Page 53 of Somebody To Love

Yes, logically she knew, but anticipation and reality of a situation could be two very different things.

“Don’t worry about them, honey. They don’t matter, remember? All that matters is what we think.”

Right. But what did she think? She thought she knew. When this whole thing started. Heck, she even thought she knew a few days after that first night. But now…now her emotions were all mixed up and the logical plan she had worked out in her brain had become muddled.

Because her heart was involved.

No! Absolutely no, it was not. She did not have feelings for BJ. To the extent that she loved him, as a friend, sure. But there were no deeper feelings. No wedding bells and happily ever after feelings. She didn’t want that because he didn’t want that…right?

“BJ, Penny, order up.”

She pulled away, reaching to the high counter to grab their drinks, and handing his over. He wrapped his free arm around her waist as they walked out of the coffee shop, smiling and saying hello to people as they left. Everyone smiled and returned his greeting politely, but she noticed the minute they passed the whispers in the line grew louder, so loud she could pick out some of the words.

“See, men and women can’t be just friends.”

“I knew it.”

“Had to happen eventually.”

“He’s out of her league.”

The last one hurt. Truth often did. She didn’t blame whoever mumbled it in a snide tone. She knew her and BJ would never work as a permanent thing. Their pairing was like a cheesy 80s movie, the nerd dating the beautiful, popular kid.

“Want me to walk you over?”

She glanced down the street to where Blithe’s Boutiques stood. Less than twenty feet away. “I think I can manage.”

He grinned, blowing on his coffee before taking a sip. “Come to Jacks when you finish for the day. Del and Cassie get back today and I’m sure they’ll want to say hi.”

She wasn’t as sure as him about that, but he was her ride home, so she smiled and nodded her agreement. He cupped her face, bending down to kiss her. His lips parted, tongue seeking entrance, which she happily gave. This kiss was much deeper and hotter than the one in Tin Cups. Better. No audience this time.

“See ya later, honey.”

She walked into Blithe’s Boutiques, hands warm from her coffee cup, body warm from the toe-curling kiss. “Good morning, ladies.”

“It certainly is,” Olive said, a smile on her face and a glint in her eyes.

“Speak for yourself.” Apple, mouth turned down in her standard sour expression, grunted. “I woke up with a sore back, an aching knee, and I’m so plugged up, the entire section of prune juice in the grocery wouldn’t even help.”

Now there was a lovely image.

“Of course, I suppose I would be having a good morning if I was bedding one of the hottest men in Kismet.”

Penny had chosen that unfortunate moment to take a sip of her coffee. She choked, warm, creamy, sugary sweet coffee spewing from her lips. The Blithe sisters jumped out of the way, surprisingly quick for a pair of septuagenarians.

“Oh, no. Let me get you a towel, dear.” Olive rushed to the back of the store, where she reached into a closet and retrieved a small, knitted dishrag. “Here you go.”

“Thank you.” She mopped the mess from the front of her blouse; grateful she’d chosen the dark blue button-up instead of white this morning. Next, she bent to clean the floor. When she stood, she placed her coffee on the counter by the shop register.

“What makes you think BJ and I are together?”

The sisters shared a look. Olive laughed, sounding more like the cackle of a witch than a jovial retort.

“Maybe because we got a call from Harper not two minutes ago saying she’d seen you two in the coffee shop, all cozied up together. Or perhaps it was the face sucking we just witnessed outside on the street seconds before you walked in.”

Crap. Guess that kiss hadn’t been as private as she thought. Damn small towns.

“We’re not…its, um, he and I are…”

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