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“Think fast, I’m in a hurry.”
“She’s off tonight.” With no patience to listen to information I already knew, I turned away and headed out onto the deck, my eyes still roaming.
As I stepped onto the faded wooden slats of the outside patio, the weight of seeing Penny off in the distance left me riveted. A blurred couple blocked my line of sight, and I pushed them slightly as they passed by.
Motionless, I confessed to myself—no matter how much I wanted to hate her, how much I probably could hate her; I didn’t.
Her hair danced in the wind as the neo
n lights of the city outlined her sexy silhouette. My eyes wouldn’t shift; my heart wouldn’t beat—I couldn’t focus on anything but her.
With a quick boost in confidence, I headed to meet her, trying hard to move my stoic feet. “Penny,” I said, walking up behind her.
She didn’t turn, she didn’t move.
My heart pounded as she leaned her head back against my chest. She smelled good. She felt good.
Remembering where I was, I gently pushed her shoulders and she spun around. “Theo, hi,” she whispered.
“Did you want to take a walk?”
“Yeah,” she murmured.
We didn’t speak again until we were well past the Bearded Goat, and the flashing lights of the main strip faded in the distance.
The air was balmy, yet she still held her hands clutching onto her shoulders. “You’re not cold, are you?”
“No, just thinking,” she murmured.
“Care to share?”
“You don’t strike me as a father. The way you were with her tonight, it was sweet.” She stopped walking to face me. “Well, you’re not very sweet, Theo.” She sighed, looking up at the sky, then back to me. “I guess I’m trying to figure you out.”
“Ok, I don’t really know what to say here.” Her eyes bore into mine, and I felt as if she could see straight through the guarded fortress surrounding my heart.
“I’m just thinking out loud.”
“I guess I’m not the pompous asshole you thought I was?”
“No, guess not.” She smiled. “Where would you like to have this business talk?”
I tried to think of where to take her. “Why don’t we sit on that beach bench over there?”
We sat side by side on the wooden bench perched near the coast, and I felt it was the time to “eat crow,” as some say. “Tell me everything you think The Goat needs,” I said, resting my arm along the back of the bench. “I had thought about a new name.”
“Definitely.” Her eyes lit up and I could see the passion shining from them. “A new name would be most important.” She tucked a leg under her. “Also, you could do something with the patio. It needs help, everything is boring. New umbrellas, add more seating, some lights around the patio. Spice it up, add a little class to the joint.”
I ran my fingers over my beard. “I like it.”
“What would you rename it?” she asked.
“I was thinking of calling the bar, Lopa.”
“I love Lopa, sounds very mystical,” she said, as she turned her head to gaze out at the ocean. “Where did you come up with it?”
“Just a name that reminds me of something, and it’s never really left me,” I said, watching how the moon reflected against her skin.
She sighed as I slid closer. “It’s a nice name. I think it will work.”
