Carson for making her feel like nothing, Finn for losing interest, and even Bonnie for not thinking she was good enough. Damn it, she was good enough.
At most, Penelope was known to put on a light pink lip gloss and a touch of eye shadow. This dress, however, called for something different. Pulling out her toiletries bag, she rifled through it until she found what she was looking for. The tube of red lipstick she’d purchased but had never felt brave enough to wear and mascara that promised to make her eyelashes “to die for.” She would show all of them.
Of course, in the end, the red was too bright, and she dampened it with a layer of the pink lip gloss. There was making a point, and then there was looking like a clown.
For once, it was Bonnie waiting for her as she hurried down the stairs, instead of the other way around. The cardigan she’d decided on was short, tight, and black as well. She’d also chosen a reliable pair of heels that she knew looked good but were comfortable enough to walk in. She was well aware of Bonnie giving her the once over, her eyes widening, but didn’t give her a chance to comment.
“All right then, let’s go.”
As soon as Bonnie linked arms with her, practically giggling in her ear, she felt herself relax, her anger subsiding. Maybe Bonnie didn’t think she was good enough for Carson, but she was still her best friend. After seeing her disappear into a shadow of herself for far too long, she knew better than to ruin the night.
They’d been walking for at least fifteen minutes with no sign of Bonnie hailing a cab when it finally occurred to Penny where they were going.
“Uh, Bonnie. Which bar is Finn playing at?” she asked nervously.
“You know the one. Just up the… oh.”
“Yeah.” Penny’s steps slowed as if that could prevent the inevitable from happening.
“Haven’t you seen him since your date?”
Penny shook her head, looking guilty.
“I guess I just assumed…. Or, I guess I didn’t really think about it.”
“I fell asleep on our date. And then we went away. And I never… not that he ever… and then I….” Her sentence continued in her head… fell for Finn.
“That could definitely make this awkward,” Bonnie agreed unhelpfully. “Do you want to skip it? We could always see him another night somewhere else. But he is expecting us.”
The idea of letting Finn down, even as a friend, was not appealing. “No. No. I can do this.” She steeled herself mentally. You can do hard things, the mantra they told their elementary kids daily played in her head. For the first time, she sympathized with how annoying it could sound. “Just maybe stick close to me, though.”
Bonnie laughed. “You’re a big girl, Pen. You can handle this all on your own. Either tell him you’re interested. Or tell him you’re not.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
“It is.”
Penny vehemently disagreed but was grateful Bonnie didn’t push her to answer the question.
By the time they arrived at the bar, Finn was already setting up, and the place was getting busy. Looking around, Penny noticed a distinct lack of menus or anything suggesting there was food service.
“I thought we were going to grab dinner?” Penny asked.
“We were. Don’t they…?” Bonnie looked around, now noticing what Penny had already realized. “Shit, I thought theywould at least do toasties. I had a bite not too long ago. I’ll live. Will you be okay?”
Swallowing down an annoyed, not really. She grimaced a smile and said, “Sure.”
“They have peanuts and Taytos.” Bonnie pointed to a small display of snacks behind the bar. “We’ll get some of those.”
“Right.” Catching sight of Finn for the first time, Penny forgot about the food situation. Her eyes trailed after him as he concentrated on his equipment, all business. His mouth set in a straight line, his body tense, he checked the sound. But his brown hair flopped into his eyes as always, refusing to let him look too serious.
“What are you drinking?” Bonnie asked, interrupting Penny’s thoughts.
“Oh.” Very much aware of her empty stomach, she decided she better ease her way into things. “I’ll just have a soda water for now. I’ll get something else in a bit.”
“Cool. Maybe I will too. Might put Seamus a bit more at ease.”
At the mention of his name, Penny’s head shot up, scanning the place to see if he was around.
