No Vacancy (The Aveline Series Book 2)

Chapter 86

DARCY

The hardware storewas officially ours. It opened promptly at nine in the morning, and after a thorough decluttering of the office, it started to feel like it belonged to us and not my dad. In all the years my dad had been the owner, his office had never changed. The same dusty books sat on the dusty shelves, and there were even the pictures Beau and I had drawn in second grade still thumbtacked to the corkboard in the back. There were framed photos of our family scattered across the room, and it was evident my dad was an even worse creature of habit than I was. Like father, like daughter, I guess.

Now, though, it had been completely redecorated. It was very different from the dark, classic, paper-strewn office my dad had for all those years. The built-in bookshelves were painted, no longer white but now blue, and Penn had helped me put up wallpaper as an accent wall. There was a checkered rug and a desk big enough for two, big enough for Penn and me to sit side by side. But the pictures, those stayed. I kept all the framed pictures and added several of my own that included one of Bernie, one of Penn and his family, and one of him and me cutting the ribbon at the grand re-opening ceremony.

I was sitting in the office at my portion of the desk, feverishly typing on my computer when Penn walked in. I slammed the computer screen down quickly.

“Are you looking at porn?” he asked, amused.

“Oh my God. No!” I laughed, knowing I looked suspicious.

He stepped over toward me and kissed the top of my head before sitting down next to me in his chair. “Okay...so online dating?”

I shook my head.

“Did you start one of those pages where people buy pictures of your feet?”

I groaned and playfully punched his arm. “No!”

“Well, what are you working on so secretly then?”

I turned to face him, raising my laptop screen slightly. “Promise you won’t make fun of me?”

“Would I ever make fun of you?” Penn leaned back, an amused look on his face.

I thought about it for a moment. “I don’t know, probably. What if I got a life-size cutout of Tom Cruise and put it at the front of the store? Or what if I farted really loudly in an elevator full of people? What if I—”

“Okay,” Penn cut me off. “I might make fun of you for a few things. But whatever this is, I’m sure I won’t.”

I lowered my gaze and mumbled quickly and incoherently, “I’mwritingabook.”

“You’re what?” he asked, leaning closer.

“I’mwritingabook,” I repeated myself, still running the words together.

Penn’s eyebrows pulled together. “I am still not understanding what you’re saying. You’re auditioning for Captain Hook?” He rubbed his ears and leaned closer.

“I’m writing a book!” I said, more loudly than I had planned, and I quickly clasped my hands over my mouth.

Penn’s then opened, and he jumped out of his chair, pulling me up with him. “You’re what? You’re writing a book? Since when?”

I laughed and covered my face. “I don’t know! A couple weeks ago. It’s still so early; I don’t even know what I’m doing. I think I have like, two hundred words.”

“Darcy, this is amazing! I thought you said you didn’t have any inspiration for writing a book. What did you decide on?”

I stepped closer to him and placed my hands on either side of his face. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Penn stared at me blankly. “A hot and sexy romance from 19th century England? An entire book explaining why your dad calls you Jerry? Bernie’s autobiography?

“While those are all great ideas...no.” I laughed, kissing him softly. “This one is about us. Well, inspired by us.”

A crooked smile formed across his face. “Hmm...really? I thought for sure it would be a hedgehog love story. You know, give Bernie his happily ever after,” Penn replied.

“Now that I think about it, that might be better than this.” I gestured between the two of us, feigning disgust. “Let me rewrite all of it.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Penn replied as he reached into his pocket. “Then again, maybe not?” His voice turned as a question. I looked up and noticed a ring between his thumb and his pointer finger. A beautiful diamond that sat in the middle of a gold band.

I gasped and placed my hands to my mouth. “Penn? Are you serious?” Penn got down on one knee, and I stood, in complete shock, repeating the same word over and over. “Seriously? Seriously?”

“I was just thinking, maybe this is how your book could end,” he said. “With you saying yes?”

I eyed the ring, taking in its beauty. “This does not look like one of those rings from the machines at the market.”

Penn laughed. “No, it is. They have just really stepped their game up. It won’t even turn your finger green. I tried to get the snake, but no dice.”

I chuckled. “It’s rigged,” I replied.

Then I looked at this guy who had completely caught me off guard, the guy who had run me over, killed my fish, tried to ruin my town, and in the midst of all of it, completely stole my heart.

“Darcy Amelia Miller, when I first arrived in Aveline, I knew the moment I saw you that you were going to be trouble, and not because you pretended I hit you with my car—”

“I still say you hit me, but go on...”

“I knew you would be trouble because I wanted to know you. I wanted to stick around and learn about you when I normally wanted to run away from everyone. I wanted to know that your initials spell DAM and that you roll your eyes twenty-five times a day for almost every emotion you’re feeling. I wanted to know that you know the alphabet backwards, but only if you actually sing it, and that you once shut your thumb in the door of your parent’s car.”

I cringed at the memory.

“What I’m trying to say is I had never wanted to know details about another person before because I had never met anyone who made me want to. And you drive me absolutely crazy, but I am crazy about you.”

Tears were filling my eyes, and I was trying to keep from sobbing uncontrollably. “You killed my fish, you know.”

“I don’t think I did,” Penn replied, a side smirk developing on his face.

“You did, but it’s okay because I didn’t even want that fish really, and I love you so much!” I pulled him up and wrapped my arms around him, kissing him.

Penn pulled away. “Is that a yes?”

I leaned into him, letting his arms engulf me, and rested my head against his chest, listening to the drumming of his heart and feeling safe, secure, and best of all, loved.

“Yes. A thousand percent yes!” I looked up at him.

In every version of my life, no matter what, I would always choose him.

And that was no lie.