The Price of Penny

by T. C. Rybicki

  “You all know, we have reservations, right? They can’t be changed. We have less than hour to get out of here. What’s his name better not have screwed us.”

  Judy broke the bad news. “I’m sorry, but there’s been an accident at the intersection, a bad one and Troy can’t get around the commotion to clear the sidewalks just yet.” That bit of info did very little to alter the fake bride’s mood. She kicked off her satin heels, hiked up that very beautiful dress and made her way to the window to see for herself.

  She pulled me in like a magnet without acknowledging my existence. I felt like solid iron which sucked as an analogy, but it was all I could think about at the moment, attraction and hard things. I looked over her shoulder even though I’d just taken a look outside. Nothing had changed, except she sure as hell smelled heavenly. I couldn’t help but get a whiff of her. I should probably stop breathing, but I was determined to suck up as much air around her as I could possibly inhale.

  She turned around even more annoyed, possibly after hearing my heavy breathing near her, “Excuse me.”

  I backed up. “Sorry, it’s a mess, isn’t it?”

  She rolled her eyes, “No, it’s actually worse than that. Spilling your tea is a mess. This is a bit of a tragedy. I’m witnessing a group of girls trampling on decades worth of accomplishments in the feminist movement and setting women back into the dark ages. Not to mention, someone might be killed because of this nonsense.”

  “Huh?” I had no idea what she meant, but she couldn’t possibly blame me for the wreck, could she?

  “Groupies, fangirls, screaming banshees . . . all this hoopla to get a glimpse of a celebrity. It’s ridiculous.”

  The one girl that wanted to protect my body came to my defense. “Chill Penny, it’s not anti-woman to succumb to a bit of celebrity worship. Chet’s one of the good ones.”

  “How would you know, Lydia? You don’t know him. I don’t know him and none of those screaming girls know him. You’ve seen him in some movies, that’s it.” I wondered if she’d watched my movies, I kinda think she had and I smiled again for some reason. “You think this is funny?”

  “Um, no of course not. I have some place to be too.”

  “Oh yeah, sure you do. I doubt you ever book a place six weeks in advance because of a special occasion. You probably stroll up to any spot you want and the maître d’ falls all over himself to give you the best table in the house. So help me, I better not lose these reservations.”

  I hesitated to speak, but if she’d just tell me where her reservations were, I could make some calls and make sure that didn’t happen. Then again by judging the things that were coming out of her mouth, the offer would piss her off further.

  She sounded exasperated. “Lisa, can you please help me out of this dress? It’s getting stuffy in here.”

  One more thing she possibly blamed me for. Her mother and Lisa followed her back to the dressing room. Maggie approached. She had a funny look on her face. I could tell she was a bit of a jokester and we’d probably get along. “Sorry, about Poppy. It’s a long story.”

  “Is she always sunshine and rainbows?”

  “Oh my gosh, that’s funny. Actually, she’s a bit moody. You’re lucky you caught her on a good day. We’re all pretty stoked about the fitting and dinner out. She even rented us a limo today, so we could all stick together. She’s my maid of honor and I owe her a lot for all the work she’s put into this. Everyone knows she’s the organized one. I fly by the seat of my pants. It’s a wonder I landed a lawyer.”

  So I caught her on a good day? I should run for the hills. “Hey, don’t tell her you told me but where are your reservations? I can’t let you lose your table.”

  She whispered it to me and I shot out a text to Gage. I gave him a few instructions and told Maggie not to worry, to insist they go to the restaurant even if they were late. They wouldn’t be turned away. I kept it to myself there was an added perk or two waiting for them.

  “Oh and congratulations, Maggie. When’s the big day?”

  “July 15th.”

  “Great. Best wishes. I’m glad you found a dress.”

  “Yes, Poppy was a vision. I hope I look half as good as she did. She humored me. I had this nightmare a long time ago and I’m convinced if I ever wear any dress that isn’t my wedding dress, the marriage will end in ruins.”

  I buttered her up since she was nice and actually gave me a little insight to her gorgeous sister. I assured her that she would rock the dress even though I felt like no one but Poppy would look perfect in that dress. “Hey, if you don’t mind me asking? Poppy, but I swear I heard your friend call her Penny.”

  “Oh yeah, her name’s Penelope, but our family calls her Poppy. Ever since we moved to the states, most people shorten her name to Penny which suits her fine. That’s what she prefers, actually.”

  “Good to know.”

  Maggie looked at me strangely and rightly so. Why would it make any difference what her nickname was on either continent to me? I would leave soon and never see her again. Judy had an update. Her security guy, Troy would be here in twenty minutes tops. My stomach rumbled since I had been planning on sampling a cake ball as soon as I got in my car. That late afternoon snack had been delayed over half an hour now. If I opened the box, I had to share, no doubt about it.

  “Hey, who wants sweets?”

  I opened the box of Oreo balls first, but Penny and Maggie’s mother asked what was in the other box. Mom always ordered extra. I was pretty sure they wouldn’t devour everything. How many sweets could eight women eat, anyway?

  “Oh, petit fours. These look delightful. May I?”

  “Sure, be my guest. I’m not sure if you’ve picked out your cake yet, but Mrs. Monroe next door is excellent. I can’t blame her ditsy new girl for everything. She always takes good care of my family. I’m usually in and out of there in ten minutes.”

  Maggie told her mother they would call later and plan a cake tasting.

  I noticed Lisa was back but no Penny. I thought Poppy was cute, but I agreed with her, she looked like a Penny and that’s what I’d call her from here on out. My Penny Lover.

  It was official. I’d gone far too long without sex, because I continued to delude myself where this woman was concerned. She was not impressed by me in the least.

  About that time, Penny emerged in regular clothes. She wore a dress like all the others. I assumed it was because they were going straight to the restaurant. She had pulled up her curly brown hair in a whimsical way. It was chestnut brown with flecks of gold, but I wouldn’t consider it blonde or brown. She had her own color, like she was one of a kind. My hair was several shades darker. Her hair was one of her best assets in my opinion. It was really long, thick and luxurious, practically begging to be touched. I wanted to wind each and every curl around my fingers. She had it all pulled over one shoulder when she was modeling the wedding dress so her sister could see the details in the back. The back of the dress looked bare except for the long line of buttons down the middle of the sheerest fabric ever made. I studied all the specifics of that dress. I swear I memorized her without intention. I closed my eyes and saw her again. Yep, perfect, anytime I wanted, I could retrieve the vision of Penny.

  For some reason, I found myself studying her next outfit. This bright green dress contrasted against her fair complexion. Even though I missed seeing her hair down and all the thoughts it evoked, I enjoyed an uninhibited view of her delicate collarbones and sweet neckline. The dress actually had a thick bow tied in the front. I wondered if I pulled one end if the whole thing would unwrap like a present. I allowed my eyes to roam the rest of her, all the way down to those sexy golden sandals that she wore on her feet. I squinched my eyes to see she even had her toes painted a similar emerald color.

  “Hello, do you hear me?”

  “Huh, me?”

  “Yes, you unless there’s another self-absorbed, egomaniac in the room. What’s your deal?”

  Busted. She caught me
. I made it even worse by not realizing she was asking me a question. I played dumb, “Excuse me, could you repeat the question?”

  “I said, are we allowed to have a cupcake?”

  “Wow, name calling and asking for a treat all in the same sentence. You’ve got some nerve, don’t you, Penny?”

  She turned red, and looked even meaner than before, but I was right. I hadn’t done anything to make her treat me this way. Did she honestly hate all celebrities or just me?

  “I’m kidding. Sure, take whatever you want, I’m sharing with everyone.”

  “Oh, okay, no one had taken a cupcake yet, so I wanted to make sure. I missed the instructions. I’m sorry about the name, that was uncalled for. I’m just really tense about everything going smoothly today and we were already running behind schedule because Maggie made me try on every damn dress in this place before she chose the very last one. My blood sugar’s so low, I’m shaking.” I could see a slight tremble to her and I questioned whether it was starvation or me. Maybe I made her nervous, maybe that meant something too.

  “No worries. I’m really sorry about the added chaos. Take a cupcake, I have plenty.” I spoke too soon after realizing almost all the cake balls were history. Only a few of Mom’s tiny cakes were devoured, and now Penny scooped up a cupcake. I guess I’d underestimated how much eight ladies out on a shopping expedition could put away. I silently mourned the Oreo balls. I only got one.

  Penny picked up a cupcake with chocolate frosting. She immediately ripped the bottom off and topped it over the frosting. I had to ask. “What are you doing?”

  “This is the only way to eat a cupcake.” She didn’t hesitate to tell me with a mouthful. I enjoyed her completely uninhibited side. So many women faked it near me.

  “Really, why?”

  “Try it and you’ll see.” I picked up one with vanilla bean icing. I looked to her for direction. I wanted to make sure I did it right.

  “Just twist at the bottom, it will separate.” I did what she said and the bottom fell apart. She nodded without words. The rest was obvious.

  I bit into the vanilla cupcake which reminded me of a sweet sandwich. Forgive me, Mom. I couldn’t miss out on this moment with her. It was the first time she was sort of being nice to me.

  “See, it’s good, huh? You get frosting in every bite, no dry pieces. Plus, no mess.” I shook my head in agreement. Penny giggled, so naturally I worried about getting turned on. “Unless, you let frosting escape like you just did, rookie.” She reached for a tissue and wiped close to my mouth. “There, all gone.” I stood perfectly still, completely mesmerized about what she did to me.

  She turned away and asked Judy the latest update. Maggie winked at me, she was completely relaxed knowing they were still dining high tonight.

  “Alright everyone, the wreck’s cleared, Troy’s ready to escort Chet to his car. The police got involved and most of the spectators have moved on. This has been one of the best appointments I’ve ever had. Thanks to all you ladies and to Chet for making it exciting.”

  “Wait, Chet, can we have pictures please or else no one will believe this actually happened?”

  “Sure, it’s the least I can do.” I took turns with each one of them. It was no surprise that Penny didn’t get in line for a fan pic, but she surprised me when she busied herself packing up the leftover bakery treats. I thought that was kinda sweet for my seemingly unsweet new acquaintance.

  About that time, a man in uniform ducked in. “Mr. Parker, you ready?”

  “Yeah, bye everyone. Thanks for being so patient.” They all waved and said their goodbyes. Well, all but one. I watched Penny and she’d walked over to where Lisa hung the wedding dress she’d recently worn. I took steps toward the door because Troy, the security guard held it open for me. I turned around one last time. The women had all been great sports and were a lot of fun. I guess trying on wedding gowns was considered a good time for chicks. They were all laughing and carrying on, except Penny. Her fingers brushed across the fabric of the white dress, she looked up and saw me for the last time. I wanted to smile, give her that last impression that I was a nice guy, but she looked incredibly sad and lonely all of a sudden. I kept moving as we started out the door, never looking back again. I wondered what happened in her life to make her so solemn and more importantly . . . why in the hell did I care?

  The hostess walked us to a table leaving me completely shocked. I kept looking in every direction expecting someone to run up to our party and admit we were out of luck. Forty-five minutes late. We lost our reservations without a doubt, but clueless Maggie kept insisting we give it a whirl and see if they would have mercy on us.

  “Maybe it’s a slow night.”

  “It’s Friday night at one of the most sought after restaurants in LA. Stop deluding yourself. I’m not in the mood to get laughed at. I say we point this limo driver toward the nearest In-N-Out and call it a night.”

  “The glass is always half empty with you, I swear, Poppy. It’s my special day, so we’re trying.”

  Mum was sick of our constant bickering inside the limo, so she told me to keep my sister happy. Nothing new there. Maggie was right, I was a steadfast pessimist. The glass tipped over and spilled out everywhere. Half empty was still too hopeful in my opinion.

  Surprisingly, we were seated at a round table for six. No one interrupted us or threw us out. In fact, every person from the staff treated us like guests of honor.

  The dinner out was the first of many treats I’d planned for Maggie. Of course, she had a traditional bridal shower approaching. All her friends wanted to do a lingerie party as well. Lydia insisted we were doing a hen weekend. I refused to plan that one. It wasn’t my thing and I didn’t understand why the lingerie party couldn’t constitute as a bachelorette event.

  I didn’t know how I always got roped into doing everything that pleased my baby sister. Oh yeah, she was a spoiled brat, that’s how, but I loved her dearly. We were delighted she’d found the one. Robert Marshall Keaton the fourth aka Keats was a catch in every way. He was charming, successful, good-looking and he treated Maggie like royalty. She always said America needed a queen and it might as well be her. That’s exactly how he acted around her too.

  Before we had time to open a menu, a waiter circled our table with two chilled bottles of champagne. I spoke up immediately. “No, those aren’t ours. We haven’t ordered anything yet.”

  The waiter smiled and proceeded to sit a bottle at each end of the table. Mum and I had discussed it already. I was going to order a couple of house wines. I scanned the label of the champagne and searched the wine list in front of me with cost on my mind.

  Maggie clapped her hands, mesmerized like a child over the pretty floral bottles. “Oh, champagne, Poppy. I feel so fancy and it’s not even my wedding day yet.”

  $220.00. I had to stop him before he opened one. A resounding pop hit my eardrums, but it was almost drowned out by my sister’s continued excitement. Our whole table was in awe. I was most definitely not paying for their error, but I felt obligated to stop him before he opened the next one. I grabbed his arm.

  “I’m sorry about the confusion, but we didn’t order this. Please don’t open that bottle.”

  Perrier-Jouet wasn’t the most expensive bottle listed, but it was obviously way out of my price range or Daddy’s since he was footing the bill tonight. He would croak when the statement came in. Our father loved us dearly, but he wasn’t what I’d categorize as overindulgent. He was stern and matter of fact, a career military man. He met our mother when he was on his extended tour in Europe. He furthered his career in intelligence, so Daddy kept a low-profile with his top secret job. We lived a good part of my childhood in my mother’s homeland and in Germany a few years.

  When he decided to retire and go into the civilian sector, we ended up in a few different spots across the US, but Maggie and I spent the majority of our teenage years in California. The Monterey area was our home, but I moved closer to LA for college and
Maggie tagged along two years later to chase her dream of doing makeup for celebrities. She hadn’t quite made it big, but she worked at a fairly nice shop with high-end clientele.

  The older gentleman who didn’t really look like a typical waiter corrected me when he leaned in a bit closer and lowered his voice. “So sorry, Ms. Kopernik. The hostess was supposed to inform you.”

  “Inform me about what?”

  “Tonight’s dinner is complimentary.” He stood up fully and announced it to everyone. “Enjoy, order anything you wish, it’s on the house. Congratulations, Maggie. I’m Jon-Paul, I’ll be taking care of you. I’ll be back in a moment to make suggestions. We have fantastic specials this evening as well.”

  He popped open the second bottle of champagne that I couldn’t afford and poured everyone around me a glass like he’d already done for Maggie and her friends. We were in for an upset. The mistake would be evident before they brought the ticket. Mum and Aunt Shar commenced to slurping down half their glasses in one fluid motion. Tipsy Mum would embarrass me, no doubt about it.

  “I say we order every expensive thing on the menu.”

  “No, don’t. Maggie, I didn’t tell them anything about your engagement. Something’s screwed up. I’m not going to be the one to confess to Daddy we ran up a thousand dollar tab or worse. I’m going to see if I can talk to the manager. I mean, everyone can order what they want, but we aren’t purposely trying to go overboard. Absolutely, no more champagne.” Mum sat the bottle back down. I gave her a bug-eyed admonishment. She hadn’t had anything but a tiny cake to eat in hours, so the last thing she needed was a second glass so soon.

  “Knock it off, Poppy. Mummy, drink up. It’s a celebration. I’m going to stun in my wedding dress and of course, tonight is free!”