Chapter 137

Soon, I parked in short term parking and headed into the airport to meet Frank. I waited for him at the security checkpoint, as security no longer allowed friends and loved ones to meet people when they came down the jetway. I checked my watch again when Frank walked past security. "There you are!" he said as he pulled me in for a bear hug, lifting me off my feet. "So, how've you been?"
"We'll catch up in the car," I said as I wrapped my arm around his waist. "Did you bring any luggage?"
He smiled as she shook his head. "I just brought this carry-on, since I wasn't staying overnight. Roxanne has a hard time sleeping without me."
I pretended to plug up my ears as I made a la, la, la, sound to block out his words. "Too much info!"
"Ah, come on!" he teased, laughing. "You can't tell me that you don't "
"Okay, okay!" I cut him off. "There are certain things that you don't discuss with your father."
"Father?" he asked as he scrunched up his nose. "How about 'big brother' or 'favorite uncle'? But 'father' makes me sound too old."
"Okay, 'big brother'," I said, laughing as we walked through the sliding glass doors and headed to my car.
He scoffed. "Okay. Now you make me sound like the government."
I laughed as I unlocked the car doors. "I've missed you!"
"I missed you, too and so has Roxanne," he said as he slid into the passenger seat. "She wants to know when you're coming to visit again."
"Not for a while, I'm afraid," I said as we headed toward Manhattan. "Business is booming since I opened it up to consulting, too."
"Yes! What did I tell you?" Frank gushed as he watched the tall buildings pass.
"Have you seen Alanna lately?" I asked, making a mental note to give her a call to catch up soon. We talked regularly about business, but haven't had a chance for some good old-fashioned girl talk lately.
He shook his head. "No. I'd rather bring my music contracts to you." He looked into my eyes. "She's a good lawyer, don't get me wrong. But you know the music business." A broad grin spread across his lips. "Plus, it'll give me an excuse to come see you."
I looked over at him and smiled. I didn't realize how much I'd missed Frank until now. "Where would you like to eat?"
"What do you recommend?" he asked. "Besides, you know what I like better than I do."
I laughed. "Oh. I'm not touching that with a ten-foot pole!"
"Now, now," he said, holding a hand to his chest as if I had mortally wounded him. "Keep your mind out of the gutter, girl!"
I laughed so hard that tears sprang to my eyes. "Man! I wish you were staying longer! What time is your meeting with Logan?"
"Not until two o'clock," he said. "When is your next appointment?"
"Same time, so we have a few hours," I said as I pulled into downtown New York City. "Chicken wings it is!"
Frank laughed. "You know me well!"
A moment later, we found a parking spot near Old Town Bar and Grill. "This has been a bar and grill for over one hundred twenty years," I said as we crossed the street, headed toward the bar. I looked into his eyes. "And, yes, they were even open during Prohibition."
"Very cool," Frank said, holding the door open for me.
We walked into an old-fashioned room with smoked glass windows and a mahogany bar and grabbed a booth. "Well, what do you think?"
A broad smile was plastered across his face as he took in the ambience. "As I said, you know me well! This is perfect!"
A waitress approached our table and we ordered a plate of wings, Frank ordered a beer, and I ordered a glass of Chardonnay.
Frank raised an eyebrow at me as the waitress walked off. "I thought you didn't have 'liquid lunches'?"
I laughed. "I usually don't, but one couldn't hurt, since this is a special occasion."
Frank smiled, and then slid a sheet of paper across the table to me. "Here is a list of new musicians and singers I've signed. Would you mind making up the contracts for me? The terms of the contracts are included."
I looked over the paper, and then asked him a few more questions, jotting down notes as he answered. "Sounds good. When do you need these by?"
He shrugged. "Whenever you can."
I nodded. "Is next week okay?"
He smiled as he nodded. "That'll be fine."
I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you have Alanna do it?"
Frank shrugged. "As I said, she doesn't know the music business like you do." He narrowed his eyes. "You don't mind, do you?"
I laughed as I shook my head. "No. Not at all. Send me any contracts you wish, and I'll take care of them."
"That's my girl!" He laughed.
"Here you go!" the waitress said as she set a large plate of wings on the table in front of us.
"Man! These look great," I said as I plopped a wing onto a plate.
Frank took a plate and eyed me with curiosity. "What? No diet?"
I laughed as I bit into a wing. "Just really hungry today. I didn't have breakfast this morning."
He nodded knowingly and grinned as he bit into a wing.
"What?"
He laughed. "Nothing."
I set down the bones of the wing I had just devoured and grabbed another. "Oh, no! There's no 'nothing' now. What is it?"
He set down his wing and eyed me closely as he raised an eyebrow. "Oh. It's nothing," he said nonchalantly. "It's just that Roxanne ate like a horse when she was pregnant."
I almost spit out my chicken. "Frank, what in the world?"
He laughed as he took another swig of his beer. "I'm just saying."
"Well, don't," I said as I reached for my wine.
"Are you sure you should be drinking?" he teased.
"Okay, that's enough," I said, and then set it down and drank water instead. "I can't believe you!"
He looked into my eyes as he propped his arms onto the table and folded his hands. "So, you and Logan, huh?"
I stared at him for a minute, and then nodded. "We've been seeing each other."
"Good!" he said as he lifted another wing off the platter. "But he'd better not hurt you."
I reached over and patted his hand. "Ah, thanks, big brother!"
"Now wait a minute!"
I laughed as I ate another wing, and then thought of Craig. "Promise not to get mad if I tell you something?"
He smiled as he took a sip of his beer. "It depends upon what it is."
I bit my lower lip. "Craig came to see me this morning."
Frank set down his beer, suddenly serious. "He what?"
I nodded. "Yes, and I told him that I won't be doing business with him anymore; to go to Alanna if he needs anything."
"What did he do?" he asked, suddenly furious.
I let out a deep breath as I looked into Frank's eyes. "He said that he loved me and kissed me. I slapped him and told him that we were just friends and that it could never be anything else."
"That bastard," he mumbled under his breath. "I'm going to kill him."
I shook my head. "No. Don't. But there's more."
He looked into my eyes. "Tell me."
"I confronted him about Bryant Hall."
"What about Bryant Hall?"
I let out a deep breath as I bit my lower lip. "He paid Bryant Hall to kiss me when I got off stage after a concert one night, knowing that Logan was there."
"He what?" Frank asked, his voice raising several octaves, attracting the attention of other patrons in the bar. But Frank didn't notice. "And he admitted it?"
I nodded. "Logan told me that Bryant told him years ago, but I asked Craig point blank this morning and he admitted it." I looked into Frank's eyes. "I don't want to see him anymore. And if I lose his business, then I lose his business."
Frank shook his head. "You're not going to lose his business." He let out a deep breath. "I'll talk to him. I promise, you won't have any more trouble out of him."
"Don't do anything rash," I said, smiling. "I have a feeling that I won't have any more trouble out of him after I set him straight this morning."
Frank smiled as he reached across the table and gave my hand a gentle pat. "Good for you!" Then, he leaned forward, suddenly serious. "Now, just because you live in New York, don't think that I don't have your back. If you need me, just call."
I smiled. "Okay, 'big brother'."
"That's right, little sis! And don't you ever forget it," he said, smiling.
I returned the pat on his hand. "I appreciate the sentiment."
He smiled, and then his gaze fell upon the plate of wings. "Well, we'd better dig in! Can't let these wings go to waste!"
And as we dug into the plate of wings, I was thankful to have Frank as a big brother. He had been my extended family for a long time, and I knew that he would be for a long time to come.