One Size Fits All (The Classy ‘n’ Sassy Series Book 3)

by Stephanie Haefner

  She jumped out of bed and marched to the door. “Go away.”

  “Not until we talk.”

  “I can’t do this anymore!” She hated the way her voice sounded: anger mixed with heartache, words mixed with sobs.

  “Open the door.”

  “No.” She summoned the last shred of courage she had. “You need to leave.”

  “I’m not leaving. Open the fucking door!”

  “Get away from me!” Penny screamed. “We’re over! I don’t ever want to see you again!”

  Her legs turned to mush and she crumbled to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. Scarlett circled her mama then climbed up on her lap, nuzzling her arm. Penny heard Theo’s footsteps on the stairs, the sound quieting with each step, until he was gone. Finally.

  CHAPTER Thirty-Three

  Penny lay in bed, completely numb. It was almost noon. She hadn’t slept very well, her dreams haunting her with visions of what she and Theo could’ve had. But maybe she just wasn’t meant to have a happily ever after. Maybe she didn’t even believe in them at all.

  She took a breath and pulled Scarlett to her face, kissing her on her tiny black nose. “Looks like it’s just me and you.”

  Scarlett licked her face, her little tail wiggling her entire butt. But when the doorbell rang, she stood straight, her head cocked to listen. Who the hell could that be? Please don’t let it be Theo. She couldn’t handle another fight with him.

  The bell rang again and Scarlett jumped off the bed and ran to it. Penny pulled the blanket up to her chin.

  “Penny? Are you here? Your Mercedes is parked out front.”

  Holy shit. What the hell was Jack doing there? She was not sure what got her out of bed, curiosity probably, but she headed for the door.

  She forgot how stunning he looked in a custom Armani suit. “What do you want?”

  “Wow.” His gaze scanned her body, then met her eyes once again. “Quite an outfit you got there.”

  Penny looked down. Shit. She forgot she was still wearing her crotchless panties and nipple cut-outs bra. Her robe was hanging open and she tucked it around her body.

  “Don’t do that. I liked it.” He flashed her a sly smile. “You look sexy as hell.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “Can I come in? I have some things I need to say.”

  Maybe she was too exhausted to fight with another man who was trying to get into her apartment to talk. Maybe she was ridiculously curious. Either way, she let him in and led him to the living room, boxes all around.

  “Moving?” he asked.

  “Not anymore.” She tried to keep the animosity out of her voice. “So go ahead.”

  He looked her square in the eyes. “I think I made a huge mistake.”

  “I’ll bite. About what?”

  “You and me.”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head to clear it. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I never should’ve cheated on you. I never should’ve left. I’m miserable without you.”

  Penny rolled her eyes and stood, ready to kick him out. “Stop. You need to go.”

  Jack stood, too. “No, I mean it. Courtney is a gold-digging bimbo and I can’t stand her anymore. She’s a classless piece of trash.”

  Penny wasn’t buying it. “That’s a shitty thing to say about the mother of your child.”

  “The kid isn’t mine. Do you know how many guys she fucked at that strip club?”

  “I don’t care.”

  “I don’t, either. But being with her made me appreciate you. You’re everything she’s not and I miss you. I miss us.”

  Unbelievable. “You need to leave.”

  He stepped to her, his voice a few octaves lower. “I fucked up. But I can fix it.”

  She’d heard that more than once over the last twenty-four hours. And she wasn’t about to believe it from him.

  He continued, his voice like a purring kitten. “I need you back in my life. I never had with her what I had with you. And we can be even better this time. Just imagine how it could be.” He reached for her, grabbing her hand and eyeing her body again. “God, you’re fucking beautiful.”

  Penny’s head spun. This wasn’t happening.

  “We can have it all again. The parties and trips. Anywhere in the world. You name it. We can have everything we’ve ever wanted. And I’m ready to give you what you want most.”

  “Stop.” She felt like she might faint and sat down on the couch before she did.

  He knelt in front of her. “I can make all your dreams come true. We’ll find the best fertility specialist in the world and try every procedure. Or we’ll adopt. I don’t care. I just want a family. With you.”

  He was saying all the things she wished he would’ve said months ago. Before the infidelity. Before it all fell apart. Had he learned his lesson? People could change, right? Become better people. Maybe Penny could have everything she’d ever wanted.

  He inched toward her and her heartbeat sped. He’d never looked at her like this before. With hunger. Desire. Her eyes fluttered shut when he was a breath away, their lips only millimeters apart.

  “Just say yes,” he whispered.

  ---------

  THOR SOMEHOW managed to get through his day of work, but the thought of staying another two hours for football practice made his head pound even harder.

  “Hey, Ben?” he said when he spotted his friend at the equipment shed. “Can you do me a favor and run practice without me today?”

  “Yeah, man, of course. You look like shit.”

  “I feel like shit.” Which wasn’t remotely close to how he actually felt. Take the pain of his knee injury and multiply it by ten, and maybe that would be close.

  “Everything okay?”

  “No. But hopefully it will be soon.”

  “Good luck. Let me know if I can help.”

  Thor drove home, forcing himself to stay on course and not drive to Penny’s apartment. After a night of zero sleep, wracking his brain for a way to fix what he’d done, he decided maybe it was best if he gave her some space. He had no clue how much she’d need, and every minute apart was killing him, but it needed to be done.

  He opened the door to his house, ready to crash, but then he saw it. A note and a key. Penny had been there and left it for him.

  I’m sorry it all ended the way it did, but it’s for the best. Please don’t call or text me. This is just the way it has to be. I wish you a lifetime of happiness, because you deserve it. I hope you wish that for me too.

  Penny

  Complete bullshit. This wasn’t for the best. The best was for them to be together. He would never be happy without her. How could she do this to him? And was he just supposed to accept it? With no chance to change her mind?

  No. There had to be a way. He loved her and she loved him. And love conquered all, right?

  Holy fuck! What was he going to do?

  ---------

  PENNY SAT in the lobby of Mitchell, Heinle, and Nuwer, an advertising agency she’d scored an interview at. Step one in reclaiming her life. If she could get a decent job she’d be on her way to independence and happiness. Well . . . independence at least.

  But she had to admit, Jack’s proposition had sounded pretty damn good. It would have been so easy to slip back into her old life with never-ending wealth, zero problems, zero stress.

  But she refused to move backward. Not long ago she’d been determined to make it on her own, become her own person, and thankfully, she’d found that determination again. She’d remember the look on his face as she threw him out for the rest of her life. It had been pretty damn funny. And it had also been a wake-up call.

  The thing with Theo may have been one of the worst disasters of her life, but it had changed her for the better. He’d showed her she
deserved more than the life Jack had promised her, and it had nothing to do with money. But deserving it was one thing, actually having it was another. She didn’t think she’d ever be in a place to trust anyone but herself again.

  “Ms. Wilshire? Mr. Nuwer will see you now.”

  Penny stood, heart racing, and followed the receptionist to an office. She shook the man’s hand, took a seat, and answered all his questions with a cheesy grin plastered across her face. Mr. Nuwer said he liked what he saw on her résumé, that her experience combined with her degree was better than any of their other interviewees.

  “I know I shouldn’t say this, but you’d be a perfect fit here. I have to do these other interviews, but I’m pretty confident you’ll hear back from us real soon with a job offer.”

  “Really?” This was great! She couldn’t wait to tell Theo! Oh . . . wait. Nope. She had no one to share her news with.

  “One last thing,” he said and she fought to keep her smile intact. “We’re a very family-oriented company, so we like hiring those who are flexible and understanding and want to help out their fellow employees, and also be helped in return. Will that be a problem?”

  Could she help out potential fellow employees who were always running off to tend to their kids? Could she really watch them have something she never would?

  “No, that won’t be an issue at all.”

  It may be a lie, but it was necessary. She needed this job. And for more than just the financial security. She needed somewhere to belong, some kind of purpose.

  CHAPTER Thirty-Four

  Finally it was Thursday night, and as Thor walked into the Red Brick, he held on to a small shred of hope that Penny would show up.

  “Is she here?” he asked Seth when he walked in.

  “No, man.” Seth shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

  Thor had poured his heart out to his friend, and begged for his advice. Unfortunately, he had none to give. “Did she call?”

  “No.”

  “So you think there’s a chance she’ll show up?”

  “I guess.”

  Shelly walked by, a tray of dirty dishes piled high, and answered his question before he could even ask it. “I haven’t heard from her, either.”

  He took up his spot, wishing the door would open and Penny would breeze in. Instead it was a men’s soccer team celebrating their latest win, and the usual football crowd coming in to watch the Thursday night matchup on the big screen.

  As the bar filled, it was harder for him to keep an eye out for Penny. But when the crowd parted for a mere second, a flash of black and red passed by. The classic Red Brick uniform. Could it be her? He got up from his stool and maneuvered around. The ponytail gave her away.

  He moved quickly toward her, hands clammy, heart racing, no clue what to say when he reached her. She stood behind the bar entering an order into the computer. “You’re here” was all he could manage.

  “I’d never leave Seth and Shelly hanging like that.” She kept her back to him. “But I did give my two-weeks’ notice.”

  “Oh.” He shouldn’t have been surprised.

  She ran the customer’s credit card. Ripping the receipt from the printer, she turned to head back to her table, but he stepped into her path. “Excuse me.”

  “Um . . . I need to . . . Can we . . . ”

  “I can’t do this right now. I have tables waiting for me.”

  “Later then?”

  She looked up at him, an obvious debate raging in her head. “I guess.”

  He’d take it. Moving aside, she walked past him, her sweet scent making him dizzy.

  Thor got back to his post, feeling optimistic for the first time in days, but nervous as hell, too. This might be his one and only chance to fix everything and win back the woman he loved. No pressure.

  But, of course, the bar was crazy busy that night. She had unending tables to wait on and he had to break up several fights, as well as help Seth clean up a major bar mess. Finally it calmed down once the game ended.

  “You mind if I take a break?” he asked Seth.

  “Go ahead. And you might be interested to know I saw Penny head out back a minute ago.”

  “Thanks.”

  Thor’s head was a mess of words and emotions, and none of it was forming the perfect way to tell her how he felt. He pushed open the back door, his heart pounding, his breathing shallow. She stood there, the moonlight illuminating her face, more gorgeous than ever.

  “Hi,” he managed.

  She turned her head toward him. “Hey.”

  “Can we talk now?”

  “I guess.”

  He stepped to her, still no clue where to start. Apologize? Explain? Vow to do anything she asked for the rest of his life? “I love you.” That seemed like the best place to start.

  Her gaze dropped to her feet. “Please don’t.”

  “I have to. You’re everything to me.”

  “If that were true, we never would’ve been in this position.”

  “I know I fucked up, but I can be better.”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’m so over all the drama. I just want to relax and have a normal life.”

  “We can have that. I know we can.” His phone rang in his pocket, but he ignored it. “Please let me try.”

  His text message alert sounded.

  He stepped in front of her, and tilted her chin so he could look in her eyes when he spoke. “I love you and I know you love me.”

  His phone rang again.

  “You should probably get it. It might be that kid’s mom again.”

  “No one’s more important than you.” She stared at him. Maybe she finally believed him. Actions spoke louder than words and he was finally learning that lesson. “And I will prove that to you every single day for the rest of my life.”

  He cupped her cheek, his finger rubbing over her lips, as they stood there in silence. He didn’t know what else to say, what other way to convince her he was committed to her, and only her.

  The back door opened and Seth popped his head out. “Bryn just called. She wouldn’t wait for me to get you, but she needs you to call her. Immediately. She sounded pretty frazzled.” He pulled his head back inside.

  The moonlight reflected off Penny’s eyes, the moisture there. She turned away from him. “I can’t deal with this right now.”

  She yanked on the door and headed back inside. Thor followed her. He had more to say, more promises to make.

  “Hey,” Seth said, stopping both of them in the back hallway, worry across his face. “We need to be on high alert for the rest of the night.” He gave Thor a pointed stare. “Keep your guard up.”

  “What’s going on?” Penny asked.

  “There was a fight at a club a few miles away. A guy and an undercover cop got shot.”

  Thor turned to Penny. “Bryn.”

  Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my God.”

  Thor pulled out his cell phone and dialed Bryn’s number, hitting the button for speakerphone. She answered on the first ring, but it was a jumble of words and sobs. “Bryn. Calm down. I can’t understand you.”

  “I don’t know where Mia is and I’m here all by myself and no one will tell me anything.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Newford General. In the ER. I told him not to do that stupid security job. Why didn’t he fucking listen to me?”

  Her sobs sawed through the air around them. Thor looked at Penny. He didn’t know what to do, what to say.

  “Let’s go,” she said, and turned back toward the employee entrance.

  He met Seth’s gaze. “Go, man. We’ll be fine.”

  Thor ran after Penny, already halfway to his truck. They said nothing as they hopped in and he tore out of the lot.

  ---------

 
PENNY’S HEART raced as Theo drove toward the hospital, thinking of Bryn and Eli and how scared she must be. She remembered the day they found out about Johnny. How badly she ached for her friend. She couldn’t bear the thought of Bryn losing another husband.

  She dialed Oliver’s number, Mia’s fiancé.

  “Penny? It’s late. What’s going on?”

  “Is Mia with you?”

  “Of course. Here.”

  A sleepy Mia said, “Hullo?”

  “Eli’s in the ER. He was shot.”

  “What?” Mia was definitely awake now. “Where’s Bryn?”

  “Newford Gen. Theo and I are on our way.”

  “I’ll see you there.”

  Theo pulled into the ER parking lot and they jogged toward the entrance. Bryn sat on a plastic chair, her elbows on her knees, head in her hands. She looked up, her face a mess of tears, and ran to them. They took her into their arms as she wept.

  When she calmed down, they sat. Penny handed her a cup of water and Theo asked if they’d told her anything.

  “Just that they had to rush him into surgery.” She sipped the water. “To remove a bullet. I can’t believe my husband has a fucking bullet inside him.”

  Penny put her arm around Bryn. “They’re going to get it out. He’s going to be fine.”

  The automatic sliding glass doors into the ER opened and Mia ran in, followed by Oliver. She pulled Bryn into her arms. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know my phone died.” She pulled back. “How is he?”

  “I don’t know. And it could be hours before I do.”

  They sat back down, all of then in a row, Bryn’s head resting on Mia’s shoulder. The TV above played a rerun of some seventies sitcom. It ended and another episode started. Maybe another after that. She wasn’t sure. They blended together.

  “Mrs. Augustine?” A nurse appeared wearing blue scrubs. “They’re almost done. Everything looks good.”

  “Thank God,” Mia said, and cradled Bryn, who was crying again, but they seemed to be happy tears.

  “Thank you,” she managed.

  The nurse nodded and disappeared behind a door. For the first time in hours, Penny relaxed. They all seemed to relax.