Page 47 of Keeping Penny

“Yup,” Mandy said with a nod. “Nash was by my side every minute of the day when I was in the hospital. He was exhausted all the time but he refused to go home to sleep. That’s love. Not flowers. Not extravagant gestures. I’m still getting to know Edge, but I have no doubt he wouldn’t care that you have alopecia. Actually, that’s not true—he’d care, but only if it causes you pain. I’m guessing he’s also the kind of man who’d research the hell out of the condition just so he could understand it, and thus understand you.”

Jen got a faraway look in her eye as she sighed. “You know what I like best about him? Edge?”

Penny leaned forward, loving that she was a part of this conversation. Loving that Jen trusted them enough to open up. She wouldn’t have guessed she had something like alopecia, although she’d noticed the woman’s fake eyebrows and wig. She’d actually assumed it might have been something like cancer, and it was a huge relief to know her new friend didn’t have such a horrible disease.

“That we’re the same height,” Jen went on, grinning. “We’re both around five foot six. I know a lot of women aren’t interested in dating a man who’s shorter. Isn’t six foot something. But I like being able to look him in the eye when I’m talking. I like that he’s secure in his masculinity exactly how he is and doesn’t seem to care that he’s short for a guy.”

“The best pilots I know are shorter,” Laryn agreed. “It’s easier for them to get in and out of the cockpit and they have more leg room to operate the aircraft. The Night Stalkers are no exception. It’s not a coincidence that none of them are over six feet tall.”

“You want one of us to talk to Edge? See if he’s interested?” Mandy asked.

“No!” Jen exclaimed with big eyes, sounding alarmed. “I’d be so embarrassed. And if he was shocked or horrified, it would suck, and I wouldn’t be able to hang out with you guys anymore.”

“That’s not happening,” Zita said firmly. “You’re one of us now. And there’s no escaping us.”

Everyone chuckled, but Jen still looked uneasy.

“I won’t say anything,” Mandy reassured her. “None of us will, right?”

“Right.”

“Of course not.”

“Nope.”

“Thanks, guys. I mean, I like Edge…what I know of him…but we don’t exactly have a lot of contact. It’s fine. I like my life. The only male I need is Fred.”

Hearing his name made the lab pick up his head and cock his ears. Then he took his Kong and padded over to where Mandy was sitting, plopping down next to Rain with a satisfied huff.

“Penny, how are you doing? Zita said you got that job you wanted?” Laryn asked.

“I’m good. And yeah, it’s a virtual health assistant. When women have questions about their pregnancy, what they should be eating, stuff like that, they call the line and I help them. It frees up their doctors and nurses from having to answer questions that aren’t strictly medical in nature. I’ll also be calling patients and reminding them about appointments. It’s a lot like what I was doing in Africa, actually, so I’m excited.”

“And you can work from home, right?” Mandy asked.

“Uh-huh. The pay isn’t super high, but it’s more than I expected to get for my first job here in the States. I’ll also be available to take Bowie to school and pick her up. And even volunteer in her classroom now and then, if needed.”

“Oh, that’s ideal,” Jen said.

“It is.” Penny gestured toward Laryn. “And it’ll work out great if Laryn still needs or wants me to nanny her baby after it’s born, when she gets deployed with the guys. Even if I’m working full time I’ll be home, so it’s totally doable.”

“Oh, Laryn needs and wants you to look after her baby when it’s born,” Laryn said firmly. “Tate and I talked about it again, and if you’re willing, we definitely want you to be our nanny when we’re gone. It would be too hard to trust someone we didn’t know, even if you recommended them, Zita. No offense.”

“None taken. I think it’s a great solution,” Zita told her.

“Penny and Bowie could move into our place while we’re gone, since all the baby stuff would be there, and that way you wouldn’t be inconvenienced.”

“As if your baby would ever be an inconvenience,” Zita said, sounding almost offended. “I’m gonna be stealing that kid as often as I can to get some baby snuggles in.”

“Same!” Mandy agreed.

“I love babies,” Jen sighed.

“Great, now I’m not even going to get to spend time with my own kid,” Laryn said with a roll of her eyes.

Everyone laughed.

“So you’re moving in with Tate then?” Mandy asked.