Page 23 of Someone You Deserve

She scoffs. “Yeah, okay. Tell me where all the men are who want to date the widowed single mom of two kids who works all the time, Penn. Please.”

I stare at her, wondering if she is just that clueless.

Has all the tension between us been in my imagination?

Am I really the only one who has felt anything over the past three years?

I feel like my entire world just shifted in one conversation.

I’ve buried my feelings all this time, intent on letting things be. I was happier having Astrid in my life as a friend then not at all. And in less than ten minutes, this surge of possessiveness has kicked in that I’ve tried to keep buried and I don’t know what to fucking do about it.

Needing space to process what I’m feeling, I shake my head and turn away from her, heading for the door. “You know what? Just forget it.”

“Penn!” she calls after me.

I glance at her over my shoulder.

“You’re coming back to start on the shelves, right?” she asks me timidly, a look of uncertainty in her eyes.

Fuck. That’s right. I can’t just run away from her right now. I have a job to do, one I promised her that I would.

And I always keep my promises.

“Yeah, I’ll be back.”

Her smile is unsure, but she grants me one nonetheless. “Okay. See you later.”

“Yeah, see you later, Astrid.”

Walking out to my truck, my skin feels itchy. My chest feels tight. My mind is at war with all of these thoughts and feelings bubbling up to the surface.

Maybe I can’t have Astrid the way I want.

But I sure as fuck don’t want Dick Cockwell to have her.

Jesus Christ. How did I get myself into this mess?

And more importantly, how the fuck do I get out of it?

Chapter four

Astrid

“I swear, I could hear that noise from down the boardwalk.” Hazel Sheppard walks through the door of the bakery, her voice barely carrying over the sounds of Penn working out back.

The sound of the sanding machine outside is so loud that I’ve had to wear earplugs for the past few days, but I know the makeover Penn is giving the old table and chairs will make the racket worth it.

Plucking the ear plugs from my ears, I wait for a break in the clamor to respond. “I know. He’s almost done though.” Like we planned, Penn came by and started on the shelves last Friday, but he left early for another project—the same one he’s being very cryptic about. And normally I would push him to open up to me, but I’ve been so stressed with the renovations, keeping up with incoming orders, and finalizing the details for the grand reopening in three weeks, all while trying to keep up with my kids and running a household, that I have no energy left to give to that matter.

“Thank God.” Hazel laughs as she brushes her long, dark hair over her shoulder and saunters up to me.

“So, what brings you in today?” This girl feels like my unofficial younger sister since I’ve watched her grow up. I can’t believe she’s twenty-five—it makes me feel older than I am.

“Well, a little birdie told me you’re going to start offering custom wedding cakes.” Her eyebrows bounce up and down. “And, since I photograph weddings, I was wondering if you’d like to give me some business cards so I can pass them along to my clients. Maybe we can agree on a discount if they book with both of us?”

“Damn. Look at you, you little businesswoman,” I tease her as I reach under the counter and hand her a stack of cards. “And would this little birdie happen to be my mother? I’m going to need to have a conversation with her later about her telling people my business plans.”

First Richard and now Hazel? I wonder who else she’s told.

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