Page 1 of Naughty Nicky

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PENELOPE

Why did I decide to do this? I mean I know I couldn’t say no to little old Mrs. Perez, but there is a goddamn blizzard outside. This woman can’t need her macarons that badly. She could survive two days without them. But no, because I am oh so nice, I decided to hand deliver her regular weekly order to her since she couldn’t pick them up.

And it’s no wonder she couldn’t pick them up. There is a freaking blizzard out here.

Okay, it’s more of just a snowstorm, but it’s getting heavier by the minute, and pretty soon it will be white-out conditions.

And again, this wouldn’t be so terrible if the woman lived in town.

But no.

She lives on the outskirts of town, off the main road that leads to Silverton, Colorado, not in the small eight-block radius of my hometown of Ouray.

My hometown. Two words I never thought I would ever mutter again in reference to where I live. I spent the last two years of my lifeliving. Exploring the country and the world, getting my feet in the sand, standing on the biggest mountainpeaks. But I was doing it all with the guy I thought was the love of my life. Turns out he was just a blip in my timeline.

But I can’t even think about that as I try to see through the snowfall that is getting heavier as I drive. The windshield wipers of my 2012 FJ squeal across the windshield as they fight against the snow.

I don’t even know why I volunteered to do this. Probably because I didn’t. I was volun-told to. Like it was life or death to keep my job at the local bakery in town.

Which in my parents’ eyes, it is.

Let’s just say I might have a little bit of debt from deciding to travel the world for two years thinking I could make it as an influencer. Turns out when you don’t make it, you still have bills to pay.

And that little bit of debt, which is more like a lotta bit of debt, means I cannot lose my boring ass job at the bakery if I ever want to travel and see the world again.

I let out an exasperated sigh, my lips vibrating at the movement as I come to a stop at the entrance to the highway. Luckily these roads look like a plow just came through so it shouldn’t be too terrible getting to Mrs. Perez’s house. Hopefully.

I turn onto the highway and drive at a snail’s pace. I hate driving in the snow, yet another reason why I question why I came back to live in my hometown. Then I remember that I am living rent-free under my parents’ roof, and that is the reason why.

I’m twenty-two. I should be living in my own cute apartment somewhere exciting like Seattle or New York City with houseplants and vintage furniture and maybe a cat. Not in the house I grew up in with its grandiose views of the mountains.

I shake the thoughts from my head before I get too depressed over my situation and concentrate on the road in front of me. It’sonly two short miles to the exit I need to take, and I pray to God that street is plowed.

I turn off the exit onto the road that leads to my destination, and fuck me, it’s not plowed. There are a good three inches of snow to drive through on these roads. Which isn’t terrible, but have I mentioned I don’t just hate driving in the snow, but I also suck at it. The second I feel like I am about to hit some ice, I usually slam on the brakes which is the worst thing you can do when you hit ice.

I take a deep breath, trying to center myself, like I learned from the yoga classes I took on the beach in Bali.

Bali. Man, how I wish I was there right now.

Come on, Pen, focus.

I shake the thought of crystal blue water and white sand beaches, vibrant green palms and happy people and get back to the task at hand.

I creep onto the road at a whopping five miles an hour. It might take me forever to get to Mrs. Perez’s house, but at least I’ll make it there at this pace and not spin out or land in a ditch.

I white knuckle the steering wheel as I increase my speed to ten miles per hour. I start to feel confident in myself and my driving. I may piss off a few drivers who want to get around me, but hey, I am making it to this house in one piece.

I glance over at the two boxes of macarons on the seat beside me. “You guys are really putting your faith in me.”

I roll my eyes at myself. Great, now I am talking to a batch of cookies in my panic-induced state.

I focus back on the road and pick up my speed a bit as I get more comfortable driving on the snow-covered road. I glance at my GPS, and it says I am only ten minutes away from my destination.

“I can do this.” I give myself the words of encouragement I need as I try not to think about how after I make it Mrs. Perez’s,I’m going to need to turn back around and head back to town in order to get home.

Baby steps, Pen. You got this.

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