Sunset In Central Park Read Online Free

do with weddings.
    Stepping into the shower, she washed away the stresses of the day.
    It could have been a disaster, but with her usual smooth efficiency, Paige had rescued the situation.
    Robyn’s friends had been wonderful, supporting her and saying the right things. There had even been laughter as they’d shared champagne and Eva’s cakes. Instead of an impending wedding, they’d celebrated their friendship.
    Frankie wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out of the tiny bathroom.
    Friendship was the one thing that could be relied on.
    Where would she be without her friends?
    And although she wasn’t in the mood for drinking and talking on the roof terrace, there was comfort in knowing they were only a few steps away.
    She’d snuggle up with her book and lose herself.
    She pulled on black yoga pants and a T-shirt, put some cheese on a plate and sat down to read. Immersed in another world, she almost leaped out of her skin as an enormous crash came from the kitchen.
    “Holy crap.”
    Yanked from a fictional world of horror, it took a moment for logic to kick in and tell her that one of the herb pots carefully balanced on her windowsill had fallen.
    She didn’t need to investigate the source of the accident; she already knew.
    Not a serial killer, but a cat.
    “Claws? Is that you?” Still holding her book, she walked through to the kitchen, saw the soil and shards of terracotta scattered across the floor and a terrified cat with fur the color of marmalade. “Hey—you need to look where you’re walking.”
    The cat shot under the kitchen table, eyeing Frankie from a safe distance, her fur almost vertical.
    “Did you scare yourself? Because you scared the hell out of me.” Calm, Frankie put her book on the table and stooped to clear up the mess. The cat shrank farther under the table. “What are you doing down here? Where’s Matt? Is he working late?”
    Matt, Paige’s brother, owned the house and lived on the top two floors. It was Matt, a landscape architect, who had found the old, neglected brownstone years before and lovingly converted it into three apartments. The four of them lived there in almost perfect harmony. Along with the cat Matt had rescued.
    Frankie disposed of the shattered pot and the soil and reached for a tin of cat food. She carried on talking, careful not to make any sudden movements. “Are you hungry?”
    The cat didn’t move, so Frankie opened the tin and tipped it into the bowl she’d bought after the cat’s first visit.
    “I’ll just leave it here.” She put the bowl down.
    Claws approached with the watchful caution she always showed toward humans.
    As someone who approached people in much the same way, Frankie empathized.
    “I don’t know how you’re getting down from Matt’s apartment, but I hope you’re being careful where you tread. Wouldn’t want you to be hurt.” Although it was a bit late for that. She knew Claws had been abused and neglected before Matt had rescued her. As a result, the cat trusted no one except Matt, and even he was scratched if he made any sudden movements.
    Claws sniffed cautiously at the bowl and Frankie stood back, giving the animal space.
    Pretending to ignore her, she topped off her wineglass,cut a few more slices of cheese and sat down at the kitchen table that had been a housewarming gift from her friends. It was her favorite place to sit, especially first thing in the morning. She liked to open the windows and watch the sunlight stream over her garden. It was a suntrap, catching the light and warmth from early in the morning.
    “We should probably celebrate.” She raised the glass. “To being single. I can go where I like, do what I like, I’m dependent on no one. I sail my own ship through whichever waters I choose to navigate. Life is good.”
    Claws took another sniff at the food, keeping one eye on Frankie.
    Finally, she started to eat and Frankie was surprised by the sense of satisfaction that came from knowing the animal was