No Vacancy (The Aveline Series Book 2)

Chapter 15

DARCY

The secondwe got to my house, I questioned my sanity. Who in their right mind would bring home a complete stranger just because he said he’d make a grilled cheese sandwich? I could make my own grilled cheese sandwich. It was one of the things I actually knew how to cook. I turned to Penn before unlocking my door.

“Don’t you dare kill me. You hear me? I do not want to be murdered over a grilled cheese.”

Penn laughed, slightly uncomfortably. “You have some real trust issues, you know that? What happened to you?” he whispered jokingly.

I stuck the key in the lock. “I listen to a lot of true crime podcasts.” I opened the door and stepped in, placing my keys on the hook next to the door.

“That checks out,” he replied. “That explains your paranoia.”

“There are a bunch of weirdos out there. You should hear about the shit people do. Have you ever heard of the—” I remembered that just because I enjoyed listening to crude and disgusting stories of murder and mayhem, not everyone did, and it was the reason I read so many romance novels. Everything in life was about balance. “Never mind.” I clapped my hands and gestured to the living room. “So, this is my house.”

“It’s nice,” he said in a way that seemed genuine. “I like it.”

I glanced over and saw one of my bras hanging on the back of the couch. I grabbed it quickly and held it behind my back. It was not the black lacy one. “Yeah, okay. Well...” I paused, pacing around the room. “Listen, I don’t know why I agreed to let you come over here. I don’t even know you, and honestly, I just really want to sit on my couch in my pajamas and read my book.”

“I don’t mind,” he smiled coyly.

“I was just telling you. I don’t really mind if you mind.”

He chuckled. “I’m sure you don’t.”

I tapped my foot, my arms crossed over my chest. “And I need to feed Bernie.”

“Bernie?” Penn was still standing in the doorway with his hands in his pockets. “Should I be worried? Do you keep some large man named Bernie locked away in a room?”

“Maybe. So don’t try anything.” I pointed to the couch. “You can sit down, I guess.” Penn moved slowly toward the couch, and I watched as he sat. “I’m going to change. You’re not just here to rob me, are you?” I headed down the hall to my room, peeking once more. “Because I inventory everything.”

“Is that so?” he asked, a stupid grin still filling his face. His teeth were so white, they practically sparkled. “I’m starting to fear I give off an entirely different vibe than I think I do.”

I shrugged and stepped into my room, shutting the door behind me. I leaned against it for a moment, wondering what I had gotten myself into. I grabbed a pair of sweats and an old Metallica t-shirt and slipped out of my scrubs. I would find out what he was really doing in Aveline, get my grilled cheese, and get him out of here.

I picked up Bernie and my book and headed back into the living room. Penn was sitting exactly where I left him. He narrowed his eyebrows when he saw my hedgehog.

“Is this the Bernie? He’s bigger than I thought he would be.”

I looked down at the spiky little creature in my hands. “Don’t think he can’t hurt you. All I have to do is say the word, and he will spike you...to death probably.” I made a claw with my hand for emphasis.

“That might be even scarier than the idea of the big guy locked away.”

I sat my book on the coffee table, not thinking until I saw Penn glance at it. “The Lady’s Courageous Tale,huh? You like romance novels and true crime? A woman of many interests.”

I snatched the book back off the table and placed it behind my back. “No. It’s actually The Odyssey.”

Penn tried to look behind my back, and I shifted. “I’m pretty sure that said The Lady’s Courageous Tale. Don’t be embarrassed.”

I scoffed and put the book back onto the coffee table. “I am not embarrassed. So what? I like regency romance novels set in the 19th century. Sue me.”

He lifted his hands in the air. “Hey, I said nothing. I don’t think you should be embarrassed at all. It looks like a great novel. They look really”—Penn looked down and tilted his head, inspecting the couple on the cover—“in love.”

“Yeah, they are,” I began. “Well, not yet, but they will be.”

Penn sat still for a minute before he stood up. “You want to know a secret?”

I did. I really did, but I didn’t want to show any interest in Penn so I shrugged. “I guess.”

He smiled. “I like Christmas Hallmark movies.”

My eyes grew wide. “Really?” I asked him, trying to hold back the grin I had from his confession.

“No, sorry, I just didn’t want you to feel embarrassed,” he replied. “But, if Bernie doesn’t mind, I think I promised you a grilled cheese.”