“I know things have been tense. I wish there was something I could do to fix it.”
He was just the sweetest man on the planet. “I appreciate that, but I don’t know what will fix it.” Penny felt herself slipping into the sadness she’d forced away all week. The memories of all the good times. The friendships she’d lost and would probably never get back. Bryn and Mia had been her rocks when everything with Jack was falling apart.
“Well, I may not be able to fix it, but I can sure make you feel good right now.” The devilish grin was back and he darted his tongue out, licking her center. “How’s that?”
“A good start,” she said, and relaxed against the pillow, pushing away the sadness. She had Theo and maybe that was all she needed.
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“ARE YOU sure you have to get ready now?” Theo whined like a kid who’d been told it was time for bed. He wrapped both arms around her naked body. “Five more minutes?”
They’d spent the entire day in bed, watching silly TV, eating potato chips and Chinese takeout, and of course, making love. It was one of those blissful relaxing Sundays and she honestly did not want to leave. She could skip flat-ironing her hair to stay with him in bed for a few more minutes.
But when those five minutes were up, and she’d stayed an extra five, he still held her tight. “Don’t go.”
She laughed as she pulled away. “I already gave up straightening my hair and a shower to stay in bed. Now I really need to go. And besides, you’re the one who said this might be a good thing. Remember?”
She stood and turned back to him, his body stretched out across the bed, arms above his head. The corner of the sheet covered only his pelvic region, like a spread in Playgirl. Oh. My. Sexy. What was she doing again?
“I remember,” he said. “Hurry and go so you can get back to me.”
After quickly arranging her hair into a messy bun and dusting on some makeup, she pulled on her clothes from the day before. She really should start bringing more with her when she slept over.
“Same clothes?” Theo asked.
“I don’t have anything else,” she laughed as she put her bra back on, then her orange sweater. “Unless you’re going to clear a drawer so I can leave a few things here.”
“That can be arranged.”
She leaned down to kiss him and he pulled her on top. She expected more than just the small smooch he gave her.
“How about I give you more than a drawer?” he asked.
“Oooh. Like some closet space?”
“How about half the closet, your own dresser, and a key to the front door?”
“Well, that’s a bit much. I don’t know if I need all that, just for the few nights a week I spend here.”
He kissed her again, his smile widening. “You’re not getting it. How about you move all your stuff in here? And spend every night here?”
“But then my apartment would just sit there. And who would feed Scarlett? I can’t just leave her there alone every night.”
Another laugh. “How about you bring Scarlett and all her things here, too.”
“Oh. Would I be . . . getting rid of my apartment?”
“That’s the idea. What do you say? You want to move in?”
She hadn’t expected this. Not at all. Not so soon. But it felt more right than anything else in her life ever had. “Yes.”
A few more kisses and Penny was out the door, while Theo got busy cleaning out his closet and moving unimportant things to the attic. This was so freaking exciting! She couldn’t wait to get this painting thing over with so she could get back to his place—their place—as soon as possible and help.
Penny pulled into the lot behind the painting studio and immediately spotted Bryn’s mini van, Mia’s Nissan, and Chanel’s Mini Cooper. Ugh. She was last to arrive. She hurried in and sat down at the empty easel next to Mia.
“You made it. We were wondering what happened to you,” she said, sipping on a glass of red wine.
“Sorry. I was busy.” Her goofy grin betrayed her.
Bryn handed her a glass of wine. “Spill. The story, not the wine.”
“Oh you know. The usual.” Penny sipped. “Theo asked me to move in with him.”
“Oh my God!” Bryn hugged her. It felt nice. Like old times. “That’s so awesome. Thor’s the best.”
“Yeah. He’s pretty great.” Penny turned to Mia, who was sipping her wine, keeping her gaze elsewhere.
“Attention, ladies!” the instructor commanded. “We’re going to get started.”
She rambled through some basic information and they practiced a few simple techniques, all the while sipping wine. Penny felt good. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
They started their masterpieces with a brown line, which they were told would become the trunk of a tree. With each stroke, Penny saw her lines morph into an actual picture. And it looked kinda good. Or maybe it was the third glass of wine. They topped their trees with red, orange, and yellow leaves, then added a rope swing hanging from a branch.
“I’m going to add a carved heart to my tree with mine and Eli’s initials in it,” Bryn said.
“Totes adorable,” Chanel added. “Mia, you should do it, too.”
“That’s pretty corny.” Mia sipped some more wine. “But cute at the same time.”
“I’m going to do it, too,” Penny said, and dipped her skinny paintbrush into the white paint and did just as Bryn had.
“Are you sure?” Mia asked. “You haven’t been together very long.”
The question sounded like it was aimed at far more than just a little heart and initials on a painting. And Penny was sick of it. “Yeah, I am. I’m sure about many things in my life. And I’d like it if you kept your opinions to yourself.”
“Don’t bite my head off. It was just a question.”
“It wasn’t, and you know it.”
“Sue me for looking out for you.” Mia tipped her glass and downed the rest of its contents.
“You hide behind that excuse, but I think you just like to judge people and tell them what to do.”
“I do not.”
“Yes you do. Look at Bryn,” Penny said and stood, motioning to her. “All you do is judge her. She can’t even go get married without you shitting on it.”
Mia stood, pointing her paintbrush at Penny. “You know nothing about me or why I do anything I do. So keep your mouth shut.” She flicked the brush as she said the last word and a splotch of red paint flew at Penny, landing on the sleeve of her cashmere sweater.
It was natural reaction mixed with pure adrenaline that made Penny do what she did next. She grabbed her fat brush, resting in a pot of yellow paint, and flicked it at Mia. It hit her on the shoulder and on her cheek. Penny reveled in the shock on Mia’s face.
But the shock didn’t last long.
“I can’t believe you did that. What’s wrong with you?”
“You started it.”
“Girls,” Bryn said, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. “What’s going on?”
“It’s just Mia being her normal bitchy self.”
Mia’s mouth opened into an O. Penny had surprised herself, too.
“Penny, you’re out of line,” Bryn said.
“Am I? Aren’t you sick of how she’s constantly bullying you? You hardly have any say at the shop anymore. Everyone just has to bow down to Mia. She already has her pet, Chanel, trained.”
“Hey! Don’t be jealous that they like me better.”
Penny’s hands curled into fists, her body hot with anger. “Trust me. Jealousy is the last thing I feel. For weeks I’ve had to sit back and let all of you walk on me.” She looked from Mia to Bryn. “After everything I’ve done for you for years, you repay me by pushing me aside for some annoying little brat who has the common sense of a housefly? I thou
ght you both were smarter than that.”
“Is there a problem, ladies?” The instructor stood behind Chanel, but no one moved.
Mia’s stare bore into Penny, and before she knew what was happening, Mia raised her hand, fingers curled around her paintbrush, and swiped it across Penny’s cheek. It took a second for Penny to react, appalled by what had just happened. Instead of walking away—the mature thing to do—she aimed her brush at Mia, swiping her across the nose.
What happened next was a blur of color and cold, slimy paint. Some wine was in there, too. Mia threw a pot of blue paint at Penny and she hurled back some orange.
“Ladies! Stop!” the instructor yelled.
“Penny! Mia!” she heard from Bryn.
But she just couldn’t stop. The rage that had built for weeks was now flooding out though her hands as she hurled paint and brushes and whatever else was within her reach at Mia. The anger, the hate, the hurt and sadness. All of it.
When she ran out of things to throw, tears spilling down her cheeks, her body covered in paint, the floor around them a mess, she finally looked up, her chest heaving. Bryn’s arms were wrapped around Mia, both of them crouching down, Bryn’s body shielding Mia’s. When they realized she’d stopped, they stood straight, gaze on Penny. She looked around the studio and every set of eyes was staring at her.
She turned back to Bryn and Mia. “I quit. My job. Our friendship. All of it.”
No one moved or said a word.
Except the instructor. “All four of you. Out. Now!”
Penny grabbed her purse and turned on her heel. She took a step and her foot slid out from under her. Catching herself on a chair, she lifted her chin as high as possible and walked out, waiting until she got into her car before falling apart.
CHAPTER Thirty
Penny couldn’t decide what was worse: finding out her ex had cheated on her, or finding out the friends she thought she had never had been her friends at all. Jack had always been an asshole, she’d just been too blind to see it. But Bryn and Mia . . . she really thought they were her friends. In the end, when the paint flew, Bryn had Mia’s back and Penny was alone.
No. She wasn’t alone. She had Theo. She pulled into his driveway—her driveway—and rushed inside. She needed him. She didn’t care if she was covered in paint.
She shook off her shoes and trotted to the bedroom, where she’d left him, and stopped in the doorway.
He took in her rainbow paint–splattered appearance. “What the hell happened?”
She burst into tears.
Theo rushed to her, scooping her into his arms, smoothing her hair. He knew enough to know not to prod further. Instead he led her to the bathroom and turned on the faucet. As the tub filled, he kissed each of her eyes and carefully peeled off her clothes. He helped her into the warm water and she’d never felt more loved or cared for in her life.
When she was clean and the water had turned cold, he emptied the tub and helped her dry off, then tucked her into bed. Suddenly she was tired. So tired. He kissed her and turned off the bedside lamp. She heard the click of the door shutting, then a moment later, the murmur of conversation. A heated one. But she was far too exhausted to care.
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“YOU NEED to tell me what the fuck happened,” Thor said into his cell phone, his patience long gone.
“I don’t even know,” Bryn replied.
She sounded tired but he didn’t care. “You better find out then. She was a mess when she came home.”
“We were painting and everything was perfectly fine and then all of a sudden she and Mia were yelling and then paint was flying.”
“That’s all you know? Come on. Don’t fuck with me. We’ve been friends for a long time.”
“That’s all I know! Mia is just as upset, you know. Penny said some really nasty things to her.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“Well, I was there, and she did.”
“Then she must have had a reason. She’s been really miserable at the shop for a long time. Did you even know that?”
“Sort of.”
“So you knew and did nothing about it? What the hell kind of friend is that?”
Bryn sighed. “You don’t understand. We’re under a lot of stress. This business is our lives, and if it tanks, we’re in big trouble. The new girl had some fresh ideas so we ran with them. I’m sorry if Penny got a bent nose about it.”
“She’s been by your side for years. I know she helped keep that shop afloat after Johnny died. And this is how you repay her?”
“What am I supposed to do? Mia is still worried like crazy about the shop’s finances. We’re doing well, but I can’t get her to relax about it. She’s working really hard to make sure we don’t slide back where we were. And I can’t go against her. She’s my partner, for God’s sake.”
“Well, you better fix it tomorrow when Penny goes in to work.”
“She quit. She said she’s done. With the job and us.”
Shit. He knew Penny had been unhappy at the shop, but he hadn’t realized it was that bad. She needed that job. She couldn’t possibly make enough at The Red Brick to support herself. But that wasn’t the point. He knew she’d loved her job once, and loved Bryn and Mia. They had to be able to work this out somehow.
“Please try and do something. I’m begging you, as a friend. I love her and it kills me to see her like this.”
“I know you do. We love her, too, even if we haven’t been acting like it lately. I’ll fix it. I promise.”
“Good.”
“So, are we okay?”
He’d do it if he had to, but he wasn’t going to throw away their friendship just yet. “Of course,” he said, then added, “Unless you keep making my girlfriend cry.” Hoping to lighten the mood a little.
“No more crying, I swear.”
He ended his call and crept back to the bedroom. The hallway light shone into the room, illuminating her. She was so damn beautiful. He knew in that moment he’d do anything to ensure her happiness. He never wanted to see her cry again.
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PENNY WOKE when Theo’s alarm went off. It was Monday, the first day of the work week for him. Normally she’d go back to sleep for a little while, then get up and get ready for the afternoon shift at Classy ’n’ Sassy. But not today. Not ever again. Today she’d stay in bed—maybe even all day—wrapped in the warmth of Theo’s down comforter.
She drifted in and out of sleep as he got ready, enjoying the sounds of having someone there. She hadn’t lived alone long, but she really hated the silence.
The side of the mattress dipped with his weight and she opened her eyes. “Have a good day at school,” she said.
“I will.” He cupped her chin and leaned in with a sweet kiss. “Get some rest, okay? Everything will work out.”
She nodded and nuzzled his palm, kissing the center. The gentle aroma of citrus rose from his skin. He must have used his new fancy shave soap.
“Love you,” he said, and stood.
“Love you, too.”
She listened to him leave then slipped back into slumber and fragmented dreams of her friends and the fun they used to have. Their favorite song was even playing. The one Bryn always made them sing as a threesome when they went out for karaoke.
Oh. Wait. It was coming from the nightstand.
Penny grabbed her phone and swiped her finger across the screen before she thought it through. “Hello?”
“Hey, Penny. It’s Bryn.”
Fuck. The urge to hang up was strong but her body was weak. “Hey.”
“Can we talk about last night?”
“I guess.” Penny was still too groggy to formulate complete thoughts.
“I don’t really know what happened, but we understand how you feel. Right, Mia?”
“
Yes,” Mia said.
Crap. They had her on a three-way call? Penny was not awake enough for this. She sat up, an attempt to shake off her sleepiness.
“We’ve been taking you for granted and it’s not fair,” Bryn continued.
Keep talking, she thought.
Mia cleared her throat. Obviously this was not easy for her. “I guess I didn’t realize I was hurting you so much by using Chanel’s ideas.”
Wow. Mia acknowledged her part? This was one for the record books.
“But you have to understand that we need to do everything possible to make this business a success. We can’t ignore good ideas, regardless of where they come from.”
“I do understand that.”
“We need to be a team,” Bryn stated. “Just like we always have been. We’re stronger that way.”
With only three sentences, Bryn had opened the box of nostalgia in Penny’s brain. All the good times, and how even during the bad times they’d stuck together and made great things happen.
“We do make a good team,” Mia added, then continued. “Which is now even stronger. You can’t discount Chanel just because she’s younger than us.”
Penny hated to admit it, but Mia had a point. Chanel was a spoiled brat, but she did have some fresh ideas. Though she was still pissed they destroyed everything she’d built the last four years.
“So can we please have our awesome team back?” Bryn begged.
Mia answered first. “I’m in if you guys are.”
Penny had nothing else to lose. “Yeah. I’m in, too.”
“Yay!” Bryn cheered. “Mia’s already at the shop and I’m on my way in now. I’ll stop for champagne. You’ll be in at two, right Penny?”
A little smile crept to her lips. “I’ll be there.”
This felt good. Maybe it all needed to fall apart a little so they could realize what they were losing. What they were being so careless with. Not only a successful business team, but their friendship.
“Great!” Bryn said. “ ’Cause I promised Thor I’d fix things and make sure you don’t cry anymore.”
Huh? Dread crept in and began to strangle the joy. “What are you talking about?”
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