Frankie did her best to stay out of the main house as much as possible on Sundays. It was Hannah and Dan's only day off and now, with Johnny in town, she wanted to make sure she wasn't intruding on any special family time.

She had a French press, a small container of coffee, and an electric kettle that boiled just enough water for her morning coffee. It was nowhere near as good as the coffee she could get in the main house but it was once a week and so she didn't complain.

Frankie left her little apartment above the garage in her nicest boots, her good pair of jeans, and a sweater Lacey had given her that Lacey couldn't fit into anymore. Lacey gave it willingly and said with a laugh that Frankie had Sammy and Evelyn to thank for her hand-me-downs. Of course, her Sunday best was covered up by the down-jacket that kept her protected from the bitter wind that raced to meet her as she stepped out onto the small landing at the top of the stairs leading to her door.

The main house held a warm welcome that Frankie only got to revel in for a quick moment. She entered through the kitchen door, grabbed the keys from where they hung on the wall, and moved through the house towards the front door.

Dan and Hannah were standing at the bottom of the stairs, ready to go, punctual as always.

"Johnny, we're gonna be late!" Hannah called up the stairs.

Frankie met Dan's eyes which he then rolled heaven-ward. He shook his head but his eyes were bright. Frankie nodded to the station wagon outside and said "I'll go warm up the car."

"Good idea," Dan replied.

Frankie brought the car to life and then climbed out to stand waiting by the passenger's side door. She bounced lightly on her feet to keep moving so the chill wouldn't settle into her bones. She breathed a sigh of relief when Hannah and Dan finally made it out of the house, towing behind them a bleary-eyed Johnny who was yawning as he slipped on his wool coat.

Frankie had a feeling the expensive material of his outerwear was going to be no match for the Vermont weather and her suspicions were confirmed when Johnny shivered and crossed his arms across his chest. Frankie caught sight of his boots and turned away before he could read her amused expression.

She focused instead on helping Dan into the front seat and making sure he didn't slip on the packed frozen snow underfoot, leaving Johnny to face his own fate. Everyone had made it into the car safely by the time Frankie climbed into the driver's seat.

Hannah talked to Johnny in a hushed whisper from the back seat, so low that Frankie could only catch every other word. She focused on the road ahead to tune the sound out and to give Hannah privacy while talking to her son. Dan sat quietly in the co-pilot's seat the whole way through town, his eyes watching the buildings pass by, waving at one person or another who caught his eye and waved first.

It was when they were only a few minutes from the parking lot of Hummel's only church that Dan turned to speak to Frankie.

"I got a call from Michaela yesterday, from over at the Holly Inn," he said.

"How are things on their end of the state?" Frankie asked.

"Good. Good. They've got a big party buying out the place for Christmas."

Frankie let out a low whistle.

"That's impressive."

"Some family connection, apparently. She wants to plan a big day out here at the farm. The works, she says. Sleigh rides, ice skating, cross country skiing, everything."

"When?" Frankie asked, her mind already compiling a list of what she would need to do to get the farm ready for a group that size. This was something Hummel farms experienced at least once a year. It was a long-standing tradition between the farm and Holly Inn, these excursions planned for the guests out on the farm.

"The group arrives Christmas Eve. Michaela wants to set up a day sometime between the day after Christmas and New Year's Eve."

"Sounds good. I'll talk to Aaron tomorrow and we'll get started on that right away."

"Thanks, Frank."

Frankie pulled into the last parking spot behind the church nearest the back entrance and looked over at the old man. He was giving her a warm half-smile, a rare sighting on Dan Stephens's face.

"Of course," Frankie said, feeling the weight of his pride in her down to her core. "Happy to help."

Their moment passed, Frankie climbed out of the car to help Dan to his feet, another job she had taken on ever since his back injury. Hannah stepped forward and took over by taking his arm, the two of them walking the short distance into church together. Dan's large frame half-rested on Hannah's slim one. Frankie had no choice but to walk beside Johnny as they entered the building. The warm interior forced her jacket off but Johnny's kept his on. They followed his parents and neither of them spoke until Johnny reached out to hold the door leading into the sanctuary open for her.

"You know, when my dad talked about Frank helping out around the farm, I always pictured a forty-year-old man."

His smirk set Frankie's lips in a tight line and the warm feelings she'd had from her moment with Dan boiled away in the light of his smug expression.

"That's understandable. If you talked to your dad more than once a year, maybe you wouldn't have misunderstood who he was talking about." Frankie stood at the end of the Stephens's usual pew, letting Johnny in first to sit next to Hannah. "Please," she said, "after you."

Johnny paused before entering to meet Frankie's eye. She tried smiling but knew it came out just as smug as his own had, leaving her feeling nauseous. He took his seat next to his mother and Frankie sat down next to him, making sure to leave ample room before the two of them. A second later, the service began.

*

Frankie had been going to church with the Stephens every Sunday ever since she had moved into their garage. It was an unspoken part of their living agreement that Frankie wasn't aware of until her first Sunday on the farm found Dan at the top of her stairs, knocking at her door and alerting her to the fact that they'd all be leaving for church in fifteen minutes.

Frankie was the only farmhand that went to church with the Stephens, but she was also the only farmhand that lived on their property and ate meals with them.

Frankie had gone to church with her family as a child, her mother always making sure they were well dressed and ready to go on time. Even the times when they didn't have money for gas or the car was broken and they didn't have the resources to fix it, Miriam Rivera made sure her two daughters made it to church every single Sunday morning. Even if they had to walk the whole way. Which they did, multiple times. Frankie's father was a different matter. Franco Rivera went if he felt like it but those times got fewer and farther between as things got harder on the Rivera farm.

When Frankie left home, she left behind the Sunday tradition but it was forced back upon her with the Stephens. She found comfort in the ritual and rediscovered a faith she thought she had lost with the sale of her family's farm.

Sitting next to Johnny in the Stephens's pew was the first time Frankie had ever felt uncomfortable in church. She could feel members of the congregation looking over at him and felt their eyes were boring into her as well. She focused on the hymns, soaking in their beauty and peace, trying not to hear the crystal clear quality of Johnny's voice and the way it made the congregation's singing as a whole richer.

It was the first week of advent and the church was fully decorated with greenery, red holly berries, and vibrant poinsettias setting the holiday tone. Frankie listened as the pastor preached on the importance of the season, how Jesus had brought light into a dark world, a light still available to anyone who believes.

Frankie's mind settled listening to the sermon, her heart found calm in the words of the Scripture that she knew so well. She even enjoyed the sound of Johnny's voice when they sang one more hymn at the end of the sermon after the pastor's final prayer and benediction.

Once the hymn was over, Frankie stood from her seat and left the pew behind. She could see out of the corner of her eye almost every single member of the congregation flooded the Stephens pew to say hi to Johnny. Frankie looked back as she edged her way around the crowd along the far side of the room and caught sight of Johnny smiling down at the sea of white haired-heads that surrounded him.

It was a different crowd than he was used to, Frankie was sure. But these fans had known him since he was a kid.

Frankie said a quick good morning and hello to the pastor and his wife as they stood at the door and greeted each member as they left the sanctuary. She waved hello to the few people she knew as they chatted in the small groups in the lobby and made her way to the back of the building.

The noise level around her rose as she entered the nursery. Only two of its occupants noticed her arrival and the younger of the two came racing at her legs once he spotted her. Frankie sat down on the ground and let Sammy fall into her lap, the toy truck tight in his hand banging against her knee as he landed.

"That looked like it hurt."

Frankie looked up at Lacey where she sat in the rocking chair, slowly swaying with her daughter in her arms. Frankie had heard Evelyn's cry towards the end of the sermon and knew this was where she'd find Lacey.

Frankie shrugged off the pain of Sammy's collision and instead asked him all about his truck and how Sunday school had gone. That sent him talking and kept him happy so Frankie could chat with Lacey.

"Nice shirt," Lacey said, nodding down at Frankie's sweater, smirking. "You have excellent taste,"

"You're hilarious," Frankie replied, her tone flat.

"I know."

Lacey tried flipping her hair over her shoulder but instead knocked the bottle currently in Evelyn's mouth. She quickly corrected her mistake before her daughter could start crying. With a deep breath, Lacey mimed wiping sweat from her brow, as if she had just diffused a bomb. Lacey might as well have, Frankie thought. She had experienced Evelyn's cries first hand and they were nothing to laugh at.

"So," Lacey said, sinking further into the rocking chair. "How are things on the farm?"

"You mean since I saw you yesterday?" Frankie replied.

"You know what I mean. Are you taking my advice? Are you trying to be nice?"

"I'm definitely trying."

Frankie had directed her words to Sammy so she could avoid Lacey's penetrating gaze.

"His band is breaking up, Frankie. Cut him some slack."

Frankie whipped her head around.

"What? When did this happen?"

"It's been a rumor for about six months. They just announced it, officially, last week, and you seemed to be the last person in the world to know. I'd tell you not to say anything, as it's a sensitive subject for him, but everyone else already knows."

"When did you hear about this?"

Lacey looked up as her eyes flickered back and forth, trying to remember.

"I think he told me in March? Yeah, that sounds right. He had been struggling with the decision for a while when he finally told me. He asked me not to tell anyone. I didn't even admit that I knew anything of it, even to Corey, until they finally announced it."

That was how the Johnny news cycle worked in Hummel. His parents weren't big computer people and could only handle talking on the phone. Because of that, their conversations with Johnny were few and far between, sometimes getting canceled at the last minute. Frankie didn't ask Hannah what she talked about with Johnny when they did get the chance to talk but Hannah liked to talk about her son to anyone who would listen, so everyone in town heard about it.

Lacey was a consistent pen-pal of Johnny's and sent him monthly updates as to what was happening in Hummel. He responded only once every few months but when he did, it was pages long. Lacey shared what she could with the people who cared about him, who thought about him while he was gone, prayed for him. But Frankie knew Lacey kept 90% of what Johnny wrote to her in his emails to herself, out of respect for his privacy. Frankie couldn't help wondering if Johnny knew how his updates were spread throughout town.

"Wow," Frankie finally said, the weight of Lacey's news hitting her harder than she expected. "That's rough."

"Yeah. It's not good. His bandmates don't even talk to each other if they don't have to and neither of them will talk to Johnny."

"I can't imagine-"

Frankie's response was cut short when she heard boots squeaking against the floor, coming up from behind her.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in."

Frankie turned back at Lacey's exclamation and found Johnny hovering right outside the nursery door.

"Lacey Edwards, my love, you look even lovelier than the day I met you," Johnny said, a warm smile growing across his face as he approached Lacey, bending down to kiss her on the cheek, careful not to knock Evelyn's bottle.

"I would hope so. I was three when we met! And it's Lacey Twain now, Johnny. I am a married woman."

"This must be Evie, then!" Johnny said, crouching down next to Lacey's rocking chair, peering down at the baby in his friend's arms.

"Evelyn Anne, this is your Uncle Johnny."

Frankie talked quietly to Sammy, giving the two of them privacy to coo over the baby.

"She's beautiful, Lace. She looks just like you," Johnny said.

"She looked just like her daddy when she first came out. You should have seen it, Johnny. Dark, dark brown hair, big eyes, his nose. But then she lost her hair and my genes started to kick in."

"Well, thank goodness for that! I'm a big fan of Corey's but you're clearly the more attractive out of the two of you."

Lacey let out a loud laugh before she caught herself and playfully hit Johnny on the shoulder.

"That's my husband you're talking about!"

Johnny paused and Frankie glanced up at him. He was watching the little girl in his friend's arms, his eyes wide and a strange smile on his face.

"You seem happy, Lace," he finally said.

Lacey took a deep breath, her face relaxing.

"I am. Tired? Definitely. Exhausted, you bet. But yeah, happy. Extremely happy."

Frankie could hear Johnny sigh.

"You always wanted to be a mom."

"I'm not good at anything else," Lacey joked.

"And how's my little man doing?"

Frankie felt she could finally raise her head as the moment of reunion between Johnny and Lacey passed.

"Samuel, do you remember your Uncle Johnny?" Lacey asked her son.

Now that he had attention focused solely on him, Sammy shrank into Frankie's arms, his truck forgotten as a tall strange man was easing towards him.

"Sammy, it's okay. You know him."

Despite his mother's reassurances, Sammy sank deeper and deeper into the shelter of Frankie's arms. Frankie met Johnny's eyes for a second as he absorbed the image before him. She leaned down to whisper in Sammy's ear.

"It's okay, buddy. He's a friend. There's nothing to be afraid of. Go say hi."

Frankie lifted him from her lap and he reluctantly stood on his own two feet, slowly approaching Johnny, giving him the kind of scrutinizing gaze only a three-year-old could.

"Hello, Samuel. My name is Johnny. I'm a friend of your mom's. It's nice to meet you."

Johnny's hand was a fraction of Sammy's entire body. The little boy stared at it for a long moment, looking first to his mom, who nodded, then back to Frankie, who smiled to encourage him.

He reached out his little hand and let it be engulfed in Johnny's.

"Hi," he managed in a whisper.

"Hi," Johnny replied, matching the little boy's tone and volume.

"Lacey? You ready to go?"

Frankie could hear Corey before he appeared. His wide smile seemed to stretch even further when he entered the room and found Johnny talking to his son.

"Johnny! How's it going, man? Good to see you!"

Johnny stood and welcomed Corey's handshake that led to a firm pat on the back.

"Good to see you, too, dude."

Corey laughed.

"'Dude?' Wow, Johnny. You've gone Californian on us!"

"Corey," Lacey admonished from her rocking chair.

"Sorry, sorry, no offense meant. I mean it. It's good to see you back home, man."

"It's good to be back," Johnny replied.

Frankie's reason for sitting on the ground had found his truck again and forgotten all about her so she stood up.

"Frankie," Corey turned his gaze to her as she reached his eye level. "Dan's looking for you. He wants to head home."

"That's my cue, I guess," Johnny said. "She's my ride."

"No! You can't leave yet!" Lacey cried.

"Sorry, Lace. We'll catch up soon. I promise."

"You bet we will. Dinner on Wednesday. Be there. Promise me you'll be there."

Johnny laughed under Lacey's hard stare.

"Sure. I'll be there. I promise," Johnny said.

Lacey seemed satisfied.

"Good. Frankie, you're invited, too," Lacey said. "You can give Johnny here a ride."

Frankie's eyes froze wide, her gaze darting from Lacey to Johnny then back to Lacey. Before she could protest, Lacey held up her hand.

"I don't want to hear it. I know you're free that night because you said you'd babysit for me. You're coming, too."

"Okay, then," Frankie said, swallowing her protests, meeting eyes with Johnny. "I'll be there."

Johnny stood up straight under Frankie's gaze, rising to the challenge in her eyes.

"Yeah. Me too."

A/N:

I know the whole enemies-to-lovers troupe has become massive recently and I feel like this is my tame attempt at that.

They're not really enemies but they're definitely not friends.

What do you think? Anything you want to say, say it now.

What do we think about Johnny?

What do we think about Frankie?

Our impressions of Hummel as a community?

What do you think about the enemies-to-lovers troupe?

Do you even know what I'm talking about?

No? Well, I tried.

See you tomorrow for the next three chapters. And trust me, you're gonna wanna read them.

Tension. Too much tension.