Page 98 of Caught A Vibe

“Not even for Harris Ranch brisket?”

I snap my head around to see if the voice I hear is actually coming from a real person, or if I’ve somehow manifested her from my game since I’ve been thinking about her nonstop. I mean, AI is amazing, but spontaneous creation would be wild.

But no, there she is, beautiful and bold as ever, holding a white plastic bag of takeout containers.

“Penny?” I ask, afraid to believe what my eyes are telling me.

“Hi, Dash. Can I…come in?”

“Of course.” I stand stiffly and set down my computer. I step toward her and stop, unsure if a hug would be welcome or wise. She keeps her distance and I gesture to the other end of the couch, waiting until she’s past me before I drop back into my custom-grooved seat. She sets the food on the coffee table and grips her hands together in her lap, focusing on them instead of me.

“Are you okay?” Penny asks quietly.

“Don’t I look okay?” I reply, still not quite able to believe that she is here.

“You look thin and a little tired.” She reaches across to put her hand on my forehead, and seems relieved. “When you wouldn’t answer your phone, I panicked. I was worried you might be sick.” She snatches her hand back and clutches the bag in her lap. “I needed to make sure you were okay. And also I wanted to apologize, but I wanted to do it right. In person. Face-to-face. With our clothes on because I’m done hiding my feelings behind sex. And I brought you brisket because you said it was your favorite road food, and I thought you might be hungry.”

God, she’s cute when she rambles. My eyes dart over her, hungry for details. She looks tired too and a little disheveled, but still just as beautiful.

It’s so unusual to see her nervous like this. In the months we lived together, this woman handled meetings with her teams, the press, and investors with grace and poise, all while adapting to the ever-changing restrictions of the pandemic. She’s confidence personified. The fact that she is this unsettled to talk to me bizarrely gives me hope.

Surely she wouldn’t have driven seven hours just to apologize and leave.

The scent of brisket tempts me to open it immediately, but we should probably get through whatever this conversation is going to be first.

Something else she said taps my brain for attention. “You called me?”

She looks up at me like I’m speaking in tongues. “I’ve called you at least fifteen times in the last three days.”

“Fifteen times?” I’m shocked both by the number and the fact that I hadn’t heard a single one.

“Panic may have gotten the better of me,” she demurs.

I search through the couch cushions, feeling between them and down the back crease of the couch, until my fingers brush up against aluminum and glass. I emerge triumphant with my phone. My completely dead phone. “Huh. I wonder where my charging cord is?”

“You left it at my place. I have it in the car in case this doesn’t go well. Callie is also waiting in the car. She’s been inconsolable since you left.”

She drove seven hours with brisket and her cat? It’s impressive there is any brisket left and she arrived in one piece. Someone who is still angry wouldn’t go to the trouble.

“And you?” I ask, needing confirmation I’m reading this correctly.

“Me?”

“How have you been feeling since I left?”

“I’ve been scrambling to keep the company afloat, but I was recently reminded I don’t need to do everyone’s job for them. I only need to do mine.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“No, it isn’t.” She hauls in a deep breath. “Don’t be a coward, Penny. This is why you came,” she whispers under her breath. When she looks back at me, I’m surprised to see her eyes glassy with unshed tears. “I’ve been…miserable. Dash, I owe you an apology. I am so sorry I lashed out at you like that. You didn’t deserve it.”

“I did though. My article hurt you in ways I didn’t foresee. And I didn’t keep up with my part of the chores. I’m impulsive and messy and forgetful. I’m a terrible roommate and you deserve better.”

“Quit bad-mouthing the man I love. I’m bossy and controlling and have a terrible temper. I hide my insecurities with sex and have trouble communicating boundaries. You deserved better too.”

“I don’t see what’s changed. Nothing you’ve said about me is untrue.”

“But I didn’t say everything that is true. When I look at you, I see a man who cares so much he would drop everything and drive the length of a state because I didn’t answer the phone. I could do no less.”

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