“Morning,” Bryn said as she walked into the shop, her tone less chipper than normal.
Hope everything’s okay. Penny almost asked, but stopped herself. Regardless of her epiphany the morning after their big blowup, they were now just boss and employee, and that was perfectly fine with her.
“Can we talk a second?” Bryn asked.
A spike of anxiety surged through her body, but she shook it off. “Sure. What’s up?”
“I need to apologize about the other night.”
That’s not what she was expecting at all.
“I didn’t see your side of things. But I’ve had time to think about it and I get it. I was on my own for a long time, and for a while, things were bad financially. But if someone would’ve done to me what I did to you, a handout like that, I would’ve been livid. I’m really sorry and I hope you can forgive me.”
Penny tried not to let her eyes bug out as they blinked a few times, absorbing Bryn’s words. “Thank you.” It sounded dumb, but she didn’t know what else to say.
“So . . . are you okay? You called in sick yesterday. I hope it wasn’t because of me.”
“No. Not at all.” Penny felt bad that Bryn was concerned about her. Maybe she still had her friend after all. She wanted to spill her news so badly. “I’m great, actually.”
Bryn’s eyebrows rose. “Yeah?”
“We played hooky yesterday.”
“I’m listening.” The sparkle was back in Bryn’s eyes, always the first to demand the dirty details.
“We stayed in bed all day. And we . . . ” Penny didn’t know how to word the feelings that were about to burst out of her.
“What?”
“We said the words. We’re in love.”
“Oh my God!” Bryn threw her arms around Penny. “That’s so awesome!”
“Thanks. I’m pretty excited.”
“You should be.” Bryn pulled back. “You deserve to be happy after all the shit Jack put you through. And Thor is a great guy. I’m happy for you both.”
Penny was happy, too. Maybe for the first time ever. She thought she’d been happy before, but it never felt like this.
And maybe things at the shop would go back to how they used to be. Then her world would be complete.
---------
AFTER SEVERAL attempts to pull Penny back in bed with him, Thor had finally let her go and got himself up, dressed, and out of the house. Game day was his favorite day of the week. At least it used to be. He loved everything about it—the game itself, but the sounds and smells, too. It was home for him. But he was starting to love something—or rather, someone—more. The thought of spending his Saturday curled up with Penny sounded like a lot more fun.
Falling in love had never been something he’d planned on. But with Penny . . . everything with her was different. It all just clicked. Right from the get-go. But maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be. He wasn’t sure if he believed in the soul mate thing, but he sure as hell had never felt this way before.
He turned his attention back to the game ahead of him. Westmore had always been one of their biggest rivals, since way before he was even a Kenville Knight, and his players were depending on him.
Thor pulled into the high school parking lot. He was usually the first one there, but today a few players had beaten him. He busied himself with setting up for the game as more players and other coaches arrived. Within fifteen minutes they were warming up and running pregame drills.
But even as the game started, Thor calling plays and cheering with his players, he couldn’t stop thinking about Penny. Wondering what she was doing, how her day was going. He knew she was nervous about seeing Bryn after what had happened the other night, even though she wouldn’t admit it. He hoped she wasn’t having a horrible day, but was already brainstorming ways to cheer her up.
This must be what love is all about. Caring deeply for another person, wishing their pain away, wondering how you can make it better. He wanted to be the person she ran to when she was upset. He wanted to be the one to take away her pain. He wanted to make her as happy as she made him.
The whole love thing had never seemed all that appealing before, but now that he was experiencing it firsthand, he wondered how he’d ever thought he could live without it.
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“WE NEED to get you up to speed on what we discussed yesterday, seeing as you were too sick to make it into work.” Mia joined Penny and Bryn at the front counter during an afternoon lull. It was the first time she’d spoken to her other than a quick hi when she came in an hour earlier.
“Don’t be like that,” Bryn said. “She had a good excuse for calling in.” She winked at Penny.
“Regardless, we made some major decisions yesterday about the shop and she needs to be informed.”
Crap. That didn’t sound good. But Penny reminded herself that she didn’t care what happened in the shop anymore. “Fill me in.”
Mia opened a box and spread the Halloween party promotional items on the counter. “Chanel picked these up yesterday and they came out fantastic.”
Penny looked them over. They were nice, but she refused to say so. She nodded instead. But then she noticed something was missing. “Where are the postcards of Logan?”
“We nixed them. He’s not even going to be here.”
“Why? We always do a meet and greet with him.”
“We decided we didn’t want to do it this time.”
“Who decided?” Penny turned to Bryn. “Do you agree with this?”
Bryn shrugged. “I was outvoted.”
“Who voted against it?”
Mia answered. “Chanel thought it was tacky and I agreed.”
Of course Chanel thought it was tacky. She seemed to think all of Penny’s ideas were tacky. “Sooo . . . two to one? I don’t get a vote?”
“You weren’t here. But that’s not even what we need to discuss. Yesterday we decided to shut down most of our social media platforms and concentrate on one. Chanel set up a PikChat account for us and is working on gaining followers.”
Penny couldn’t believe what she’d heard. “Why would you do that?”
“It’s the newest platform and it’s gaining a lot of speed. It’s the most popular social media platform for women and men aged eighteen to twenty-four.”
“But that’s not even our key demographic.” Penny turned to Bryn. “Did you approve this?”
She held up her hands in surrender. “I have no clue when it comes to this stuff.”
Penny faced Mia again. “What about our older customers? They still adore Friendspace and the other platforms. You can’t abandon them. The thirty-five to fifty-four demographic is the one with money.”
“She’s right, Mia.” Penny was glad Bryn was taking her side. “We didn’t think of that yesterday.”
“But Chanel thinks we need to grow our younger customer base. They’re the ones who will carry us into the future.”
“Then maybe we should do both,” Bryn said.
Mia shook her head. “No, Chanel says it sucks too much time to be on every social media platform. All we need is one, if it’s done right. And this will eventually catch on with the older demographic, too.”
Penny was so sick of hearing about Chanel and her ideas. And she was so wrong about this. Penny had heard of PikChat. Its sole purpose was so millennials could send each other dick and tit pics. The photos were viewable for five seconds and then disappeared forever. How the hell was this even remotely good for a retail business?
Penny was done playing nice and keeping her real opinions to herself. “Well, I think it’s a dumb move and you’ll regret it.”
Both Bryn and Mia stared, obviously not accustomed to bluntness out of her. She’d kind of surprised herself as well, and tried not to beam with pride.
“We really don’t
need your negativity,” Mia said.
“She’s not being negative,” Bryn butted in. “I think her opinion has a lot of value.”
“You agreed with us yesterday.”
“There were things we didn’t consider yesterday.”
“It’s already done. Chanel deleted our other accounts and has already spent a ton of hours building the new platform.”
Penny breathed deeply as she tuned out Bryn and Mia. Unbelievable. Not only had she been completely eliminated from the decision-making process, but they had destroyed everything she’d spent the last few years creating.
After one last breath, she spoke, interrupting a pretty heated debate. “I’m going to do the rehangs and clean the bathroom, since you really don’t need me for much else around here anymore.” She walked away.
“Penny . . . Wait . . . ” Bryn said to her back, and she turned. “Maybe we’ll try this for a little while, and if it doesn’t work, we can go back to your way. Okay?”
What else was there to say? “Yeah. Sure.”
Penny returned to her duties, and back to not caring what happened at Classy ’n’ Sassy.
CHAPTER Twenty-Five
Penny washed the sauté pan and set it in the drying rack as Theo dried a plate. They stood in content silence, a homey moment, as they cleaned up after dinner, the third night in a row that they had stayed in and cooked. This was quickly becoming their life, and she loved every second.
Soon they’d head over to The Red Brick and start their evening. It all felt a little surreal. Like when she was a little girl and played house with her stuffed animals. But Theo was far cuter than Mr. Bear.
As she took a sponge and wiped a few splotches of sauce off the stovetop, her text alert sounded. Weird. The only person who texted her was standing five feet away. She grabbed her phone and wouldn’t have been more surprised if it was a text from the president.
It was from Jack.
Hey. It was good seeing you at the party. I’m glad you’re doing well. Happiness agrees with you. You looked beautiful.
What the hell was that about? He’d never told her she was beautiful when they were married.
Theo’s hands curled around her hips, his lips to the nape of her neck. She quickly closed out her messages and silenced the questions nagging at her brain.
“Don’t you start. We need to leave soon.”
“Come on. Just a quickie.” His lips moved to her earlobe. “I promise we won’t be late.”
“But I need to fix my hair and . . . ” It was hard to form words with his hand inching into the waistband of her yoga pants. “ . . . makeup.”
“You look beautiful just the way you are,” he said as he flicked her clit, his fingers already soaked with her wetness.
“Okay,” she said with a sharp intake of breath as his finger sent another jolt of pleasure to her core.
That one-syllable word was apparently all he needed. He dropped her pants to the floor, his own following with the rustle of a foil package. Geez. Did he keep a supply of condoms on him at all times? She thought to ask, but the thought was eradicated the second he bent her over the small café table and pushed himself into her.
Ho-ly fuck. One hand griped her hip as he thrust into her, the other still fondling her clit. Man, he was good.
Her body climbed toward its peak and he moved faster. An eruption of pleasure rocked her body and she arched more, lifting her ass higher, welcoming him deeper. A few more pumps and he found his own release.
He bent and kissed her spine. “See. I told you we wouldn’t be late.”
“You most certainly did.” Help with the dishes followed by a quickie in the kitchen. If this is what domestic bliss with Theo would be like, sign her up.
“But I promise to take my time later on.”
She looked at him over her shoulder. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
He pulled out of her and she straightened. A hand to her waist, he turned her to him, pulling her close. After a peck kiss to her lips, he pulled back, a smile blossoming, adoration in his eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Penny replied and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a far deeper kiss in return. “But now we really need to get ready.”
His shoulders slumped. “Okay.”
Penny headed to her bedroom, stripped off her clothes, and searched for her Red Brick tee. Her lady parts were still sensitive from their kitchen quickie, a scene that would keep her in pleasant thoughts for days, if not a week. Which was a necessity these days. She needed something to focus on during the misery of her day job. The past week had been rough at Classy ’n’ Sassy, after the most recent confrontation, and it helped to think about happy things. If she kept her mouth shut, did her job, and daydreamed about Theo, it made time there go by faster.
Penny pulled on her tee and a pair of jeans then did a quick brush-through of her hair and pulled it into a ponytail. And Theo had been right. She did look good. The postorgasm glow did wonders for her complexion. She dusted on a little face powder and fixed her eyeliner. Done.
“Ready to go?” she yelled as she headed out of the bedroom.
“If I have to.” Theo stood in the kitchen in his black tee and jeans, looking so damn sexy. He stepped to her, curling his finger around her belt loop, and tugged her to him. “Though I’d much rather stay here with you.”
“I think Seth and Shelly would be pretty mad at us if we ditched them.”
“Probably. But they’d get over it.”
“Listen,” she said, and giggled as she stepped away. “I already have two bosses pissed at me. I don’t need a third.”
“Bryn and Mia will get over it. Just give them time.”
Penny was done giving them time. She was moving on with her life to bigger and better things. Her job at Classy ’n’ Sassy was just a job. And as far as friends, she was making new ones. As a matter of fact, she couldn’t wait to see Shelly.
She grabbed her purse, coat, and cell phone, remembering the text from Jack. She wouldn’t even justify it with a response. She swiped her screen and deleted the message. She had Theo. A man who truly loved her. She had no use for Jack or his compliments.
Theo held her hand as they walked to The Red Brick, only a few blocks away. It was a gorgeous fall evening, already dark at seven thirty. Penny used to hate the end of summer and sunny warm days. But this year she was looking forward to snuggling up with Theo on cold snowy nights, a blanket around them, sipping mugs of cocoa. Another lovely daydream to get her through her miserable days.
---------
THOR SAT on his stool by the door, watching Penny talk with Shelly. She was so beautiful when she smiled. Her eyes were lit like stadium lights, her cheeks still rosy from their kitchen quickie. But when she turned her gaze on him, that sparkle turned naughty. I’m one lucky bastard.
“Hey, man,” Seth said, and slapped him on the back, pulling him from lusty visions. “You know they’re talking about us, right?”
“By the looks of it, it’s good.”
“Yeah, but I’m not sure how I feel about my best friend’s girl knowing all about my sex life. You know how girls are. Next thing you know, she’ll be giving you all my moves.”
“Trust me. I won’t let her share with me. I don’t want to know about it. And besides, I got my own moves.”
“Okay,” Seth scoffed. “On second thought, maybe she should share my moves with you.”
Thor opened his mouth to retort, but the door opened behind him.
“Duty calls.” Seth stepped away, tossing out one last comment. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to give you my best orgasm tips.”
“He certainly doesn’t need any tips on how to give a woman an orgasm.”
The voice behind Thor sounded familiar. He turned toward it, enveloped in a busty hug before he had a chance to
prevent it.
“Hey, baby,” Monique purred, pressing her tits into him tighter before releasing him. “It’s been too long.”
His head swiveled toward the bar. Thank God Penny was busy taking an order at one of the tables. If he was lucky, he could get Monique away from him and keep her away for the rest of the night and he wouldn’t have to deal with her.
“Uh . . . yeah,” he said, meeting her gaze again.
“What are you looking for?” she asked. “Everything you need is right here.” She tossed her black hair over her shoulder—as dark as the eye black his players wore—and leaned in closer. “I miss you, baby. When’s your break?”
“I’m with someone now,” he said, and stepped away from her.
“So? That doesn’t bother me.”
“It’ll bother her.” Thor was prepared to be respectful, but Monique’s blatant disregard pissed him off. “I would never do that to her.”
“Okay, fine.” She held her hands up in surrender. “But the second she isn’t giving you what you need, you know where to go.” She strutted toward the bar and found a seat with her posse, half of which he had slept with.
Shit. This wasn’t like the dog park. That had been completely random. But The Red Brick? There were bound to be many instances where his ex–fuck partners would show up and Penny would be there. He’d just have to make damn sure they knew he was taken and proud of it.
---------
PENNY TRIED to forget about the scene she witnessed with Theo and that slutty girl at the bar. What’s the point of wearing a shirt if your boobs are practically falling out of it anyway? She set her empty tray on the end of the bar and took a few deep breaths.
“You okay, hon?” Shelly asked.
“Yeah. Fine.”
“You don’t look so fine.”
Penny met her friend’s concerned gaze. “It’s that girl at the bar. The one with the black hair.”
Shelly looked. “She comes in here with her crew every couple months. They annoy us for a few weeks and then they move on. It’s a constant cycle, so get used to seeing them.”
One Size Fits All (The Classy ‘n’ Sassy Series Book 3) Page 19
