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“Oh,” she says brightly. She runs back to the door and brings back a basket. “I was at Harmony’s, bitching about her lack of blind-date setups, and she asked if I would bring this to you. I was coming this way, and her ankles are swollen, so she’s taking it easy. It’s a welcome-to-the-club gift basket.” She sets it down in front of me. “There are all types of food. She must have known you would want to test out your taste buds.”
“That was so thoughtful,” I say, truly pleased.
“Now, if she would give me a basket full of men,” she grumbles.
“It will happen when the time is right,” I assure her.
“I don’t want to wait anymore. I had a date with a man the other night. He went on and on about his ex. He seriously whined about her being too independent. Obviously, he didn’t know anything about me.” She snorts and points to herself. “The queen of independence. After listening to him for an hour, he made me pay the bill. He made some excuse about losing his wallet. Can you believe that? I have no problem paying for myself. If I have to pay for a man, I better at least get an orgasm out of the deal, but I wouldn’t let him touch me. He tried, too—asshole.”
“What the fuck is wrong with humans?” Bash asks, disgusted.
“So much,” she says, shaking her head sadly.
“I wish I could help, but I don’t have any friends outside of the group,” I say regretfully.
“That’s okay; it’s the thought that counts. Except for Harmony, she promised,” she says gravely.
“You’ll have your story one day. I know it,” I say, squeezing her arm.
“I hope so. I might go broke from buying batteries,” she says, sighing. I nod in understanding.
This time Bash chokes, and we both look at him. “Wrong pipe.” He motions to his throat.
“So how do you feel?” Penny asks.
“Different, but the same.” I frown. “It’s hard to concentrate. I can hear everything, smell everything, and want everything at the same time.”
“I heard about the kidnapping. I’m so sorry. I know what you must have been going through,” she says softly.
Penny was kidnapped months ago. She can relate. “It seems like such a long time ago. Is that normal?” I ask Bash.
“It is. Your emotions can detach from trauma. Your mind controls the things that are hard to think about, instead of pushing you to think about the here and now,” he confirms.
“What happened to Sammy?” I ask.
“I have him. I was in the middle of torturing him when you woke up,” he says simply.
“He’s still alive?” I ask.
“Yes, River is with him.”
“Huh, I don’t know how I feel about that,” I muse.
“He freaked out when I threatened to leave him for you,” he says.
“Do I have time to decide?” I ask.
“Yes.”
I nod and turn back to Penny, who is watching our interaction. “Thanks for the concern. If something comes up, can I call you?”
“Of course,” she says. She reaches for her phone. “Tell me your number.”
I tell her and then ask, “Are you okay now?”
She gets quiet. “Better, but it never goes away, at least for me.” She pushes her cup around. “One day, you think you’re over it, and then bam, something sets off a memory. I’m not the same because of it.” She gets a faraway look in her eyes. “I remember things every day that I blocked from my memories.” She snaps back to the present. “I think Harmony sent me for a reason.” She smiles.
“Sneaky.” I smile.
