Page 116 of Someone You Deserve

Fury races through me now that I’m certain Astrid and I are their source of entertainment. Clearing my throat, I head down the aisle toward them. “Hello, ladies. Can I help you with anything?”

Woman number two drops the paint sample cards she was holding as woman number one’s eyes go wide, watching me close in on them. “Oh, uh. No. We’re fine.”

“Are you sure? I can answeranyquestions you may have. You know, I have a lot of knowledge about…paint.” I gesture toward the colorselections in front of them, even though I’m sure all three of us know I’m not here to talk about paint.

“No, no. We’re good.” Woman number one grabs her friend by the hand and they head toward the door. “Have a good day, Penn.”

“Yeah, you two,” I mutter as they leave, and then wonder how the hell they knew about the kiss at the bakery and who else might be talking about it. If those two women had the gall to come into the hardware store and gossip about me while I’m within earshot, that means word around town has already spread, fueling one of Astrid’s biggest concerns about our relationship

—the fear that the kids could find out before we’ve had a chance to talk to them.

I pull out my phone, looking at her text from this morning for the tenth time.

Astrid:Hey. Sorry I fell asleep on you last night. I hope you’re not mad at me. I’m so sorry, Penn. I don’t want this to ruin us. Please come by tonight so we can talk more…

I hadn’t texted her back yet because my mind is a fucking mess. But now, it seems there are other messes brewing so I contemplate whether I should text her to warn her about the gossip or wait until we have a chance to talk. The last thing that Astrid needs is more stress added to her plate. If I can find the source of the rumors before she hears about them, maybe I can put a stop to them.

My phone dings with a text before I can figure out my next move.

Astrid:Oh my God, Penn. Some customers came into the bakery just now asking about us! Apparently, someone’s spreading rumors.

Fuck. Gossip spreads faster than wildfire, I guess.

Me:I know. I just heard two women talking about it in the hardware store.

Astrid:And I’ve had two calls this morning from people cancelling orders saying they didn’t want to support a scandal.

Fuck. This escalated rather quickly.

I type out another response.

Me:It sounds like someone saw us kissing at the reopening.

The dots jump on the screen as I wait for her reply.

Astrid:That son of a bitch!

Fury races through me.

Me:Who, baby?

Astrid:Dick! He saw us, Penn. I saw him looking through the kitchen door, and he said some stuff to me afterward…

My teeth grind together. That fucking twat-waffle. I knew he was a fucking slimeball. He never had a chance with Astrid in the first place, but apparently his ego can’t stand the fact that she chose me instead of him.

Me:I’ll take care of it.

Astrid:What are you going to do?

But I don’t have time to text her back before Elizabeth reminds me of the lumber delivery that needs to be unloaded.

My phone dings a few more times while I’m working, but by the time I’ve seen Astrid’s messages pleading with me to leave it alone, my mind is already made up.

That Dick is going to get a piece of my mind once and for all. And he’d better pray he still has use of his dick by the time I’m through with him.

***

“You know, you should pay more attention to where you’re walking.”

---