I wrap an arm protectively over Penny’s chest from behind and pull her close, landing a kiss on the top of her head. “We appreciate it, Linda.”
As soon as we’re alone again, Penny whirls around, ducking under my arm, pink lips hanging open.
“Did you hit your head last night?” she hisses at me.
I grin. “Come on, Pen, you’re telling me you don’t like a little role play?”
She nudges my shoulder hard. “Yeah, sexy role play, like a sluttylibrarian. Not mom and dad,” she replies, and my body clenches in all the wrong places.
“Noted.” I wink at her.
She smirks. “Well, jokes on you,sweetheart, because you’re going to spend your Monday night building that crib for me.”
I shrug, unbothered. “Cool, I had nowhere else to be.”
25
Penny
NOW
My stomach growls loudly as we exit the drugstore I dragged Jesse into after the baby store. Even after that little scene in Sunshine Baby, he’s still sticking close, seemingly happy to go where I go.
It’s weirdly comforting in ways I’m not yet ready to unpack.
“I’m kind of hungry…” I have my eyes on a café straight ahead, already imagining the warmth inside.
“I never say no to eating,” Jesse says, easy as anything. My mind goes straight to the gutter, and I clear my throat fast.
“Good, let’s grab lunch over there, then I’ll take you back to your bike.”
Inside, the café is toasty and almost romantic, a soft amber glow spilling from Edison bulbs strung along the ceiling. The scent of cinnamon and roasted espresso clings to the air, and people are packed in tight, bundled in winter coats, their conversations overlapping in a low, holiday buzz.
We order at the counter before finding a small table near the front, one of those half-table, half-booth situations. Jesse pushes in my chair as a server sets our plates down quietly, and I wait for my nervous system to go into fight mode because this is toonormal, but it doesn’t.
Our food is brought to the table quickly, and as I take a bite of the crusty, delicious sandwich, Jesse leans back in his chair like thisis the most natural thing in the world—like we are old friends who do casual lunch all the time.
“So, tell me about your life in Raleigh.” His voice is low and steady, but it still jars me every time I hear it.
I take another bite of my sandwich, buying time. “What do you want to know?”
“You like living there on your own?” he asks, eyes intensely focused on me. “I found LA to be isolating.”
“Yeah, I enjoy it.” I tuck my hair behind my ear. “I bought my condo two years ago, and my best friend, Audrey, lives nearby. It’s home.” I fidget with the paper wrapper from the straw.
“Is that why you want Fia to move with you?”
“She told you that?” I ask, my heart racing. Fia reallydoestrust him.
“She did,” is all he says.
“I just don’t want her to be trapped here. I want Fia to get everything she wants, a career, a family, her youth.” I set down my sandwich, a lump creeping up my throat. “I don’t want to leave her here to drown.”
“You know I’m not going to up and leave her hanging, right? I care about her, too.”
I lock eyes with him. “You don’t know what’s going to happen. You could…meet someone and leave. It’s normal. People do that.” The words feel horrible coming out of my mouth. But I have to consider the truth—a guy like Jesse isn’t going to stay single for long.
Jesse stares at me pensively, letting out a humorless chuckle. “I’m not interested inmeeting someone.”
