Page 56 of Cozy Girl Fall
“Hey, did you ever hear back from Nicky?” she called and Ethan reappeared with bags of chips and cans of soda.
Ethan shook his head. “I got his assistant, apparently he’s been in Japan for the last month to study the food scene there. He’s back next week though, soI’m going to try calling again—if that’s still what you want?”
She hesitated. “Can I think about it?”
Warm lips touched her cheek as he settled next to her and then hit a button on a remote to turn on the electric fireplace. “Whatever you want, sweetheart.”
You, she thought and when he opened her bag of chips for her before passing it over, she smiled.
20
The clean-up from the Orchard Fest hadn’t been the quick job that Penny had been hoping for. Somehow, the entire process felt like it had taken longer than when they’d put it all together. They’d been out for almost two days taking down the lights and decorations, but Penny had managed to sneak a few slices of leftover pie that made the effort worth her while.
Overall, the Halloween Orchard Fest had been a huge success and Angie had been glowing with pride for the past week and a half. Apparently, some people were even calling it the event of the year, though where she’d heard that her mom wouldn’t say. Probably from Penny’s dad.
The harvest was, thankfully, finished now—Penny wasn’t sure her muscles could’ve taken any more strenuous days picking now it was getting properly cold. But even after they’d finished tidying up the orchard, Penny was still keeping busy by helping her parents. She’d done multiple trips across the way to drop apples off to Colton at the stables, although this wasn’t really much of a hardship when he let her pet the horses. There wasalso a ton of inventory that needed to be inspected, so she’d been helping her dad with that for most of the week.
It had felt like a treat to book into the yoga class that Saturday after running all over the orchard trying to help her parents, dragging Tasha along with her and her mom. It was funny how much more enjoyable yoga was when she wasn’t hungover. This time, she made it through the whole class without even coming close to puking, making it a firm success as far as she was concerned. Although, it did help that she’d been too busy that week to have indulged in any margaritas.
“This was actually really fun,” Tasha said, inhaling a deep breath as they stepped out into the fresh air and the wind cooled their sweaty faces.
“They do the class every week,” Penny offered and Tasha grimaced.
“I’ll think about it.”
Penny laughed and linked her arms through her mom’s and Tasha’s. “This is the best part of yoga in my opinion.”
“Going to the bakery when you’re done?” her mom mused and Penny nodded.
“Exactly.”
“Oh, hey. I need to nip into Threads real quick, is that OK?”
Penny shrugged and Tasha led them in the direction of the store they’d been in a few weeks before to pick out an outfit for the dinner party.
Opting to steer clear of the temptation of new clothes that she couldn’t really afford, Penny stayed outside the store while her mom went in with Tasha. Her eyes slid to the side and landed on the empty restaurant space that was still vacant next door. It was a shame nobody had claimed it yet. The space looked like it could be really lovely, though it could use a lick of paint on the outside. She wandered over, peering through the window at the interior. Were those hardwood floors? It was hard to tell, but they were in good condition if they were authentic.
Maybe it was just that she’d been talking to Ethan more and more lately about what they might do next, or where they’d go, but it felt like Penny was seeing opportunities everywhere she went. The grocery store had a sign in the window that they were looking for full-time help, and the bakery was looking for someone to man their cash register … There were more possibilities in Magnolia Springs than she’d let herself consider before. She just couldn’t decide what she wanted—beyond Ethan, that was. The idea of working her way up again in another restaurant or starting from the bottom at the bakery didn’t appeal, but she wasn’t ready to give up on working with food just yet.
But a restaurant like this, in the heart of the town, would be different to what she’d had in San Fran. There, you had to fight for everything you had. You wanted to help develop a new recipe for the menu? Be prepared to put in hours of work that may lead tonothing. And there was always a part of the restaurant scene in the city that felt cold. The place she’d worked at wasn’t the kind of place that had regulars, there was never any sense of community or family. No warmth. But if she had her own place … Well, it could be whatever she wanted it to be. She knew she had the skill in the kitchen, at least, and it would give her something beyond Ethan and her family to stay in Magnolia Springs for.
Thoughts swirling, lost in imaginary floor plans and menu concepts, she didn’t hear her mom and Tasha exit the store.
“Penny?”
Startled, she looked over her shoulder and found her mom and Tasha waiting.
“You ready?” Angie asked and Penny nodded. Tasha was looking at her with a strange twinkle in her eye, but Penny opted to ignore it for now.
“Cake time!” Penny announced brightly. She was always ready for cake.
When she got home later that day, she found her dad at the kitchen table, newspaper in hand. The sight was so familiar that she chuckled.
“Hi, pumpkin,” he said without glancing up. “How are you? I feel like I haven’t seen you much these days.”
It was true, she’d been spending a lot of time at Ethan’s or at the orchard, helping with odd jobs like mowing the grass and cataloging the harvest.
“Anyone might think you missed me,” she teased and he eyed her over the top of his newspaper.
