Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush

by Pinder, Victoria

  Leaving her at her car door, he told her, “See you there.”

  Gripping the wheel of the car, she shook off her desires. She’d never be his and needed to stop this train of thought. She’d set up a few house rules to make transitioning easier, but her heart racing had to be from excitement. Her first job. She’d moved home in a day. She’d accomplished her goals without her mother. Everything was falling into place now, but then, getting good grades all her life had meant she always had to stay focused on what she wanted.

  Jay would be who her mother would choose for her. She’d never turn into her mother, though the fear of ending up becoming a gold-digging wannabe socialite slowed down her driving and her pulse. What if living with Jay meant she’d fall at his feet, begging him to love her, and she’d lose all her honor and hopes of becoming a solid person?

  Pulling into the garage, she shook off the thought.

  She refused to let that happen. Jay was her friend, not the love of her life. She knew the score.

  She glimpsed his motorcycle parking next to her before she opened her door. Stretching her legs, she caught him staring at them when she brushed off her jeans. Did he notice she had worn them yesterday? If so, she’d not deny it. Biting her lip, she opened the trunk and took out a bag. He came beside her and took one of her two boxes. “Leave me the key and I’ll get the second one once I put this down.”

  Nodding, she accepted that friends helped each other. She handed over the keys. “Thank you. I want to shower fast before we head out. I have toiletries in my bag. The second box is mostly housewares I took when I moved out of my ex-boyfriend’s place. It’s not much, but we can use a pot or something if we need it.”

  “Ex. I still need to ask about this guy.” They walked to the elevator. “We graduated last year, and you didn’t come back right away. Is he the reason you stayed away?”

  “No. Yes.”

  “Which one? What happened to you?”

  Telling him this meant she stayed real and didn’t hide her issues. “I couldn’t get a job. I didn’t want to come home without one. And, err, I was living with a boyfriend who didn’t have internet or much of anything.”

  “What? Why would you date someone who can’t afford the internet, Pen?”

  He sounded like her mother. Rolling her eyes up to the metallic ceiling, she told him, “It’s who the person is on the inside that counts, not his bank account. I don’t hold you having more against you, Jay. You’re a sweet guy.”

  “I’m not sweet, Pen. Only you think that.”

  She met his glance again. “Untrue. Sandra sings your praises.”

  “She’s my cousin. What happened to this boyfriend?”

  The elevator opened right into their apartment. Walking out, she answered, “Nothing. Turns out I shouldn’t have bothered with him, though he was nice enough. He tried hard, but I never once had that thrill. Breaking up was easy. How was the big breakup with Eva?”

  “Take that shower. I’ll get the other box. We’ll discuss Eva at dinner.”

  “Fair enough. If you didn’t love her, it’s best to end things.”

  Her neck pinched backward before she forced herself to relax. She’d never be gorgeous like Eva. Jay would find someone in his league and she needed to keep her guard up.

  “We’ll talk.” He stepped into the elevator and the doors closed behind him.

  Eva must have broken part of Jay. She’d always been closer to him in school anyhow, and quiet around Eva. Penny had always intended to study mechanical engineering and never lived her life larger than the rest. She’d been the girl behind her glasses no one had noticed. Eva possessed that quality that made everyone who knew her love her, and Penny could never hate her.

  Picking up her bag, she went to the empty bathroom in her room. The walk-in shower appeared to be designed to not need a shower curtain. The glass-plated doors would keep the water from splashing out. She sighed then closed the door to the washroom. She bit her lip to check out this luxury, then turned on the water.

  She hadn’t expected rainfall on her head or the sounds of the rainforest to greet her ears. Grinning, she realized she had a spa going on in this bathroom.

  ***

  When she stepped out who knows how long later, her shoulders had lost all their tension. She sighed. She’d packed a cotton dress in case she needed it and decided to put it on. Ten minutes after, she joined Jay in the empty living room. He was squatting with his tablet. “You work more than I expected you would.”

  “I might never have earned your high grades, but I didn’t have to. My grades were always good, and I am good at my job. The potential for this project could make me richer than my parents without using one dime of their money.”

  She met his eyes and understood something. “We’re both seeking freedom. You’ll get there sooner than me. Student loan drama. But I’m so happy for you. Dimples, that’s amazing.”

  She pulled him into a hug, where he squeezed her hard for a split second, giving her a preview of his rock-hard body under his clothes, before he pushed her away fast. “Okay, no hugging. Let’s go to dinner.”

  “I’m sorry, Penny. You surprised me. Hugging can stay. We’ve known each other forever.”

  The elevator door opened right into his living room. She’d seen the setup in movies, but until now she’d never experienced such openness. She blinked and stared at the empty elevator. She’d have to get over the shock. Then he put his tablet on the counter and powered it off, and she gazed only at him. He walked over and joined her. She swallowed then whispered, “We’re friends. I trust you. Else I wouldn’t live here with you. Tonight, I’m buying you a drink.”

  “Other way around. You did the work for me today. You get rewarded with dinner and drinks.”

  ***

  He led her into a small, quaint oceanfront hidden restaurant in the Grove. She smiled. “This is one of the yacht people watering holes. I missed the ocean. You don’t get to see much of it in Gainesville.”

  “We’ll plan a trip to the beach soon,” he promised when the waiter came to hand them menus. “Two mimosas, please.”

  She raised her eyebrow. “You had one the last time we were all together in high school to say goodbye at Sandra’s house.”

  “I missed you and the rest of the coffee-shop crew, as Sandy called us. Most people make the friends you miss in college, and I made friends. But never seeing you again, or Sandra, Eva, Michael, and Wyatt, hit me hard last year. I was happy with my computer contact, but I should have wanted more. My mother kept me away, and Wyatt’s in Kurdistan.”

  “Wyatt’s serving overseas? No one’s heard from him.”

  “What are you talking about? We talk on the phone once a month.”

  His jaw dropped again. Funny. “Wyatt wasn’t the guy, was he?”

  “No. He’s nice guy, and I collected stuff in college to send to his base or to his family.”

  The waiter brought the mimosas. Penny smiled, raising her glass, and said, “To our new beginning. Jay and Pen’s new place.”

  Clinking glasses with her, he nodded in agreement. “Cheers.”

  In another life, she’d have hoped for something more. “And to our new jobs and future success.”

  After clinking glasses again, they took another sip. Laughing, she told him, “We need to talk about rules. I have one. If you bring a date over, she goes to your room, avoiding the common areas. If I start dating anyone, I’ll do the same thing.”

  “Let’s plan on at least once a week having a meal or a drink together. We need to stay current with each other.”

  “Then spill. How did the breakup with Eva go?”

  “She acted surprised when she shouldn’t have been. We never…err…she knew we weren’t getting along and I wasn’t happy. I told her. It’s done, and I don’t want to think about Eva anymore.”

  “Why did you date her, then? You know she’s dramatic, and it wouldn’t be easy.”

  “She reminded me of happier times in my
life, but Eva could never pretend to be what I wanted.”

  “Exes are that for a reason. Where did you live before today?”

  “At my parents’. I had my own side to the house, but it was suffocating. I needed to get in this place. When I saw you the other day, I realized who would be perfect. You.”

  She laughed. “Perfect, describing me? We’re friends for good reasons.”

  Jay had a twinkle in his eye. She caught a glimpse of it and smiled.

  Chapter Nine

  Jay sat still and waited in the dark until he was positive Penny slept on the air mattress. He stared hard at her reflection in the moonlight, then snuck into his office to go up stairs to the pool. He could speak freely outside. The pool had seats, and he needed to make a call.

  A calmness entered his heart. Living with Penny changed his life, but for the better. His shoulders rolled back and he smiled. She’d be perfect as his date to meet Mr. Danvers. He picked up the phone but part of him held back.

  He’d never hurt her. He hesitated before he hit call. His former kidnapper worked for his mother, and Penny would need protection.

  However, Mr. Gonzales was necessary to cut his father’s company down to size. Jay clutched his phone, took a seat, and turned on his tablet. His ears sharpened to the splashing of his pool while his eyes focused on the intense light blue under the water. His pulse calmed and he dialed. Two rings later, Gonzales answered, “Hello?”

  Jay set his jaw and kept the pitch in his voice low. “Mr. Gonzales, it’s Jay Marshall.”

  “The boy?”

  With a sharp movement, he pushed his chin up. “I’m an adult now.”

  “Why are you calling me?”

  His chest thrust out. He’d cut the cords to his mother’s backup. “I’d like you to end your business with my mother.”

  “It’s profitable for me. Your mother is a smart woman.”

  He inhaled deeply. “I’ll pay you to retire from this business.”

  “How much?”

  Good. He straightened his legs in the chair. “Last year, you were paid two hundred and fifty million dollars. The profits for the hotel investment have dwindled with the economy. I’ll come in and pay you a billion dollars to end all future business and take this one off your hands.”

  “Your parents were wrong with what they did to you.”

  A fluttering in his chest started. He could pay off his mother’s help and end all control she tried to exert over him. “It was a long time ago.”

  “Yet, this is a personal family matter. Let my lawyers draw up a deal and we’ll be in touch.”

  With his hand on his knee and a smile on his face, Jay kept his cool. “Perfect.”

  “Son, I understand your mother. She’s made me money with her insights, but everything comes to an end. Understand any deal we finalize is because you offered me enough to walk away.”

  He clenched his fists to hold his composure to finish. “Of course.”

  Jay hung up the phone and a wide grin grew on his face. Tonight, he’d taken steps to win. No one would have power over him again.

  A dark cloud came to his thoughts. Whenever the deal with Gonzales happened, Penny could not be anywhere near. An angel like her would never betray him for cold, hard cash. Unlike any other woman he met, Penny’s smile warmed him, and unlike anyone else right now, his instincts told him to trust her.

  Chapter Ten

  Brushing her hair one more time, she knew that shower had taken longer than she intended. The air mattress deflated while she moisturized her face. Jay could have gone for coffee at this point without her. She threw her jeans and a clean shirt on before she ran out to see Jay sitting on the floor with his tablet. She spied his camping backpack with a rollup sleeping bag neatly on the kitchen counter before she went to stand in front of him. “Thanks for waking up early to drive me to the airport and waiting for me. I made an appointment at the dealer online for car I liked, but traffic near Miami International gets evil later in the day.”

  “Sleeping on the floor wasn’t exactly what I thought I’d be doing. We need to be home at noon so you can deal with the furniture people. Right now, though, I need my coffee.”

  “We’ll stop. I’m glad we found a way for me to help you. It makes me relax knowing I can live here.” She smiled while folding his sleeping bag once more, making it smaller. “Let’s go.”

  “You can do whatever you want, Pen. You’re smart.”

  He saw her brains, not dazzling personality. She let that sink into her head, glancing away. Heading out to their vehicles, she told him, “It was you that helped me survive high school. Being the only girl on scholarship in my class meant everyone knew I couldn’t afford to go there.”

  “You were smarter than them and deserved to be there. See you at the rental place.”

  She watched him mount his motorcycle. The rich prep boy turned jeans-wearing motorcycle-riding hotness revved up more than his motorcycle engine, though she couldn’t let her crush get serious. He’d never look at her. Brains. It was all he saw. He broke up with beauty personified yesterday. Longing for that man who didn’t notice her at all made her the fool. Shaking it off, she started the car, heading for the highway to get to the airport.

  ***

  Forty minutes later, she signed the paper, handed the car keys over, and met Jay in the parking lot. He offered his arm, which she took. She appeared like a fresh-out-of-college student, and he looked put together. He motioned to help her climb on. She followed, grabbed hold of his waist, and held on for when he went fast. Inhaling the scent of his warm body unleashed her imagination.

  His strong shoulders on his muscular body meant he’d look like Mr. Perfect on the beach. To compare, she’d look embarrassed next to the bodies meant to be worshipped. It would be better to avoid the option and not see his sexy body underneath his clothes. She’d put that on the list of rules for what to wear outside the separate bedroom. It was okay. She needed to stop obsessing about him anyhow, though the tropical heat outside wasn’t the only thing getting under her skin.

  When they pulled into the dealer, she released him, feigning tremendous interest in the vehicles around them. Hopefully, her face didn’t show her blush.

  “Car dealers are notorious for taking too long with the paperwork. I’m going to talk to the finance people and sit with my tablet while you shop. I don’t want to be here all day.”

  Slowing down, she stared at a yellow car. “Perfect. I’ll find you.”

  He nodded before she walked away to look at a black sedan, though she swore someone watched her hips sway. She must have imagined it, and she kept her silence. When he went inside, she moved to the front door. At the entry, she picked a younger salesman. “I’m looking for Kenny. I have an appointment to talk about a car.”

  He smiled at her. “I’m Kenny, making you Penelope Knightheart. This way.”

  Her heart didn’t race when she saw the plain white four-door small car. But she didn’t need to love a car. It would be cheap on gas and have affordable payments. The car didn’t look like much of anything, but it would work fine. While she was eying up the car, another salesman came over to talk to Kenny. She stepped away to find something to like about her choice when Kenny said to her, “I’m shocked, actually. We have a mint condition Jeep Wrangler, black with tan roof, priced at the same amount this white one is. Would you like to see that one first before it sells to someone else?”

  Her jaw dropped. “What? That’s my favorite car ever. I have wanted one all my life. I need to see that.”

  Two minutes later, she smiled. She’d figure out the gas later. Wow. Her eyes must still look like saucers, and she didn’t care. She almost tripped while staring. The machine seemed brand new. “How many miles?”

  “One thousand.”

  That was it? She took the seat to take a test drive while suppressing a giggle. While test-driving the car, her mouth wouldn’t form the question for a few minutes. The smoothness of the ride left butterflies in
her stomach. She’d be in heaven with this car. Tilting her head to the side, she asked, “Why is the Jeep priced so low?”

  The man gazed to the ground before he answered. “We’re running a special a day on cars we don’t specialize in to get them off the lot.”

  She gave him a crisp nod when they headed back into the lot. Smiling to herself, she told him, “Keep the keys. I’ll buy this one.”

  ***

  Inside the office, Jay sat silent in the corner, waiting for her and working on his tablet, as always. The seriousness on his face showed his concentration. He didn’t notice her when she walked past. She sat down in Kenny’s cubicle and the paperwork came ten minutes later. When done, she ran to Jay and hugged his shoulders, despite the fact he was working. She noticed a spreadsheet with his mother’s name on it before he turned it off to hug her. Jumping up and down, she told him, “I bought a Jeep. Tonight, I’m driving us to dinner.”

  His chin sat nicely on her head while he hugged her. “I’m happy for you. Let’s get home, cutie. The furniture arrives.”

  ***

  Jay found a spot near a window in his bare office and squatted on the floor with his laptop. His tablet charged in the plug next to him, and he sipped his coffee. She watched him and nodded to herself. Tomorrow she worked. Yeah. Life would be easier when she had his focus on work and a design due. She cleaned off the kitchen and her leg muscles quivered. Nervous energy needed a release without staring at Jay. She needed to run. In the kitchen, she put her pots and pans away and stared at the clock to see she had an hour, before calling out, “Be right back.”

  “Okay.” His voice echoed in the halls.

  Her sneakers squeaked on the floor when she ran to her car. Food shopping would be fast when it was simple meals for a few days. The grocery store wasn’t far, so she hopped into her car, which purred when it started. With her hands behind the wheel, she raced the short distance on the open road. After parking her car, she hopped out, almost running into Fernando. She blinked when he smiled. “Penelope, you look good. New car?”