Page 43 of Keeping Penny

There was so much more Pyro wanted to say, and he yearned to feel her lips under his again, but instead, he forced himself to turn and walk toward his car. He’d see her again in nine hours or so.

Suddenly that seemed like way too long.

Taking a deep breath, Pyro decided he’d talk to Obi-Wan or Buck about this obsession he had with Penny. Had they felt this way about Zita and Mandy? He didn’t want to do anything that would make Penny second-guess agreeing to date him. He felt as if he was in over his head, and the last thing he wanted was to be clingy. Or overly possessive. Or too protective.

As he drove away, Pyro looked in his rearview mirror. Penny was still standing outside the lobby doors, staring at his car. He smiled a little, not upset in the least that she seemed just as reluctant to see him go as he was to leave. He had no problem with her being clingy, or possessive, or protective…as long as it was toward him.

* * *

Pyro didn’t get a chance to talk to his friends about their relationships because he was busy from the moment he stepped on base. There was a surprise inspection of the choppers, which involved the men taking them up for a check-off flight. As a result, they were late starting their meeting on the intel briefing, and they missed lunch altogether.

One of the highlights of his day was the text he received from Penny. She’d gotten a call from Miss Blake, reassuring her that Bowie was settling in fine and doing great. It was a huge relief, considering how worried the girl had been.

By the time he was able to leave the base for the day, it was five-fifteen. He was going to be late with the pizza for Penny and Bowie, and that bothered Pyro more than he could say.

He loved his job. Was proud of the work he did to keep his country safe, but suddenly he had something more important in his life. It was a difficult thing to absorb.

He rushed home, called in their dinner order, took the fastest shower ever, and was back in his car fifteen minutes later, his hair still wet as he drove to the restaurant. He picked up the pizza and tried to ignore his growling belly as the delicious smell of the food filled the car.

Bowie answered the door and immediately began talking a mile a minute.

“Hi, Kylo-Pyro! The pizza smells awesome! I had a great time at school! Abigail’s my new best friend, she’s so nice. She helped me all day and she did a great job describing stuff I couldn’t see, like Mommy does. We did math, and I got all the questions right! Then while everyone else was doing reading, I got to work one-on-one with Mr. Samuels on braille. Isn’t it neat that they have a braille workbook for me? At recess, Abigail and I ran around and played tag with a bunch of other kids. I felled, but I’m okay. And before you ask me, yes, Abigail held my hand while we ran so I wouldn’t smack into anything. I didn’t like music class. It was really loud because everyone was banging on drums. Then I sat with Abigail, Marie, Leigh, and Bobby at lunch, and laughed and laughed. In the afternoon we did a science experiment. And Miss Blake’s laugh is so pretty! No one made fun of me all day, and I heard Marie and Bobby arguing over who got to be my buddy tomorrow! I love school! It’s so fun!”

Pyro had entered the apartment while Bowie was talking and put the pizzas down on the kitchen counter. Penny had a huge smile on her face as she watched her daughter enthusiastically recount the activities of the day. She’d surely heard all about it already, but obviously didn’t mind getting another rundown.

“Wow, it sounds like you had an amazing day,” Pyro told her.

“I did! I can’t wait to go back tomorrow!”

Pyro couldn’t believe the satisfaction he felt listening to Bowie babble throughout dinner. It was a huge relief that her first day had gone so well. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe every day of school would be so great, but he was more than glad her first experience was a good one. Thank God for Abigail. For the other little girl being so welcoming and friendly. Bowie’s day could’ve been a disaster if she’d been paired up with someone who wasn’t interested in helping the new kid get acclimated.

Zita arrived home after they’d eaten, and got the same enthusiastic rundown of her day by Bowie. And even though she looked tired, Zita gave the little girl her full attention. Asked lots of questions and seemed just as relieved and happy that Bowie had such a great first day at school.

When Bowie left to get ready for bed, Zita asked, “How did the job search go today, Penny?”

“Good. I think I have a good chance of getting that job I interviewed for the other day. The virtual health assistant? But I have a second interview in a few days.”

“Awesome,” Zita said with a huge smile.

“Congrats, Pen,” Pyro told her.

“I don’t have the job yet,” she said with a chuckle. “But yeah, I’m excited. I was fully prepared to have to apply to dozens of jobs before being hired somewhere, and working at a fast-food place wasn’t off the table. But if this works out, it’ll be perfect with Bowie’s schedule. How’s Obi-Wan?”

Pyro noticed Zita’s blush, and he did his best to hide his smile.

“He’s good. He wanted to come over and help me unpack some more. As you know, most of my stuff from LA is still boxed up in my room. But I told him not to bother. That I was just going to come home and sleep. I’ve got a twenty-four-hour shift tomorrow, from six a.m. to six a.m., so I’m going to sleep as much as I can now. Unpacking can wait. You good? You need anything?”

“I’m perfect,” Penny told her. “And Pyro brought enough pizza home to feed us all for the next three days.”

“Leftover pizza is the best,” Zita said. “Mind if I grab a slice or two for breakfast?”

“Of course not! Help yourself.”

“Awesome. I probably won’t see you in the morning, since I’ll need to leave before you and Bowie get up. I’m going to go say good night to her now. Good to see you, Pyro. Later.”

And with that, she headed down the hallway toward the bedrooms.

“That’s really great about the job,” Pyro said, once she was gone.