Chapter 50
According to the vast clock hanging outside The Lions stadium, the tour was starting in three minutes, and Penn was nowhere to be seen. There was also a much bigger crowd than I’d expected, easily thirty people consisting of mostly what looked like out-of-towners, given the amount of I HEART NYC shirts being worn. With my jeans, sneakers, and plain white tank, I felt a little out of place.
Throwing my empty coffee cup in the recycling can, I took another glance left and right for him, but nothing.
Stifling a yawn, I regretted not getting a double shot when the barista offered it to me. I’d woken up this morning after a sleepless night of tossing and turning, and my tiredness was doing nothing to assuage the worry in my belly that he wouldn’t turn up. But as he hadn’t texted me to say he wasn’t, it was anyone’s guess, because I’d realized that I didn’t actually knowPenn well enough to assume he’d wouldn’t turn up after our kiss. It wasn’t like I could ask the one person I usually would turn to in this sort of situation because, well… if rule 101 of business is ‘do not fraternize with your boss’, rule 101 of best friendship is ‘do not kiss your best friend’s brother’.
I wasn’t generally a rule breaker, yet I seemed to have done both in spectacular fashion.
Spectacular.
But from the way my heart still pitter-pattered every time I replayed it, I couldn’t tell whether I thought it was a mistake and regretted it, or if I wanted to do it again. I hadn’t even really processed it properly.
I’d tried though.
I’d gotten home yesterday afternoon and switched my phone off, taken myself for a long run around the park to play over what happened, and let my brain go round and round until I figured out what I was going to do next.
I was yet to succeed, which only cemented to me why the rules 101 were made in the first place.
But… sweet Jesus.
I mean, there were kisses. And there werekisses.And what I’d experienced yesterday was definitely in the latter camp.
I might have been aware of Penn’s reputation, but for the most part had paid very little attention to it. If I had, I likely would have been better prepared, but not much, because I doubt anything could have prepared me for that. That kiss. That weekend. In fact, the last one hundred and twenty hours and thirty-seven minutes when my life seemed to have taken an unplanned trajectory with zero warning. With the way my brain and heart were catapulting around, I hadn’t even had time to buckle my seatbelt.
“Waiting for someone, hun?”
I looked up from checking my phone for the dozenth time, to find myself in front of a pair of fluorescent pink t-shirts belonging to a couple in their mid-sixties, both with matching sun-visors, twinkly eyes, and the type of wide smile that only came from someone who was genuinely happy with their life.
“Oh, yes, he’s running late.” I smiled back, hoping what I’d said was true and I hadn’t been stood up.
“Well, dear, you can stick with us if he doesn’t arrive. Men never can keep track of time…” She winked at me, and her husband grinned wider and knowingly.
I had the impression she kept track of his time very well. She had the look of someone with exceptional organization skills.
“Thank you.”
From the corner of my eye, I noticed an official looking man in the classic black and gold colors of The New York Lions begin counting out the group and checking numbers. One final look around and it appeared I was doing this tour solo.
Or with my new friends. My chest deflated, shriveling up like an old balloon in the wind.
“Hi, babe, sorry I’m late.”
I started at the slightly breathless but familiar deep timbre. Shaking off the trail of goosebumps which licked along my spine at the sound, I looked round into the wide grey eyes and broad smile of Penn Shepherd, which kickstarted the pitter-patter inside my ribcage again.
“Oooh, he’s worth waiting for darlin’.”
“Er, yes, thanks.” I found my voice, looking at Mrs. Fluorescent Pink then back at Penn, my brows creasing at whatever that mischievous expression he was wearing meant.
“How long are you two visiting the city for?”
I turned back to Mrs. F.P., “Oh, we’re…”
“Just a few days…” Penn’s arm snaked heavily around my shoulders and stayed there. “We managed to get away from thekids, so we thought we’d have a break here,” he winked, and all I could do was watch Mrs. F.P. lap up the charm oozing out of him like a cat with cream.
“Sounds heavenly. We remember those days, don’t we Buck?” She nudged her husband who nodded obediently. “But now our kids are all grown, the youngest is at college, so we take all the advantage of that we can.”
“We have that to look forward to. Ours still need full time attention.” Penn smiled conspiratorially at her, as though he had experience with taking a break from screaming infants, and held out his free hand. “We’re the Michaelsons, Marla and Chet, from Ohio.”
