Chapter Five
Penelope
There was something odd happening with my boss. Other than the fact that I could swear he was nocturnal—for the past few weeks, he was there every single night while I worked—he watched me in a curious way. As if he knew me somehow.
I didn’t like the expression or the way that I could just feel him plotting something. I enjoyed his eyes on me, though. They were an almost palpable caress every time I stepped out of the elevators and onto his floor.
The door to his office was open every night now, and while he didn’t say hello—still rudely barking orders in a way that got under my skin every time—he made himself known in other ways. His presence was so intense. When he moved around the office, I knew exactly where he was without looking.
It annoyed the ever living hell out of me. He was too sexy to exist, but who could deal with that much attitude all the time?
“Sort those,” he snapped at me, pointing at the papers on his desk like he did every day.
I swore he messed them up daily just so I would have to sort them. And he watched me while I did, his eyes shining with a calculation that I didn’t understand. It was as if he was testing me, but I didn’t know the parameters that I was being judged on. I rolled my eyes, turned away from him so he wouldn’t see, scanning them quickly and sorting them into neat piles like I did every day.
The little hum of approval that this action garnered shouldn’t make my chest swell with pride the way it did, so I rolled my eyes again to offset the feeling. Wiping down the rest of his desk, I tried not to be distracted by him.
“You missed a spot.” Dristan’s hands were in his pockets as he leaned over my shoulder, his chest scorching my back as he pressed against me. He pointed to his desktop where there was a miniscule smudge—the tiniest mark that had ever existed anywhere—but didn’t bother to pull away while I cleaned it.
His grunt of satisfaction sent a shiver straight to my clit and I knew that my panties would once again be soaked. I didn’t need the hassle of having to change them every night, damn it. Yet without fail, in this male’s presence, I walked out of his office needing to rush to the changing room.
Life is unfair.
As I pushed the cart into the elevator, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out, looking down at the picture that popped up and answered immediately. “Hey,” I chirped, trying to sound as upbeat and positive as possible. “I didn’t know you small town folks were up at this time.”
My mother coughed as she laughed, the sound still as cheerful as ever, but I winced. The cough was a reminder of everything she’d been through and would continue to deal with.
“I knew that I had to wake up early to call my city slicker daughter,” she told me, her voice hoarser than I was used to. “Your father’s here.”
“Hi, Daddy,” I squealed in a loud voice, knowing he was a little hard of hearing. “I miss you both.”
“You miss him more,” my mom complained, a pout in her voice while my dad’s laugh boomed in the background.
“That’s my girl,” he crowed and I grinned.
“Always the same,” I corrected. The elevator doors opened and I pushed the cart through, aiming for the changing rooms. “But how’ve you been? Tell me everything.”
“That best friend of yours comes around every damn day,” my dad called—almost screaming, as he always did when the speaker phone was active—and as much as he wanted to sound put-out about it, I heard the affection lacing his voice. “She needs to move to the city with you. Meet a nice young man and have those children she’s always wanted.”
My smile was so broad it almost hurt my face. I was the luckiest woman alive to have the people that I did in my life. In my absence, Becca had taken the initiative to take care of my parents without me even asking.
Tears came before I was ready and I had to mute the phone to suck in a harsh breath before blowing it out. Unmuting the call, I laughed. “You know she loves you like her own.”
“And we love her, too,” my mom agreed. When Becca lost her parents, she’d been adrift for a bit but had clung to my family for comfort and I was so glad we’d been there. A loss like that could break some people. But not Becca. She was stronger than anyone I knew.
“I was thinking of setting her up with Beau Brady,” my mom admitted. “But I know she wasn’t very fond of him growing up.’
I snorted. Wasn’t very fond was an understatement of epic proportions. She loathed the man more than anyone. “He isn’t exactly her type, Mom,” I let her down gently, not wanting to go into detail about Becca’s preferences.
“Well, he’s changed since you two were kids, but fine,” she sighed. “I just want to see you both settled.”
“Who says we aren’t?” The smile I forced onto my face was meant to be conveyed in my voice. I couldn’t have my parents knowing that I cried myself to sleep every night for the first week after I moved because I was lonely.
“Yes, you’re both independent and all of that,” my father agreed, “but I wish you could find what I have with your mother.”
The smacking kiss across the line made my smile turn genuine. Their love hadn’t always been easy, even now, but they’d fought for each other in the good times and bad, always having the other’s back.
“If I find what you guys have,” I told them, setting my phone on the counter to step out of my clothes, “I’m keeping him.”
“Good,” my mom said with a smug tone. “Because I just know you’ll find someone there. Much more pickings than here.”
I hummed my agreement while they chattered on about the rest of the gossip from back home.
I scanned the room idly, and my eyes landed on a calendar someone had hung up on their locker. The cover was of a demon, shirtless in a fireman’s uniform, holding a Dalmatian puppy and at any other time, I would fan myself, but the date jogged a memory and I had good news to deliver.
“Oh!” I exclaimed, “My supervisor got all the banking information entered, so my next paycheck’s all ready to go! You’ll get a notification on the app I set up on your phone.”
The aching silence that filled the room made me lose some of my previous excitement, but I tried to stay upbeat. “I’ll double-check with you on Friday to make sure.”
“Sweetheart,” my mom whispered, sadness coating her words. “It’s so expensive there. Please, keep it.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I scoffed, aiming for nonchalant. “I make good money here, Mom. And the place I’m renting is really nice but not too expensive. Work’s close, too, so I just walk. Of course I’ll send money home when I can.”
The silence on the other end told me that my parents were having a full-fledged wordless conversation—as they often did.
“We got a call from the bank this morning,” Mom said in a quiet voice that was so unlike her. “And they might not grant us that extra time to come up with the payments.”
Shock filled my chest. “Why not?” I asked, struggling to not let the desperation that I was feeling fill my tone. We needed that extension if we had any hope to pay for Mom’s hospital bills.
“You know that development buying up everyone’s houses across the street?” Dad screamed into the phone. “Those idiots are trying to push us out. I know they have something to do with this. But we’re not going to go. We’ll figure something out, don’t you worry. I’ll take up more jobs in town.”
That wasn’t possible and we both knew it. Dad was taking care of Mom and couldn’t be away from her for that long in case anything happened. At this point, she could barely use the bathroom on her own. She got dizzy so often that she needed full-time care.
I started recalculating what little money I’d have in my monthly budget. I knew I’d need to send them more. I could find another job during the day. This was the city and there had to be vacant jobs that would hire me somewhere. Forcing a smile on my face, I tried to sound cheerful.
“Well, they can’t beat us. And I’ll be taking on some more hours soon, so my pay will be higher.”
“I don’t feel comfortable with you sending us money, sweetheart,” Mom whispered.
“Mom, Dad,” I breathed, “please let me do this.”
Mom’s cough sounded teary this time and Dad’s voice was rough as he said, “Thank you, sweetie. Now, go off and do something fun. Everything must still be open there.”
I laughed, swiping my fingers under my eyes. “They are, actually. It’s fun, fun, fun twenty-four seven.”
“You’re still so young, Pen,” he yelled into the phone. “Go out and have a good time. Don’t waste your time working too much.”
I rolled my eyes. I didn’t enjoy going out when I had no commitments. I preferred staying in with a glass of wine and a book.
I definitely wouldn’t be going out when my parents were depending on me and every penny mattered. “I’ll go out this weekend,” I lied, knowing that I’d already asked for the weekend shift.
While I hadn’t been rostered in yet, I knew my supervisor had trouble getting anyone on the schedule for Friday and Saturday nights. I’d gladly take them for two times the pay.
I pulled on my clothes as I talked to them, promising to call them next week. When they were satisfied with my lies about going out and meeting people—probably with the hopes of me getting knocked up and giving them a grandbaby—they hung up.
I texted my best friend immediately.
Pen: I love you more than anything else.
Becca: If you were a big, sexy orc, my life would be complete. Why are you confessing your undying love for me anyway?
Pen: My parents called.
Becca: You know I’d do anything for them
Pen: Thank you.
Becca: Don’t be weird. Now have you met any sexy orcs there?
Pen: You wouldn’t believe this, but actually, I met two.
Becca: I’M PACKING MY BAGS NOW!
Pen: Yes! Come here so I don’t have to miss you so much! Even if one of them is a dick!
Becca: I sense a story brewing. Tea tomorrow?
Pen: Tea time is the best time. Love you.
Becca: Same. *kissy face emoji*
I smiled down at my phone, tucking it into my pocket as I grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder and leaving the changing room.
‘Tea Time’ was what Becca and I lovingly called gossiping over wine.
We started as teenagers with stolen beer behind my dad’s shed whenever one of us wanted to talk about boys or someone being mean to us. Then it became a weekly therapy session because we were both too poor to afford the real thing. My heart panged, missing my family and home so much that I ached.