AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Lauren claps her hands together again, jumping around as though this is the best news she’s ever heard. “I win!” she shouts. “I fucking win the pool!”
I reach out and put a hand on her shoulder, stilling her. “Exactly how much is this pool, Lauren?”
She grins at both of us. “Eight hundred bucks,” she replies, clapping her hands again.
“Eight hundred?” Penny and I say at the same time, before I add, “You guys bet two hundred each that we would hook up?”
“Yep,” Lauren says with a nod. “And there is nothing more satisfying than collecting, especially when it involves beating my older sisterandmy husband.”
“Okay, well technically,” Pen says, holding out a hand as if to stop her, “we did actually hook up before that, even if it wasn’ttechnicallywhen we actually got together.”
“Wait, what?” Lauren asks, her smile disappearing. “No, no, no, don’t say that. That would mean Jack wins.”
I can’t help but laugh at the look of mortification on her face. “Well, technically, Lu,” I say, using the nickname he usually uses, “you shouldn’t have bet on us now, should you?”
“What do you want to keep quiet?” she asks quickly, her tone serious now as she glances between us.
My mouth curves into a smile as I turn to Penny who’s looking up at me, a look on her face that suggests she already knows what I’m thinking. “What do you think, is half a fair cut?”
Lauren makes a little noise, as though she can’t believe she’s on the verge of losing half her winnings.
“Well,” Pen says, an evil smile on her face now. “I’d say at least half, I mean they did—”
“Wait, stop,” Lauren cuts in, her hand on Penny’s arm.
“Yes?” I ask.
Lauren swallows hard. “What if we say, you guys keep all of your mead business and I don’t charge you any expenses for storage or whatever.”
I burst out laughing at her suggestion as Penny says, “Seriously, Lauren, that’s like—”
“We’ll take it,” I agree quickly, holding my hand out to shake on it.
Lauren turns to me, her mouth set in a firm smile as she reaches over and shakes my hand. “Not a word to Jack or Ellen about the timing,” she says, eyes wide as she air-quotes the last word.
“Not a word,” I reply with a wink.
Lauren gives a final nod to both of us before turning on her heel and heading back to the main building.
As we head back to the car, Pen is quiet and when I look down at her, she’s got a look on her face that suggests she’s deep in thought.
“Hey, you okay?” I ask, squeezing her shoulder.
“Yeah, I…” she trails off, looking around the Somerville property before looking up at me. “I can’t believe…”
“They bet on us?” I ask.
“No,” Pen replies, shaking her head. “I can’t believe Lauren gave us the mead business.”
I smile, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “Guess this means we’re in business together.”
Penny wraps her arms around my waist, pulling me closer as she says, “Nope, I think it means you’re stuck with me.”
“Nowhere else I’d rather be, Pen,” I reply, my stomach flipping a little at the implication of our words.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Penny
