“It was always going to come to this,” Finn said reassuringly, his voice calm and comforting. “She couldn’t just pretend nothing had happened, even though she was trying. This was always going to hit her harder than she was letting on. It’s probably better that it happened now instead of later. Are you at the house?”
“No. I left to call you. Well, and to get her scones from that cafe she likes. Not that she even wants them. She only wanted me to stop bugging her, so she finally said yes when I asked for like the millionth time.”
“Right,” he cut through her rambling, focusing on action. “I know the one. I can meet you there in about twenty minutes. Let’s talk this through before we head back.”
“You’ll come back with me?” She could hear the desperation in her voice.
“Of course, I will. I’m hardly going to leave you to deal with this on your own.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Finn. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” It scared her how much she really meant those words.
“Twenty minutes,” he repeated. “I’m on my way.”
She felt the tension in her shoulders ease, even as a new form of discomfort grew in the pit of her stomach. Finn was going to help. Regardless of how he might or might not feel about her, she didn’t have to fix this on her own. It was going to be okay.
The sun continued to beat down, giving off a warmth she hadn’t experienced since arriving. Unable to sit still, she decided to wander a bit. Penelope had lost track of the days of the week, having no schedule to follow and no specific place she had to be. The number of families and people mingling around the place indicated it was probably a Saturday, though. The normalcy of it felt weird. She’d run in this area enough times now to know her way around. As long as she stayed quiet, no one here knew she was an American. She didn’t feel like she stood out as a tourist. Much to her surprise, she felt comfortable.
She’d gotten used to the accent and didn’t have such a hard time understanding people anymore. She felt like she was picking up on the rhythm and flow of things here. People were more laid back than at home. No one took themselves tooseriously. That was something new, something she felt she could learn from.
She’d retreated to her small town after college for the safety and security of it. For the predictability. But she was learning that maybe she didn’t need that as desperately as she thought. Perhaps she could be okay somewhere else.
Her meandering walk brought her back to the café just in time to see Finn getting out of his car, a harried look on his face as he swung his head back and forth, looking for her. He pushed his hair up off his forehead with a gesture that was becoming familiar.
She paused, watching him, aware of the way her heart rate shifted. It still hurt that he hadn’t called. She reminded herself that she also hadn’t called him. So, it wasn’t exactly fair to hold that entirely against him. Still, it was unusual that he hadn’t stopped by. She didn’t have long to ponder, though. He’d finally spotted her.
They moved towards each other with the same urgency, coming to a sudden halt just a foot apart. For a moment, it seemed like he might reach out to her and pull her into his arms, which she wanted more than anything. But he didn’t. His expression darkened, his lips drawing down, and his sea-green eyes clouding over.
“So, she’s bad, huh?”
Penelope nodded, reminding herself why they were here.
“Come on, let’s get a coffee. You can fill me in before we head back.”
As much as she wanted to reach out to him, hold his hand, touch his face, feel the soft pressure of his lips against hers, just having him there helped. He spoke calmly. He was concerned, but far from the panic she had felt earlier.
“I don’t know,” he said, after she’d explained everything again. “But I still think maybe she needs this time. Obviously,not for too long. But she deserves time to mourn what she’s lost. That’s what it sounds like she’s doing.”
Penelope didn’t like the finality of those words. Part of her still held onto hope that Felix would reach out to Bonnie—that he still loved her and could fix this.
“But she’s not eating. And that’s not healthy,” Penelope insisted.
She felt it when his eyes sharpened, giving her a quick up and down. “Doesn’t look like you’re eating much either.”
She waved that away. “I’ve just been out running more. I guess my appetite isn’t the same when my best friend is slowly shriveling into nothingness.”
“Have you been out at all this week?”
This really didn’t seem relevant, but the way he asked made her feel defensive. “I was out exploring some cafes and bookstores earlier in the week. But as Bonnie got worse, I really didn’t want to leave her.”
He nodded, and she wondered if he could hear the guilt in her voice. She wanted to come clean about her previous behavior. To do that, though, she’d have to delve into her feelings for him, and she wasn’t ready for that.
“Right. Let’s get the scones and head back. I suppose I need to see her for myself.”
Bonnie, unsurprisingly, was in the same spot Penny had left her in. She lifted her head in mild interest when they walked in together. Penny wondered for a moment if she would be upset that she’d called Finn. Her friend’s answer was evident when her gaze dropped back to the computer screen without comment.
“Hey, Von, how’s it going?” Finn asked, moving to stand next to her. He reached out as if he might stroke her hair, then seemed to reconsider.
“I’m guessing you know exactly how it’s going, and that’s why you’re here,” she replied drily.
