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I made a mental note to talk with Nikki about it later, since Penny had retreated to the guestroom the night before without saying a word. I knew she was worried that one of these times, we were going to be caught. Damage control wouldn’t be easy on either side of the spectrum. Both Alyssa and Nikki would feel betrayed, and I couldn’t imagine coming back from that kind of disaster.
The sound of footsteps approached from down the hallway. I held my breath as shadows danced in the crack between the door and carpet.
“Dad?”
I let out a pent-up breath at the sound of Alyssa’s voice calling out gently. “What is it, honey?”
“Can I come in for a moment?”
“Of course,” I said, smoothing a hand over my face to get rid of the anxiety playing out there. “Come in. The door is unlocked.”
I forced a smile on my face when Alyssa opened the door to step inside my room. She closed the door behind herself as she approached me.
“I’m going to go out for a little bit to do some shopping,” she said, and caught sight of the look on my face. “And yes, I’m going to see Scott, too. I just wanted to see if you would like to come with me.”
“To meet this Scott?” I asked in shock. “You really want me coming along for this trip?”
“I mean, I’d like you to meet him eventually. He’s a really nice guy. I’d like to get your opinion on him at some point.”
I smiled down at Alyssa, who looked nervous about my answer, but I didn’t like the idea of leaving Penny alone with her mother and Dylan while we were away. They were due to show up at any moment to come chat with her.
“Maybe another time, sweetheart,” I said, wrapping her up into a hug. “I appreciate the offer, though. Penny’s mom is coming by at some point this morning. I don’t want to miss out on that.”
“You mean you don’t like the vibes off of Dylan, either, right?’
“I don’t,” I answered her.
Alyssa looked slightly relieved that I was staying behind to make sure Penny was alright.
“I tried to talk to Penny last night about it,” she said. “I didn’t get much out of her, besides that Dylan sometimes makes her uncomfortable. She’s tried talking to her mom about it, but her mom is in total denial.”
“I’ll make sure nothing happens while they are here.” I held up my hand to do the universal sign of scout’s honor, which brought a smile on my daughter’s face. “Scout’s honor. You can trust me with your friend.”
Can she? Guilt crept over me. I looked away from Alyssa, who nodded. The more I wanted Penny, the more lies spilled from my lips to the one person in the world I never once lied to.
“Thanks, Dad. You’re a good guy. I appreciate you looking after Penny.”
Alyssa left my room. I rubbed at the back of my neck where the muscles were tense and sore. I waited until I heard Alyssa go through the front door before I ventured down the hallway in the direction of the kitchen. I found Penny standing at the kitchen sink. She washed a few coffee mugs in hot, bubbling water.
“Penny,” I said.
She turned around to look at me with her hands still submerged in the bubbly water.
“We need to talk about what keeps happening,” I said, handing her a dish towel to dry her hands with. Penny took the towel and dried her hands before answering. “I don’t know what to say,” she finally said. “I know that we shouldn’t be together, and not because of our age difference or any other bullshit reason like that. Alyssa is the best friend I’ve ever had and I really missed her all those years we were a part. When we met up again at school, I felt like I got a part of myself back. The thought of betraying her makes me absolutely sick to my stomach. But the thought of not being with you is just as bad. You’re all I think about,” she admitted, taking a step toward me.
I let out a breath that I’d been holding. “I know I feel the same way—about all of it. Honestly though, Penny, I think it’s best if we—"
The doorbell chimed, interrupting me. I frowned and glanced at Penny, still wanting to say more to her. But the doorbell was followed quickly by insistent knocking on the front door. I gritted my teeth in aggravation because it seemed that no matter how hard I strived for privacy, it wasn’t going to come easily.
The color drained from Penny’s face, and she reached up to smooth a hand through her tangled blonde locks. Mascara was smudged beneath her eyes in a dark ring. She hadn’t slept well the night before, like me.
“I need to get in the shower,” she said. “Do you mind entertaining them while I shower really quickly?”
She didn’t give me a chance to answer. Penny darted out of the kitchen, hurried down the hallway, and slammed the bathroom door shut behind her. I couldn’t tell if she was really worried about getting cleaned up, or if she was just trying to delay seeing her mother and Dylan. I was left to play the charming host for a while. I wouldn’t have minded at all if it was just Nikki stopping by to catch up. I liked Nikki, and we went way back. It was fucking Dylan who I didn’t want to see. At best, he was a useless gold digger, going after Nikki’s money. At worst, he was a creepy pervert who was just interested in Penny. The thought left me seething inside.
I smoothed out a few wrinkles in my shirt, and I forced a smile on my face, even though I was still annoyed that my conversation with Penny had been cut short. I took a deep breath to calm the irritation bubbling inside of my chest, then, I opened the door to greet Nikki with a charming smile.
“So glad you could come by,” I said. “Please, come in.”
