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Tomorrow she’d have Christmas with her cousins and then she’d be leaving the next day. He’d done the laidback thing with Natalie, trying to make her happy, even though he knew it was hard. He couldn’t be that guy anymore. And feeling like this thing with Penelope was the best thing that happened to him in years, he asked, “Have you put any thought into what we talked about last night?”
Her eyes softened, as did her voice. “Darryl, it’s just…”
“Complicated,” he said, pulling her soft curves against him tighter.
He felt the clamminess of her palm against his. “I really like you and this…but I’m not this girl.”
He matched the rhythm of the song, swaying his hips to the beat, watching her carefully, trying to understand. “What’s that? The girl who’s got people who care about her? The girl who’s doing great things for others? The girl who’s happy with me?” He tried to take the sharpness out of his voice and failed.
“I like traveling, being free.”
Bullshit. That was a cop-out, and they both knew it. “Maybe it’s time to do something you wouldn’t normally do.” He dropped his mouth to hers, knowing this wouldn’t be an easy decision. They had five days together. How could he even dare ask her to uproot her life for him? “I know this is hard. I know what I’m asking is a little bit out there.”
Her brows rose. “A little bit?”
He chuckled, brushing his lips across hers. “Okay, a lot a bit,” he whispered against her mouth before leaning way. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want you to go. Your spontaneity has made me realize there is value in that. I want to be ‘out there’ too. With you. I see you. All of you. We got a second chance at this again. I refuse to waste it.” He noted the tightness rising in her expression. “We have tonight, and I’ll enjoy it, but here’s an idea: If you decide to stay, at midnight, meet me under the mistletoe. If you’re not there, then I’ll know tonight is all we’ve got, and I’ll respect that.”
“Just like that?” She looked doubtful.
He gave a firm nod. “Just like that.” Because he wouldn’t be on the list of people who didn’t support and trust her to make her own choices. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.
An hour later, with Darryl handing out another round of gifts, Penelope headed outside. Whoever made this velvet dress wasn’t thinking comfort. She needed cool air in a big bad way. Just out in front of the double doors, she pulled down her long winter jacket over her butt and dropped onto one of the hay bales set outside for decoration that only had a sprinkling of snow covering the top. She slipped her aching feet out of her heels, the brisk wind brushing against her toes. The band belted out a Jason Aldean song back inside, and she heard the crowd cheering. She’d danced, given out gifts, and laughed so damn much, she couldn’t recall every having such a good night when she hadn’t had some liquid happiness to help her along.
The snow fluttered down in big snowflakes from the dark cloudy sky. She held out her hand, and a chilly snowflake landed on her palm before melting away. Tonight was perfect in every which way, but as much as River Rock had been a replacement for a normal Christmas with her family, it wasn’t her mom and dad, and as much as she’d been trying not to think about it, she was wishing they were here too.
It occurred to her that maybe it was time for her to be the better person. She reached for the cell phone that was tucked into the pocket of her elf dress from the costume store. She found her mom’s name in her contacts then dialed the number.
“Hello.”
Penelope cringed at the high-pitched sound of her stepsister’s voice. She was five years younger and didn’t know the meaning of hard work. “Hey, Lizzy, can I talk with my mom?”
The phone dropped on something hard.
A beat later, there was shuffling on the line, then Mom said, “Hi, Penelope, how are things?”
“Good,” Penelope said, shifting back against the hay bale until her aching feet were dangling. “I’m in River—”
“Yes, Eric,” Mom said. “Yes, that one. Sorry, what was that, Penelope?”
“I’m in—”
“I’ll be the hat, Brandon,” Mom interjected. “Sorry, Penelope, we’re playing Monopoly. Things are good, then?”
Penelope’s chest squeezed. All the things she’d hope to say, wanted to say, suddenly faded away. “Yeah, things are good. Just calling to say Merry Christmas.”
Don’t hang up. Say something. “Same to you, Penelope.” A pause. “Best I go now, everyone is ready to play and they’re waiting for me.”
“Bye.” Penelope forced her voice through her tight throat.
“By—” The line went dead before she could even finish.
Penelope dropped her head, staring down at her cell phone. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, keeping it together, her breath a thick fog in front of her. Okay, so that sucked. Maybe her mom was just busy. That did happen. Penelope gave her head a little shake, blowing off the sting of rejection. She could handle this. Darryl was a total put-together guy that didn’t seem to let his deadbeat dad shake his confidence. She found her father’s contact information then hit dial.
He answered on the third ring. “Penelope, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said, putting as much Christmas cheer into her voice that she could possibly find. “I’m calling to wish you a Merry Christmas.”
“Oh, Merry Christmas to you too.” He hesitated, clearing his throat. “The accountant called and said you spent some money. Did you buy yourself an early Christmas gift?”
