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"Hello?" I answer, standing a little taller and trying to see where Penny disappeared to.
"As far as I can tell, the old grudges of the past are still present, aren't they?" Grayson sounds exhausted. I know that our arguing has always bothered him, but it’s one of those things that is unavoidable in life.
One way or another, Grayson has always tried to get Penny and I to get along, but that has been a monumental and impossible task. He has limited himself to protecting his younger sister mercilessly after that, treating her as the treasure of unquestionable value he believes her to be.
I grimace and tuck my hand into my pocket. I step away from the people I’m with, weaving through the crowd in the general direction Penny disappeared in.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I say though I know Grayson won’t believe me.
"Come on, don't lie. I heard Penny's rants. Did you know she was going to be at fashion week?"
"Of course I knew," I say like it should have been obvious. "I'm the primary organizer, remember? The entire list of designers and models to be featured on the runway goes through my approval first, before they are even contacted."
I learned of Penny’s potential involvement weeks before, when the list of designers and models who would be participating in the event had reached my hands. I was happy to see Penelope Gould’s name among them. Her talent is something that several different designers are talking about and I’ve seen if for myself. I knew she would be the perfect addition.
In a way, I hated myself for my behavior from the past. Penny had wanted to be a model, but she made the mistake of saying so in front of me. At the time, all I knew how to do was make fun of her. I told her that she was too short to compare herself to the tall, perfect models on the European and American runways, and that she had better stop fantasizing.
That comment had apparently hurt her much more than I thought it would. Some time later, Grayson had told me that Penny had changed her plans, and that she was studying to be a high-fashion designer.
In a way, it bothers me that a comment of mine could have had such an impact on her, that something I may have said once could have hurt her so much, but I never had the chance to apologize. Still, I’m not the same boy I had been anymore. I hope it will be enough.
"You could have told me!" Grayson is clearly irritated that I didn’t tell him about his sister.
"I thought she'd tell you herself," I say with no emotion in my voice.
"Anyway, you know I'm stuck in L.A., and I was wondering if—"
"No," I cut him off before he can finish his sentence. I pause for a moment to evaluate the fabrics to be used as chair covers at the event. "Before you even hint at it, Grayson, I refuse to be Penny's babysitter."
"Come on. It's her first solo trip. You know Mom never lets her go anywhere alone.”
"So what?" I motion for a staff member to get rid of the hideous satin black fabric. “Penny is twenty-six; she knows how to take care of herself."
"Parker, you owe me," Grayson says, reminding me of his unwillingness to forget the way I treated his sister.
Unable to help myself, I click my tongue in frustration. "Shit, Gray, I don't have time for this. My assistant is on bed rest because she's giving birth in a few weeks, so I have to take care of everything personally. I can't just blow off the event to follow your sister all over the big city."
"Then don't," Grayson says, in his usual calm and measured tone. "I'm just asking you to look out for her. Keep an eye on her, on my behalf."
Sighing, I run my fingers through my thick, wavy black hair. There is no way that he is going to drop this.
And I do owe him one.
"Fine," I say, relenting at last. "I'll take care of her, but don't be surprised if she blows me off. Let’s just say she's not too happy to see me."
Grayson bursts out laughing. "And who would be if they were in her position? You guys used to fight and chase each other like you were playing a game of cat and mouse, but now you're mature enough, I hope, to move on."
"Don't get your hopes up." A grimace tugs at my lips.
Grayson’s jovial laughter on the other end of the line forces a quiet chuckle out of me. He knew that I would do as he asked. I’ll protect Penny, even if she blows me off.
Glancing around as I turn, I catch another glimpse of Penny in the distance. Her slender body rises as she stands on her tiptoes to grab a roll of cloth just beyond her reach. My gaze trails along the curves of her body, from her breasts down to her butt.
She sure isn’t a little girl anymore.
Her white shirt lifts, just a little above her tight pants, revealing a perfect little slice of bare skin that I picture trailing my fingers along.
I stare at Grayson’s sister for a little too long. Grayson would kill me if he knew that I was staring at Penny like she was mine for the taking.
