As Good as New

by Jennifer Dawson

Her heart skipped a beat, then gave a hard little thump. Was it bad that she was this happy to see him? She smiled. “They were recapping your man-whoring ways, in case I’d forgotten.”

  He nodded, his gaze intent on hers. “I see.”

  Sophie and Maddie watched them with hawk eyes, as though they were ready to swoop down and rescue Penelope at a moment’s notice.

  He raised a brow. “And what else did they say?”

  She shrugged. “That I’m pure and virginal.”

  He laughed. “Are you now?”

  The smile tugged at her lips, but she worked to keep it contained. “I am.”

  “And I’m the big bad wolf?” he asked, his gaze dipping down to her lips before returning to her eyes.

  “They’re worried you’re going to hurt me, since I’m the faithful one.”

  Maddie seemed unable to keep quiet one second longer and slammed her hands on her hips. “There are plenty of other women. You need to leave Penelope alone.”

  “Yeah, Evan,” Sophie said, her voice stern and entirely unlike her. “She needs a man who will love her the way she deserves.”

  Evan’s shoulders stiffened and he jutted his chin toward Penelope. “Did you happen to mention you’re the one woman I’ve always been faithful to?”

  Maddie let out a little yelp. “It’s only been a day, Evan!”

  “Yeah,” Sophie said. “That’s hardly an accomplishment.”

  Penelope ignored them and said to Evan, “I hadn’t gotten that far. I was letting them unwind a bit first.”

  “You always did have more patience than me.” The tone of his voice turning low and unmistakably intimate. “Most of the time.”

  An image of last night, sheets tangled at their waists, the room dark and quiet except for the heavy sounds of their harsh breath. Him moving inside her, his hips a slow grind against hers that drove her crazy. Their bodies slick with sweat.

  And her whispered pleas in his ear, begging him to go faster, take her harder.

  “I have more discipline than you.” Penelope’s words came out a husky rasp.

  “I don’t like what’s going on here,” Maddie said, breaking the spell.

  Sophie didn’t speak, just looked back and forth between Evan and Penelope.

  “I’m not going to hurt her, Mads,” Evan said.

  “Please don’t,” Maddie said, her voice distressed.

  Penelope realized her best friend was truly upset, and worried. All she saw was her rule-following friend hooking up with her notorious brother. She didn’t know the past. Or how it was between them. She straightened from the counter and walked over to Maddie, and slid an arm around her friend’s small shoulders. “I promise I’m okay.”

  “Just don’t get hurt,” Maddie said, “He’s used to women who . . . well, that are okay with casual.”

  Penelope looked at Evan over Maddie’s head. He watched his sister, his expression resigned and almost pained. And she realized he was ready to take the fall for this. Ready to let them all believe the worst of him because that’s the side he was used to showing to his family and didn’t know how to turn it off. But he didn’t have football to escape to anymore, he had nowhere left to run. And Penelope couldn’t take one more second of him being the bad guy.

  She sighed and turned toward Maddie. “It’s not casual.”

  Maddie’s brow furrowed and she clasped her hands. “That’s the problem, Pen. That’s what you think.”

  “She’s right,” Evan said, his voice thick. “Casual is the last word I’d used to describe her.”

  Maddie searched her brother’s expression. “But you don’t stay with anyone longer than a month.”

  Evan’s gaze met Penelope’s and she read the question in his expression and nodded. She was going to tell them anyway. It was just a matter of time before the past came out.

  Evan returned his attention to Maddie. “That’s because they didn’t compare to Penelope.”

  “What?” Maddie’s eyes widened with surprise.

  “Since high school, I’ve always measured other women against her.”

  Penelope’s chest gave a little squeeze at the words. All this time, all these years later, he was finally saying everything she’d wanted to hear.

  Sophie’s brows knitted together. “I don’t understand. Are you saying you’ve been carrying on since high school?”

  “Not exactly.” Penelope cleared her throat. “But things weren’t entirely innocent.”

  Evan laughed and she scowled at him.

  Maddie rubbed her temples. “What does this all mean?”

  Penelope struggled to find the words, unable to articulate what it all meant or exactly what she was doing.

  In the end, Evan came to her rescue. “It means nothing will change for you. Penelope will still be your best friend, she’ll still come to the house for dinner, but instead of coming by herself, she’ll come with me. And leave with me. We have a lot of history most of you aren’t aware of, and it’s time we deal with it and see what happens.”

  Maddie’s chin tilted and she sniffed. “How mature of you.”

  Evan smiled. “I can be mature sometimes.”

  Sophie flipped her blond hair and shook her head at Penelope. “I can’t believe it. You slut.”

  Penelope burst out laughing, and the tension broke. This is why she loved her friends.

  While Evan stood by, the three of them came together in a group hug and, huddled together, Sophie said, “I expect details.”

  “Oh God, please no.” Maddie’s voice was pleading before she sighed. “You know, someday I’d like to be able to share details with someone.”

  Penelope grinned and squeezed her friends. “You share details all the time.”

  “But you can’t share them back,” Maddie said.

  “You know I’ve never been much of a sharer,” Penelope said.

  “Well, get over it. I will be calling to hear every last one.” Sophie bumped her hip into Maddie. “Don’t worry, you’ve still got me and you’re off icially out of brothers, so we can swap as many details as you want.”

  They pulled apart and Maddie turned to her brother, who watched them all with an amused expression. “If anything happens to her, I’ll never forgive you.”

  Evan looked at Penelope, his gaze intent. “It won’t.”

  It was a promise. And she believed him.

  Only time would tell if it was one he could keep.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Evan threw the trash bag in one of the garbage cans lining the alley, thankful for a few minutes of escape from all the togetherness. He loved his family, but without football taking so much of his time, there was no longer a buffer. No longer something he could escape to when they started to overwhelm him.

  Jimmy had always considered himself the odd man out, but Evan didn’t see that at all. James belonged. He was the rock. The voice of reason in the chaos. The family anchor that steadied the rest of them. Evan was the outsider.

  Since he’d left for college, he’d spent far more time away than with them. He was the visitor. All these years he’d let them see what he’d wanted them to see, and now he was paying the price.

  Not that he didn’t love them, because he did; after his injury they were the only ones he’d let in. But they wore on him too, in a way they never seemed to wear on each other. They were always so together. Dinners, and getaways, and trips to Revival, and holidays, it never ended. They were a group. Sophie and Penelope were a part of that group.

  He was the one that needed to work his way in.

  It was Penelope they were concerned about. And they’d make him prove his worth. It was only a matter of when and for how long.

  All things considered, the night was going as well as could be expected, but Evan couldn’t wait for it to end. For the most part, everyone was playing it cool and pretty much ignoring the elephant in the room, and he and Penelope kept a reasonable distance from each other.

  But he wanted to touch her, to es
tablish the easy intimacy he witnessed between his brothers and sister and their significant others, but he understood that took time. And despite how she was in private, she liked her reserve in public, and he didn’t want to take that away from her.

  He walked through the gate and down the narrow path next to the garage, only to slow when he saw Shane on the bottom step of the deck, arms crossed, doing his best imposing stare.

  Evan took a deep breath. His time of reckoning had finally come.

  Shane leaned against the railing. “I’ve been coached on handling this calmly.”

  Evan cocked a brow. “And how’s that going for you?”

  “Not that great.”

  Evan decided to go on the offensive. “Can’t we just handle this like brothers? And not like you’re my surrogate father?”

  A muscle in Shane’s cheek jumped. “I’m not sure I know the difference.”

  Of course, that was the problem. Had always been the problem between him and Shane. Their lines were blurred by the past, their father’s death, and the role Shane had been forced into when he’d been too young.

  Evan blew out a breath. “I care about her.”

  “Do you?” Shane asked, his voice hard.

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Are you sure this isn’t about getting your ego stroked?”

  Anger sliced sharply through him and he had to fight to keep his voice calm. “I can go out and get my ego stroked by hundreds of women.”

  “Exactly. So why don’t you go screw around with someone who doesn’t mean anything to the rest of us?”

  Evan’s hands curled into fists. “Because she’s not fucking interchangeable.”

  “That’s bullshit. She’s hardly your type, she’s not a model, and she has two brain cells to rub together, and you’re going to do nothing but hurt her.”

  Evan opened his mouth to argue, but stopped himself. Shane wasn’t in the mood to have his mind changed, and everyone knew there was no stopping him once he’d decided. It was one of the traits that made him so successful. Unfortunately, it made him stubborn as hell, and nothing Evan said right now would change what he believed. So there was no point in trying. He walked up the steps until he was eye level with Shane, and said through gritted teeth, “I don’t need to justify myself to you.”

  “The hell you don’t. Penelope is like a sister to me,” Shane said, his voice growing loud. “Not only that, but she’s my most valued employee; when things go south, then what’s going to happen?”

  “It’s not going to go south.”

  Shane grimaced. “Please, be realistic. Have you ever stayed with anyone for more than a month? What’s going to happen to her when you grow bored and you take off to go base jumping or some such shit?”

  “I’m not going to get bored.”

  Shane shook his head. “What? Do you actually think you have a future? Do you even know the concept of commitment? You’re nothing alike. She needs someone who will treat her the way she deserves.”

  Evan’s temper started to boil, threatening to consume him, but to what purpose? Nothing he said or did at this point would make a difference. If he flew off the handle, he’d just reinforce Shane’s perception that he was wild and impetuous. He wouldn’t rise to the bait. Evan walked past him. “I’m done with this conversation.”

  Shane grabbed his arm. “I’m not going to let you hurt her. I don’t know what you did to her, but she’s not like you, she’s not used to the games you play. She’s good, and kind, and you’re going to break her heart and I’ll have to pick up the pieces.”

  “Fuck you, Shane.” Evan pulled his arm away. “You don’t know the first thing about it, or her.”

  “The hell I don’t. While you were off playing football, I’m the one who gave her a job and worked with her every day. You barely even know her. And I don’t want you using her to get your life back together only so you can dump her when your head’s back on straight.”

  Rage filled Evan, making his vision hazy. He turned toward his brother. “You’ve already got it all worked out, don’t you? And you know what, go ahead and think whatever crap you want about me, but don’t underestimate Penelope. Do you understand me?”

  Surprise flickered over Shane’s features. He opened his mouth to speak, but Evan had already turned away and walked into the house. He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Penelope and Cecilia standing in the kitchen. A second later, Shane followed him in and froze.

  The four of them all stared at each other, nobody saying anything.

  Finally, Cecilia looked at her husband and sighed. “You couldn’t mind your own business, could you?”

  Penelope’s expression stayed completely blank, and remote.

  Shane jutted out his chin. “You knew that was never going to happen.”

  Evan walked over to Penelope and took her elbow, but she stayed rigid, her mouth pursed in a flat line as she looked at Shane.

  “What?” Shane said, his shoulders tightening as he straightened. “Someone had to speak the truth.”

  Cecilia shook her head. “Oh, Shane.”

  Penelope shifted her attention to Evan. “I think I’m ready to go.”

  She was upset. Shane had pretty much just spewed her worst fears about him, and Evan had no idea what she must be thinking. Alone they could talk and he could begin the process of convincing her again. He squeezed her elbow. “All right.”

  She narrowed her gaze on Shane and anger sparked in her blue eyes. “I have to finish my PowerPoint on my three-point system for fixing your life.”

  Shane took a step toward her. “Pen.”

  Penelope held up her hand. “I think you’ve said more than enough.”

  Cecilia turned a concerned gaze on Penelope. “I’m sorry.”

  “Why are you apologizing?” Shane said, his tone aggressive and edged with defensiveness.

  “Because somebody has to,” Cecilia hissed. “Now will you please just shut up before you make everything even worse?”

  “I’m protecting her,” Shane yelled, and something inside Evan snapped.

  He stepped forward and pushed Shane’s shoulder with a brutal force. “That’s not your job anymore, got it?”

  Only an inch shorter than Evan, Shane didn’t even budge, and his gaze turned mean. “You can’t even take care of yourself, how in the hell are you going to take care of her?”

  Cecilia closed her eyes and rubbed at her temples. Everyone who had been sitting in the living room stampeded into the kitchen as Evan and Shane squared off.

  Evan should stop, get back under control, but it was impossible, because deep down he knew the truth. Shane was right. He hadn’t even protected Penelope from pregnancy. He unleashed all his anger, all his frustrating, impotent rage. “You don’t know shit.”

  Full of aggression, Shane jutted his jaw. “I’m not going to stand by and watch you hurt her.”

  “I’m not going to hurt her.”

  His mother whistled. “Boys! That’s enough.”

  But they were past listening.

  “Somebody needs to look out for her, and that person is me,” Shane yelled.

  A fierce, visceral possession clouded what was left of the rational part of Evan’s brain. “She’s mine, back the fuck off.”

  He shoved Shane, who shoved him right back.

  In the recesses of his mind, Evan knew this was the worst way to handle things but he couldn’t stop.

  He pushed Shane again.

  Shane knocked him in the shoulder. “I’ll back off when you start rolling out of bed every day before noon.”

  Evan gritted his teeth as they stood toe to toe, both breathing hard, ready to come to blows. Waiting for that one little move that would make all hell break loose. He yelled, “You love it, don’t you, that I lost my career, just so you can lord it over me.”

  His mother clapped her hands. “Boys! Stop this, this instant!”

  “Stop,” Maddie said, her voice pleading. “James, do something.”
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br />   “I’ll love it when you get your shit together and stop fucking around with Penelope.” Shane shoved Evan.

  His mind went numb, adrenaline pumped furiously through his blood. He curled his hand and cocked his fist. Like lightning, he swung, only to be stopped from the satisfying contact when his wrist met with an immovable object.

  He swung around and James stood there, a weary expression on his face. “Let me go, Jimmy.”

  “It’s enough.” James released him, but before Evan could get in a swing, James stepped between them, placing an open palm on their chests. “If you want to hit him, you’ll have to go through me. Remember, despite your differences you’re still brothers.”

  Evan glared at Shane.

  Shane glared right back.

  James, who had a long history of dealing with his brothers’ aggression, stayed firmly between them. “Evan, you must understand that you have a bit of a past when it comes to women, and Penelope is important to Shane.”

  Some of his adrenaline began to wear off. “It’s not like that.”

  James turned to Shane. “You’ve got to stop treating him like he’s the family fuck-up.”

  Shane’s expression fell and his shoulders slumped. “That’s not what I meant.”

  James nodded. “You two never mean half of what you say to each other. I understand you’re upset, but calm down and think about this. Work it out. We’re family.”

  “I just want what’s best for her,” Shane said.

  “Well, so do I.” Evan vowed that someday, someone would believe him.

  Aunt Cathy clucked her tongue. “Did either of you boneheads realize the girl you’re fighting over left?”

  Evan jerked out of his anger and aggression and spun around and yelled, “Goddamn it!”

  Without a backward glance he ran into the living room to find it empty. Everyone else ran after him, and he spun on his heel and ran upstairs, searching bedrooms and bathrooms only to find them empty. He pounded down the stairs while everyone stood watching him, but paid them no mind as he raced outside and peered up and down the street.

  But he was too late. She was gone.

  * * *

  Maybe it was childish of her to slip away, but she didn’t care. Not even a little bit.