by T. M. Haught
Penny’s jaw dropped. “OMG! Jonah! OMG! OMG!”
Jonah looked at her, his own jaw dropping, and for a fleeting moment the old Jonah, all bashful and tremulous, came back, looking a bit bewildered. Then his face relaxed and his eyes sparkled. His posture straightened and he gave Penny a brief hug before heading for the stage as the applause built.
Climbing the steps, he stood there, still a bit nervous as Gloria put the sash reading “King” around him and then carefully placed the crown upon his head. He smiled as he saw both Freddy and Isabel clapping, but his eyes then immediately went to Penny on the dance floor, standing there alone.
Spencer looked at his list and smiled at the crowd. Into the microphone he said, “And now, the last name on this list, the one who you have selected as Queen… and this doesn’t surprise me at all… that name is… Penny Mathews!”
Penny gasped and closed her eyes. She clutched her hand to her chest and felt her heart racing. She had hoped, after hearing Jonah’s name, she had hoped, but still, she couldn’t be sure.
Then the grin erupted across her face and she hurried toward the stage, slowing down as she reached the steps and raising the hem of her gown to avoid tripping over it. In mere seconds that were a blur, she found herself standing next to Jonah, out of breath as Gloria placed the sash that read “Queen” around her and then fitted the crown to her head, careful not to mess up her hair. Her hand went instantly to Jonah’s, taking hold of it and working her fingers between his. They turned to each other with excited wide-eyed looks.
“And there they are,” said Spencer into the microphone. “Your Prom King and Queen! Let’s hear it for them.”
The applause swelled again, and although there was a handful of disappointed or disapproving looks from those on the dance floor, nearly everyone was smiling and cheering. Someone threw confetti, and it sparkled in the spotlight as it flittered down.
Penny’s face momentarily clouded and her eyes jerked up toward the ceiling nervously. Then she looked back down and her gaze met Jonah’s.
He raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Nothing,” she said. “Just thinkin’ about Stephen King’s ‘Carrie’, but I don’t see any buckets up there in the rafters, so I think we’re okay.”
Jonah laughed. “No, I think we’re a lot better than okay.”
The event photographer who had been hired for the prom, a bearded guy who was dressed nicely but not in formalwear, hurried forward to snap photos of the Princes and Princesses, then took up a position in front of Penny and Jonah. He snapped a few shots of them as they beamed toward him, still holding hands, then he took the camera away from his eye for a moment and used one hand to motion them closer together.
“Hey, you know what would make a great picture?” he said. “Let’s get one of you two kissing. How about it?”
The corner of Penny’s mouth twisted up in her familiar smirky grin. She leaned close to Jonah to whisper, “What do you say, Squirt? Wanna give him a photo op he’ll never forget?”
Jonah raised an eyebrow and whispered back, “Oh, I think a kiss will be enough. These pictures will be seen by a lot of people, including our parents. They’ll go into albums. We don’t want to shock anyone. Especially the grandkids.”
“What grandkids?”
“Ours,” he said teasingly. “Someday. Lots of them.”
Her eyes crinkled in a smile that lit up her face. She turned more fully toward him and kissed him, a long lingering kiss.
The photographer quickly brought the camera to his eye and took several pictures, smiling. “Thanks—that’s great. That looks terrific! Thanks, kids.”
He swung the camera down, waiting for a moment. Jonah and Penny kept kissing… and kissing.
“Ah, you can stop now, kids,” said the photographer. “I got all the shots of you kissing that I needed. Now I want to take some of you together on the dance floor. Okay?”
They continued to kiss, not hearing him, not seeing him, totally lost in each other as if he didn’t exist. The photographer raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.
“Kids…?” he said. “You can stop now. Kids…?”
Penny and Jonah had their arms around each other now, still kissing. Not letting go. Not stopping. Kissing. Kissing.
Still kissing….
THE END
(…but not for them!)
* * * * * * * * * *
Author’s Afterword
Good readers, I thank you for giving this book a try. Authors write for many reasons, but for me it has always been because of the joy the writing process gives me, especially when everything turns out even better than I expected, as it did with Penny & Squirt. Rarely have characters in my stories come alive as vividly as these two did for me, and I sincerely hope that readers feel the same way. You are my audience, and I appreciate that more than you can know. Really, I mean that, and if you enjoyed this book I am greatly pleased, and I welcome your comments.
T. M. Haught
For any updates about this book and all links to it, visit http://www.pennyandsquirt.com
