Page 23 of Lucky Penny
Even when he had nothing left to give, when he was the one who should’ve been angry at the world, he wasn’t.
I blink away the emotions clouding me and open my mouth to ask more, desperately hungry for a bit more detail about why he’s here, then, why not stay in LA?
Fia seems to be a well of random Jesse trivia, but she squeezes her legs together and whispers, “Shoot I gotta pee!” before scurrying off to the bathroom.
As the bathroom door clicks shut down the hallway, the back door swings open, and Tank jumps up, alert. His whole body starts to wiggle back and forth so hard that his defined gray spots become a blur.
The doorway fills with dark jeans, scuffed black motorcycle boots, and broad shoulders that block out the last of the light. Jesse’s green eyes cut through the room until they land on me.
“Hey,” is all he says.
Before I can even whisper my breathless, raspyhi, he’s already crouched to pet Tank with one hand, the other arm wrapped around a twined bundle of firewood.
“Thought I’d build a fire,” he says without looking up. “It’s supposed to get cold tonight.”
“Sorry. Fireplace doesn’t work,” I retort.
He looks up at me now.
I scrunch my nose, feeling not-so-bad about bursting his bubble. I turn my back to him, planting myself in the chair next to the fireplace again.
He doesn’t just get to swoop in and playhero.
10
Jesse
NOW
MissI Know Everythingis about to learn a lesson.
I push past Tank and drop the firewood bundle next to the fireplace while Penny watches me, wide-eyed. I squat in front of the brick hearth and pull open the mesh screen.
“Let’s just test it.” I wink at her—much to her horror—and push the sleeves of my Henley up. I carefully begin to stack the wood inside the redbrick fireplace.
“If you light that up, you’re going to burn down the whole house.” She inches forward in the chair, long blonde hair flopping over her shoulder, like she isn’t above physically trying to stop me.
I would love to see her try.
Fighting back a grin, I continue to slowly stack the logs, relishing in how torturous this is for her. I take an exaggerated inhale of the fresh pine I cut early this morning.
Her eyes drill into the side of my face.“Are you daft?” Penny kicks her feet free from the fleece blanket on her lap, the slap of her soles on the hardwood loud enough to echo. “I told you,Jesse, the fireplace doesn’t work.”
With the final log in place, I slip my lighter into my palm, baiting her. My thumb strums the lever, and I flick my gaze at her over the blue flame, a cocky smirk on my lips.
Her eyes narrow, then drop to my lips—parted just enough.
The moment stretches, tight and electric, like she’s about to leap at me, stop me.
But I smile.
“Relax, princess.”
Shit.
The nickname spilled out like fucking word vomit, but I play it off. Maybe she forgot about it.
“I got the fireplace serviced last week,” I add, lighting the kindling. I stoke the fire and glance over at her.
