11. Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven
LUCAS
T he next morning, I wake up in an empty bed. My head swivels from side to side in search of Penny. I sigh with relief when I see her in the corner of the room, buttoning up the blue plaid shirt she bought from the store. For a second, I thought she’d left, and for that brief moment, I hated the thought of her leaving.
How quickly I’ve stopped despising everything about her. What happened in the past—the photos, the accident—was all out of our control. I can’t keep blaming her for something she had no fault in. It was my decision to run wild. It was Garrett’s decision to defer college. Our choices. Not Penny’s.
Like she feels my gaze on her, she turns her head toward me and smiles. Damn if that smile doesn’t do funny things to my insides. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?” she asks.
We only managed a few hours, yet it was the best sleep I’ve had in this cabin in years. Usually I’m plagued by nightmares about the car accident that caused Garrett’s death. “I’m sorry,” I say instead of answering her question.
Penny raises a querying eyebrow. “What are you sorry for?”
Sitting up, I swing my legs off the mattress. “For blaming Garrett’s death on you.”
Her shoulders sag and she comes and sits next to me on the bed. “If I hadn’t gotten you expelled—”
“Still not your fault,” I interrupt. “How I dealt with it were my choices. Garrett wanting to stick around was his choice. It was a freak accident.”
“Do you really mean it?” Her bottom lip trembles.
Cupping her cheek with my hand, I gently kiss her mouth. “Yes.”
With that one word, years of hate lifts off my chest, finally letting me breathe with ease again. The one person who I blamed for everything is the person who has helped me let it all go. I’ll never forget Garrett. But instead of rehashing the bad memories, I have so many good ones to remember.
“Thank you.” A glistering of tears shine from Penny’s eyes. I can tell it means a lot to her. “Yesterday, what I saw out on the ridge, that was about Garrett wasn’t it?”
“Yes. It’s the anniversary of his death. I come to the cabin every year and trek to that spot as a tribute to him.”
“He was lucky to have a friend like you.”
“I was pretty lucy too.” I shake of the melancholy. “Now, let’s go into town for breakfast,” I suggest. “I’m starving.”
“Bless your heart. I thought you weren’t going to feed me. I’m hankerin’ for a cream cheese bagel.”
I chuckle at the hint of an accent that peeked through. “I’d forgotten you’re from the south.”
“My accent slips out sometimes.” She giggles. “My mother and I practiced for years to tone it down. She thought it would help us fit in when we moved to New York City.”
I rise from the bed, hold onto Penny’s hand, and pull her to her feet and wrap my arms around her waist. “Well, if you want to bring out the southern belle within you, I’m sure it’s sexy as hell.”
Tapping me on the chest, she pulls a faux offended expression. “Why Mr. Alessi, I do believe you’re positively sinful.” Her voice rises slightly and has that southern twang.
Oh yeah. Sexy as fuck. “I have a lot of sinful things I want to do to you.” I tug her close.
She wiggles free from my grasp and takes two steps back. “Hold that thought. I plan for you to do every devilish thing you can think of to me. But it has to wait until we get back. I’m hungry.”
I pull clothes from the wardrobe and get dressed and swipe the car keys off the table. “The quicker I get you fed, the quicker I get you in bed.”
With a grin, she opens the door and races from the cabin.
On our drive into town, Penny stares out the passenger side window. She’s quiet, and I’m wondering what’s on her mind. “Are you ready to go home, or do you need a few more days at the cabin?” Normally, I’d be heading back by now, but staying with her is more appealing.
I navigate the car around a small tree that has fallen partially on the side of the road. Probably a casualty from last night’s storm. I inwardly shudder. How we didn’t get struck by lightning or crushed by a tree I’ll never know.
“Do you mind if we spend another day or two here?” she asks.
That shouldn’t make me as happy as it does. “Sure thing, Pixie.”
She turns to look at me. “Pixie?”
“That’s exactly what you looked like in the forest and in the photos. Like a pixie controlling the storm. A sexy pixie.”
Covering her face with her hands, she laughs. “What was I thinking? That was so not me, yet it was the most amazing experience of my life. Claudia tried dragging me to an artist workshop once to get a nude painting done. Told me it would break me out of my comfort zone. I locked myself in my apartment and wouldn’t come out until she left me alone. Yet I succumbed to you so easily.”
“Did you not trust her or the art studio?”
She shakes her head. “I trust Claudia with my life. But after what happened in high school, doing something like that freaked me out.”
“You hardly know me. Why didn’t you freak out when I aimed the camera at you?”
She shrugs. “I just knew I was in safe hands. No one else would stay with me in a raging storm and risk their life to bring me down from the ledge I was stepping off.”
My chest expands. Something warm fills my heart. Holy hell, what is that? That’s never happened before.
Poking a finger in my arm, she says with a playful tone, “Those photos can never be shown to anyone . Delete them, or I’ll torment you and make your life miserable.”
“They are fucking amazing. The world should see how beautiful you are, but I’ll delete them if that’s what you want.”
“That’s what I want,” she insist.
“It will be a shame to destroy them.”
“Promise me you’ll delete them.”
I rub the back of my neck. “I hate the thought of deleting my art.”
“Promise me,” she demands.
“Okay, I promise.”
“Cross your heart.” She smiles.
I take one hand off the steering wheel and make a cross sign on my chest.
When the town comes into view, I make my way to the diner and park out front. We step out of the car and head inside the Hop and Bop. It’s like we’ve literally stepped into the 1950s with its black and white checkered floors and faded, vintage movie posters on the walls. Pastel blue and pink booths fill the room, and white stools line the silver counter. This wasn’t done deliberately to give a nostalgic nod to the past. This place hasn’t been touched since it first opened seventy years ago. We slide into a cracked vinyl booth and pick up the plastic menus.
Penny takes in the restaurant. “I feel like I should be wearing a poodle skirt and bobby socks.” She laughs.
“I have no clue what those things are.” I chuckle.
“And you should be wearing a black leather jacket with your hair slicked back into a ducktail.”
“Never going to happen.”
“It all looks original,” she says, gazing at the restaurant’s décor.
“That’s because it is.”
She taps her fingers on the menu with a contemplative expression. “With a bit of a spruce up, reorganizing, and repairs, this diner would look amazing. People try to replicate things like this all the time. This is the real deal. Something that can’t be copied.”
“I’m sorry to say, I haven’t followed your career and don’t have a clue how you got started.” I know little about her life after I left school.
Penny props her elbow on the table and rests her chin on her fist. “It happened by accident. It’s never what I thought I’d be doing. I wanted to be a nurse.”
“What changed?”
“I went to college to study nursing. I didn’t party, so when I wasn’t buried in my books, I got creative in my spare time and started refurbishing old furniture and reorganizing my cupboards. I baked a lot too. One night, out of boredom, I decided to record myself organizing my closet, and I posted it online after a couple of red wines when the liquid courage kicked in. It did okay, so I posted a few more videos and gained a following. For years I felt invisible—in high school and college—then suddenly people knew who I was. I felt validated, and it felt good. After a couple of years, I dipped my toes into other social media platforms and things exploded. I got flooded with opportunities I could only ever dream about. Eventually I quit college and followed this path instead. I still pinch myself.” She drops her hand in her lap. “It’s probably all gone now.”
“You don’t know that for sure. After the shit blows over, no one will remember what happened.”
“I hope so.” She doesn’t sound confident.
“Good morning, Lucas. I heard you were back in town.” Louise, our waitress, strolls to our table with a notepad and pencil ready in hand. “What can I get you two?”
“I’ll have a pancake stack, two fried eggs, banana muffin, and coffee please.” Last night’s activities has built up an appetite.
“And for you, sweetheart?” Louise asks Penny.
“I’ll have a bagel with cream cheese please, and arrhh…can you add chocolate sauce on it?”
Louise’s pencil pauses on the pad as she gives Penny a strange look. Hell, it’s probably the same baffled look I’m giving her.
“Sure, no problem. I’ll be right back with your orders.”
When she walks away, I say, “Who puts chocolate sauce on a cream cheese bagel? It sounds disgusting.”
Penny shifts on her seat. “Don’t knock it until you try it.”
“There’s no way I ever will. That’s something kids would eat.” I screw my nose up with disgust.
She shrugs her shoulder. “Speaking of kids, why isn’t a guy like you married with children yet?”
“A guy like me?”
“You know, successful, rich, talented, sweet, sexy.”
“Wow, anything else?”
She rolls her eyes. “Conceited, bossy—”
I hold my hand out like a stop sign. “Okay, I think I like the first list better.”
We both laugh.
I fiddle with the cutlery on the table. “I don’t want marriage and kids.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Never, or not in the near future?”
“Never.”
“I know marriage and kids isn’t for everyone, but is there a reason you don’t want to go down that path?” she asks.
As I think of the reason, my skin tightens and my jaw clenches.
“You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to,” she adds as if she senses my tension.
“It’s okay. I don’t mind talking about it. I don’t want marriage and kids because I’m exactly like my father and he’s an asshole.”
Her eyes widen. “What do you mean?”
Blowing out a long breath, I scrub the back of my neck. I hate what he did to our family—what he did to my mother. “A few years ago, I learned that my father constantly cheated on my mother. The worst part was when he was with one of his mistresses while my mother lay dying in a hospital room asking for him. When we contacted him, he told us he was out of the country for work and wouldn’t make it back in time.”
Penny covers her mouth. “Oh my God. That’s…that’s…”
“Fucked up,” I supply as she struggles with the words.
“Did they have a troubled relationship?”
“That’s what’s really messed up. Looking at them, you’d think they were madly in love. Always laughing and affectionate with one another. He’d often tell me and my brothers stories, when Mom wasn’t around, about how he played the field. How he never wanted to settle down until he met our mother. Dad said he’d found the love of his life and had to marry her. I think in some sick way, he believed he loved her.”
“Why would he cheat if she was the love of his life?”
I shrug. “Because there’s something seriously wrong with him.”
She frowns. “So, because your father was unfaithful you don’t want to get married? You’re not him.”
Letting out a mirthless laugh, I say, “Yes, I am.”
Her frown deepens. “Why do you say that?”
I trace a crack on the table with my finger. “All my life I’ve been told I’m exactly like him. My looks. My personality. My behavior. Everything . His friends always told me I’m a chip off the old block. So, if I’m just like him, I don’t want to hurt anyone the way he did. I’d rather stay single all my life.”
Penny reaches across the table and places her hand over mine. “You are two different people who share similarities. That doesn’t mean you’ll do the same things. If anything, you know what not to do.”
The comfort of her hand burns away the icy chill that smothers me. “I’m not taking the risk.”
Before she can say anything more, Louise arrives with our breakfast. As she puts the plates on the table, Penny’s attention drifts over to something out on the street. “What’s going on out there?”
I look out the window. Cars and vans are lined up in front of Allie’s bar.
“Is the bar usually so busy this time of day?” Penny asks.
“No. It doesn’t open until eleven.” I glance at my watch. “It’s only nine. Who are they?”
Penny gasps and holds her hand over her mouth. “We have to leave. Now!”
“What? Why?”
“They’re paparazzi,” she says, her voice rising with agitation.
“Oh fuck.” Without hesitation, I jump out of my seat, pull my wallet out of my pocket, and toss money to cover breakfast on the table. I grab onto Penny’s hand, lifting her to her feet. If we stay by the window, it won’t take them long to spot us. I pull her toward the back of the diner, out of view. “Hey Louise, is there a back way out of here?”
She points toward a door. “Through the kitchen. What’s wrong?”
“Sorry, I don’t have time to explain. Tell no one you saw us,” I call over my shoulder as I pull Penny behind me.
We race into the kitchen, ignoring the cook’s surprised expression. I open the door just a crack to check and see if anyone is waiting for us out back. It looks clear. If they’re waiting for us at the bar, hopefully no one will think to look for us here.
Stepping outside, we creep around the building until we have a view of the road. The photographers are still hovering around the bar, which is dangerously close to my car. If we make a run for it, they’ll see us.
“What do we do now?” Penny asks, nibbling at her bottom lip.
Shoving my fingers through my hair, I say, “I don’t know.”
“I was really looking forward to my bagel.” She sighs.
Chuckling, I say, “It’s gross. You’re better off without it.”
She pulls a face, which makes me laugh out loud.
“Sshh.” Her eyes widen as she takes a peek at the bar. “They might hear you.”
We need a distraction. Something to get them away from the bar.
“Wait here. I’ll be right back.” I turn toward the door that leads into the kitchen.
Penny puts a hand on my arm, stopping me. “What are you going to do?” she whispers.
“Get rid of the vultures.”
I race inside and find Louise serving an older couple. When she’s done taking their order, I pull her aside.
“Louise, I need your help. I have to get out of town without being seen.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “What trouble have you gotten yourself into, Lucas? Seeing you with that nice lady, I thought you were settling down. But you’re still as wild as ever.”
“I’m not in trouble. I’m helping Penny—the woman I’m with—get away from a bad situation. Will you help us?”
Her face softens. “Of course I will.”
I breathe a sigh of relief and tell her what I need her to do. Then I rush outside, thankful to see no one has spotted Penny.
“Everything okay?” she asks with an anxious expression.
“It will be.” If Louise does as I asked, I hope to get to the car unseen and get Penny out of town.
“What did you do? How are we getting out of here?”
Glancing toward the bar, I wait for Louise to do her thing. “You’ll see.”
Right on time, Louise ambles from the diner with the cook and heads toward the bar. With a voice loud enough for the paparazzi to hear and to carry toward us, she says, “I can’t believe Penelope Aldin is in the diner! She’s the first celebrity I’ve ever met.”
Penny gasps. Swinging her head toward me, she narrows her eyes. “What did you do? We’re supposed to get away from them, not lead them straight to us.”
“If my plan works, it will lure them away from you. Do you trust me?”
Without hesitation, she says, “Yes.”
I watch the paparazzi take the bait and scurry to the restaurant. Penny is bouncing on her toes, ready to bolt. I grip onto her hand. “Not yet.”
As they get closer, we watch as they pile inside. After the last person disappears, I pull her by the hand. “Run!”
We race to the car. When we reach it, we open the doors and dive inside. I glance back at the Hop and Bop. Through the window, I see the paparazzi are wandering around the diner searching for us. One looks back out onto the road and sees us. He points and says something, and a second later all eyes are on us.
“Shit!” I turn the ignition, reverse from the parking lot, and gun it up the road.
Looking in the rearview mirror, I see the men and woman scurrying out of the diner and piling into their vehicles.
“Fuck, they’re following us,” I say. Of course they would. More photos for them to sell.
Penny turns in her seat and looks behind us. “How did they find me?”
“Someone must have tipped them off.”
She flops around with exasperation and sits forward. “It was Alison. She must have told them.”
I keep an eye on the rearview mirror. We have a good head start. If I keep this speed up, they won’t catch us. “She wouldn’t do that.”
“How can you be so sure? She recognized me. Hates me because I’m staying with you. It’s the only explanation.”
Allie has a jealous streak, one I’d never witnessed before. Would she do something so catty?
“Have you called anyone other than Claudia? You told her where you’re staying, maybe she tipped them off,” I say.
“No. Claudia would never betray me. Someone else in the bar must have recognized me.” We drive past the road that leads to the cabin. “Are we not going to get our things?” she asks.
“No, they’ll trap us there. I hope you had nothing important in your luggage you might need.” Thankfully I never go anywhere without my camera. It’s sitting safely in it’s bag on the backseat.
“Nothing I can’t live without. Where to now? Do you have any other secret hideouts?”
The last car disappears from my rearview vision, and my grip on the steering wheel relaxes. “We’re going to hide in plain sight.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’re going back to New York City.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea?”
I take a right turn, keeping a watchful eye behind me. “It’s time to face the music.”
She rubs her palms up and down her thighs. “I’m not ready.”
I glance at her for a beat. “You can’t hide forever.”
She blows out a long breath. “I’d like to try, but you’re right.”
“What’s the security like at home?”
She scrubs her hands over her face. “Do I even have a home? For all I know, Darren has moved Karen in there. I can’t go there. Looks like I’ll have to book a room at a hotel until I can kick Darren out.”
“Not a great idea after what happened to you at the last hotel you stayed at.”
“I could probably stay at Claudia or my mother’s apartment.” She sounds unsure. “Although anyone can get into their buildings.”
“Not an option. You’re staying with me. Security in my building is tight. No one can get in, much less to the penthouse suite, without me knowing. There’s also a sneaky back entrance to slip in and out of.” I’ve never had a woman stay in my apartment before. Not even for a night. Yet with Penny, I didn’t even hesitate to offer.
“I couldn’t put you out. You’ve done so much for me already and gotten caught up in my mess. I bet you regret helping me at the hotel.”
Taking my attention off the road for a moment, I gently squeeze her thigh. “I don’t regret it. If I hadn’t taken you with me, I’d still be holding onto so much anger over Garrett’s death. Putting blame where it shouldn’t be.” Up ahead I see a gas station and I pull in. “Will you stay with me?” My heartrate picks up speed as I wait for her answer.
I’m not ready to let her go.
Because when she walks away, I may never see her again.