“Hey,” Veronica said softly. “I’m going to talk to Calvin tomorrow, and I tell him that I’m too busy here and I can’t go. Okay?”
Frank was silent, except for a soft sigh. He took her hand in his and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
“I want you to go see him,” Frank said softly, and Veronica felt a shock at his words.
“You what?” she asked, her disbelief evident in her voice.
“I want you to go,” Frank said, firm in his resolve. “I think it will do you good to see him. I think it will help you to better think things through.”
Veronica’s head spun. This was certainly not what she had expected to hear from him just now.
“I’ll get you a car and a driver so you can get a ride there and back, and not worry about having a good and safe time,” Frank said.
Veronica was still horribly confused.
“Why do you want this?” Veronica frowned over at him, pulling back a little from their embrace. “You made it pretty clear in the kitchen that you wanted the exact opposite.”
“Well I was angry,” Frank nodded. “And what I said about my feelings was true. But I did some thinking just now, and I think that you are very cut off from the rest of the world here. I don’t think you’ve left even once. Which is perfectly fine. However, you may feel differently in a different environment.”
Veronica was a little offended.
“You think I will change my mind when I get out into the real world?” Veronica asked.
“I think you will think more clearly in the real world,” Frank corrected gently. “I think this is a good idea, and you have my blessing. You are grown, of course, and you can do what you want.”
Veronica was silent for a long moment, thinking through all the things he had said. Finally, she looked back up at him and sighed.
“Okay,” she said softly. “I will call him tomorrow and set it up.
Frank smiled a little sadly, then leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead.
“Okay,” he said. “I think this will be a really good thing. For both of us.”
Veronica nodded.
“Goodnight, baby,” Frank whispered into her ear as he slipped his arm arbour her waist.
“Goodnight,” Veronica whispered, and tried to settle herself in to sleep.
She knew that she was in for a very long night.
The next day, in the morning just after her run, Veronica made her call to Calvin. Her heart was pounding and her stomach was in knots. There was still a huge part of her that wanted to turn back and have absolutely nothing to do with this. Still, by the time she pressed the call button, it was too late to turn back.
“Hey!” Calvin answered. “What’s going on? You never call this early.”
“Oh nothing,” Veronica answered, trying to muster some enthusiasm into her tone. “I just wanted to call to let you know that I want to set a time for us to have a date.”
The phone went silent for a moment, and Veronica wondered if Calvin was even still on the line.
“Hello?” she spoke into the phone, wondering if he had somehow cut out.
“Oh hey!” Calvin said, his voice clearly illustrating his shock. “Sorry, I just honestly didn’t expect you to say yes.”
“Well I want to go,” Veronica said. “So when are we doing it?”
“Um, let me check!” Calvin said, and Veronica waited for him to respond. “Actually, tomorrow looks good! I was going to take you to that Italian place you like. Is that good for you?”
“Yeah that sounds wonderful,” Veronica said. That particular restaurant was her absolute favorite, and she hadn’t been in quite a long time. All in all, it was a very thoughtful gesture for him to put forth.
“Great!” Calvin said with a laugh. “I get off at five, what time would be good for you?”
“Why don’t we call it six?” Veronica suggested. She knew that Frank normally got home about five thirty, and he would be able to take over care of the girls for the night. “I know that seems a little early, but I told Davenport I would be back in by midnight.”
“Alright Cinderella,” Calvin teased her. “Six it is! God, I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this. I’m so excited to see you!”
“I’m excited to see you too,” Veronica said, hoping that she sounded at least a little genuine.
“Okay well I have to be getting to work,” Calvin said. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I can’t wait! I love you!”
“See you,” Veronica said. “I love you too.”
Veronica hung up the phone just as Frank walked into the kitchen. Veronica had already gotten him a glass of water, which he immediately drank.