“Hell, yes. That’s a great idea.” Sean nodded approvingly. “Did you go with a company here?”
Penny shook her head. “No, it was back in Vancouver, but I’m sure there are plenty of places.”
“I’ll look into it. Thanks.” Sean draped an arm around Kelty’s shoulders and walked to the door. Emma and Tyler were already putting on their shoes.
“Thanks, bud.” Tyler stood and pulled Brett into a hug. “Still on for AA on Sunday?”
Brett stepped back and nodded. “I might even be able to drive.”
Penny rolled her eyes. “If he gets his leg straight tomorrow, I’ll consider it.”
Tyler winked at Brett. “Enjoy the rest of yourquiet night.”
They were all thinking it, weren’t they?That she and Brett had been doingsomethingwhen they showed up unannounced? The truth was, she wished they had been.
Brett pursed his lips. “I will. Thanks, buddy.”
_____
Brett closed the door and exhaled. He and Penny were alone again, and even with the cards and sugar as a distraction, he was still laser-focused on what had happened seconds before the doorbell rang.
As soon as Penny left to get the ice cream, Tyler and Sean had peppered him with questions about what exactly he’d been doing before they walked in. The girls were worse, accusing him of taking advantage of Penny when she was vulnerable. He’d barely succeeded in convincing them that nothing had happened before she’d returned from the store.
But he hadn’t convinced himself.
“The dishwasher’s dirty, right?” Penny asked.
“Yep.” Brett walked to the table and began stacking the cards. “Do you want to keep these Smarties?”
Penny scoffed. “Gross, no. They were in all six of our hands.”
“So . . . covered in finger oil?”
Penny gave him a look that said,I’m both impressed that you remember that comment and annoyed that you’re mocking me.
Something had happened on that couch. The way Penny had looked at him—the way she’d put her hands on his. Was this attraction between them something that lived outside his own head?
All week, he’d worked to shut down the thoughts that cropped up anytime they were in the same room. Or when she was doing yoga on the front porch. Or really anytime he remembered she was in the same house. But what if he didn’t have to? What if she felt the same way, even when she knew he wasn’t at his best?
“So Tyler, he’s in recovery?” Penny asked. Brett blinked. The question was so far out of left field that he couldn’t form a response before Penny continued. “Good for Emma.”
Brett put the cards into the box and scooped the Smarties off the table. “What do you mean ‘good for Emma?’” The beat of his heart sounded like boots on the bleachers inside his head.
Penny rinsed out the bowls one by one. “I know how hard it is to support someone through that.”
Brett worked to keep the strain out of his voice. “Someone close to you is in recovery?” His knee ached, and he wanted to escape to his bedroom to lie down and suffer in solitude, but he couldn't tear himself away from this conversation.
Penny thought Tyler was the one in recovery.Brett thought back over the night and realized it made perfect sense. Tyler had been the one to say he didn’t drink. Then Tyler had mentioned going to AA on Sunday. But Brett wasn't ready to admit that she'd misunderstood until he heard what was going to come out of her mouth next.
“Maybe for some people, it wouldn't be as big of a deal, but I could never do it again.”
Brett walked over and sat down on a stool as Penny loaded the last few glasses into the dishwasher. “Did you date a guy in recovery?”
His thoughts immediately flew to Daniel. Nothing about the guy screamed recovery to him, but maybe that was because he wasn't working a program. Maybe Penny didn't understand the difference between white-knuckling it versus being in active recovery.
“No, I didn't date anyone in recovery.” Penny paused as if considering her next words carefully. “It was my brother,” she said finally.
“Lucas?” Brett asked. He was the brother that Penny talked about most. She nodded, and her shoulders visibly tensed. Penny pressed the button on the dishwasher to start it, then rinsed off her hands and dried them on the towel.
