One Penny: A Marked Heart Novel

by M. Sembera

  "If I had said this was a date you would have said no, then?"

  Glancing off to the side, Penny replied, "I don't know," before griping at him, "It doesn't matter because you tricked me."

  Offended that Penny was now accusing him of ridiculous things, he protested, "You stalked me for an entire week but I'm the one that tricked you."

  "To be your friend!"

  Her words stung as Seth grasped what was happening and looked at the situation from her point of view.

  He couldn't help feeling stupid and a bit like a jerk. Penny wanted to be friends. She had been fairly clear on that matter all along. Friends and that was it.

  Softening his expression, he apologized, "I'm sorry you feel like I misled you, I'll take you home."

  Frowning at him, Penny shook her head, saying, "I'll find a ride," before she turned and walked away.

  ~

  Making her way to one of the concession booths, Penny felt like she could cry. It was too much. He was too much. She didn't want to consider herself responsible for their argument, but it was sure starting to feel that way.

  If he had just let her buy their food, she would have felt better about going out with him. It would have put her back on even ground. Already it had felt like a date and that was not what she wanted. Okay, she did want that but she didn't want the end result of dating, which every experience she'd ever had taught her that the only thing dating led to was breaking up.

  Stepping to the Smokin' Hot Legs concession stand, Penny smiled at the lady inside the booth.

  Laying her money on the counter, she requested, "One turkey leg, please."

  "Sure thing darlin'," the woman replied before stepping back, opening a large ice chest and grabbing a large foil wrapped turkey leg out of it.

  The smell of smoked turkey was heavenly as the lady handed Penny a stack of napkins and her turkey leg.

  Taking her turkey leg and napkins, she cheered, "Thank you!" before turning and walking toward the covered eating area.

  After waving hello to a few people she knew, she found an empty picnic style table and sat down.

  The delight in eating something that only came around once a year had dwindled into a feeling of 'I might as well eat' as she sat there by herself. 'Stupid Seth', Penny thought as she set her turkey leg down and started to pout.

  ~

  Keeping an eye on Penny as she sat at a table by herself, Seth planned on keeping his distance until it appeared she was ready to go. He wasn't about to leave her there to find a ride home.

  He watched as she laid napkins out preparing to eat. She started to unwrap her turkey leg, and then stopped. When Penny swept the entire length of her hair over her shoulder in order to hold the bottom in one hand while brushing her finger across the ends with the other, he could no longer keep his distance.

  Making his way in her direction, he noticed her lips barely moving as she scowled at the ends of her hair. It looked like she was talking to herself. As he stopped for a moment to gather his thoughts, Seth wondered if she was thinking about him. Of course she was. She was probably thinking about what a jerk he was. He was a jerk. There was something about her that pushed every one of his buttons, good and bad. For a second, he considered marching over and telling her with all her cheerfulness and persistent befriending, she had disrupted his entire life. Thoughts of what his life was like before he moved in next door to her filled his mind as he started towards her again.

  In just a few weeks, Penny had disrupted his life but in the best way possible. He didn't want to go back to his boring life. Seth wanted stupid arguments and not knowing what was going to happen when he stepped out of his apartment each morning. He wanted long Saturday afternoon runs with only her on his mind. The way she instantly brightened his day when all he could think about was how his father turned his back on him. Seth craved the anxious feeling of holding back when he thought of where touching her again might lead. And he wasn't willing to let a simple trip to the fair take all of that away.

  Penny instantly dropped her hair and stared at him as he sat down across from her at the table.

  "I only invited you here because you said you were excited about it. I hate the fair. I like you Penny, and I don't mean to be a jerk. I'm a really nice guy but when I'm nervous my mind gets carried away, and I end up acting like an ass with you."

  An apologetic expression coated her face as she replied, "Now I feel bad."

  "You shouldn't," he assured, thinking how sweet she is.

  Shrugging a shoulder at him, Penny shared, "If you had moved next door seven or eight month ago, we probably would be on a date right now."

  He thought for a moment before asking, "Because of the drummer?"

  With a heavy sigh, she replied, "And every other guy I've been with."

  Seth wanted to be sympathetic but couldn't help feeling that was unfair to him.

  "You know, we can be friends if that's all you want. But it is wrong for you to judge me for things other people have done without giving me a chance to show you I'm different."

  Appearing as though she wanted to smile, she offered, "Since we're both already here and I did ride with you, we can still walk around if you want."

  "I would like that."

  Penny smiled at him before grabbing her turkey leg and napkins off of the table as she stood up.

  Finding the preparation and overall sanitary quality of fair food questionable, Seth declined when Penny offered him some of her turkey. Picking pieces off as they walked around the fairgrounds, she insisted on offering him each piece before placing it in her mouth and assuring him it was delicious.

  Even though the carnival area was crowded, Seth didn't mind. The lights from the rides provided a pleasant glow now that it was dark. It would be the perfect time to reach over and hold her hand, but they were both occupied by the turkey leg. While he waited for her to finish, Seth decided to be proactive and see what he was really up against.

  "What type of guy are you interested in?"

  Stopping, she looked up at him asking, "What do you mean?"

  "Don't most girls have a list or something?"

  Appearing confused, Penny replied, "Do they?"

  "Or a preference..."

  Shrugging she informed, "It's not that complicated for me. If a guy asks me out and he's not creepy I usually say yes."

  "So nothing specific just a man with a pulse?"

  Giving him an absurd look, she bumped him with her shoulder before walking again.

  Guessing no type was good, the fact that she said yes to almost everyone but no to him was disappointing.

  As Seth tried to think of questions that would be more helpful to him, Penny asked, "What about you? What's your type?"

  "Would it be incredibly lame if I said you?"

  With a slight giggle Penny answered, "Yes, very cheesy."

  "Well, the first girl I had a crush on looked just like you."

  Penny turned her head to the side trying to hide her smile before asking, "Why don't you have a girlfriend?"

  Starting to feel uneasy, he replied, "I just don't."

  Penny gave him a suspicious expression as she questioned, "You're not a one night stander are you?"

  "No."

  With a doubtful look in her eyes she said, "Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

  "I had one once but it didn't work out."

  "How many women have you slept with?"

  Hesitating, Seth wondered if he should make up a number or if he should be honest with her.

  Honesty overruled the alternative as he replied, "Two."

  Relief washed over him when all Penny did was nod in response, instead of asking how long it had been.

  "What about you?"

  "Nine."

  Seth throat constricted as he choked out, "People?"

  "It'd be weird if it wasn't..." Penny laughed as if it was not a big deal at all.

  He couldn't help verifying, "Nine?"

  Rolling her eyes, she replied
, "Over a span of ten years. It's not like I did them all in one night."

  Thinking of it in terms of one guy a year helped a little as he said, "I didn't mean to..."

  "Oh! Technically it's seven because the first two we didn't actually have sex but we..." before he cut her off assuring, "Alright, that's good. I don't need to know anymore."

  With a peculiar expression on her face, Penny nodded then looked away.

  ~

  Feeling a bit perturbed with him, he wouldn't have liked it if she had made fun of him for having only slept with two people. Granted nine did sound like a lot, but it really wasn't when you put it into the proper context and chances are if she was a guy, he'd probably have high-fived her.

  Looking down at her picked clean turkey leg, Penny took the opportunity to toss it in the next trash can they passed.

  "So why didn't it work out?"

  Clearing his throat, he shared, "I wasn't what she wanted me to be."

  Something felt vaguely familiar about only having one girlfriend and not many partners. Penny thought it best to make sure Seth wasn't a pervert.

  With a heavy sigh, she questioned, "Ah, you're not into porn are you? Cause I dated this one guy and..." trailing off when she noticed his eyes grow wide.

  Shaking his head at her, he swore, "No and I don't need to hear that story."

  Now wondering if he leaned more to the prudish side, she asked, "What did she want you to be?"

  "A doctor."

  "That's kind of a lot to ask of someone you're dating," she shared, thinking that was an odd reason to break up with someone.

  With a half-hearted smile, he confessed, "To be fair, all of the men in my family are doctors."

  "I see."

  Shrugging, he explained, "It isn't that I wanted to disappoint everyone."

  Seeing the distress in his expression, Penny slid her hand into his, assuring, "Just because you're not doing what's expected of you doesn't mean you're wrong for choosing your own path in life."

  Tightening his hand around hers, Seth replied, "Someone should tell my father that."

  "Well after someone talks to him maybe they could sit down and explain it to my mom."

  Penny couldn't help but laugh when she realized of all the things they could have had in common disapproving parents was it.

  Fifteen

  Feeling inspired when she woke up, Penny hopped out of bed. Her night at the fair with Seth had done more than give her full body tingles when she went to bed. It had helped her make a long overdue decision about her life.

  On the way to work, Penny couldn't get over how something as simple as holding his hand made her feel. She actually couldn't remember the last time she'd held hands with a guy, most likely high school. When they had said goodnight right outside her door and he didn't even try to kiss her, she felt an innocence inside her that had long since been gone. She still wasn't sure about dating him but since last night was different than any date she'd been on, the possibility that this was something else started to settle in. Besides, as slow as he moved, they would remain friends long before anything really got started.

  As Penny skipped through the doors of Legacy Ink, she couldn't help smiling wide when she saw Kieran standing behind the counter with Liv right by his side.

  "Somebody's in a good mood," Liv announced as Penny made her way towards them.

  When Penny reached the counter, she laid her arm on top of it.

  Smiling up at Kieran, she pointed to the inside of her wrist informing, "I want a double heart right here."

  Kieran had a serious expression on his face as Liv congratulated, "That's my girl!"

  "I'm ready," Penny cheered at Kieran before he questioned, "You sure you don't need a little more time?"

  Liv quickly snapped, "You made a deal with her. She's ready. Now get over there and tattoo her."

  Kieran stood still for a moment scowling before noticeably swallowing hard as he nodded.

  Excited and nervous, Penny skipped over to Kieran's station and seated herself in the chair.

  ~

  Sitting in the conference room at JPT Financial, Seth picked at his ham and cheese sandwich. He was having trouble focusing. He'd missed seeing Penny that morning just like he'd missed his opportunity to kiss her last night. There was something between them, he could feel it when she held his hand, but for some reason when he told her goodnight, the timing felt off. Rubbing his fingers against the palm of his hand, he thought about her hand inside his and how comforting it was. It was as if she sensed what he needed.

  From out of nowhere he felt someone slap the back of his shoulder. As he quickly turned, he saw Braden hop onto the conference table.

  "What's up, man?" Braden greeted, sitting on the table to his left.

  "Hey," Seth replied, curious as to what he was doing there.

  Nodding and smiling, Braden asked, "Did ya hear?" As Seth shook his head, Braden shared, "Penny got a tattoo."

  Seth felt his face grow warm, hoping her brother couldn't tell his heart was now thundering in his chest.

  "We're goin' out to Kieran's tonight. You in?"

  Moving to the edge of his seat, Seth nodded saying, "Sure."

  Sliding off of the table, Braden blurted, "Sweet!" before saying, "I gotta go talk to Jacks. Later, man."

  As Braden left the conference room, Seth stood up and discarded his uneaten sandwich.

  Hoping Penny was part of the 'We' that were going out to Kieran's, Seth was motivated to go back to his desk and get his work day over as quickly as possible.

  ~

  Although her wrist was sore, Penny was thrilled with the new addition to her skin. It was simple and beautiful. She couldn't wait to be back in the shop Monday morning learning to beautify others with ink.

  Walking into her apartment, she saw Auggie and Braden sitting on the couch. Auggie appeared irritated while Braden looked like he'd been laughing.

  "Something going on?" Penny asked.

  Before either of them could answer, Charlotte rushed into the room, demanding, "Let me see!"

  With a feeling of pride, Penny pulled the bandage that she had been wearing since this morning off of her wrist and held her arm out for Charlotte.

  "Aww... It's so pretty," Charlotte complimented before turning to Auggie as she coaxed, "Isn't it."

  Penny felt a little nervous as Auggie stood, stepping over to get a good look, Penny asked, "What do you think?"

  Giving her an approving smile, he replied, "It looks nice."

  Smiling wide at him, her joy was quickly squashed by disappointment as Braden stood saying, "We'll see ya later, Pen."

  "Wait, I thought we were all going to Liv's..."

  Auggie's agitated expression, quickly returned as he made a growling noise under his breath, turned, walked to the door and out of the apartment.

  Huffing at her fiancé's actions, Charlotte made a face at Braden and informed, "Somebody asked Jackson if he could work behind the bar at The Dog House until he finds another job. So Auggie's training him tonight."

  Wearing a wide smile, Braden left the apartment.

  Shaking her head at the sheer insanity of her brother and Jacks, Auggie and Braden working together was a terrible idea.

  "They can't work together."

  "I know. I doubt they'll make it through tonight without getting into a fight."

  Nodding Penny agreed saying, "You know I'm starting to think Braden likes inviting trouble into his life."

  Laughing a little, Charlotte shared, "He needs a girlfriend."

  "And his own place."

  Nodding, Charlotte replied, "Why did I agree to let him stay here again?"

  "Because, he has that goofy smile that no one can say no to."

  "Yea, he's a charmer," Charlotte laughed before saying, "I better go before they kill each other before we even get to the bar."

  "Alright."

  Penny smiled as she gave a little wave before heading to her room.

  Sitting on her b
ed, she stared at her wrist for a while before changing shirts and walking back into the living room.

  "Oh! Hey," she blurted, surprised to see Seth standing there.

  Pointing to the door, he said, "Charlotte said to just go in and they would meet us out at Kieran's later."

  "You're coming with me?" she asked, trying to hold back how excited she was.

  Seth's face fell as he replied, "Braden invited me but I don't have..."

  "No," she cut him off before assuring, "I want you to."

  "Congratulations on your new career, by the way," he said eyeing her wrist.

  As Penny watched him slowly smiled at her, she thought 'This has got to be the best day ever'.

  ~

  On edge the entire way out to Kieran's, Seth felt welcomed when he came with Auggie but had no idea how he would be perceived when he showed up with just Penny.

  When they arrived, Kieran was sitting on the porch.

  As Seth and Penny made their way onto the porch, Kieran greeted them saying, "How's about ya Seth? Pull up a chair," and, "Liv's, inside."

  Waiting for Penny to go inside before pulling up a chair, he sat down.

  "You and Penny, huh?" Kieran questioned with a 'Careful how you answer' expression on his face.

  "That's what I'm hoping," Seth replied.

  "Want some advice?"

  Wondering if 'stay away from her' was going to be the next thing out of his mouth Seth nodded.

  "Penny's been with different versions of the same loser type guy since she started dating. Do you know why?"

  Seth shook his head.

  "Because they come onto her. Penny doesn't understand beating around the bush. Do you see what I'm saying?"

  "I'm not sure."

  "I'm not tellin' ya to hook up with her. What I'm sayin' is, if you like her and are goin' to treat her with respect, then you're gonna have to be a man about it."

  "Okay," he replied not fully understanding what Kieran meant but glad that he somewhat gave him his blessing where Penny was concerned.

  ~

  The evening was a lot of fun. They ate Liv's Jambalaya, played dominos, a card game called Spades, which Seth had never heard of but as it turned out was very good at, and laughed most of the night. Charlotte texted Liv around one o'clock letting her know that they would have to pass on coming over. Not long after that, Penny said she was ready to call it a night and they headed out.