AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Wow.” Olivia’s eyes widened. Penny hadn’t told her that part yet.
“Wow is right,” Penny said, handing Cynthia back her wineglass.
Esther sat back in her chair, frowning. “Do you think he loves you back?”
“I don’t know.” It was a question Penny had been asking herself. “He can be so closed off sometimes. There are these moments when he’s so sweet and tender, I think it’s possible maybe he does. But then other times it feels like he’s putting up a wall between us.”
“Maybe he’s just protecting himself,” Jinny said. “Maybe he loves you, and he’s just as afraid of losing you as you are of him.”
Esther shifted in her chair. “Not to be Debbie Downer—”
“Here it comes.” Jinny rolled her eyes. “The eternal pessimist’s take.”
Esther shot her a sideways glare. “I think it needs to be said: there is a possibility he’s just using you for a good time. I don’t need to tell you that men can sometimes be scum.” The Esther of a year ago would have happily declared all men to be scum. That she was even allowing the existence of some decent men in the world was a sign of how much her relationship with Jonathan had improved her outlook.
Penny didn’t think Caleb was scum. She might doubt the depth of his feelings for her, but she didn’t doubt that he had some feelings. Even if he was just having a good time, it didn’t make him scum. That was the arrangement she’d freely entered into. It wasn’t his fault if he was adhering to it and Penny wasn’t.
She shook her head, groaning. “It doesn’t matter anyway, because he’s still leaving on Thursday.”
“It matters,” Cynthia said quietly. “Love always matters.”
Penny folded forward to cradle her head in her hands. “What am I going to do, you guys? I can’t hold on to him, but I don’t think I can let him go either.”
Cynthia laid a warm hand on her back. “It’ll be okay.”
“How?” Penny whined, rubbing her temples.
“You’ll know what to do when the time comes,” Vilma said with enough confidence that Penny could almost believe it.
At least she wouldn’t be alone. That was some consolation.
Olivia’s hand clamped down on Penny’s knee.
“Penny,” Cynthia hissed.
She heard Malik’s voice cut through the din in the coffee shop: “Yo, Caleb. What’s up, man?”
Penny shot upright so fast she made herself dizzy.
Caleb was here. Walking straight toward her. He stopped behind Esther’s chair, casting an uneasy glance at the circle of women before his eyes found Penny’s. “Hey.”
Penny swallowed, her chest constricting painfully under the weight of his gaze. “Hi.”
He shoved his hands deep in his pockets. “I know you said to come over later, but I couldn’t wait. Can we talk?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Caleb tilted his head in the direction of the back hall, and Penny got to her feet. Her chest grew tighter as she followed him down the hall and past the restrooms. The pounding of her heartbeat marked time with her footsteps, heavy and portentous.
He opened the door to the office and gestured her inside.
The scent of coffee beans overwhelmed her senses as he stepped in behind her and shut the door. Memories of the last time they were in this cramped space assaulted her. Their scorching second kiss. How she’d thrown caution to the wind and shamelessly propositioned him. It had started with the kiss in the hospital, but this room was where she’d thrown down the gauntlet that had led them here—right back to this same place.
As Caleb’s eyes roved over her face, she saw the same emotions she’d seen that day three weeks ago: naked longing tinged with regret.
He cleared his throat. “Penny, I…”
She watched his chest rise and fall, waiting for him to say whatever it was he’d come here to say. She wouldn’t be throwing herself at him today. The confidence that had emboldened her last time had drained away, replaced by a sense of resignation.
