AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I blink, my eyes focusing on Penny who’s standing staring at me. “Yeah?”
“You ready to go?” she asks, jerking a thumb behind her.
“Ah sure, yeah…um, let me just lock up here.”
Penny nods as we head inside to turn off the lights and lock the place up. I have no idea where Jack has gone, but I’m sure his little disappearing act was a not so subtle attempt to give Pen and me some privacy.
“How’d you get up here?” I ask, as we walk outside and toward my truck.
Penny shrugs. “I walked.” She moves away from me, holding a hand up in a wave. “Night, Tommy. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Wait, Pen, you can’t walk back in the dark.”
I hear her footsteps get closer, see the smile on her face as she steps into the small pool of light cast by the security lights outside. “You worried about me, Tommy?” she teases.
I smirk at her, leaning my elbow on the roof of the car. “You okay with wandering around with bears and cougars and shit?”
Penny swallows, her smile faltering briefly and making me laugh.
“Get in, Pen, I’ll drive you back.”
She walks over, opening the passenger door and climbing in. I do the same, but the second our doors are shut and we’re enclosed in the small, dark space of my truck, I’m surrounded by nothing but her.
Her scent, which is a mix between citrus and something sweet. The warmth of her body as she sits next to me and the knowledge that we are alone up here, in the dark.
“Thanks,” she says, the click of her seat belt bringing me back to the present.
“No problem,” I mumble, hitting the ignition. Almost immediately, Creedence Clearwater Revival blasts from the stereo and I fumble to turn it down. Penny’s laughter fills the car when I do.
“I love these guys,” she says, reaching to turn it back up a little.
“You know them?” I ask, glancing across at her.
She rolls her eyes at me. “Yes, I know them,” she says. “My dad loved them. I grew up listening to them,” she replies as she quietly starts to sing along.
I exhale, my eyes closing briefly as I reverse out of the parking space and head down the long driveway back to Somerville’s, wishing Penny could just be five years older or something.
Anything to make all this shit I’m suddenly thinking about her okay.
Chapter Thirteen
Penny
I’m sitting at a round table in the barn where our larger weddings are held with papers and pictures scattered all around. The table is cluttered with what looks like a total disaster, but in reality, everything is coming along smoothly. Lauren, Ellen and I are working on the final plans for the grand opening celebration for Apple Jacks and putting together the invitation list and finalizing the arrangements for the tasting giveaway we have planned.
“I have the food trucks scheduled for eight o’clock with the tasting room opening at seven. This should give people time to get some drinks, walk around and then grab some food,” Lauren says, checking a few things off our list. “How are things coming with reviewers?” She looks at Ellen who is manically typing on her laptop.
“Good, good,” Ellen responds. “I’m just finalizing something big,” she says with wide eyes and a hopeful smile.
“Care to share?” Lauren prompts, leaning over to try to get a look at the screen on her computer, but Ellen slams it shut.
“Take it down a notch, Nosy Rosy. You’re as bad as the kids. What if I were talking dirty to Will via email and you saw it instead?”
“Is that what you were doing? Oh my god, Ellen, we’re in the middle of a meeting! If you were having online sexy times with Will, I’ll puke right here,” Lauren jokes, making a gagging noise as she leans over the side of her chair.
I feel my cheeks warm up, flushing a little pink, I’m sure, as I think about the conversations I’ve been having with C. Grizwold at night. They’re nothing short of steamy and I would be totally fucking mortified if anyone ever saw them.
“No, Lauren, I wasn’t having sex online with Will.” She rolls her eyes, shaking her head as she opens her computer back up and slides it across the table to Lauren.
