Page 57 of Offsides Attraction

“What makes you think it was me?”

“Are you telling me it wasn’t?” Bash heard the skepticism in his dad’s voice.

“No, it was me, and it can’t be fixed.”

“Then find a way around it. Don’t let this idea die on the vine.”

Can we talk? I have a proposition for you. ~BVV

Penny fingered the card tucked inside the lush bouquet filled with blue delphinium, bright pink roses, light pink miniature carnations, and magenta peonies and wondered how much it had cost. Had he called the florist directly or had he offloaded it to an assistant? Were the pink miniature carnations a fluke or had he remembered from when they’d played the ‘what’s your favorite’ game while sharing a sundae at Moo Please on their first non-date date? He preferred tulips and daffodils as they heralded the end of winter, his least favorite time in New York City.

“A proposition, not a proposal,” she said, looking around her office. She didn’t want to talk to him. His half-assed, marriage-for-Bash’s-convenience proposal had knocked her for a loop and her heart was finally mending. She’d driven away from his house that shattering morning, dazed and confused, wondering what the hell he’d been thinking. Several days later, anger had set in. Did he think she was desperate? How twisted was he that he thought a proposal like that was okay?

And then her heart ached for him, knowing that for him it wasn’t twisted, but logical and safe. She’d met his mother, and while Gloria hadn’t been mean to Bash, she hadn’t been loving, and Penny knew Bash yearned for love. She didn’t fault Gloria. Bash wasn’t easy to love, but Penny knew he’d needed more from his mother and she wished Gloria had had the skills to give him what he’d needed.

Penny had been stuck in this weird, angry-acceptance state for almost a month now, and she was tired of it. Everyone was tired of it, except the romance book club, who enjoyed every minute of her distress. They were sure her happily-ever-after was right around the corner as soon as she and Bash fought through the dark moment. How they, and everyone else, knew about the breakup was a mystery to her, and the mystery book club refused to share their insights with her. But Penny didn’t want a romantic grand gesture. She wanted to wind back time. Shove a piece of bacon in his mouth and force him to chew down his words.

What’s the harm in calling him? I can always hang up. Calling him might give her closure so she could move on and find peace and equilibrium. She was unbalanced and didn’t trust herself or her gift. Last week’s disaster caught her eye.

Penny had magicked the eraser to clean the left side of the board while she reordered books. Anger and sadness filled her when she saw Gloria Sebastian’s name. She didn’t want to order any of her books—all top sellers since Gloria’s December visit—but she’d forced herself. Not doing so would only hurt the business. Penny sighed with relief when she’d finished the order, but gasped when she looked at the whiteboard. Sketches of Bash—his mouth, his torso, an eye, his hand, his glasses, his butt—surrounded terrible, painful poetry.

Written across his torso was:

“Love is for dummies”

He said with a smirk

She’s just naïve

What a bad jerk

Near his mouth:

That dude’s so hot, what a stunner

But he opens his mouth, that’s a bummer

Chiseled jaw, bulging muscles

Still when he talks, hand me a muzzle

And the worst was in a corner with a picture of Bash sitting alone at a table bent over a bowl:

Awkward lump has no game

Can’t talk to people, it’s a shame

Sits alone and eats beef ramen

Foreveralone.com is his name

Sharpie markers had wiggled on the ledge, mocking her. Penny had scrubbed at the offensive words and disjointed pictures with the eraser to no avail. Rubbing alcohol didn’t work, and neither did hand sanitizer. She traced over one of the more disturbing pictures with a dry erase marker, hoping the Youtuber’s solution was right, but again, failure. The board was too heavy to move on her own, and she didn’t trust her magic. With her luck, it would park the board in the main lobby next to the elevator and staircase.

Gratefully, Elspeth was on vacation for another week and Penny kept the office door locked. She was waiting for Lucas to help her hang the new, larger whiteboard that had arrived yesterday. After the accident, she’d covered the old one with a fitted sheet.

Penny didn’t know what to do. Other than the whiteboard fiasco and a few minor magical glitches, she was healing. Would talking to Bash help or would it open the wound? Maggie was in class for another hour, and she didn’t want to talk to her mom or Tanya, who had started a new job. Penny was avoiding her calls, and Tanya was vague in her texts, but she promised to spill all the details when they talked. But until Penny’s heart healed and she’d locked away her jealousy, she didn’t want to hear about Tanya’s great life. Not while her’s sucked.

Her issue with Bash wasn’t a straightforward affaire du coeur. There were witchy issues at play that Alison wouldn’t understand. Elspeth wasn’t an option. She’d tell Penny to move along, but Penny had enjoyed being in a relationship. With the right person, it’s a heck of a lot better than a book, Penny thought as she resorted and called Harper.

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