MAKING IT OFFICIAL
by
RM
Chapter 4
THE CHAPTERS
That
evening, Frank and Caren were alone in her apartment after having dinner
with Melissa and Richard Anderson. It has been a nice evening and Frank had
gotten to know more about Caren’s folks, as well as Caren herself.
Each
time they had met up with her parents, he had noticed some characteristics
they each shared. First of all was when Caren laughed. Her entire face lit
up and she looked like her mother. But her laughter was exactly like her
father’s, a lengthy chuckle that made anyone smile.
Caren’s
wit and one-liners also cam from her Dad, both of them were always ready
with a joke.
And
he began to love her more and more. She was perfect and he couldn’t wait
for the moment they became husband and wife. No one would be able to take
them away from each other.
“You’re
awfully quiet tonight,” Caren commented, turning on the couch to face
him. “Did dinner with my folks tire you out?”
Frank
smiled at Caren as he brushed a strand of hair back from her face. “Your
parents didn’t tire me out. I’ve just been thinking.”
“That’s
a surprise,” Caren teased.
“You’re
full of laughs tonight, aren’t you?”
“Someone
has to be the life of the party,” Caren countered. “And since Joe
isn’t here, I thought I’d be his substitute for a little while.”
“You
could never be a substitute for Joe,” Frank said pulling her close.
“Besides, I think you are much better than Joe.”
“Thank
you very much,” Caren said, nestling her head on his shoulder. Silence
settled on the room for a few minutes before Caren spoke again. “Do you
want to talk about what’s on your mind?”
Frank
was quiet. He knew he could talk to Caren about anything. But he didn’t
want to tell her he was just exhausted, having not slept following the
nightmare. She would want to know about it and he couldn’t tell her,
knowing she would worry. And it had only been a dream, he thought. None
of it was real. It’s something we have to worry about.
“It’s
just a new case we’re working on,” Frank said. “We were given it this
morning and I’m just wondering if we we’ll get it solved before the
ceremony.”
“You
will solve it,” Caren said. “Hardy Investigations will crack the
case.”
“I
appreciate your vote of confidence.”
“Do
you really thing you won’t be able to solve it?” Caren asked.
“I
know we will solve it, but I’m concerned about the timing. In just over
four days, we will be married. We’re to leave on our honeymoon on Sunday.
While I know Joe and my Dad can probably handle the case while I’m gone,
I just don’t feel right about taking off if it’s not done.”
“Frank,
it’s only Monday. You will probably get this wrapped up in no time.”
“You
sound just like Joe,” Frank said with a chuckle. “He said that earlier
today.”
“Then
it must be true,” Caren said. “If he said and I said it, then it must
be so.”
“You’re
probably right,” Frank said and kissed the top of her head.
“I
know I am.”
Frank
laughed again and silence settled on the living room. It felt right having
Caren in his arms.
Caren
broke the silence again. “You know, you can start moving your stuff in
before the wedding.”
“I
know I can, but why add more to all we’re dealing with now? Once we get
from our trip, we can wrangle Joe and Vanessa into helping with the move.
That way, we’re not pressured into a time frame.”
“I
think that’s a good idea,” Caren said.
“We have a lot going on.”
“Exactly.
If we focus on the wedding now, we can deal with the other stuff later.”
Caren
leaned back and looked up at Frank with a smile. “I like how your mind
works.”
“I
like how yours works as well.” Frank leaned down and gave her a kiss.
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Disclaimer
The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.