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And now all I can think of is a million other ways I’d love to hear her say that, but I force my brain to push those dirty thoughts aside as I turn and wave an arm around the room.
“It looks amazing all lit up like this, but I think you can get some great shots from outside too.”
“Okay, sounds good. The sun’s about to set. You wanna go out and watch it and then I’ll take some photos?”
“Sure.” I lift my glass and finish off the rest of the cider, more for courage than anything else. I don’t know what the hell is going on with me anymore, but the more time I spend with Penny, the more my head’s a mess. The problem is, I don’t want tonotspend time with her. I like hanging out with her and I like this thing we have going with the bees too.
And even though I know I’ve also got this thing going online with Wine Queen and there is a part of me that kind of feels like I can’t have dirty thoughts about both women, I still can’t find a way to choose between the two of them.
I think a part of me knows, the Penny thing is never going to happen, so what’s the harm in hanging out with her at work and flirting with Wine Queen at night? It’s not like the two of them even know about each other, nor will they ever meet.
We head out to the patio area Jack has set up, the night still warm enough that we don’t need the heat of the fire pit. This side of the tasting room faces west, the whole building perched on the side of a small hill that looks over Somerville’s and offers amazing views of the sunset.
“Wow, this is beautiful,” Penny says as she holds up her camera and snaps a couple of shots.
I take a seat in one of the deck chairs, not saying anything as I watch her move around and snap the sunset from different positions. Just as the sun is dipping below the horizon, she turns, quickly taking a picture of me sitting in the chair.
“What was that for?” I ask.
Penny smiles, coming to sit in the chair beside mine. “Posterity.”
I let out a low chuckle. “Posterity, jesus, you make me sound old.”
“What?” she asks, glancing over, a smile on her face. “You’ve been here forever, Tommy. It’s important to acknowledge that.”
“Forever,” I mutter, once again reminded of just how much older I am. “You think you’ll stick around for much longer?”
Penny’s gaze snaps to mine. “Why? You trying to get rid of me?”
“No,” I say a little too quickly. “I just…I dunno, I guess I just assumed you’d get bored of this place after a while. It’s a little quiet for someone your age, isn’t it?”
Penny narrows her brows, her eyes never leaving mine. “I’m not bored,” she says, her words firm. “I love it here, always have.”
“Yeah but—”
“Not everyone is interested in partying or the big city or whatever,” she says, cutting me off. “And yeah, sure I’d like to travel and stuff, but I consider this place my home.”
She turns away now, her gaze moving back to the darkened horizon. I take advantage of the darkness to keep my eyes on her, watching as she watches the night sky, wondering if she really means that.
“Okay,” she suddenly says, standing. “Let’s take a look at this place at night.”
I push up from my chair. “Come back here,” I say, my hand on her elbow, her skin warm beneath my touch. “You need to get some distance so you can see it all.”
I guide her to the end of the patio and beyond, until we are out of the lit area and plunged into the darkness. I tighten my hand on her arm in case she trips as we both slowly make our way out onto the grassed area.
“Okay, here is good,” I say, dropping my hand. “Turn around.”
I watch as she slowly turns, my eyes on her as she now faces the tasting room. Even though it’s dark, I still see her eyes widen, her mouth falls open a little as she takes in the rustic building and full length windows, all lit up on the inside from the tiny lights of the huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
“Holy shit,” she breathes out. “It’s beautiful.”
And as I stand beside her, my eyes still locked on her, I can’t help but think yeah, she really fucking is. I don’t move, just watch as she quietly takes some pictures, seemingly mesmerized by the sight in front of her.
Over the past few weeks, things have definitely changed between the two of us as we’ve spent more and more time together, looking after our bees and chatting about them. The damn girl even got me hooked on some cheesy ass nineties drama after she explained to me why we were calling it the Melrose Hive.
And as much as I know the chances of anything happening between us are basically zero, fuck all actually, I can’t deny how much I look forward to hanging out with her or how I am constantly trying to find reasons to text her. Sometimes I even find myself texting her when I probably should be messaging Wine Queen. The safer option.
“Tommy?”
