had gone with slacks, Coop defied all of us and said he was going with jeans. Unless they did an actual inspection of our clothes, his black jeans should be close enough to slacks. Not really, but some days I really wanted to enjoy the color of the sky in his world. His jeans were not dress pants. They really weren't, but seriously, fuck it.

"No," I told Bubba. "Not at the moment." I didn't. The guy really did seem genuine, but if you'd asked me a couple of years earlier was Frankie's mother a raving psychotic fucking loon, I'd have actually doubted it, even if I thought she was a bitch.

Frankie had enough issues in her life and she was also very, very wealthy at the moment whether it had fully dawned on her or not.

Wealth came with its own issues.

"But you're already planning if there is one." That wasn't a question. Bubba and I had our differences. We'd clashed on a few things over the years, mostly involving Frankie. I didn't like how he'd been reticent and wanted to move slower and he didn't like how fast I could move when I wanted something.

"Better to have a plan in place," I said. "I'm tired of things and people hurting her. If he's as genuine as he appears, great. But until that's proven, I believe appearances can be deceiving and I'll react accordingly."

"Good," Bubba said, tilting his head back against the wall as he tracked Coop and Jake. "How much you wanna bet one of them is going to tear their robes?"

I chuckled. "No takers."

"We have until the end of the month in the apartment, right?" Bubba asked and I nodded.

"I'm going to have movers box it all up and we'll store it until we're ready to take it north, though we'll have keys to the new place by the first of July."

Bubba chuckled. "I can't believe you got a place for us on the Upper East Side."

"Only the best for our girl."

"She's going to kill you, you know," he commented. Frankie knew I'd been looking, but I still wanted to surprise her.

"I can handle it." Besides, getting out of trouble was half the fun of getting into it.

"Mom and Dad said they wanted to take us all out to eat after. But I'm figuring with the number of all of us there, it might get crowded."

Crowded was an understatement.

"Grandpa will want to one up that, probably take over a whole restaurant." I couldn't help grinning. Grandpa had made a point of being in town for graduation. Jeremy would make sure to get him there, and he'd promised me he wouldn't miss it. Having them there was a point of pride.

Also, thank fuck neither would see me arriving on the damn school bus. I cut a look out the window to where the big yellow buses had pulled in to await us loading up.

Kill me.

"You'll survive," Jake said, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "Everyone should ride on the bus where the wheels go round and round..."

"...round and round," Coop continued for him in a sing-song voice and I shoved Jake away, but we were all laughing.

"Round and round," Bubba picked up and spread his arms as he sang the lyrics louder.

Assholes.

They really were the best.

Coop

"Get off," Archie said with a laugh as he shoved Jake away for a second time. The grin on his face softened the words. He and Bubba were laid back and relaxed about the day. Jake was getting antsy. Maybe it was his fault the anxiety was starting to crawl through my system. Frankie had been vibrating with it this morning, though she kept trying to punch it down.

That and the excitement of Hank being there. I couldn't help but grin at the look on her face every time she glanced at him, something she'd done repeatedly to make sure he was still present. The guy hadn’t proven to be a douche. So far.

Thank. Fuck.

He was also Frankie in male form. While that thought was fucking weird, it was also cool. It explained so much too. That old nurture versus nature argument replayed in my head. Despite the lack