Page 7 of My Grumpy Valentine

I can’t remember the last time I came out here to enjoy the environment. I might have my share of a beer or two on a day off, but it’s typically alone and up at the bar. The bartenders leave me as I am most of the time, chatting about boring topics like the weather, whenever it’s too quiet.

Looking around at all the unfamiliar faces, I grimace behind the next sip of my beer. Starting to regret this place as our meeting point, I sputter when I see the woman who scheduled this meet-up.

“Old habits die hard.” My frown lessens when Penelope appears in front of me, flushed and out of breath. She must not have worked today because the smell of fried meat isn’t clinging to her outfit. She’s currently wearing a snug turtleneck that beautifully accentuates her curves. The fabric hugs her figure closely, showcasing her silhouette in a way that makes mymouth water. A braided design cascades down the front, artfully tracing the contours of her chest.

I have to close my eyes to avoid staring. She looks good. Beautiful as the day I met her. Just as frazzled, too.

“I’ll have you know, it was the weather to be blamed this time. Those roads get awful at night.” She claims the seat in front of mine, taking up my entire view. Now I have all the excuses in the world to stare. “Should’ve considered it before.”

“I can give you a ride home if it’s too bad,” I offer without thinking. I don’t know where she lives, and for all I know, Pen might want to keep it that way.

Surprising me with a laugh, her grin is like a punch to the chest. “Have you taken a look at what you drive? Sorry, but I think I’d rather take my chances.”

Okay, ouch. “She’s gotten me through the last handful of years, thank you.”

Well, this is no good. Watching how her eyes light up, I struggle to focus on anything else in the room. At this point, I don’t think the distance would’ve made too much of a difference. She’s all that matters.

“I’m sure I’ll be okay.” Reassuring me softly, she signals down a waitress to snag us an appetizer and asks for tea with lemon. Watching her squeeze the juice into her drink, I try not to focus on her mouth as she takes her first sip.

I’m not here to jump at the opportunity to make her mine. The gaps in the information I have received have been bothering me. Why did her marriage with Danny end? I need to know before I start to slip.

Penelope deserves a friend and nothing more. The truth may put me back in my place.

Silence passes us for a moment, and I try to figure out what I should ask first. What all have I missed out on over the last fewyears? What has she done to pass the time? Has she found any new hobbies, or grown passionate over anything?

We both try to speak at once, and her cheeks grow pink. I encourage her to go first.

“So, you’re a car man now?” Lowering her gaze, she stares at my fingers. No matter how often I scrub at the stains, my nails always have a ring of black. “When did that happen?”

“Needed to make a living. Luckily for me, the shop that hired me had a great owner. Taught me everything I know,” I explain as I rub my thumb against my nail as if it’ll make a difference. “August, my new boss, has a shop here in town, and it had an opening, so I threw myself at the opportunity.”

A lot about me has changed, and she can tell. I used to spend so much time fooling around as a distraction away from the freshly married couple until I couldn’t take it anymore. Now, I’m focusing on changing tires, replacing brakes, and seeing how deep my arms can fit in an engine.

The ice in her glass clinks as she swirls her straw around. “What made you come back?”

Her voice is quiet, almost like she’s afraid to hear the answer.

“Got a house handed to me through inheritance. Thought about fixing it up and selling it off to someone else,” I explain as I cradle my bottle. “Haven’t decided what to do with it yet. It’s enough to give me a place to sleep over the last couple of months. This time of year kind of slows everything down.”

That’s even more true now that everything has changed. The divorce. My heart returned to life as if it hadn’t been put under. Originally, I only planned on sticking around Hope Peak for a few months, a year at most. Now, I don’t have a clue. I’m no longer thinking about meeting a deadline.

“You know, I tried to call you after you left,” she explains as she joins my stare at her drink. “You never picked up, so I thought I did something wrong.”

My body moves on its own, and I reach out to squeeze her hand. “It wasn’t you.”

How long did I allow her to blame herself? I remember every time her number appeared on my phone. I never had the strength to block her. My heart wouldn’t allow it. Danny got the same treatment. I disappeared on both of them. Might as well have faked my own death for all they knew.

Her fingers curl beneath mine, and she lingers for seconds before sliding both her hands beneath the table. If I have to guess, she’s wringing her fingers together. It’s one of those habits she always did without realizing whenever she felt nervous.

“It was me,” I assure her after a beat of silence. “I wasn’t happy here. I needed to get away.”

“You said the same thing back then.” Recalling the past, she sits up straighter, and her smile looks less natural. “We both missed you. Danny constantly talked about you like you were still here with us. Up until–” She catches herself, and her brows lower.

“What happened?” Aching to know how such a beautiful relationship unraveled in my absence, I nudge her foot with my boot beneath the table when she looks pained thinking about it.

Penelope isn’t in a rush to talk. I don’t ask again. Instead, I let the passing seconds encourage her to open up without the weight of pressure on her shoulders.

“We grew apart,” she slowly explains. “I think we got married far too quickly. The excitement we felt, that honeymoon phase of ours didn’t last, and to be honest…” She blows out a laugh, and her arms shift. She’s definitely tangling her fingers together. “I think he didn’t like being tied down. He missed being free. That’s why he…” She chews on her lip and shrugs a shoulder. “I caught him talking to a few women, and I knew there wasn’t any need to fix our marriage.”

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