Chapter 2
Penelope
My feet hurt.
I’d worn a new pair of shoes to work and, cute as they were, they hadn’t done my feet any favors. That was what I got for trying to be stylish. Why had I even bothered? My shoes barely showed beneath the hem of my slacks. Who would even notice? Especially on me.
My pinkie toes, that’s who.
It was too bad. The shoes really were cute—lace-up ankle booties with low heels. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I flexed my feet and checked the red spots where my shoes had rubbed the skin. No blisters, so at least I had that going for me.
Fortunately, I could dress down for the evening. Sean and I had plans, but his friends were pretty casual. Except Chad’s wife, Jordyn. She always dressed like she expected paparazzi to follow her around taking pictures, even when we were just going out for drinks at the Timberbeast Tavern.
I stood and adjusted my glasses as I walked over to the closet. Speaking of dressing down—or up—I needed to figure out what to wear. Fall had settled over Tilikum, the little town in the Washington Cascade mountains where I’d lived for the last few years.
It had been a longtime dream of mine to become the art teacher at Tilikum High School.
I loved teaching art, and my grandma—the only close family I had—lived in an assisted living home in town.
Staying close to her was my priority. Several years ago, I got a job at Tilikum Middle School, and eventually the position at the high school had opened up.
I was in my second year and absolutely loved it.
Standing in front of the open closet, I tilted my head. A sweater and jeans would work. I moved the rack of clothes aside to inspect a burnt-orange sweater. It was a nice fall color.
My THS hoodie hung right next to it. With a sigh, I fingered the sleeve.
Sean poked his head in the bedroom. He’d recently cut his blond hair super short—almost a buzz cut—and for reasons I did not understand, he’d grown a mustache.
“Hey babe,” he said, although the word babe sounded habitual, not really like a term of endearment. “What are you doing?”
I glanced over my shoulder. “Picking out something to wear.”
His forehead creased. He was still in the jeans and T-shirt with his company logo he’d worn to work. “Why? You don’t need to change.”
“I want to.”
“Just don’t take forever. You already got home late.”
“I was trying to catch up on grading so I don’t have to do it this weekend.”
“Fine, just don’t take forever.” He turned and left, disappearing down the hall.
I was about to reach for the sweater when I paused and eyed the hoodie again.
It wasn’t that it was any cuter or more comfortable than other items in my wardrobe.
It was just a hunter green sweatshirt with a kangaroo pocket and the Tilikum Timberwolves logo on the front.
But I wore it to the football games, and that was what I wished I was doing.
Not getting ready to hang out with Sean’s work friends all night.
High school football over a night out with grown-ups?
Maybe that made me weird—especially for a girl who’d never been into sports—but the Timberwolves football games were so much fun.
I’d started going the previous year to show my support, and it had quickly become my favorite Friday-night activity.
But Sean had made plans, so…
Irritation flashed through me, and I yanked the hoodie off the hanger. If I couldn’t go to the game, I’d support the team from afar.
Pairing it with jeans and pulling my long brown hair up in a ponytail, I dabbed on a little lip gloss and went to find Sean so we could get going.
He stood in the kitchen, barefoot, looking at his phone, which was odd because I thought we were leaving. His eyes flicked up and down when I walked in.
“That’s what took you so long to pick?” he asked.
“You said we were going to the Timberbeast. Last time I checked, Rocco doesn’t enforce a dress code.”
“Whatever, it’s fine. We’re not going to the Timberbeast anyway.”
“Oh. Then where are we going?”
“Nowhere.” He set his phone on the counter. “Everyone’s coming here. They’ll be here any minute.”
My lips parted in surprise, and I sputtered for a second, fishing for a reply. “What? Here? What do you mean, they’re coming here? You said we were meeting everyone at the bar.”
“Change of plans.”
“Why?”
He checked his phone again and typed a message before looking up at me. I didn’t miss the annoyance in his expression. “Does it matter? It’s just what we decided.”
“We didn’t decide anything.” I pointed back and forth between us. “You and the homeboys maybe, but not we.”
“What’s the problem? It’s just the guys. It’s not like they care if the place is clean.”
“That’s not the point. You could have at least asked if I mind having guests over.”
“What difference does it make if we hang out here or at a bar?”
I was about to reply that it made a big difference, especially if his friends were expecting food, when there was a knock at the door.
My shoulders slumped. Great. Guests already.
“Can you get out some chips and salsa or something?” he asked.
I gaped at him while he went to answer the door. It was his buddy Mark. They greeted each other with an elaborate handshake, and Sean shut the door behind him. Mark wasn’t married, and he hadn’t brought anyone with him. Just a six-pack of beer.
As irritated as I was with Sean, I wasn’t going to be a bad hostess. I went to the pantry and found a bag of chips and a jar of salsa. He and I would have a conversation about inviting people over without consulting me later.
With the chips and salsa laid out on the dining table, I went back to the kitchen and poked around, looking for more snacks—and hoping the other guys brought more than beer.
Chad and Jordyn arrived next, and of course Jordyn looked like she’d just come from a photo shoot.
I went to the entry, ready to greet them and take whatever food they’d brought to the kitchen.
But Chad handed me another six-pack—without so much as a smile or a thank-you—and Jordyn wasn’t carrying anything.
“Hi,” I said, trying to be friendly. “Welcome. Happy Friday.”
Jordyn turned to me and her smile faded slightly as her gaze flicked up and down. “Hi, Penelope.”
“I like your outfit,” I said. “That sweater is so pretty.”
“Yeah, thanks.” She eyed me again but didn’t say anything else.
A blush crept across my cheeks, and I held up the beer. “I guess I’ll put these in the fridge. Did you eat before you came?”
“No,” Jordyn said, her tone matter-of-fact.
“Oh.” I swallowed, feeling so awkward I wanted to crawl into a hole. “I put some chips and salsa on the table.”
I couldn’t tell if she’d actually heard me. She was already walking away to join her husband and the other guys in the living room.
“Awesome,” I muttered as I went to the kitchen. “Great to have you here.”
A few more couples arrived—guys Sean worked with and their girlfriends or wives. One of the women had at least brought a prepackaged veggie platter. All the men had brought beer.
Was I at a frat party? All beer and almost no food?
I stopped and watched Sean as he stood with his friends—talking and laughing. I could probably walk right out the front door and he wouldn’t notice. Until he wanted something.
When had he changed? Things hadn’t always been like this.
That was too much to grapple with while guests were descending on our house.
With a little shake of my head to clear it, I opened the freezer to see if we had anything to feed almost a dozen people.
There was an unopened bag of pizza rolls.
That was something. I set them on the counter and was about to turn on the oven when Sean called from the other room.
“Hey, babe? Can you bring me a beer?”
My back stiffened. With a slow, deliberate motion, I pushed my glasses up my nose, then turned to look at him. The smile melted from his face.
One of his friends guffawed loudly and smacked him on the chest. “Oh dude, you’re in trouble.”
“Shut up,” Sean said with a glare and stalked into the kitchen. He stood close and lowered his voice. “What’s going on?”
My eyebrows shot up. “Are you kidding me?”
“What?”
All too often, I would have said nothing was wrong just to avoid conflict—especially in front of other people. But I was tired, and the noise of laughter in the other room crawled up my spine like a spider.
Still, I lowered my voice so I wouldn’t make a scene.
“It’s Friday and I’m exhausted, but I was going to do my best to rally since you made plans with your friends.
Without asking me if I wanted to go, I might add.
And then, without telling me a thing, you changed the plans, inviting everyone over to our place.
Now there’s a house full of people and no food and you want me to bring you a beer? ”
He looked at me like he had no idea who I was—or why I was mad. “I thought you’d be happy about this. You never want to go out.”
“That’s not true.”
“You complain about it every time. Look, who cares about the food? No one in there gives a shit if there’s not a four-course meal. They’re our best friends. We don’t have to worry about that crap with them.”
Our best friends? More like his best friends.
I crossed my arms. “That’s not what I meant. There’s just a whole lotta beer and not much to eat. But if you don’t mind dealing with a bunch of drunk dudes after they finish all that beer on empty stomachs, be my guest.”
He opened his mouth, and for a second, I thought he was about to start yelling. But one of his buddies shouted, “Shots! Shots! Shots!”
Kind of made my point for me.
“What the fuck do you expect me to do?” Sean snapped.
With my arms still crossed, I glanced away. Kick them out and tell them to go home. “I don’t know. Home Slice will be busy, but we could probably still order pizza.”
“What time is it? They deliver, right?”
I was going to say yes, they do, when I got an idea.
“Why don’t I go pick it up? It’s a Friday. It could be hours for delivery. If I go down there, it’ll still take a while, but I bet it’ll be faster.”
“Probably.” He glanced over his shoulder at his friends all chatting and laughing, then turned back to me.
I grabbed the bag of pizza rolls and stuffed them back in the freezer. I didn’t want him to decide we could scrounge something at home. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Fine. Whatever works.” He grabbed a six-pack out of the fridge and went to join his friends.
I wrinkled my nose and fought down a very un-Penelope-like urge to flip him off.
Our guests didn’t seem to notice me as I got my purse out of the hall closet.
My hoodie would be warm enough—I didn’t need a jacket—but I took my green and white knit beanie off the shelf and stuffed it in my purse.
With a quick glance at Sean, who was busy talking to his friends with a beer in his hand, I left.
The sudden onslaught of people in the house had raised the temperature, so the crisp fall air was refreshing. I took a deep breath and went to my car, smiling at my stroke of genius.
Getting in and turning on the engine, I took out my phone and found the number for Home Slice Pizza.
“Home Slice, can you hold?” someone answered.
“Sure.”
Surprisingly soothing piano music came on. I waited for a moment, swaying in my seat, until someone at the restaurant picked up again.
“Thanks for waiting.” The same voice—a teenage boy maybe?—prompted, “Can I help you?”
“Yeah, I’m going to need six large pizzas. What’s the wait looking like?”
“Oh man.” The poor kid sounded stressed. “Pickup or delivery?”
“Pickup.”
“That’s going to be at least ninety minutes. I’m really sorry, we’re slammed.”
A big grin stole over my face. “Ninety minutes is great.”
“Really?”
“Yep. I can totally make that work.”
“Okay. What can I get you?”
I ordered four pepperoni, an all-meat, and a veggie pizza. Still smiling, I ended the call and put my phone down.
“That’s a pretty long wait,” I said aloud. “Whatever shall I do in the meantime? Oh, I know.”
I pulled out my ponytail and fluffed my hair, then grabbed my green and white beanie and put it on. It matched my hoodie. Then I backed out onto the street and headed toward the high school.
The stadium lights glared in the evening sky, and I could hear the crowd as soon as I opened my car door. With a tingle of excitement in my stomach, I got out and hurried to the entrance.
Showing my staff ID at the gate, I went in and made my way up the stairs to the packed stands. The scent of popcorn filled the air, and the pep band played a quick tune while the kids in the student section cheered.
Following the railing, I looked down onto the field. The game was in progress, but it must have been a time-out. The players were circled up, listening to Theo.
Coach Haven, that is.
A little smile crossed my lips. He was dressed in slacks and a half-zip fleece with the Timberwolves logo embroidered on the left side of the chest. I was too far away to hear what he was saying, but his expression was intense as he gave direction to his players.
They clapped once in unison and ran back onto the field.
Willing him to turn around and look in my direction, I practically leaned out over the railing.
And then he did.
He turned and looked right at me, as if he knew I’d be there.
The smile that stole across his face made my belly flutter like a girl with a crush.
I scoffed at myself. Obviously, I didn’t have a crush on Theo Haven.
He was just my work bestie. That was why I was so happy to see him.
He was a great teacher, sure, but I knew football was his passion.
I just liked seeing him in his element. Totally a friend thing. Nothing more.
He stretched out his fist. I did the same, then we opened our hands and made a little explosion sound. Long-distance fist bump.
With a smile still on my lips, I took a seat and settled in to watch the rest of the game.