I nod. Now isn’t the time to rehash all this. “We need a favor.”
She straightens. “We?”
“The guys and I.” I look down at my coffee. “There’s a lot you know and a lot you don’t?—”
“I don’t need to know everything to help.” Penny sighs. “My father isn’t a good man. I’ve known that since I met him when I was a little girl. He didn’t want me then, and he doesn’t want me now. He’s using me. So, if you need help with anything, I’m here for you guys.”
I clear my throat, but still don’t know how to ask this.
“Luke is family.” She leans forward. “He’s my blood, and that means something to me. I don’t have a lot of family. I’ve always wished he knew about me so I could have an actual relationship with someone who mattered. It’s hard when you have a single mom.”
That hits me in a place I can understand. A mom on her own. A dad who left and hasn’t so much as said a word to us since. Penny and I have somewhat similar circumstances.
I lean my elbows on the table and focus on her eyes. “We have a lot of things to go through and need help. We’ve found someone we think can help us, but it comes at a price.”
“Okay,” she says slowly. “What does this have to do with me?”
“You said you don’t have a date for Homecoming?” This feels so icky to me, but it’s not a bad price to pay for what Will might be able to help us with.
Her brow furrows. “No, I’ve been inundated with guys asking though.”
“William Frank can help us go through files. His only price is that you go to Homecoming with him.”
She sucks in a breath.
I hurry on before she says anything, “You don’t have to do anything but attend with him. Dinner first in public, and then the dance and that’s it. Nothing else. No more touching except dancing.”
She sits straight in her chair as she looks at me in a daze. “What?”
“Jack offered Will anything to help. The only thing Will wanted was to take you to the Homecoming dance.” I shrug. “He didn’t ask for more than that. Jack figured it would be better coming from me than one of them. We’re not asking you to date him, kiss him, or even like him.”
“Why me?” Her eyes narrow in thought.
“I don’t know the answer to that.” I peel the sticker on my coffee. “You said he liked you in middle school?”
“And I helped humiliate him.” Her eyes widen. “Do you think that’s his plan? To humiliate me the way I laughed at him over that valentine?”
“I don’t know.” And that’s the part that sucks. “Could be. Honestly. Or maybe the guy just wants an opportunity to try again?”
If I had to guess based on this school, revenge is the most likely scenario.
“What do you need him to do?” Her lips are tight, but she wears an almost resigned expression.
This is where Luke and I got into an argument. He didn’t want to trust her with anything. But if we need her help, we have to trust her with something. Jack agreed with me. But only some information.
We don’t know where her loyalties lie with her father. Or if his money is enough to buy her loyalty.
“We have some files that are encrypted. Jack is working on them, but you’ve seen how tired he’s been.” My throat chokes up because I know what he’s doing is important, but I don’t want him to burn out because of it. “He needs help. Will Frank can help him.”
Not that we trust Will either. He helped Sidney break into my place. That was apparently for money. At least, that’s what he told Jack.
Penny’s gaze falls on her coffee and she sighs. “It’s not like I want to go with anyone else, but I don’t like not knowing why.”
“You’re his partner in art. Has he said anything?” My partner sucked until Caden showed up.
She shakes her head and lifts her gaze. Determination fills her face. “I’ll do it. But I want to go with you guys, so he doesn’t try anything weird.”
I nod. “That seems fair, but I’ll have to run it by the guys. They may make other arrangements for you to make sure we’re both protected at all times. Would that be okay as long as someone else was with you two?”
