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She scooped out another bowlful and handed it to Penny, who followed Jasper to the living room.
Penny had remained after Aunt Berta left, something Jess was grateful for. She wasn’t ready to be alone yet, and while Jasper was there, he was still quiet. No doubt her son was feeling the same heavy sadness as she.
Having Penny there to entertain him, distract him, was a gift because Jess couldn’t summon any semblance of fake happiness right now.
She’d had to call Matt Russo earlier in the afternoon to quit her cleaning job. Without someone to watch him at night, she couldn’t figure out a way to make it work. The hours were too late for her to take him along, and she refused to ask Aunt Berta to do anything more than she was doing—which in Jess’s mind, was already too much.
So she would have to ask Paulie for more shifts until she could find another job to help her cover the rent. But that problem would have to be solved tomorrow. She was completely out of steam tonight.
“Sorry this isn’t exactly a great dinner,” Jess said, joining them in the living room, attempting to make conversation with Penny. Since returning from the guys’ place, Jess had been too lost in her own head to be very good company.
Not that Penny seemed to mind. She and Jasper were sitting together on pillows on the floor—a couch was one of the first things Jess was going to have to save up for—chowing down on their bowls of mac and cheese, their heads touching as they played some game on Penny’s phone.
“You’re joking, right?” Penny said, looking up. “This is my favorite dinner. Seriously. I eat it once or twice a week myself. Easy to make—not a lot of standing—and if I can restrain myself from polishing it off in one sitting, it’s good leftover for lunch the next day.”
Jess grinned in amusement. Rhys’s sister was truly funny.
Penny’s outfit today was even more outrageous than the one she’d worn the day Jess first met her. She was in bib overalls, with a tatty orange sweater beneath. Her blonde hair was pinned up in a messy bun, and once again, she wore no makeup and the oversized glasses.
“Did you wear that to work?” Jess asked. “Or did you go home to change before picking up Jasper?”
Penny glanced down at her clothing. “Why? What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“Nothing. I was just wondering…don’t you have to dress up for work?” Jess asked, attempting damage control when it appeared she’d inadvertently hurt her friend’s feelings.
“Oh.” Penny waved her hand. “No. I sit in a back room, surrounded by computers, plotting world domination and all that. No one cares what I wear. Hell, no one sees me at all. It’s like I’m invisible.”
Jess didn’t miss the hint of sadness in Penny’s voice and wondered if that was why she felt so close to Rhys’s sister. Penny seemed like a lonely, lost soul too.
“I’m sure that’s not true. You’re hard not to notice,” Jess said with a smile. “With your quirky, fun fashion style and gorgeous blonde hair.”
Penny reached up to touch her hair. “You think my hair is gorgeous?”
Jess nodded. “Sure. Do you ever wear it down?”
Penny shook her head. “Not really. I’m afraid I’m not very good at styling it.”
“I could show you some tricks sometime if you’d like.” Jess and Danielle always used to try new hair and makeup techniques. She’d missed having a girl to hang out and to do girlie things with.
“That would be awesome,” Penny said enthusiastically. “How about this weekend?”
Before Jess could reply, they were both startled by a loud knock on the door.
After two months of feeling safe and secure, Jess was forced to acknowledge it was going to take her some time to get used to being on “night guard duty” again. Until she got accustomed to the neighborhood, she was destined to spend more than a few sleepless nights, stressing out over every bump, creak, and car door slamming.
“Jess, open the door.”
Tony.
Dammit.
She’d hoped to have more time before having to face him and Rhys. She’d taken the coward’s way out, leaving a note behind, but shehadwaited for them. Even so, she should have expected they wouldn’t accept it well.
She walked over to open the door. Her eyes widened when she discovered not just Tony on the threshold but Rhys and Aunt Berta as well.
For the first time since discovering they had a new home, Jasper bounded up excitedly, rushing into Tony’s arms. “We got a new house,” he said. “Do you all wanna come live with us? I have my own room. I can share it.”
Tony grinned. “That’s a nice offer. Tempting too.”
