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I release Penny and grab his collar before her mother overbalances. "Down boy." He instantly plants his butt on the floor and pants up at me.
"You’ve been such a good boy; you deserve your treat." I pull out the packet of doggy treats I’ve taken to carrying around and toss him one of the biscuits. He flicks out his tongue, snatches it out of the air, then looks at me with pleading eyes.
I laugh. "One more, but that’s the last one, okay boy?"
Tiny woofs, then snaps up the next biscuit and pants up at me.
"No more for you," I say in a warning voice. He whines and drops his head, and a melting sensation squeezes my chest. I close the distance to him and rub him behind his ears. "Who’s a good boy? You’re a good boy, is who." Tiny bumps his head against me. I scratch it, and he purrs. Honest to god, this dog sometimes behaves like he’s a cat. "You’ll have dinner soon enough, okay?" I step back, then turn to find Penny staring at me.
"What?"
Her lips twitch, then she shakes her head. "Nothing."
"You lying, hmm?"
She flushes. "I was thinking how much you’ve changed since I first met you."
"Funny how the love of a good woman can do that."
Her flush deepens. She looks around, then back at me. "Uh, it’s getting late."
"Eric, there you are." Michelle tugs on my sleeve. "What took you so long? You’re late for dinner. We need to get back to the house before Penny returns from her friend’s house."
I frown.
"Eric, didn’t you hear me. Let’s head back home."
"She thinks you’re my father," Penny murmurs.
"Ah." I hook Michelle’s arm through mine. "You’re right, time we headed back."
* * *
"Thank you," Penny says in a soft voice as I drive her back home. I gave Rudy the day off. He deserves some time with his grandkids. Funny how I never thought about that before today. That’s how much she’s changing me. Bit by bit, she’s transforming me. No one has had such a profound impact on my life, not even my parents. My father was solely focused on his business, and my mother, while she made sure we were cared for, wasn’t the most open emotionally. It’s why Abby and I turned to each other. And I haven't spent as much time as I should with her since my return. I’ve shirked my duties as a brother.
And as a husband?I can no longer fool myself into thinking our relationship is fake. It might have started out as an arrangement, but it’s become so much more.So, tell her that. Why can’t I tell her how I feel about her? Why can’t I tell her about the other thing I’ve hidden from her? Will she judge me for it?It's the one thing I haven’t dared tell any of my friends so far.
"Today was a good day for her, thanks to you." Penny turns to me. "It wouldn’t have been possible without you. Thank you for playing along with her illusions."
"I know all about illusions," I murmur.
She gives me a strange look. "Sometimes you say the weirdest things. And I don’t know if you mean it in jest or not."
I focus on the road, not sure what to tell her. I don’t want to lie to her anymore, but sharing more with her—Am I ready for it?It would make me vulnerable to her in a way I’ve never been with anyone else. She continues to stare at me, no doubt, expecting a reply. My throat closes, my skin prickles, and I grip the steering wheel with such force, the skin of my knuckles turns white. The tension in the car thickens.
She opens her mouth to say something, but that’s when Tiny chooses to bark from his doggy seat that I’ve fitted into the back. He paws at the window, then presses his nose into it. She turns to see what’s gotten his attention and laughs. "Oh, so cute, Tiny’s found himself a girlfriend."
"A girlfriend huh?" I ease the car to a stop at a red-light, then glance over my shoulder. Sure enough, the boy’s staring through the window at a poodle. The little dog is strapped into a doggy seat in the adjacent car. She has a bow clipped behind her ear and must be less than one-quarter of Tiny’s size. She looks at him, then haughty as can be, looks straight ahead.
Tiny barks and places his paw against the window. The light changes. The car drives off, and Tiny whines.
"Aww, poor baby, did she blank you, huh?" Penny laughs.
"Better get used to it, boy. You have a lifetime of groveling and giving in to female demands ahead of you."
I take my foot off the brake and guide the car forward. We ride in silence for a few minutes, then she asks, "Is that how you see it moving forward? You giving in to my demands?"
"When needed," I agree.
