by M. Sembera
Pursing her lips up into a smile, she said, "For all you know, I'm covered with tattoos under my clothes."
Out of reaction, he immediately asked, "Are you?"
Her smile faded as she answered, "No, not even one."
"Why not?" he asked wondering why she seemed sad about it.
"Because it looks like it hurts and they are permanent you know," she replied almost fussing at him like she was defending herself.
"I don't understand why that's a problem..."
With a little sigh, she explained, "I really want to tattoo but my cousin Kieran says he won't teach me until I get one myself."
For reason's unknown to Seth, the idea of Penny as a tattoo artist was the sexiest thing, ever.
~
Unsure of why Seth was suddenly staring at her the way that he was, she looked down at the, now empty, tray on her lap.
"Well, speaking of... I better get inside and get ready for work," Penny shared.
Quickly hopping up, Seth held his hand out for hers.
Penny took his hand saying, "Wow, you're strong," as he pulled her to her feet.
He smiled and looked down at the ground before replying, "Thank you for the cinnamon rolls."
Watching him closely, she complimented, "You have a nice smile."
"You have a nice everything," he shared before seemingly realizing what he had just said.
Swiftly grabbing his suit jacket off of the railing, he turned and was back in his apartment with the door closed before she could respond.
Regardless of his speedy exit, Penny considered the morning a great success on her path to making friends with Seth. Sure they seemed to have absolutely nothing in common but she just needed to get to know him better. All in all, it was definitely a step in the friendship direction.
Seven
The rest of the week was a cinnamon roll success as Penny noticed Seth heading out to work a little earlier each day, giving them a chance to visit each morning. He even agreed to come over for dinner one night, 'sometime' but still he agreed. It was a good thing too because honestly, Penny was getting tired of waking up at five to bake for him.
Sitting in the corner of Bitsie's Bridal, Penny and Liv stayed out of the way while Charlotte's mom Amila helped Charlotte into the gown she picked out.
"I don't know why Amila's getting all teary eyed."
Popping Liv on the arm, Penny scolded, "Liv!"
"What? Charlotte's just getting married. It's not like she's moving off to another country."
In a hushed tone Penny fussed, "What is wrong with you?"
Hopping to her feet, Liv snapped, "Nothin'" and headed toward the exit door.
Penny sat there for a moment before she realized why Liv must be upset.
Getting up to go after her, she heard Charlotte ask, "What's wrong with Liv?"
Shaking her head as she walked past, Penny answered, "I think she's sad about her mom."
With an understanding nod, Charlotte said, "Her mom died when she was five," when Amila looked at her with concern.
Feeling bad for Liv, Penny didn't always agree with her own mom but she couldn't imagine her not being there either.
It took Penny a minute to find Liv once she was outside the boutique. Walking around the corner of the building, she finally spotted her.
"Hey!" she said making her way up beside Liv.
Noticeably upset, Liv replied, "I just need a minute."
"I guess you wish your mom had been there when you got married."
After giving Penny a strange look, Liv laughed, "Why? I didn't know the woman at all."
Confused, she questioned, "Isn't that why you're upset?"
"That'd be easier to deal with," Liv replied before sharing, "He won't talk to me."
"Kieran?"
With a loud exhale, she replied, "I've tried everything I can think of to get him to tell me what the problem is and all he says is that it's nothin'." Then waving her finger around she continued saying, "But I know it's something, he barely looks at me."
Recalling what Kieran had asked her at the shop, Penny speculated, "Maybe he feels bad about marking Braden."
"I thought so at first too cause that's when it started but he just gave me his usual spiel about following the rules."
"He has the right to deny or change them if he sees fit, though. That's why it's such a big responsibility. To keep with tradition but there's always exceptions."
Appearing very interested, Liv questioned, "What do you mean?"
"Well, you know there is a marker and a drawer, right," as Liv nodded, Penny continued, "Both positions are passed down although the drawer isn't usually by blood. When Kieran's mom got really sick and knew she wasn't going to make it much longer she passed the title over to my mom. The drawer doesn't have any real control or say so, and there can actually be more than one or not one. The tattoo rests with the sole discretion of the marker."
Holding her hand up, Liv asked, "Wait, are you telling me anyone can draw out the tattoo?"
"Well, yeah. I drew out Auggie's 'cause mom refused and I'm not a 'drawer'. Kieran approved it and he's the marker so..."
Liv was infuriated as she all but demanded, "What happens to the drawing after the tattoo?"
A tad cautious, Penny replied, "They all go in a big log book."
"Where is it?" she snapped.
"It's kept in the marking room, why?"
Slapping the tops of her thighs, Liv blurted, "Son of a bitch, I better be wrong!"
As Liv headed to her car, Penny shouted after her, "Where are you going?"
Without answering, Liv got in her car and sped away.
Penny stood there confused for a minute before heading back into the boutique. She had an idea of what Liv was hinting at but refused to entertain the thought. Kieran took his position as marker far too seriously to mess with tradition like that.
As she walked back into Bitsie's, she started to choke up at the sight of Charlotte. It was almost unreal for someone to look that beautiful.
"This is the one," Charlotte assured with a smile.
Penny glanced over the strapless white satin gown with a peacock blue sash, saying, "It's perfect."
"I still need to pick out my veil but..." Charlotte shared before pausing to ask, "Oh, where's Liv?"
With a slight shrug, Penny replied, "I think she went home."
"Oh-kay."
"She must really be upset," Amila chimed in, noticing Charlotte's irritated expression.
"Yea..." Charlotte mumbled clearly disappointed at Liv's absence.
Giving an apologetic smile, Penny walked back to the corner to sit down while Amila helped Charlotte out of her wedding dress.
~
Seth's heart was pounding in his ears along with the music playing through his earbuds. After starting out with long strides, he had picked up the pace, running the walking path around his apartment complex until his body refused to keep going.
What started out as an enjoyable way to clear his head on Saturday afternoon, had quickly turned into a race to get Penny off of his mind. It wasn't that he minded thinking about Penny, in fact, he enjoyed thinking about her. The more he thought about her though, the harder it was to talk to her when they were face to face. It was clear she wanted to be friends. That worked fine for him. She was sweet, funny and so pretty. Not to mention, being friends was a low-pressure way to spend time with her. A lot less is expected in friendship situations. The only problem was when Seth thought about Penny, friendship was the farthest thing from his mind.
Swiping his gate card before jogging through the gate as he headed back to his apartment, Seth faintly heard a horn honk, through the music still playing in his ears. Moving to the side to let the car through, he saw Charlotte and Penny both wave at him as they pulled into the apartment complex. Seth stopped for a second, wishing his run had done him more good before continuing on his way.
He could see Penny sitting at the top of the stairs on their balcony as he
made his was closer. The thought of her waiting there for him and what they might briefly talk about before he headed into his apartment to shower gave him a second wind as he sprinted up to their building.
Taking the stairs two at a time he stopped a step below Penny noticing the way the sunlight highlighted the redder strands of her auburn hair as he looked down at her. Her hazel eyes leaned more toward the green side today as they sparked up at him.
As he pulled his earbuds out of his ears, he heard her ask, "How was your run?"
"It was alright," he replied before asking, "How is your day going?"
Without answering his question, she took a deep breath then exhaled before pursing her lips up into a smile.
"Bad day?" he questioned curious as to why she didn't answer.
Penny continued to ignore his question as she stood up and asked, "I'm going to The Dog House tonight, wanna come?"
"Sure," he replied before realizing he just said yes to going out with her.
"Good," she cheered before turning to walk back into her apartment.
Standing there trying to think of something to say, Seth watched her open her apartment door before turning back to him.
"I was thinking about nine but you can knock whenever you're ready to go."
Smiling at her, he said, "Alright," suddenly feeling good about her asking him out.
With a little laugh Penny shared, "Okay, see you later," as she stepped inside her apartment.
Once her door was closed, Seth started towards his apartment when he felt his phone vibrate from his shirt pocket. He pulled it out to see who was calling and just like that all good feelings were gone.
Eight
Standing in front of Penny's door, Seth stared at it for a good ten minutes before knocking. Having his father call and basically order him to attend Sunday brunch at his parent's house had him on edge. He was sure there was an ulterior motive behind it. It had been years since Seth was invited to anything family related, including Christmas.
Focusing on the moment as he waited for Penny to answer the door, he tried to put everything other than tonight out of his mind. He'd decided in the shower that he could stay calm enough not to embarrass himself on the way to the bar. Then after a beer or two he would be relaxed enough to have a nice time with her.
Thinking maybe she hadn't heard him knock the first time, he decided to knock harder. The door quickly swung open and instead of knocking Seth ended up hitting Penny in the shoulder.
"Ow!"
It was pure logic that kept Seth from retreating back to his apartment. If he ran back to his apartment at this point, he'd be the guy that waits for a girl to open the door, and then frogs her in the shoulder and runs away.
"I am so sorry..."
Rubbing her shoulder Penny laughed, "I guess you're ready then?"
Seth quietly nodded.
Penny closed her apartment door and locked it before looking up at him saying, "You can ride with me."
Still in shock at what happened, Seth placed his hand on her shoulder asking, "Are you sure you're okay?"
With a nod, she replied, "I grew up with four brothers. I'm a lot tougher than I look."
Seth allowed his hand to linger on her bare shoulder for a moment before he felt her shiver slightly.
"Sorry..."
Penny slipped on a sweater she was holding before laughing, "It's okay. Just next time let me know we're gonna play punchies."
Well, this was a great way to start the night.
Once they were in the car and heading to The Dog House, Penny broke the awkward silence that had built between them.
"I'm glad you wanted to go with me. I haven't been in a few weeks."
Trying to get semi-comfortable in the passenger seat of Penny's tiny car, Seth replied, "Sure. Hey, is there any way to move the seat back more?"
Penny glanced over and snickered, saying, "You look uncomfortable."
Seth leaned the seat back a bit further, giving himself some relief as he said, "My knees are practically in my chest."
Laughing at him Penny offered, "Next time we can take your car," before asking, "You don't get out much do you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it seems like all you do is go to work."
Feeling put on the spot, he replied, "It's not like there's a whole lot to do here."
"So, no girlfriend then?"
Seth thought for a minute on how to answer that.
He hadn't had a girlfriend since right after he graduated from high school. He'd gone out with a few girls since then, mostly dates arranged by his mother. At first he was too busy between night classes and work then it was just work. He volunteered to stay late, come in early and even weekends when needed. When he had free time, he went for a run and that was pretty much the extent of his physical activity and social life.
Since he had already been labeled a lurker then earned it by peeping on her and seeing as fifteen minutes ago he practically punched her, he didn't want to add 'weird celibate guy next door' to his ever growing list of shame.
"No, nothing steady."
Shrugging a shoulder at him, she said, "Yea, me neither."
"That's hard to believe," he swore, truly baffled that she was still single.
"It's not like I don't try... It's just that no one ever seems to stick you know."
Seth nodded at her wondering what kind of people she had been with. Who wouldn't want to be with her?
~
Penny couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Seth face when they arrived at The Dog House and he was able to get out of her car. He was still stretching his arms and shaking his legs as if they had gone on a ten-hour road trip as she made her way around the car to his side.
As soon as he noticed her standing there, Seth appeared disappointed saying, "I was going to open the door for you."
"Not necessary," she assured heading towards the doors.
Seth skipped ahead of her and quickly pulled open one of the doors.
"After you."
Shaking her head with a laugh, Penny walked into The Dog House.
The bar wasn't too crowded since it was the first night of the county fair, which meant it was free to get in, and most people were there. That is where her brother Braden was supposed to be too. Frowning the second she saw him on stage, singing in the most agonizingly monotone voice she'd ever heard, she caught sight of Brooks playing drums behind him.
Turning back to Seth, she said, "We can get our drinks at the bar and then find a table."
Nodding at her, he replied, "Okay," as they made their way up to the bar.
Not wanting to leave Seth at the bar by himself, she texted Charlotte to let her know she was there.
As they got closer, she noticed Liv sitting at the bar. Penny's brother Auggie was on the opposite side filling drink orders. When she didn't see any signs of Kieran, Penny figured whatever went down between them when Liv left the bridal shop, didn't end well. Liv rarely went out without her husband and if she did, it was with Penny or Charlotte. Stepping next to Liv, Penny nudged her.
Glancing up at Penny and Seth, she said, "Hey," before looking back down into her drink.
Seth tapped Penny on the shoulder before leaning to her ear asking, "Is she okay?"
Turning to him she whispered back, "You know how sometimes people get loud and obnoxious when they have too much to drink?" Seth nodded as she shared, "Liv's the opposite of that."
Continuing to nod, he said, "Scary."
"Yep," she agreed before leaning forward and shouting, "Can we get some service down here bartender?"
Making his way over, Auggie glanced at Seth before greeting, "Hey, Henny Penny."
"Ugh, I hate when you call me that."
"Who's this guy?"
Before Penny could introduce him, Seth stuck his hand across the bar saying, "Seth."
Auggie glared at him for a second before wiping his hand on the towel over his shoulder, and shaking his hand. Penny smiled,
thinking 'wow that's a first'.
"Seth... You look familiar," Auggie swore as he continued to stare at him.
"He works for Jackson at JPT."
She could tell Seth was getting nervous by the tone of his voice as he replied, "Yea, I've a... I've talked to you on the phone before."
Auggie placed his hand over his mouth and scowled before running it down the front of his beard saying, "Nah, that's not it."
"Okay well, in the meantime can we get our drinks?" Penny blurted hoping to get away from the bar before Auggie figured it out.
Unfortunately, when Seth reached in his back pocket to pull out his wallet, Auggie slammed his hands down on the bar and shouted, "I got it!"
"Uh..." was the only sound Seth made as Auggie's voice boomed across the bar.
"I got it! You're Boyfriend Graveyard!"
Penny placed her hand across her forehead and shook her head.
While Auggie appeared proud of himself, Seth looked mortified. Almost everyone in the bar had taken notice of Auggie's outburst and were staring directly at Seth standing there with his wallet in his now shaky hand.
"Ah, hell," Auggie laughed, shaking his head before saying, "Put your money away. It's on the house, man."
About that time, Charlotte walked behind the bar. Penny thought maybe things would get better but no, they only got worse.
Giving Penny an excited smile Charlotte greeted Seth saying, "Hey there neighbor."
Auggie's amusement faded into a confused expression as he glanced at Penny, then Seth, then back to Charlotte.
Pointing his thumb towards Penny and Seth, he questioned, "Boyfriend Graveyard is the guy Penny's been muffin stalkin'?"
Penny's eyes grew wide as she watched Charlotte smack her brother in the shoulder.
Completely embarrassed, Penny fussed, "Oh for the love of God! Can we please just get our drinks."
Shaking his head with a laugh, even though Charlotte was glaring at him like she could kill him, Auggie asked, "What can I get ya?"
Seth gave a nod replying, "Guinness."
Auggie quickly said, "Good man," before handing Seth a pint and asking, "Pen, ginger ale?"
Penny noticed Charlotte mouth 'I am so sorry' at her before she took her ginger ale from her brother and gave him a dirty look.
