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ChapterTwenty
“Ineed advice. Romantic advice.”
Gage was amused by the reactions of the three men sitting with him at Chives. Toby and Rich looked flabbergasted by the request, while Conor grinned widely.
Toby practically vibrated with shock. “You want help? Fromus? Aboutdating?”
“Made your decision, have you?” Conor asked, chuckling at Toby and Rich’s identical open-mouthed expression.
Rich looked from Conor to Gage. “Decision? About what?”
“There’s this woman,” Gage started. “I’m in love with her.”
“Really?” Toby squeaked. “You? In love? Wow! Never thought I’d see the day.”
“Why not?” Gage asked.
“Because you’ve always said no woman was going to tie you down. That you liked variety. That marriage was the equivalent of eating the same thing for dinner every night for the rest of your life.”
Gage vaguely recalled making that joke, but it had to have been two or three years ago. Penny had made the comment that Toby and Rich tended to hang on his every word. Damn if this didn’t prove it.
“I changed my mind,” Gage admitted.
“Does the woman love you too?” Rich asked.
“Of course she does,” Toby replied, as if it would be impossible for any woman not to fall madly in love with Gage.
He chuckled. Penny had never said the words, but she’d shown him her feelings in so many other ways. “Yeah. I’m pretty sure she does—or did. I screwed things up.”
Conor snorted. “Come on, bro. Stop stringing them on. Give themallthe facts, or you’re never going to get the right answers from them.”
Rich frowned. “What facts?”
Gage sighed. “It’s Penny.”
“Penny?!” Toby exclaimed. “OurPenny?”
Gage nodded, then, because he’d made his damn mind up and he wasn’t backing away from what he wanted, he said, “MyPenny.”
“I guess that explains why she’s been dressing like a girl lately,” Rich murmured, even as he shook his head in amazement. “Wow. Penny and Gage,” he said, putting the two names together as if trying them out.
“When did this happen?” Toby asked.
“About a month ago.”
“Gage got a little too close to the fire and backed away,” Conor explained, mercifully keeping it simple.
Toby scowled. “Did you hurt her? Is that why she’s been so quiet this week?”
Gage had expected Toby’s outrage on Penny’s behalf, and despite the fact it was directed at him, he was delighted to see it. Penny had called him out over hurting her two friends, and now Toby was ready to lay down the same gauntlet. Toby and Rich were solid, and he was glad Penny had guys like them in her court.
“I fucked up. That’s why I asked you guys out today.” That wasn’t entirely true. When he’d asked his brother if he could invite Toby and Rich yesterday, his intent had been slightly different. He’d wanted to subtly find out how Penny was doing. However, after last night’s discovery in the cookbook, his need for his friends’ help had changed. “You’re close to her. How do I fix this?”
“How bad did you screw up?” Toby asked.
Gage wasn’t sure how to answer that. He’d avoided Penny like the plague this week. “You said she’s been quiet?”
Rich nodded. “Yeah. She bailed on D&D night, and she stopped playingDestiny 2with us. Keeps saying she’s too tired or too busy.”
