Penny's expression softened. “Is that what grocery shopping is supposed to be? Cathartic?”
“I used to think so.” Brett finally found the words he needed for his email and hammered them out before they left his brain. When he finished the few short sentences, he saved the message to drafts. He’d gotten in the habit of giving himself a half hour or so before sending just in case he missed something. When he looked up, Penny was still watching him with her brows pinched together.
“Used to?”
Brett leaned back in his chair. “I haven't been to a grocery store in a few weeks, for obvious reasons. I've been getting my food delivered.”
Penny nodded and twisted the key ring in her hand. She'd done that earlier when she was sitting at the stool. He’d noticed then that her fingers were slender, and she had nails that were painted a pale beige. He liked them. Not too long. Simple. The color looked good against her olive skin. He wondered what they’d look like against his.
Brett coughed and reached for his water bottle. “Good luck.” He took a sip and was about to set the bottle back on the table when Penny spoke up.
“Do you want to come?”
Brett hesitated, then set the water down. “To the grocery store?”
“No, on this road trip I was thinking of taking. Thought I’d leave right now.”
Brett quirked an eyebrow. “Ah. You're a smartass.”
Penny grinned, all the frustration seeming to seep out of her for a moment.
Brett's insides fizzed as he closed his laptop. “Yeah. It would be good to get out of the house.”
“You're okay taking a break right now? I can wait if—”
“No, now's fine.”
Brett pushed up from the table and grabbed his crutch then hobbled to the front door. He positioned himself to reach for his shoes, which he would then have to take back to the table to sit and put on, but Penny stopped him.
“Here, I can help you.” She crouched down and pulled his shoes in front of his feet then wrapped her hand under his right foot and guided it toward the shoe. Electricity shot up from his ankle where the tips of her fingers with those beige nails grazed the sensitive skin.
“Penny, you don't have to—”
“Don't be stubborn. This will be faster, and I’m not a patient person.”
Thankfully, his shoes were slip-ons, so she didn't have to work at it. Though now he was wishing they were high-tops.
Once the shoe was on, he stepped tenderly on his right leg, gritting his teeth as he lifted his left and gripped onto the crutch for balance.
“There.” Penny pushed up and stood in front of him. “Was that so bad?”
Brett pursed his lips. “I don't like feeling like an invalid.”
“Well, you are one for the time being, so you should probably get used to it.”
“Harsh.”
“But true. C’mon, haven't you ever helped anyone else when they were injured?”
Brett thought back to the time Country dislocated his shoulder. How he needed help putting his pads and jersey on for at least a few weeks when he still insisted on practicing, the stubborn bastard. Then there was the time that Curtis broke two of his fingers and his thumb.
Brett had taped him up more than once before a game. Again, because he wouldn't miss it even when his hand was swollen to the size of a bee's nest.
“I'll take that as a yes.” Penny reached for the handle and pulled the door open. “By the way, I think we should probably do our first PT session soon. I don't like how stiff you’re looking.”
“Here I thought you were only paying attention to my leg.” Brett snapped his mouth shut as he raced to form an apology before Penny burst out laughing.
“What the hell, Brett! Is that how you talk to all your roommates?”
