Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush

by Pinder, Victoria

  “He’s been asking for you.”

  Teary-eyed, she followed without question. At the door Sandy stopped and used her hands to get Penny to go inside. Her legs went weak as she walked in, but she moved. Her body began to shake when she saw bruises on his face while standing close to the door. Lightheadedness assaulted her on her walk. The beeping of the machines near him made no sense. Covering her mouth with her hands, she came next to him, putting her hands on his. “Jay.”

  Nodding. Her body warmed up when he sat up and his blue eyes met hers. “Penny.”

  She fixed his hair, arranged his blankets, and kissed his cheek before sitting next to him. He’d be okay. Her heartbeat went back to a normal pace, and the ache in her throat hoped to help him. In a quiet voice, she told him, “I’m here, Dimples. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks when he took her hand. “I’m sorry, Penny. I’d never hurt you.”

  The bruises on his face didn’t take away from the light in his eyes. He deserved to know everything, but she had no idea how to start. Stroking his forearm to not upset him, she said, “I don’t know what to say.”

  He squeezed her hand, and his jaw set firm while he sat up. But the monitors went off. “Penny…”

  The doctors rushed inside and she stood up. “I’m here. Lie back down. Everything will be fine.”

  Pressing his lips together, ignoring the doctors, he told her, “No. Go. Run.”

  Where? She had no place to go. She patted his knee while a nurse took his pulse, though his eyes never left hers.

  Someone in a white coat asked her, “Can you wait in the hallway, miss?”

  Penny nodded at Jay one more time before coming out to see Sandra. “Why aren’t his parents here?”

  Rubbing her forehead, Sandra glanced around the hallway before answering. “He didn’t tell you? I have his power of attorney in case something happens to him.”

  Penny bit the side of her mouth. She should have asked. She should have seen a lot of things. Shaking her head, she stepped closer. “No. What happened to his parents and Jay?”

  Tilting her head, Sandra pursed her lips. “He should tell you that.”

  Penny put her hand on her hip. She’d have to be more like him to get answers. “I should have asked a lot of questions.”

  Frowning, Sandra gazed down. “You’re here. It will help.”

  Sandy’s eyes were close to tears. She knew.

  “Why me, though?”

  Running her hand through her hair, she fumbled and almost fell back a little. Then her feet steadied, but her shoulders caved closer to her neck. “Penny, he doesn’t have a lot of people he can be open with and trust. I set him up with Eva when I thought you weren’t coming back to Miami.”

  “I wasn’t on his radar.”

  Sandra bit her lip to hold back a sob. “You are wrong on that one.”

  Covering her mouth with her hand, Penny gasped, then nodded. “He named his company after me.”

  Sandra breathed in easier then smiled. “Ahh. So you know.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know why.”

  Smiling, though her voice still had more unshed tears, Sandra said, “Men like Jay don’t make friends. This attack will make it worse. I don’t want my cousin going down a dark path. Please help me and be here for him.”

  He had helped her mother transform her into someone she didn’t want to be. He likely meant to help her, but then so did her mother. No one listened to her. Closing her eyes, Penny told herself to stop fretting. When she opened her eyes, she set her gaze on Sandy. “I have a right to feel angry and betrayed.”

  Sandy took her arm and begged, “Penny, I don’t know what he did to you, but don’t abandon him now.”

  The guilt ratcheted up her spine. Her mother took money and ran. She’d never be her. Tightening her fists at her side, she made a decision. “I don’t have anyplace else to be.”

  Sandy hugged her. “Thank you. Whatever he did to you, let him apologize.”

  She looked back at Jay’s room. They had so much to talk about. She had so much to say. Hugging her friend, she nodded. “I’ll listen when he does.”

  Through the window in the hallway, both women stared inside. Jay sat up in his room arguing with his doctors. At least he’d be okay.

  Chapter Thirty One

  Going inside the home alone froze her. She couldn’t do it. The nurses wouldn’t let her in to see Jay again. Her feet rooted in the ground, she gazed around. So she found a seat in the hospital waiting room and sat. Yawning, she almost fell asleep when an orderly came in. “You can’t stay here, miss.”

  Sticking out her chin, she explained, “I’m not going home. Not without John Jay Marshall.”

  “He’s not allowed visitors.”

  Crossing her arms, she argued back, “And I’m not leaving here without him.”

  “Who is he to you?”

  Dropping her arms and letting them fall to her side, she shook her head. “I don’t know. First, a friend. Second, my roommate. Third, he might be my boyfriend. Fourth, I—”

  “Wait. I’ll get you in there.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  He walked out and she straightened out a wrinkle in her shirt and smoothed her hair.

  “Follow me, miss.”

  She caught up, though he didn’t speak. At Jay’s door, he opened it, pointed her in, and took a step forward to watch the corridor. Her limbs understood before her brain to go inside his room. The door closed behind her before she had a second to catch her breath.

  “Penny, is that you?” Jay’s voice, low and sexy, kept her moving.

  Stepping closer to the bed, she nodded. “Dimples, where else was I to go?”

  “You are not safe here. Not until I finish something, and I can’t do it until they let me out of here.”

  She smiled. “I can help you.”

  His blue eyes darkened. She took a step back before she moved forward. “No. I can’t let you.”

  Gulping for air, she stared at the black eye on his face. “Jay, my mother was more evil than you know.”

  He relaxed his shoulders and nodded. “And you don’t want to go home without me.”

  No. Not just that. She should finish her sentence. Opening her mouth, all that came out was, “Yeah.”

  “I should kick you out.”

  Shaking her head before she tilted it. “You won’t.”

  He sat up and his gaze never faltered. “I’m tired. Tomorrow, they let me out in the morning, and I’ll try harder.”

  She stood beside him. “Tomorrow, I’ll fight you.”

  Scooting over, he made room for her. She laughed at him and pulled up the chair with the ottoman to sit beside him.

  ***

  Tiredness won for a while. Yawning, she woke up to sun streaming in her face and Jay staring at her. Her heart raced faster while she licked her lips. Sitting up, she hugged her legs into her body and smiled up to him. She’d tell him today.

  Before she could say anything, a nurse came into the room. She stared at her and said, “He’s not to have visitors.”

  Jay’s voice stayed direct and firm. “Penny’s my girlfriend, and she’s not going home without me.”

  Out of all the things her mother did for her, one hadn’t been clearing up a burden. Jay had gone behind her back, but he needed to learn to speak and ask her. Unlike her mother, he had potential.

  The nurse snapped on a glove. “Well, that makes the exam more difficult. I was hoping once I finished with you to start the paperwork.”

  The sun shone outside. Penny jumped out of her seat and told him, “I’ll go get coffee. Be back during visitors’ hours.”

  ***

  Penny picked Sandra up on her way to the shop. “Thank you for getting me.”

  “No problem. What happened to your car?”

  “Battery. Michael is getting it fixed. My place is going through a major remodel and I’m so tired of breathing in sawdust. Now let’s g
et going. And Jay wants coffee. He texted me.”

  Penny kept her eyes on the road. He could have texted her, but he chose his cousin. She had no right to be jealous. They were family, and she was driving. Gripping the wheel, she decided to ask more questions. This time, she’d be more proactive with her life.

  Sandra closed down on answering what happened to Jay last night, but Penny had a new tactic. “I stayed with Jay last night instead of going home.”

  “I’m happy for you both.”

  Pushing her shoulders back, she sped off while answering, “We have a lot to work out.”

  “You will.”

  Keeping her grip on the steering wheel tight, she asked, “So when did you get his power of attorney?”

  Sandra’s voice grew quieter. “About four months ago.”

  Penny pulled the car into the drive-through and ordered three cups of coffee through the speaker.

  Sandra pulled up an app on her phone and reached over Penny to give it to the cashier before she had a second to reach for her pocketbook. Letting someone pay for her made her stomach feel heavy and empty. She kept her mouth shut, and the cashier took the order and passed Sandy her coffee. Sandy placed Jay’s in the cup holder, and held her latte in her lap. They pulled away and Penny sucked her bottom lip into her mouth before she sipped her drink. The liquid sent courage into her body, relaxing her. Taking a second sip did the same glorious thing. Emboldened, she asked, “How old is that scar on his face?”

  Sipping her coffee and looking out the window, Sandra said, “Can you ask him that one?”

  Penny nodded. She had a lot of questions to ask. Putting together the pieces to this puzzle confused her. She pulled into the parking lot. “When did he start Penelope Financial?”

  Sandy sipped her coffee while Penny parked. Without looking her in the eye, she answered, “A few years ago. I’m going to ask you carry this in to him while I stop at the desk to get a doctor’s report.”

  Penny put her head on the rest before getting out of the car. “I wish he’d never lied to me.”

  When they stepped out of the Jeep, Sandy told her, “He doesn’t answer to anyone these days. But I’m glad it was you that he opened up to, even a little bit. Penny, don’t accept anything less than the full truth from him. I don’t even know that.”

  While opening the front door to the hospital, Penny glanced at the clock. Visiting hours started two minutes ago. She signed in at the desk, then asked her friend, “What if I can’t get past that?”

  Sandy had to do the same thing. Penny waited for her until Sandy looped her arm in hers. “We’ll still be friends no matter what, but he’s my cousin and much like a second brother. So I’m hoping everything works out.”

  Narrowing her eyes, Penny asked, “What happened between you and Wyatt?”

  Sandra shook her head. “You don’t want to know. Focus on Jay and learning to trust him.”

  Penny needed to figure out what to do. Hitting the button for the elevator, she told Sandra, “Wyatt’s my brother. I don’t know if you know that, but if he hurt you, we were friends first.”

  Going inside, Sandy fixed her hair and lowered her voice. “I hurt him too. It’s how everything played out that makes me sad, but don’t let me be your excuse to not forgive Jay.”

  When the elevator beeped, Penny took the coffee from Sandra and made her way to his room. Sucking in her breath, she stepped into the room while Jay sat up on the bed.

  “Get back into bed.”

  He put his shirt on, buttoning from the bottom up. Looking up, he smiled, showing off his dimples. “Is that my coffee, Pen?”

  She’d start getting answers. “I’m not sure if I should give it to you. You lied since I came back home, getting me to live with you, when we hadn’t seen each other in years. Why?”

  He hobbled over to her, reaching out. “Can I have that coffee? I’ll try to explain.”

  She handed it to him and watched him whiff the delicious, earthy smell of his drink. She took a seat, reminding him, “Sit back down.”

  He took one more sip of his drink, standing in his shirt and boxers. Smiling. She refused to fall for his sexy look. Luckily, he didn’t notice, and put the drink on his tray. He hopped to a table. “I need to put my pants on first. The doctors will be letting me out of here soon. I have a broken rib, but that mends at home. They kept me overnight because I have money, but it’s done now.”

  Tapping her feet, she stepped closer, looking him over. “Your black eye isn’t helping your case.”

  Finding his pants, he stepped into them and quickly dressed. “It will heal. I’ve had worse, and I interrupted the robbery.”

  “My mother stole your tablet earlier in the day.”

  “I saw your text and deleted all access to files my tablet had. Someone who works for me has to be working for my mother.”

  Smiling, she leaned closer. “Good. Now we’re getting to something. Why me? And what did you get out of using me?”

  Running his hand through his hair, he sighed. “How do I start? You were going to work for my father. I needed to know how deep my mother’s roots went into his company.”

  Putting her hand in the air, she stomped. “So you knew I was coming back here to work. You never asked about my job.”

  Shaking his head, he sat on the bed to tell her. “At the coffee shop you said Mueller Enterprises. Dad’s company. I thought I could spare my dad and that place, until you told me you’d been fired. My mother did that to you.”

  Inhaling, she circled him, though she kept her arms crossed. “Why did you name your company Penelope?”

  His dimples appeared. “’Cause you’re pretty.”

  She shook her head. “Try again. Shameless flirting won’t work.”

  “I had to try.” He coughed. His face contorted in pain before he sat straight. “The truth?”

  Sitting next to him, she petted his leg. “Yeah.”

  “I didn’t want my parents to link my name to anything at first.” He grazed her arm. “Plus, when I did that in college I wanted a name no one would pin back to me. But it needed to be smart, loyal, and easy to remember. Your name kept running in my head. People remember names. You’re smart and your name to me makes me think steady, trustworthy, and loyal. Everything a woman is supposed to be.”

  Holding in her breath, she wanted to stop. Her fingers ached to hold him again, but she crossed her arms. “Why did we have sex, then, if you intended to use me as a spy?”

  His eyes softened while looking at her, stealing her arguments. “Technically that didn’t happen. I never asked any questions and you never told me you’d been fired.”

  Looking down, she stifled a soft sigh. “Question withdrawn. It could have been anyone. Why me?”

  His hand stayed on her leg, unmoving, but the sparks inside her for him to do more grew. He kept his voice low. “You’re beautiful, smart, and despite everything, I was falling in love with you. I shouldn’t have lied, but I need you to leave now.”

  Standing up, she swatted his hand away. “Stop.”

  He ran his hands through his hair. “What happened last night is why you shouldn’t be in my life. I lied to you. Don’t forgive me. Get out of here and don’t come back.”

  She pushed her chest out and snapped her hands in front of her. “I’m not going anywhere, except home with you.”

  “No.”

  She leaned closer to him, hovering over his body. “That’s all you have? Look, you’ve freed me from all my responsibilities in life. And Jay, I’m still angry that you used me and lied to me. But once upon a time I looked up to you too, and you need help. I’m going to nurse you back to health.”

  His voice faltered and his eyes blinked. “You can’t. You need to leave, because whoever is after me will see you’re my weak spot.”

  She put her hands on his knees. “You need help. I’m getting in my car to leave only if you are in the backseat. So we have two options. One, we ditch your plan and whoever did this to you and w
e leave.”

  His voice sounded dark and determined. “No.”

  Setting her jaw, she rubbed his legs higher and lowered her voice. “Option two. I take you home, feed you soup, make sure you’re good, easing my conscience, and help you.”

  His grumble was for more than food. A slow smile of victory came over her, until he crossed his arms. “Option three, you take the hint I’m a jerk and you leave.”

  Unwrapping his arms, she put them on her hips while she laughed. “I knew you were that before I moved in, and I knew you had a heart in there to be my friend. So are you leaving town with me or sticking around?”

  His arms didn’t move, though his voice wavered. “Penny, this is stupid.”

  She’d take him home. She kissed his forehead. “I agree, Dimples. You’re being stubborn for no reason.”

  Pulling her into him, he stopped and coughed. “You don’t fight fair.”

  The intense pain. She bit her lip, massaging his shoulders, hoping she’d help.

  “What are you two arguing about?” Sandra stood in the doorway, holding papers. “I wanted you two to get along.”

  “Your friend is butting in when she should hate me and leave me alone.” Jay’s mouth went tight until his face winced in pain.

  “Ten seconds ago, I was the girlfriend. Now I’m a friend.” Penny pushed her head to the side in a dare before she finished. “Your cousin and I will be going back home today, and he’s going too far in trying to keep me protected. But he forgets, thanks to him, I honestly have nothing better to do than nurse him back to health.”

  Walking in to join them, Sandra asked, “So you’re staying to forgive him. I’m happy.”

  “No, she’s not.” Jay’s argument didn’t hold water. She’d help him.

  Reaching for his chin, she met his gaze and directed him closer to her face. “Then you are dropping everything and getting into my car with me?”

  His mouth dropped open. “No. Fine. Security was updated and we’ll be fine.”

  Penny smiled victoriously. She’d face off against Jay, deal with whatever he was up to, then take off. A small part of her heart cried out that he loved her. He’d told her, but she had to ignore that. She could never be her mother. But first, she needed to fully understand before she gave him her heart, though she feared her defenses were too late. She had a plan.