Chapter 31
Penelope
Exiting the suite, Penelope paused for a moment, unsure of where to go first. She knew there was a library, and the Ranch grounds were beautiful, but really she just wanted to chat with someone.
The words that Rachel had said the previous night were floating around in her brain, and she knew that if she didn’t speak to someone about them, she’d get all in her head about it. And that was the last thing she wanted.
When Rachel and she had a conversation about the word “love,” Penelope wanted to be fully ready, and know exactly what it was she felt.
She wandered into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. When the doors dinged open, she almost walked into Tay who was just passing by.
“Whoops! Are you okay?”
“I’m all good,” said Tay with a grin. “How’re you this morning?”
Penelope must have paused a tad too long because Tay slipped their arm through hers and said firmly. “Come with me. We’ll perch you on a stool in the kitchen and you can test-taste all of the ice cream and pasta that we’re prepping.”
That certainly sounded appealing, so Penny let herself be bustled along, through the main part of the Italian restaurant, and into the kitchen at the back.
“Wash your hands!” said Tay, clearly switching into chef mode. “And we’ll find you a hairnet—gotta keep those hygiene standards up!”
Penelope did as she was bid, and then looked at the stool that Tay offered her. “I think my arse is a bit too big for that,” she said, slightly embarrassed.
“Good point,” they said, and magicked out a larger camping chair that they waved Penny into.
She liked that they hadn’t tried to act like she didn’t have a big arse. She did, and she was rather fond of it, truth be told. But still, a teeny tiny stool seat would have had her anxious about falling off, or worse, breaking it.
“Mandi comes and sits in here with me sometimes,” said Tay. “On her days off. So I always have a more comfy seat around.”
It was actually really comfy, and Penny was able to sink into it quite happily. “What are you working on today?” she asked, but Tay was having none of that.
“Don’t try and deflect,” they said, washing their own hands and pulling on a white chef’s coat. “Something is clearly the matter, and you’re going to talk to me about it, because I can tell you want to.”
Penelope pulled a face. “Talking about things is hard,” she admitted. “I haven’t been in a situation like this for a long time, and it’s making me more than a little anxious.”
Tay nodded, placing a saucepan on the stove, and grabbing a heap of garlic, onions, celery and carrots from the fridge.
“Before Guilia and I started dating, I never really talked about things. I just bratted at her in the hopes that one day she’d turn around and realize that she wanted me.
Thing was, she was waiting for me to tell her that I wanted her .
Didn’t want to take advantage of the power dynamic, what with her being my boss and everything. ”
“That sounds… complicated.”
“It’s not as bad as all that. Sadie’s husband is now my line manager, so there’s no conflict of interest, and Guilia’s the best girlfriend I could ever have imagined.
But it took an ice-cream heist and me kinda going over the top with a prank before I actually started talking. So I get it. Talking is hard.”
“It is.” Penny took a deep breath. “It’s about Rachel, though I suppose it’s kind of not really about Rachel at all. It’s about me, and my trauma and…” Her voice cut off as her eyes filled with tears, and Tay put down the knife they’d been using to dice the carrots and came over to give her a hug.
“Trauma’s a bitch,” they said with feeling.
Penelope didn’t speak, just nodded and sniffed.
“Right, this definitely calls for ice cream. What’s your favorite flavor?”
“Ummm… I love rum and raisin, but I don’t know if it’s too early in the morning for a boozy ice cream.”
“It’s never too early for any kind of ice cream,” declared Tay. “But don’t let Guilia hear you call it rum and raisin; it’s Málaga gelato to her.”
Penny sniffed again, and asked, “Málaga gelato?”
“That’s the original Sicilian name, and even though it’s been known as rum raisin here in the States for nearly a century—or rum and raisin in the UK—she insists on using the Italian name.
” Tay pulled out a large metal tub and pointed Penelope toward where the bowls were kept.
The portion they dished out was huge, but it was also precisely what Penny needed.
Handed a bowl and spoon, Tay ordered, “Get eating. We can talk once you’ve been ice-creamed.”