by D. Love
Next Morning:
Bang…Bang...Bang…
I wake up, disoriented. I am still on the sofa from the night before, I must have fallen asleep.
Bang...Bang…
“Penny, open up,” I hear Tina yelling from the other side of the door while beating it like crazy. “Penny, wake up!” she yells again. I jump up, running to the door. I sling it open with one hand, wiping my eyes with the other.
“What is going on, Tina?” I say, frustrated and still groggy.
She walks right past me, in the house, and over to my laptop. She starts clicking away, searching for something.
“Tina, please tell me you didn't wake me up just so you could play Candy Crush again?”
“No Penny, you have to see this. Delphina has her interview posted. You have to read it,” she says excitedly.
“Tina, slow down, I am barely awake. You make some coffee, I will go get freshened up, and then we will look at the interview.”
I jump in the shower, which I know has Tina going stir crazy. But we have been friends for so long, she knows me well and vice versa. I am sure she knows that it frightens me a little to see what this interview says, more so with it including Zack. Her knocking on the door startles me a bit.
“Come on, Penny! Really! You had to jump in the shower?” Tina yells through the door.
I tell her I am coming, as I climb out and towel off. I just stand there, leaning over the sink with my hands on the edge, bracing myself and breathing deeply to gain the courage to walk out there. I throw my clothes on and her next words are all I need to give me strength.
“Penny, it’s okay, I promise,” she says.
Tina and I have been best friends for ten years now. She’s the one who was beside me after I lost Zack. A lot of time was spent not saying a word. She just let me cry, telling me I needed to break before I could heal, and begin to put the pieces back together. I often wonder if it’s possible to put ALL the pieces back together.
Tina interrupts my thoughts, informing me a notification just came in from Kain. I look in the mirror and notice something strange is happening: my face has a huge smile plastered on it. I open the door to find Tina standing right there. She jumps a little, startled, pushing a cup of coffee in my face. Taking the coffee, I sip on it as I walk and flop down on the sofa.
“You want me to read it to you, Penny?” she asks.
I just nod, looking at her over my cup, watching her as she prepares to read. Once she puts on her glasses, she begins reading. The first sentence brings tears to my eyes.
This interview is dedicated to Zack Hebert.
As I listen to Tina read each word, I notice that Delphina uses compassion, her wording written with elegance and love. At the end of the paragraph about Zack, she instructs all her fans to use the picture of Zack that she has added to her blog, and at noon today, say his name out loud to keep his memory alive. I can hear the chokes and sobs through Tina’s voice as she reads each word. Tina glances at me, asking me if I am okay.
“I am fine, please keep going.”
“Maybe you should read this part on your own,” she says, giggling.
She hands me the laptop, the first thing I see is the notification from Kain. My fingers itch to slide the mouse over the read button, making my stomach start to flutter. I don't read his words just yet, I just start reading the interview, feeling I need privacy when opening Kain’s message.
I would like to end this interview with this:
I was able to pull a secret from the amazing Penny Lane. She told me, with a sparkle in her eyes, that she and the one and only, Kain Brooks, would be publishing a Romance novel around this Valentine’s Day. Excited yet? Well, I have also done some research on them both, noticing that this last year has brought them closer together. Where we see one, we see the other. *wiggles eyebrows* so, does anyone see “romance in the air” for these two, or is it just me? hahahaha...
Keep an eye out for more juicy details on the two newest Author Lovers!
Again, thank you for following Delphina Reads Too Much.
I just sit there with my mouth hanging open.
“Did you see all the comments?” Tina asks.
I hurry to scroll down to find all the comments, literally tons of them. I glance through them, all stating how exciting the news is. I know my cheeks are red considering the amount of heat I feel in them. Tina jumps up, pointing her long skinny finger at me. The other hand on her hip.
“Did you forget to tell me about this, Penny? You! My best friend! You let me find out via internet?” she says, incredulous.
“It’s not a big deal, we are just co-writing a novel together,” I say nonchalantly.
“It’s not a big deal? Did you see all the comments? `A Perfect couple`, `Hope they fall in love`, and on and on, Penny. They love you and him, together! What are you going to do?”
“I am not going to do anything except write. Please stop making this a big deal!”
She tells me she has to get back to the office, but that she’ll be coming back right after work to talk about this some more. I just give her an ‘hmph,’ and say goodbye. Once alone, I sit scrolling through all the comments once again.
What are the odds of Kain not seeing this!
Chapter 6
Kain
Awakening in the middle of the night with a glorious fit of insomnia and literary ideas, I sit up in bed, letting a long sigh fall from my mouth.
Staring at my alarm clock, the bright blue numbers blinking at me, “Two-thirty in the morning…”
It has been a long and stressful week, and I am discovering sleep is no longer my friend. Last Sunday’s epic fail at the ticket box office, and then a flustered meeting with my agent, Amanda, had thrown me into a bit of a tailspin. My ex-wife had reported my last credit card stolen, even though it’s anything but the truth. She is now only talking to me through her lawyer, Mr. Davenport, who I am positive she is sleeping with. The idea stuck in my conscience, like peanut butter to the roof of your mouth.
My agent, Amanda, was disappointed with the first ten chapters of my new sexy, paranormal manuscript I am working on. She said there wasn’t enough sex in it. Whatever, I am so sick of writing that stuff anyways. But, I did need it to be finished. I need it to be a hit. I need the finances to swing in my favor.
She, however, was more intrigued with the idea of the joint book with Penny, and she even liked the first chapter Penny had sent over. Amanda said, “It definitely has potential, but I’ll need to see more.” Amanda, even though she was a bit annoyed that I was carrying on about this Penny person a little too much, noticed how much lighter I seemed when speaking of her. How much happier, just talking about Penny seemed to make me. I think I blushed when she mentioned it, and quickly changed the subject.
It’s all been downhill from there. The last few days, I have been walking around in a fog, so tired of the big bad world and all its minions. My only savior has been Penny and her words. Her first chapter haunting me as I stumble through the hours of the day. I am having the hardest time coming up with my first chapter. I don’t want to disappoint her. I don’t want to disappoint myself. This collaboration is something new, exciting, and hopefully will be popular with our readers. I owe it to them to take it as seriously as possible.
“All right, no more running…” I grumble, pulling my laptop to me. Its cold titanium surface make the hairs along my body stand up on end. As the glow of my computer screen floods the bedroom, I begin to type. Slowly and cautiously at first, but then, like a man possessed, I write until the sun comes up. Lost in the characters and world that Penny has set up for me, I don’t even notice the break of dawn as it peeks through my bedroom curtains.
“Wow, how’d that happen?” I ask the morning rays of sunlight. With a tired smile, I began editing my first draft of the manuscript. I want it just perfect for Penny and her imagination. Two hours later, I find myself searching the emptying shelves of my rental apartment for breakfast.
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br /> “Hmmm…stale Captain Crunch it is!” I cheer, scooping up the almost empty box and swiftly pouring myself a bowl. As the first drops of milk paint the golden bites of sugar, my doorbell rings.
“Kain, my darling, where are your pants?” Amanda inquires with a wink.
“Hello, Amanda,” I shrug, aware that I am answering my door clad in only my boxers. But at least I am still smiling.
“Ahh, looks as if you are doing better. You finally sleeping?” she asks, and settles her purse and car keys on my kitchen counter.
“Not a wink,” I chirp before shoveling in a messy scoop of sugary goodness. She pretends to be mildly offended.
“That’s weird, you almost sound…happy…” She jokes.
“I am,” I say with my mouth half full. “Whatcha need, Amanda?”
“I have some good news for you.”
“Really? Let’s hear it,” I say, almost playfully. She hands me a piece of paper with information printed across it.
“Well, at our last meeting you mentioned you were trying to set up a surprise for your author friend, Penny…”
“Umm, yeah…” I mumble, not wanting to think about that embarrassing morning yet again. The quick thought of my credit card being taken away from me stole my smile away instantly.
“I was able to secure two tickets for you.”
“What?” I gasp. Staring down at the paper, I see a confirmation notice for two VIP tickets to the show I had wanted to send Penny to, in Virginia.
“You have two VIP tickets ready for her. All she has to do is go to the venue and they will be waiting for her. Her and a guest of her choice. No worries, Kain,” she says politely, and steals one of my pieces of cereal. She pops it into her mouth and crunches down.
“Amanda, you shouldn’t have. Those were fifteen-hundred dollar tickets…each! You know I can’t pay you back…at least not right now…” I say in a huff, slightly flustered.
“Kain, first off, can you please put some pants on. And secondly, it’s on me. My treat.”
“No, I won’t let you…” I grumble in embarrassment, running to my laundry basket and grabbing the least dirty pair of jeans I can find. I’ve never taken a dime from her, and I’m going to start now. Pulling on my faded jeans, “Get your money back, Amanda.”
“It’s okay, Kain, I didn’t spend any money,” she says swiftly.
“Huh,” I gulp with new confusion.
“I didn’t have to pay one cent. As it turns out, I went to college with the band’s manager. We even shared a few classes during a couple semesters. Their manager is a friend…an old friend, but still…” she laughs.
“Amanda…” I try to rain on her gift giving parade.
“Kain…don’t. Don’t you dare not take this gift from me. I’ve spent years benefiting from your work, from your success. I owe you, not the other way around. Besides, I haven’t seen you so optimistic, so happy as you were the other morning. Think about it, you just found out that your monster of an ex-wife had just cleaned you out financially. You were late to our meeting, a meeting that ended with me scolding you about the progress of your newest work, and there you were, smiling. Smiling!”
“Yeah,” I reply, dumbfounded.
“It took me a few days to figure out why. It is because of her. Because of Penny,” Amanda says point blank.
She’s right, but I don’t want to admit it. “I don’t know…”
“Jeez, Kain! You are a bestselling, award winning novelist, who crafts masterpieces about the inner workings of the paranormal heart, and all the sexiness that goes along with it, but you are oblivious to true human emotions.” She laughs aloud.
“She’s just a friend,” I say, unconvincingly.
“Pfft…yeah, right. Whatever you need to tell yourself, Kain.”
“I can always count on you to keep things real, Amanda,” I smirk. She winks at me and gathers her things up in her arms.
“This time I’m not advising you as your agent. I’m advising you as your friend. You remember what those are, right? You used to have a bunch before you married Braudzilla.” She quips as her smile grows wider.
A giant laugh explodes from my mouth. Leave it to Amanda to put things in the right context. “Thank you,” I say softly.
She walks up to me and places a hand on my shoulder. “One more thing put our manuscript on hold. Work on the collaboration novel with Penny. Let’s see where this takes us. Takes you.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, still unsure.
“Yup. Now, give her the good news about the surprise concert, and show me some chapters soon,” she says, before excusing herself with a brief nod, and then she leaves.
Immediately, I grab my computer and attach my first chapter to an email with Penny’s name on it. In the email I give her strict directions about the concert…
Penny,
Loved your first chapter. I hope you enjoy where I have taken the beginning of our story. I have attached my chapter, but I don’t want you to read it just yet. You have inspired me in more ways than you can possibly ever know. And for that, I have a surprise for you. A gift, if you will…
You are aware of my love for music and all that it inspires in my writing. Well, now I would like to share that experience with you. We are miles away from one another, but I think I found a way to do it…personally.
In 2 days, go to this address at 7 p.m. sharp. Give them your name and they will have two VIP tickets waiting for you. Please take your best friend, and have a night of music on me. Dance, sing, live…have fun. Doctor’s orders!
~ ~ ~
A NIGHT WITH THE “IMAGINE DRAGONS”
at
EMPIRE THEATRE
6355 Rolling Road
Springfield, VA 22152
~ ~ ~
P.S. I know we have both experienced setbacks in our lives. Keep an ear out for the band’s hit song “DEMONS” and let it help heal those old wounds. Trust me. Shine on. ~ Kain
With a quick click, I hit the send button and smile.
Chapter 7
Penny
Sitting here, staring at my computer, so many emotions are running through me. My hands are shaking and my heart pounding so rapidly I can't move. I do the only thing I am capable of doing. I pick up my phone and call Tina.
"Hello, Luvah," she answers.
"I. Need. You. Now." I say, before abruptly hanging up.
About an hour later, I hear a knock on my door. I am unable to answer it. I just stay there, in the same spot I have been since opening up Kain's email. I hear Tina open the door, coming in to sit beside me.
"Penny? What’s wrong? You look like you have seen a ghost."
I still am unable to form words, so I turn my computer towards her. Taking it from me, she places it on her lap and I listen as she reads Kain’s email out loud. Each word she speaks makes it more real. She emphasizes the words "trust me" and then sits back on the sofa with me. There is nothing but silence between us until she looks at me and smiles, asking me what I am going to do. I think about her question. What am I going to do?
"I never thought this would happen," I finally tell her.
She gets up, walking into the kitchen, and rattling every pan I have. I hear the water running and soon smell coffee brewing. I reach up, taking Zack's ring in my fingers, and rub it, wishing it could give me the answers I so desperately need.
"Penny, why are you so shocked? I mean, what is it about this email that has sent you into such a tailspin?"
"I don't know! It’s this feeling that I get every time I...I don't know," I reply, avoiding what I really want to say.
"Look, Penny, you didn't call me over here to avoid talking. You want to talk about this, so spill it."
"I am just shocked. I really don't know what I am feeling. Tell me what you think of his email. Is he just being nice? Is this all because we are writing a book together? Does it sound like he has feelings for me? What is it?" I let the words flow out faster than a river flows.
She tells me to calm down and come in the kitchen so we can eat. I rise and walk towards her, when I feel my knees start shaking. I lay my hand on the back of the chair to brace myself. She walks over then and wraps her arm around me, saying she had no idea I am this bad. I snort, telling her my world has been turned backwards, upside down and inside out. That’s when she lets out an intense laugh, and tells me I will be just fine.
"You need to pull yourself together, Penny. Besides, I have been waiting to dance with excitement about going to this concert we are going to." She laughs as she grabs our plates.
"We are going, Tina?
"Yes, you read his email right? He said take your best friend. And H.E.L.L.O., who is your bestie but me?” she queries, still pointing her finger to her chest.
I start to laugh, but the laughter quickly turns into tears. I let her hug me, releasing the built up tears and the pain. I feel like an emotional mess, and I continue to cry, shoulders shaking and all.
She rubs my back telling me, “This is good, Penny, you need to release all your sorrow and pain.”
Which just makes me cry harder. She is right. I have been holding on to so much pain for so many years, and now Kain is able to pull it out of me. After crying for a while, I wipe my eyes saying, “I thought we were going to eat.” She gives me her signature smile, and says, “Yes, let’s eat.” I sip on the coffee she has fixed me, when I feel myself start to relax a little.