My Little Step Secret

Moving on?

The dining table was situated in the center of the spacious room, the walls painted a delicate duck egg blue, with a matching fireplace surround, within it an open wood fire currently crackling, its warmth crawling across the room. A large champagne gold chandelier glistened from the dim lighting, and sat on the high ceiling enhanced by an intricate hand-carved ceiling rose. The walnut table was twelve feet in length and had enough space to seat fourteen people. The seats were covered with luxurious organic cotton and were made for comfort. The table was laid out with the finest silverware and set out for seven. Candelabras and fresh flowers decorated the table. The food had not yet been served, though the drinks were flowing and conversation too.

"So you are friends of Francines from college, what is it you are studying?" Alistair was making polite conversation with his new guests. "Business major." Liam tossed his hat in the ring, knowing full well being in a room with businessmen, it would grab him some points. "I am majoring in performing arts, sir," Brittany spoke with an air of respect for Frankies father, his aura demanded respect and people happily fell into line. A tall, bald-headed server with a heavy mustache cleared his throat to gain attention. The server was named Michael and had only worked for the family for two years now. He spoke clearly and announced, "Sir, the first course is ready to be served."

"Excellent, please serve." Alistair instructs as the staff flood in, placing a small starter plate before each diner. An elegant-looking plate of seared scallops, accompanied by charred leeks and a vegetable broth. With dramatic deliberateness, Alistair took the first bite, closing his eyes and moaning his satisfaction with the dish.

"Mmm well, that is delightful. As we were saying. I imagine you have both met our own fabulous Professor Bradley Gilmour?" He introduced the man like he was a celebrity and they were his adoring fans. Frankie wanted to kick Liam in the shin. He didn't answer the question but his face spoke one thousand words. "Yes, we are aware of Mr Gilmour." Brittany answered only out of politeness to her host, for her dislike of Bradley Gilmour ran deeper than Liam's. She turned her attention to Frankie's new stepbrother who, as luck would have it, was placed directly opposite Brittany. "Frankie tells me you are in a relationship, how is that going?" There was something to be said about Brittany's ability to unapologetically flirt with any man she wanted. Zachary seemed to enjoy the attention immensely. "I would hardly say Frankie is qualified to make those claims." He was flirting back.

"What about Zoe?" Frankie questioned, confused.

"A date does not make a relationship." He was playfully mocking, keeping the mood light. "That sounds like good news for me then." Brittany laughed as Zachary wiggled his eyebrows to show he was interested, like a mating call in the wild. The peacock shows off his feathers and men wiggle their perfectly preened brows. During all the flirting, Frankie looked over at Xavier periodically, though it seemed that she was non-existent in his world. Not once had he spoken to her or looked in her direction, unlike Bradley, who couldn't keep his eyes off her. Had she been too harsh? Relationships have ups and downs all the time. Perhaps he has decided he made a mistake and Frankie should try to move past this plethora of awkwardness. He was the first person to treat her like an adult, like a woman. Bradley had long told Frankie how mature she was for her age. From the age of 12, he has always given her responsibility and bigged her up. It was he who had suggested she continue her education at the college where he works, that she was wise enough to make it on her own. He told her in the second week of college his feelings for her had changed by seeing the amazing woman she had grown into. He had made her feel so good about herself for as long as Frankie could remember, he was patient and kind and had never pushed Frankie into anything. He would always ask her what she felt about any scenario before it played out. He was Frankie's first and only lover. Something she knew made him very happy, it meant everything to her that she was able to help him after everything his wife did to hurt him. Brittany and Liam despise him, which made it harder for Frankie. She knew he was older but they didn't understand. To them, she met a professor and they started a purely s****l relationship, but it wasn't like that. Bradley knew her all her life. He understood her. Truth be told, Frankie missed being understood right now, even in this room, she felt so alone. The meal went on and Frankie felt like she had checked out. They seemed lost in a discussion about business, something that had never appealed to Frankie. She only took that class as it was her father's one condition for her to go to college in another town. Liam had somehow managed to charm her father into taking him to the tower and giving him a front seat to the day-to-day running of the business. As the meal came to an end, people stood up. Zachary and Brittany found themselves chatting in the corners. Every now and then she would do the flirting triceratops, she would do the you are so funny laugh, the hair flick, and the body touch. Not surprisingly, Zachary was lapping it up, Brittany was stunning.

Frankie decided to retire for the evening, silently slipping away. Her silent exit did not go quite to plan, as she ran straight into Portia and Bradley in a heated discussion which ended abruptly when they heard the door. The look of guilt on Portia's face was telling. Bradley, on the other hand, looked furious. Frankie considered confronting them, but she just did not have the energy. She began moving faster up the stairs, it was fine, she would catch the lift from the first floor. "It is not what it looks like!" Bradley shouted after her, but she didn't turn round or stop. That didn't stop her from wondering... had he moved on to Portia?