Page 16 of Someone You Deserve

He hangs his head, closing his eyes and breathing harshly through his nose. He stays like that for so long that I almost think he’s fallen asleep, until he finally mutters, “Okay.”

Silence hangs in the air between us as I wrap my arms tighter around my body. “Thank you. I—I’ll see you in the morning.”

Turning his back to me, he arranges the pillow and blanket on the couch and then slides in. “Yeah. See ya.”

Fighting back tears as I stare at the man who has been the strongest constant in my life recently, I cover my mouth to stifle my sobs and then head back to my room, shutting the door before sliding under the blankets and burying my head in my pillow to cry.

And because Penn is the best man on the planet, he honored my request and never mentioned that night again. He acted as if it never happened.

But we both know it did.

Now, three years later, I think it’s safe to say that that night wasn’t just a drunken mistake. It was real. At least, those feelings were real for me. And they’ve only grown since then.

Too bad I can never do anything about them.

Chapter three

Penn

“You thirsty?”

I glance down from the ladder I’m standing on to find my mother holding out a glass of water to me. “Yeah, thanks.” Taking the glass from her, I drain the entire thing.

“Thank you again for getting to the gutters today,” she says as I hand her the empty glass.

“No problem, Mom. You know I’m here to help.”

“I can always count on you, Penn. I don’t know what I would do without you and your siblings most days,” she says, a solemn tone to her voice.

Since Dad died, she has good and bad days. Today, she is dealing with a lot of feelings. I can see it in her eyes.

“Well, we will always be here,” I reply, reaching up and clearing out the last bit of leaves from the gutter and tossing them to the ground.

It’s fall in Carrington Cove, bringing a chill in the air and a cascade of leaves falling from the trees. I had plans to get my oil changed this morning, but when my mom called, I rearranged myschedule so I could help with her gutters as soon as possible. Grady told me to stop by the garage whenever and he’d fit me in.

“Lately it seems like you’re the only one I see.” My mother shields her eyes from the sun as she looks up at me. It’s early in the morning, but the sun is already bright.

“That’s because I’m the best one.”

She scoffs, but she’s smiling, which makes me feel like I have magical powers. “Don’t go getting a big head now, Penn. It’s unbecoming of you.”

I laugh as I begin climbing down the ladder. “I’m already the tallest one, so why not add biggest head to the mix?”

She stands to the side as I grab the trash bag and start gathering the leaves with a rake, scooping them inside. “That’s not who you are, Penn.”

I glance up at her. “Who am I then, Mom?”

“My boy who always wants to help.”See? Even my mom knows my role. “Just like your father.” Tears well in her eyes now.

I drop the rake and peel off my gloves, tossing them to the ground. I walk over and wrap my arms around her, dropping my chin to rest on her head. “Today’s a bad day, huh?”

She sniffles against my chest. “Yeah. The holidays are coming, and it just reminds me that he won’t be here.”

It’s the end of October and my mother has always made a big deal about Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year we knew were the last holidays we’d have with Dad because the cancer had progressed so fast there was nothing else to be done. But it still doesn’t make his absence sting any less.

“I know. But your kids will be here, and we still need to eat.”

She chuckles now, wiping the tears from under her eyes as she leans back to look up at me. “Always thinking about your stomach.”

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