by Claire Angel
“I can’t promise that I’ll climb up to it. Mark always told me it was for the boys and I needed to stay away.”
I laughed at Penny’s words, recalling the vow that we made that no girls would ever be allowed in our precious space. That changed as we got older and we started taking girls there to make out.
“I’d have to make sure it’s safe to even try,” I promised her as I slid my phone out of my pocket.
“Who uses it now?” I’d use the flashlight to assess the safety of the structure for us.
Surprisingly, it looked as though it had been kept up.
“I suppose some neighborhood boys.” She narrowed her eyes and looked at the makeshift ladder rungs. There isn’t any light on so maybe it’s empty. Penny looked at me mischievously.
“Want to check it out?”
“After you,” I offered, wanting to be there to catch her if she fell. I also wanted to check out her ass and she blushed as if she read my thoughts.
Penny reached for the first handle and pulled herself up, climbing the fifteen steps easily as I followed a bit behind her. She lifted the door to go in, easing into the small room before I followed her. It was smaller than I remembered but looked the same. I noted that there was a pile of pillows as I flashed the light around and a speaker with some magazines.
“Think we’d be okay to sit down there?” I asked her, indicating the pillows that were strewn over a bright blanket.
“Well, you’re alive and you used to hang out here,” Penny mused as I smirked at her.
She moved down to sit on a thick cushion before I sat down across from her.
“It’s so small. I used to picture this as some giant, magical place because Mark banned me from it.”
“We’re bigger now.” I shook my head and whistled low. “It seems like it was only yesterday.”
“It did.” She was staring out of the small window, her face lit up by the moon. Penny was beautiful and I froze as I stared at her. “We blinked and here we are.” She absently picked at her sleeve, lost in thought.
“Yeah. Where did the time go?”
I thought about life after my parents died. I never considered the drug addicts that were my real parents’ family, only the people that took me in. They gave me everything I wanted and needed, making me the man that I was. I missed them every day since they died and threw myself into work to distract myself from that. I was lonely most days, keeping people at bay. I wanted to draw her closer and she turned her eyes to me.
“Are you home permanently?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
Penny frowned. “I think so. It’s complicated.”
“Your husband stayed?” I pressed, noting she wore no ring on her finger.
“He has a full life back there. It’s difficult to up and leave.” There was a sense of resignation in her voice and I reached out to lift her face, meeting her eyes.
“Would he drop it all to support you?” I asked as she leaned her face into my hand.
“I doubt it.” Penny seemed to come to her senses and pulled away from me with wide eyes. “I’m sorry. This isn’t right.” She sighed. “I’m still married, Walden. I know that my family would love for me to forget all about that and do…this.” She gestured between us.
“I just want to get to know you, Penny. You were always Mark’s little sister that he kept away from us. I never had that chance before.” She smiled softly. “I don’t want you to do anything you’re not comfortable with.” She looked at me curiously as I smiled encouragingly at her.
“Why are you still here, Walden? After they were gone, what made you stay?” Penny asked.
I rocked back and forth, considering my answer.
“I still had their family here and I guess I was comfortable. I had work and a sense of purpose, but I’d leave for the right reasons.”
She nodded as emotion crossed her face.
“I like being able to talk to Mark more and your mom needs help.”
“Mama has plenty of help,” Penny said with a loving smile. “It will be nice to have Mark closer though. I miss them so much.”
“You’re close to his wife? I can’t believe that he got married again,” I said as she giggled.
“I loved her the moment we met. She was everything that Nina wasn’t and Lindsay took right to her. They adore each other.” She smiled. “It’s a big nudge to stay here having them back. I can get to know my family again.”
“I don’t think they ever forgot you. They talked about you all the time,” I assured her as Penny shrugged.
“It’s never the same as being here.” She rested her head on her knees and let her eyes drop closed. “It’s so peaceful up here. Do you know that it’s never like this in a big city? There’s always traffic and bright lights. It’s criminal how many different kinds of food you can get at any hour of the day.”
“I don’t know. I like waiting through the night when you’re starving for the diner to open. My appetite grows.” I laughed as she let a wide smile cross her face.
“God forbid…you would have to cook something,” She giggled and leaned back against a big pillow.
“You won’t have to do any of that when your mom is back on her feet. She is an amazing cook,” I praised as Penny nodded.
Chapter 5
Penny
I sat and talked with Walden in the treehouse for a couple hours. It was easy and felt natural, which I would hide from my family. They already had us paired off and it wasn’t like that. I was just getting comfortable spending time with a friend, getting to know him.
We walked back to the house and I noticed the lights were low in the living room. Time had flown by. He led me to the back door and I looked through the window to see my brother locked in an embrace with Bri in the glow from the TV.
“I guess I need to send them to their room,” I murmured as I glanced at Walden. Thanks for everything tonight. Mama appreciates it all so much.”
“It wasn’t a problem at all,” He assured me as we both smiled.
“Good night.”
“Good night, Penny.” His eyes bore into mine as I turned to go inside.
“Can you two take it to a room?” I asked as they jumped, breaking apart slightly.
“Speaking of that, where did you run off to?” Bri asked as she leaned into Mark’s chest.
“I was just talking to Walden,” I insisted as I slipped off my soft coat. I went to get some water and sat a few feet away from them on the couch. “Mark wouldn’t let me within ten feet of him when we were kids. He’s pretty nice, you know.” I shot my brother a glare and Bri giggled.
“I know. That’s why he needs to be around now, Pen. You deserve someone nice,” Mark reminded me as I gave him a long look.
“Get to bed, you two,” I told them as I stood. “Is Lin in my room?”
Bri playfully rolled her eyes at me. “Isn’t she always? I don’t think she’ll even live with is in the new place.”
“That’s fine by me.” I winked and smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll make breakfast.”
“Good. We’ll need it,” Mark grumbled as I shook my head.
I walked into my room and dressed for bed, slipping under the covers with Lindsay and stroking her hair back. My niece was worth staying for if nothing else. I settled on my side and closed my eyes, remembering Penn’s text from earlier. We’d have to talk but I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to discuss us. I wanted it to be over. Didn’t people do that sometimes?
Not when you were married. Breaking up took effort. I decided to sleep on it and drifted off.
I did wake up before Lindsay to make coffee for Mama and start on breakfast. I decided on eggs, fresh waffles since they were Lindsay’s favorite with both sausage and bacon. My brother ate a lot of food. Bri came in to pour coffee, sipping it before offering to help me. I accepted, needing the time with my sister-in-law. We cooked side by side and she shot me a few glances
as she turned the meat on the skillet.
“What are you staring at me for?” I asked as she laughed, reaching for her coffee.
“I just want to know if there’s anything there. Your mom and Mark like him so much,” She said softly as I nodded.
“I know but I’m still married. I need to cut the ties before I move on in any way,” I told her and she stared at me thoughtfully. “I don’t gather that he’s the rebound kind of guy and I am not that kind of girl.”
“I’d have to agree with that. Do you want a rebound kind of guy?” She asked as I giggled.
“I don’t know. My sex life is definitely boring,” I joked, not meaning a word of it.
We chatted more and I could tell that her sex life was just fine by the way that she was glowing. What must that feel like?
What would Walden be like in bed? He was such an easygoing, country boy that I had trouble imagining it.
I pushed away from the idea as I scooped the scrambled eggs into a huge bowl, covering it with foil so I could help Bri stack the meat on a plate. We covered that as well and cooked the waffles on the iron, piling them on a big plate as Bri squealed.
I looked over to see that Mark had tugged her against him and was kissing her cheek. I grinned and felt someone wrap their arms around my leg.
“Who’s that?” I asked, looking down to see Lindsay smiling up at me. “Careful, sweet thing. I’m cooking.”
Mark distracted her with juice once he was done molesting his wife and Bri giggled. I looked at her, wanting what they had. There had been an attraction to Penn in the beginning, but it wasn’t the connection that they had.
We brought food to the table and everyone came over to eat. I smiled at my family as they heaped their plates with food, sipping coffee. We enjoyed a leisurely meal before Lindsay asked to go to town to walk around. Bri looked at me, promising that we would for a little while before looking at furniture on the laptop. The deposit was paid and she was chomping at the bit to decorate a place bigger than the cabin.
Mark told us that he’d stay with Mama and do some work on his laptop. Bri kissed him and we went upstairs to get ready.
I showered and chose a pair of jeans and a college sweatshirt before pulling my hair into a ponytail. I met Bri and Lindsay on the stairs dressed in similar clothing and I grabbed the keys to my car, offering to drive.
We called out that we were leaving.
We were headed to Main Street, parking in the canter of everything.
Bri held Lindsay’s hand as we walked, looking at the Fall decor. It was already mid-September and the weather was starting to change. I thought ahead to the festivals for the holidays, smiling as I remembered seeing the tree in New York my first Christmas there. It was larger than life and took my breath away, not that I had much because it was so cold. I had stars in my eyes back then and thought it was so much better than my hometown celebration.
Now, I felt differently. I’d seen that tree with hopes for a new life with my husband. I thought we’d have a family and I’d make some friends along the way. I thought I’d lay down my roots in a big city and find my tribe. Instead, I ended up spending so much time alone. My husband worked more than he spent time with me and didn’t seem to care that I had nobody else.
I felt someone take my hand and glanced down to see that Lindsay had grabbed my hand, so we were in a line. We kept moving that way, as we passed people and ducked into stores. Bri talked about Lindsay’s new school and got her excited to meet new people. While her current school was tiny, she did have friends there and was happy to be living with Mark again.
We bought a few trinkets for Mama’s house and stepped into the local bakery to bring home a chocolate cake for dessert later.
I glanced to the corner to see Walden’s cafe and realized how cozy it looked in there. It reminded me of one of the Starbucks in New York that was on every corner, only better than that. I told myself that I’d step in one day to get some peace and quiet and read a bit. We went the other way and browsed an antique shop where Bri found some things for the new house. I laughed as I watched the cashier hand her the bag and she pouted at me.
“I liked them.”
“You’re lucky that he adores you. Mark won’t get on your case for this,” I teased her as Lindsay ran ahead to look at some dolls.
“He’s the one who wants to leave the cabin furnished,” She argued with a soft smile. “He told me that he wants to give me the chance to make this ours. He wants me to decorate it for us as a family.”
“He’s absolutely crazy about you,” I told her as she bit her lip, turning to walk towards the car. Lindsay followed and I smiled.
“I never thought I’d find this, Penny. I was in Chester working and happy but not feeling anything like this. I watched my best friend meet her match and get married and pregnant. She was supposed to be on the trip that I met Mark on and those plans changed. I think it was fate for us to meet, you know?” Bri smiled at me and I enjoyed the peek into her life. “You never know when it will happen to you.”
“I’m in my hometown, Bri. There isn’t that new feeling here,” I argued as she opened the door for Lindsay.
“I think there is. Your brother was too paranoid for you to know any guys before. Now you’re older and he’s willing to let you live a little.” She closed the door and glanced around. “He hates Penn.”
“I gathered as much,” I said as she shrugged.
“He just didn’t like the way he was with you.” She walked to the passenger side and slipped inside of the car while I walked around to the driver’s side after making sure our purchases were secure.
We went back to the house where Mama was napping and Lindsay decided to join her. Bri squealed softly as she brought over her laptop to the couch and warmed it up with a huge smile on her face. I hadn’t been to the house personally but had seen all of the pictures that they took. I figured I could help choose things.
She opened up a site and we looked closely over the selection of couches. The house was painted in a soft cream color and Bri planned to keep it since it was just a rental. She marked things we liked to go back to and pretended to hide the screen when Mark sat beside her.
“What kind of damage are you doing?” He asked Bri as she gave him a long look.
“I have these couches picked out. What do you think?” She asked as he kissed her cheek and stared at the screen.
I watched as they chose the furniture for their new house and sat silently, imagining furnishing my own house. My dorm in college didn’t count and I had little to do with the brownstone in New York.
I stood up to get some water and looked into the fridge to decide what to make for dinner. There were a few packages of chicken and I decided to fry them. We could make some mashed potatoes and gravy along with corn and that cake for dessert. I looked down at my soft stomach apologetically and made a mental note to run or something soon. I headed to my room as they talked, wanting some space as I dropped to my bed. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, deciding to allow myself a nap before I made dinner.
I woke up gasping when my door swung open. I had a dream about Penn and going home to him to find him in bed with another woman. I suppose I worried about that when he started to pull away, but he wasn’t emotionally connected to anyone or anything in the end. It didn’t matter anymore if he’d slept with someone else because our attraction was gone.
“Hey. Are you awake?” Bri asked as I blinked at her. “I was going to help with dinner.”
“What time is it?” I asked as I looked around.
“Coming up on five,” She replied.
I jump up startled that I had slept for two hours “I must have been exhausted. Is Mama hungry?”
“She’s having some cheese and crackers, but we can get started whenever you’re ready. I have a bottle of wine ready for you.” She winked before leaving my room and I stretched, coming back to reality.
I went out
when I was awake and noted that the chicken was rinsed and patted down. I started mixing the breading and warmed up the pan as I smiled at Bri, who was peeling potatoes. She’d become a great cook hanging around Mama after swearing that she could barely make a salad before this.
They turned on a movie after dinner and I sank back on the couch, breathing deeply. I’d enjoyed a few glasses of wine and a large slice of cake and felt like I was going to explode. I decided to go to bed earlier than Mark and Bri, taking Lindsay with me as they told us to sleep well.
We chatted about the house and move for a while before she fell asleep. She knew they needed to get some things from the cabin, but Mark was prepared to do that when he headed into the office to guide a tour. Bri and Lindsay were going to stay here with us.
I woke up early for a change and still felt the food in my gut.
I stood and dressed for a jog, pulling on a thin sweatshirt over my pants and a tight tank top. I slipped my shoes on, heading into the kitchen to brew some coffee before I left the house. I locked the door and slipped the necklace with the key around my neck, glancing around before I started to run down the sidewalk. I had one ear bud in but listened more to the morning sounds that I could only find out here. It was everything to me.
I headed the long way into town and hit Main Street, seeing the diner and some of the early morning places lighting up. I stared at Walden’s cafe and licked my lips as I thought about the money tucked into my sports bra. It wouldn’t hurt to have a look.
I tightened my ponytail before walking to the door, swinging it open as I glanced around. It was bright enough to read and work on a laptop, but not so much that it blinded me. There were several tables scattered around as well as a few couches in various bright colors, some occupied and others not. Glancing at the clock, I saw that they’d been open for about half an hour.
I unzipped my jacket as I approached the counter, knowing that I was a sweaty mess.
“Hey, Penny. What brings you here?” Walden asked as he walked through a door carrying a box into the room.