Chapter 5
FIVE
Selena
Foster doesn’t show up for coffee the next day.
Neither does Penny.
I tried to message her this morning, hoping Foster could talk to her and show her that he wasn’t breaking his promise.
I check my watch and sigh when I see that it’s almost noon. Neither of them is coming, so I grab some coffee to go and head to their house.
I’m nervous as I approach their home. The place looks quiet, and I take a deep, steadying breath before I knock on the door.
It takes a minute before I hear footsteps approaching, and I smile as Penny swings the door open. She doesn’t look thrilled to see me, but she doesn’t turn me away either.
“What are you doing here?”
Her voice is flat, and I hate it. Penny isn’t like this. She’s so full of life and zest. I’ve never heard her sound so broken except maybe at her parents’ funeral.
“I brought you coffee,” I say, thrusting a cup at her.
“Thanks.”
“And I think we need to talk.”
“No, we don’t,” she says stubbornly.
I sigh. “Penny—”
“No! Foster already tried to talk to me. I don’t want to hear it. He made me a promise, and honestly, you need to choose, too.”
“Choose?”
She nods, her chin set firmly. “Yeah, choose. Me or him.”
“I choose you. Always,” I tell her instantly.
It’s the truth. Penny and I have been through everything together, so even though it will kill me, I’ll still always choose her over Foster.
Penny relaxes, and for the first time since last night, she smiles. “Good. I can’t lose another friend to my brother.”
“You know it wouldn’t be like that,” I murmur.
Her face hardens again. “Did you want to hang out?” she asks, sipping her coffee.
“I wish. I have to head to work in a minute,” I tell her. “I just wanted to stop by and talk to you. It’s weird going so long without speaking to you in some way.”
She smiles and hugs me tightly. “I know. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“You don’t have to find out,” I whisper.
She squeezes me once more and steps back. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Sounds good.”
My head buzzes as I head to the bookstore, trying to think of a way to let Penny know that I’d never leave her. I need to show her that I can love her and her brother, and that Foster and I belong together.
“Oh!” I gasp when I nearly collide with someone.
I look up into Foster’s handsome face. His eyes flash with heat, and I know he feels the burning connection between us. The heat in his eyes fades, hidden behind a wall.
He clears his throat and steps back. “Are you all right?”
I nod. “I waited for you at the coffee shop.”
He winces. “I know. I lost track of time trying to get through to Penny.”
“Yeah, I just went to see Penny. We must’ve just missed each other.”
“And? How did it go?” he asks, looking hopeful.
“She asked me to choose between her and you.”
“Yeah, she made me choose, too,” he admits.
“I chose her,” I say quietly.
He looks grim. “She’ll come around.”
“And if she doesn’t? Because it seems more and more likely that she won’t.”
“I don’t know. I can’t resist you. I don’t want to. Fuck, Selena, I hoped for years that you were my mate.”
“You did?” I ask in surprise.
“Of course. Anyone would be lucky to have you as their girl—and you’re mine.” His tone hardens over the last few words.
“I could be yours, if Penny realizes that we both love her and aren’t abandoning her—”
“You. Are. Mine,” Foster repeats, stepping closer.
I swallow hard under the intensity in his amber eyes. “I need to go or I’ll be late for work.”
“I’ll walk you.”
He falls into step beside me, tempering his long stride to match mine. Our hands brush, and I gasp. He curses violently, and the next thing I know, he’s walking on the other side of the road.
I stop and raise an eyebrow at him. “Problem?”
He glowers at me. “You’re too tempting. You stay over there, and I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
I bite back a grin, but it’s no use. Foster's desire for me is a huge boost to my ego.
He clears his throat as we start walking again. “What are you doing today? Besides working.”
“I’m not sure. I need to get some groceries, so maybe I’ll do that after work.”
“When do you finish work? You shouldn’t be walking home alone after dark.”
“I did last night,” I point out.
He winces. “That was a mistake. I shouldn’t have let you leave alone. I was distracted by Penny and everything.”
“I know. It’s okay.”
“It won’t happen again,” he promises.
My pace slows as the bookstore comes into view. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“See you, Selena.” He gives me a last longing look before turning and heading down the street.
I let out a deep breath as I watch him go. I need to focus on work and put this mess with Foster and Penny out of my head.
At least for a few hours.