by Lane Martin
She relaxed into me and it calmed the ache I had felt since she’d tensed in my arms last night. I pressed one more kiss to her neck before picking up our bags with one hand and taking her free hand in the other. “We’re going to talk more about this later.”
“Okay.” She didn’t shy away like she had last night. If I knew my Penny, she had probably been ready to talk when she came out of the bathroom last night only to find me asleep.
“I wish we had school tomorrow,” Brody whined because he wanted to tell his friends about the game so badly. He had already retold his story to us for a third time on the drive home and we had been present when it all happened. He wanted a new audience even if it meant going to school.
“You don’t have school tomorrow?” I wasn’t aware school was out. Penny probably hadn’t told me because I typically worked on Mondays. I didn’t tell her about my schedule adjustment because I’d figured she would be working. This changed everything.
“No, it’s an in-service day for the teachers,” Penny confirmed. “And since I’m considered temporary, I’m not required to attend. I was going to paint the laundry room while you are at work.” The paint would need to wait for another day.
“Temporary? Does that mean we won’t have you for music next year, Miss Penny?” Brody didn’t seem pleased to hear this news. Me either buddy.
She turned back in her seat to look at her young prodigy. “I’m not sure, Brody.” Her answer took me by surprise. Penny wasn’t one to lie, especially to a boy who she knew had already lost so much when his father died. Was she thinking about staying? We hadn’t discussed it. I knew she was planning on keeping the house, but I didn’t think she was considering staying past the end of the school year. We had a lot to talk about.
“You need to stay,” he said firmly. I watched him cross his arms over his chest in the rearview mirror. I held back a bark of laughter. If only it were that simple.
The remainder of the car ride was filled with more tales of the infamous Miners hockey team, of which Brody seemed to be an expert. “Here we are, right on time,” I announced as we arrived at Shelby’s shop in time for her to open.
“Are you sure you’re okay dropping him off at Grady and Dylan’s house?” They tried to spend as much time with Brody as possible.
“Yeah, we need to pick up Rascal anyway before we leave town,” I confirmed.
Shelby ruffled Brody’s hair and smothered him with kisses before opening the car door.
“Mom,” the kid complained, “do you always need to act like you aren’t going to see me later today?” Shelby sucked in a breath. Brody had no idea he had just delivered a below the belt punch to his mother. I had lost a few buddies. It was the risk we took in our line of work. It never got easier. The one thing I always asked myself is: what if I had one more chance to say goodbye or to tell them what they meant to me. I knew Shelby felt the same way. She knew what it was like to not have that moment with Drew. She wouldn’t let the same thing be true with her son. What was I waiting for with Penny?
“Brody Tyler Hammond, there will never be a day when I won’t tell you how much I love you,” she answered. What else could she say? He was only a kid.
I turned in time to catch Penny wipe a stray tear from her face. I couldn’t imagine not feeling my parents' love. I took her hand in mine and gave it a tight squeeze. We watched Shelby turn and wipe her tears from her face before we rolled away. We dropped off Brody and picked up Rascal, who had spent the night with his potbellied pig girlfriend, Petunia. My dog was a weirdo.
My mind had been made up the minute I had learned her schedule. Once we were loaded back in the truck with Rascal, I turned to her and said, “We’re taking off in ten minutes. I have the day off tomorrow too. You’re going with me.” My original plan was just to make a day trip so that I could wake up with Penny. I was going to leave in the morning once she left for work, but now we could go up today and stay overnight. “Run in and pack some clean clothes—nothing fancy, casual is fine. And make sure to grab a jacket.” I knew it wouldn’t take her long since she already had all her toiletries packed.
“What about the Mint to be Mine?” Penny enjoyed teasing me with names of her paint color choices.
“I thought you decided on Fundamental White.” I poked fun at her knowing exactly what she was waiting for. “Will you please come with me on an adventure instead?
“Where are we going?” she asked with a wide grin easily letting the joke about paint swatches go once she had my invitation.
“It’s a surprise.” I didn’t tell her where we were going because I knew she would overthink it the second she knew. I was analyzing it enough for the both of us.
“Is this the surprise?” Penny asked as we pulled into the nearby vineyard.
“Nope. We’re just stopping to pick something up,” I replied as I hopped out. I walked around and opened her door for her before leading her into the tasting room.
The owner of the winery stood behind the tasting bar. “Hey, Tim.”
“Hey, Carson. Stef’s got the futures all packed up in the office. Want me to grab them for you?”
“Nah, I’ll get them. This is Penny. Can you set her up while I grab the box and let Rascal run for a bit before we get on the road?” I kissed Penny briefly before leaving her with Tim at the bar. We still needed to talk, and I was hoping a little liquid courage would get her talking without reservation.
Chapter Nineteen
CARSON
“I t was all so good!” Penny declared with a slur as I helped her into the truck. Tim had been overly generous with his pours. Penny in turn, had been very enthusiastic with her purchase. We now had two cases of wine in the back of the truck.
“I’ll bet,” I teased as I reclined the seat for her. “Why don’t you take a little nap and we’ll stop in a little bit to get some food in you.” We needed to eat, and I knew the ideal place to stop on our way.
“Wake up, baby.” I roused her with a little nudge as I stood at her open door. She hadn’t moved once in the hour and a half we had been on the road. “Penny, it’s time for lunch,” I said a little louder.
“Oh shoot! Did I zonk out?” She sat up and wiped a bead of drool from the side of her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Passed out is more like it,” I jested as she playfully tried to push me away. “You’re a terrible navigator. You owe me a kiss.” I took her chin in my hand and bent down to kiss her. I sealed my lips to hers, trying to tell her with my mouth what I couldn’t yet say with words.
“Wow,” she whispered once I had broken the kiss. My lips curved into a broad smile as I took a step back so she could get out of the truck. “How am I supposed to navigate when I don’t know where we’re going?” Penny challenged.
“True, but you could at least keep me company on the rest of the drive.” I made a long face.
“Deal.” Penny put out her hand to shake on it, but I pulled her into my arms and sealed the promise with a kiss instead.
“You can’t go wrong with the burger or the tri-tip,” I told her as we waited for our turn to order. The roadside fruit shack and bakery also had a restaurant. It was casual and we could keep an eye on Rascal in the back of the truck while we were inside. I had been going there with my family for as long as I could remember. Everything on the menu was delicious. Penny would be happy with whatever she ordered.
“I’ll have the tri-tip sandwich,” Penny told the clerk before stepping aside for me to order and pay. She had long since given up on arguing with me over splitting the bill. She didn’t think I had noticed how she always stocked the refrigerator in the trailer and the garage. I had, but my father taught me to choose my battles. I did all the cooking, so I figured it was a fair trade-off.
“Are you excited about the cabinets going in next week?” I asked as I took the last bite of my sandwich. The remodel had been going well. The tile in the massive shower and the floors in the master bath were done. I couldn’t wait to press her agai
nst the subway tile as water from the rain head shower cascaded over us. The dual vanity would be installed next week, along with the kitchen and laundry room cabinets. To finish the master bath, we had to have the glass done and the soaker tub brought in. We spent our nights and our days off painting and installing new doors and molding throughout the house. Penny worked hard and never complained. My favorite part of working next to her was getting to take off her pink tool belt at the end of the night.
“I can’t wait to see it all come together. I couldn’t have done any of this without you, Carson. I hope you know how much I appreciate you.” She covered my hand with hers, her gaze locked on mine as she mouthed two simple words—Thank you—before squeezing my hand. I’d never felt so connected to another person, not even Kara, the woman I had planned to make my wife and spend the rest of my life with.
“Are you done?” We both looked down at her empty food basket and cackled. Yeah, she was done. “We can’t leave here without a pie and some cookies.” I took her hand and we threw away our trash before entering the market and bakery.
“This place is great.” Having been to the Sunnyville farmer’s market with her on several occasions, I knew how this would play out. Penny could shop for hours, but I was ready to get back on the road.
“I’ll get the pie and cookies and meet you at the checkout.” I raised a brow.
“Is that a challenge, Mr. St. James?” Penny crossed her arms over her chest.
“It is, Miss Anderson,” I threw down.
“The last one to the checkout, buys,” she challenged before taking off like our trucks did when an alarm bell sounded.
“Do the guys at the station know what a loser you are, Saint?” Penny teased once we were back on the road. She was so proud of her win. No way would I ruin it by telling her I let her score the victory.
“I didn’t even know they sold honey or marinade. What exactly are you planning on grilling?” We both knew she wasn’t going anywhere near the barbeque. It was one hundred percent my domain. Not that I didn’t believe women could grill, but the sheer thought of Penny near an open flame had me sweating bullets. Luckily, she agreed with me. Now, the kitchen was going to be another story once the new appliances were installed. She had all these grand ideas. Penny had at least three boxes of cookbooks in the garage. And even with all the storage space we had planned, I had no idea where she was going to put all the gadgets she owned. We probably had enough to fill two kitchens. We?
“I was thinking I could get my....” Penny trailed off and gazed out her window. Was she about to call me her boyfriend? We hadn’t put a label on what we were. It wasn’t the commitment I was necessarily afraid of. Hell, if things had gone according to my plan, I probably would have already been married. Penny still didn’t know about Kara, and now that so much time had passed, I wasn’t sure how to bring up the subject.
“Hey, we still haven’t talked about last night.” I took her hand in mine. “Now seems like the perfect time.” Just as I suspected, she physically recoiled at my choice of words. She tried to pull her hand out of mine, but I wasn’t about to let her go.
“Carson,” she warned.
“Penny, I’ve met your father. I know it couldn’t have been easy growing up like that. Maybe if you tell me about it, I can help. Did he…” I couldn’t say the words. The idea of him touching her made me ill.
“No, not physically. He never touched me inappropriately. He didn’t have to when he could hurt me with his words so effectively.” Penny’s voice trembled. She heaved a deep sigh when she was finished. Next time I saw William Anderson would not be pleasant for him.
Penny continued to look out her window. I tried to keep my eyes on the road, but all I wanted to do was pull over and take her in my arms. Still, I knew if I wanted to hear her story, that was the best way. We tended to get a little lost in each other when we weren’t separated by physical distance.
Penny inhaled deeply. “It gutted me today when Shelby told Brody there would never be a day when she didn’t tell him how much she loved him. All my life, that is all I ever wanted to hear.”
“Oh, Penny.” My voice quivered. I hadn’t dared to say the words I knew I felt yet. I was scared. What if I put my feelings out there and I lost her too?
“No, don’t Carson. You don’t get to feel sorry for me. All my life, I was expected to be perfect. I’m not perfect!” I didn’t feel sorry for her. I loved her and I had failed to tell her because I was a complete idiot.
My timing was terrible. We were on a stretch of road known for horrific accidents. One lane of travel in each direction and little to no shoulder to stop was a recipe for disaster. Penny lifted her head to watch the oncoming traffic but wouldn’t look at me. I gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles.
She took another deep breath and I quickly looked over at her before returning my eyes to the road. “I’m not perfect, Carson.”
“None of us are, Penny,” I said firmly, hoping she would believe me. I was far from it and I never wanted her to think perfection was what I expected of her. “My mom always told me that it was okay to make mistakes and have bad days. She said imperfections make you human and it’s okay to do what is best for you. But the number one thing she told me was always to be myself.”
“I think I would like your mom,” she said, barely above a whisper with her eyes closed.
“Good, because we’re here. I think she’ll more than like you.” It wasn’t the house I called home, since that one had been lost in the fire, but it was where my parents were living while the rebuilding was going on.
“Here? Where’s ‘here’?” Penny peeked out the window in astonishment. I’m sure it was nothing like the well-manicured lawns she grew up with, and I was okay with that. It was just about as far from perfect as you could get.
“Yeah, I brought you home,” I said with a grin as I dodged her swinging fist.
Chapter Twenty
PENNY
“Y ou brought me home to meet your parents?!” I screeched as I tried to whack the grinning bastard. I was a hot mess and he expected me to meet his parents like this? Carson practically jumped out of the truck. Rascal wasn’t about to let our arrival go unnoticed, so he barked from the truck's bed.
I quickly flipped down the visor to check my appearance in the mirror. Luckily, we had been running so late this morning, I hadn’t had time to put my make-up on, so at least I didn’t have raccoon eyes from crying. My eyes were red, so I hastily grabbed some eye drops out of my purse. It was the best I could do because seconds later a woman came flying out of the RV. Carson opened my door for me, and I got out of the truck.
“What on Earth are you doing here? We weren’t expecting you until tomorrow.” Carson had his mother’s eyes. It kind of hurt my feelings that he hadn’t even told me he planned to visit his parents. I might not have even known about it had Brody not mentioned the in-service day.
“Do you want me to leave?” he asked as she threw her arms around her only child. He lifted her and swung her around. “Happy birthday, Mom.” Was it her birthday? I was going to kill him!
“Don’t be silly.” She laughed as he put her down, and then she looked at me.
“Mom, this is—” Her arms were around me before he could finish his sentence. Her hug was what I had always imagined a parent’s embrace should feel like. Plus, she smelled like laundry detergent which was so much better than my mother’s Chanel.
“Penny, it’s so lovely to meet you. Carson has told us so much about you.” He had? I knew his mom’s name was Nancy and that she had worked at the local grocery store as a checker. His dad, Rick, was a general contractor. I had him to thank for Carson’s skillset. “You’re much prettier than my son said.” She cupped my cheek and smiled like she was trying to thank me. For what, I had no idea.
“Happy birthday. I’m sorry I didn’t bring a gift. Carson didn’t tell me where we were going or that we were celebrating your special day.” Carson shrugged as his mother look
ed back at him in shock. Yeah, I liked Nancy St. James.
“That’s not true. We brought your favorite razzleberry pie and your futures from Coombs Vineyards.”
Nancy took my hand in hers and reached out for Carson with her other. “This is everything I need.”
Carson unloaded the wine, the pie, and our bags while Nancy showed me around the RV. It was larger than Carson’s trailer but was cramped with the three of us. If Carson was built like his dad, we would be packed like sardines when Rick arrived.
“Where’s Dad?” Carson asked after Nancy was done fussing over her baby boy being home.
“He’s up at the property. I was about to go up and see him when you arrived. Do you want to go over with me?” Nancy sounded hesitant as she asked Carson the question, but she seemed even more surprised by his answer.
“Sure. Let’s go. Penny, you need to put on your work boots and bring a jacket.” Except for when we were working around power tools, Carson never sounded so terse. The man took safety seriously. When we started the remodel, he made me buy a pair of steel-toed boots. They were ugly as heck, but they had already saved my toes numerous times. It seemed like I had a different pair of safety glasses for each day of the week, and I had various styles of gloves that were worn based on the job we were doing. Carson took protecting me to a whole new level. Sometimes it was over the top, but most of the time it made me feel cherished, so I didn’t put up a fight. I relished it. Other than Henry, nobody else had ever stood by my side who had my best interest at heart.