Chapter 30 Penny
30
PENNY
Penny: I’m running a few minutes behind! I’m coming, I promise
Penny: Is Ellie there yet?
Aspen: Nope!!!
Theo: Don’t worry, we added a time buffer just for you (;
Aspen: Think you can get here in an hour?
Penny: Did you two add a whole hour extra for me?
Theo: …
Aspen: Do you blame us?
Penny: Nope. Have I told you guys I love you lately?
* Penny changed the group chat name to F.R.I.E.N.D.S But Feral *
Rummaging through my top drawer, I frantically searched for my favorite bathing suit. I was already running late—despite the generous buffer my friends had built in, knowing full well I’d need it.
“Where the hell is it?” I huffed, tossing items over my shoulder one by one. Underwear, bras, and socks flew across the room, decorating the floor like chaotic confetti.
Everyone had the day off and was meeting at Cassidy Ranch to celebrate Ellie’s birthday. Aspen had come up with the idea—a laid-back, picnic-style party at the swimming hole with our closest friends. Ellie didn’t know about it, which made me showing up on time even more important.
Finally, with one last dig, my fingers brushed against familiar stretchy fabric. I yanked it free from the drawer with a triumphant grin.
“Yes!” I shouted, pumping the hot pink bathing suit in the air like a victory flag. The vibrant color felt like a sign telling me I was about to get back on track.
Stripping out of my pajamas, I slid into the cheeky bottoms and tied the triangle top. On my way to the closet, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and stopped in my tracks.
For a beat, I just stared, taking in my body, the curve of my waist, the way the suit hugged my hips. A smirk curled across my lips.
Mac was going to die. I looked good.
I let out a laugh, spinning slightly to check out my ass and giving a nod of approval.
The other night with Mac… well, it’d taken a turn I should’ve expected the moment I agreed to go upstairs with him. Sure, I’d had a few drinks, but I knew what I was doing. I was fully present, fully in control.
At first, my plan had been simple: tease him, torment him, let him watch while I took the pleasure part into my own hands. But when he broke the rules and stepped in to finish what I’d started, it was like a switch flipped. I’d forgotten how good he was—how good we were—and I couldn’t bring myself to stop it.
He’d been right… No one did it like he did. Not even myself.
You’re supposed to know your own body better than anyone. And yet, somehow, Mac had learned every part of mine like it was a language only he could speak.
There wasn’t a single ounce of regret. Not for giving in. Not for wanting more.
In fact, the only thing I felt now was the urge to do it all over again. I felt recharged, like the battery in me died and now I was back, baby, back to full strength.
From across the room, my phone started ringing, which was the last thing I needed. I reached into my closet, snatched the biggest T-shirt I could find, and sprinted toward the sound, half-blind as I wrestled to get my head through the neck hole.
On the final ring, I hit accept and put it on speaker.
“Hello?” I said, slightly breathless, still struggling to get the shirt on right.
“Penny! Just the person I was hoping to reach,” my boss, Gerry, said cheerfully.
I internally groaned and tilted my head back in frustration. It was my day off, and he knew that.
“You called me. Who else did you think was going to answer?” I replied, a little sharper than intended. Gerry was a good boss, just one who occasionally forgot about boundaries. I’d learned to take the good with the annoying.
He let out a deep, hearty laugh. “I know, I know you’re off today.”
Then why are you calling me? I screamed silently.
“But the board’s looking for an update on this year’s fundraiser,” he continued. “Last year was a hit, and they’re eager to know what’s coming next.”
Seriously? He was calling me on my day off… to talk business?
“I hate to be that person,” I said, grabbing my sandals, gift bag, and purse, tucking my phone between my ear and shoulder, “but is this something that could wait until I’m back in the office?”
“Oh! Of course, of course,” Gerry backpedaled quickly. “They’ve been blowing up my email, and I wanted to give them something to chew on.”
With a resigned sigh, I closed my apartment door behind me and hurried down the steps. I glanced into Petal Pusher and spotted Sandy cleaning the front window. I waved, and she returned it with a sunny smile.
I could give him something, a placeholder to keep the board off his back. Honestly, I didn’t even have a plan yet.
“Fine,” I said. “Romance has been flying off the shelves this year. I was thinking of tailoring the event to that crowd. It fits the small-town vibe.”
Total bluff. I pulled that straight from thin air. But as I said it, the idea started to take shape. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad plan after all.
Fumbling through my purse, I found my sunglasses and slid them on.
Maybe we could host something at the bar… an adults-only night? That sounded like Librarian Penny talking. Off-duty Penny was climbing into her car, ready to spend the day swimming and drinking with her closest friends.
“Great!” Gerry said. “They’ll love that. You young people and staying up to date with the trends, changing the book world one post at a time!”
I laughed, starting my car. One of the rare times social media was actually working in the world’s favor.
“I’ve got to go,” I said, clearing my throat. “I’ll stop by when I’m back in the office.”
After a round of goodbyes, I hung up and pulled out of the alley, heading toward Cassidy Ranch, more than ready to dive in and have a damn good afternoon.
“I’m here! I’m here!” I called out, breathless as I jogged through the clearing in the woods that opened up to the swimming hole. Everyone was already there—everyone except the birthday girl. So technically… I made it on time. Ish.
Pausing to catch my breath, I bent over, hands on my knees, lungs burning just a little from the sprint.
“If someone had a gun to my head and told me to pick the friend most likely to be late,” Theo said, strolling over with a teasing smirk, “I’d pick you every damn time.”
I laughed, holding out my gift bag and purse for her to take. “What an honor.”
Theo was wearing baggy cutoff shorts that were unbuttoned and a dark blue bikini, her tattoos on full display. Her hair was braided into two playful pigtails, and her smile was pure mischief.
She took my things with ease, then pulled me into a tight, familiar hug. I melted into it, still breathless.
“Please tell me you brought the baby,” I said as we walked toward the group gathered off to the side. “I need a hit of that new baby smell.”
“Oh my God,” she laughed, shaking her head. “No baby today. My mom all but begged to keep her for a few nights. She took some time off work and swears there’s no better way to spend it than with her granddaughter.”
“Well, your mom isn’t wrong,” I said with a grin.
As we approached the rest of the group, Boone turned toward me. “You know what I’m getting you for your birthday, Penny?”
I stopped and placed my hands on my hips, scanning the familiar faces. My gaze caught on him immediately—Mac, already looking at me like he knew every thought in my head. That slow, crooked smile of his made heat rise in my chest.
“Let me guess, something time-management related?” I said, leaning down to hug Aspen from behind.
She was sitting on a rock, cheeks puffed as she blew up a bright pink floaty, her eyes wide as she gave me a thumbs-up mid-breath.
“She’s fine,” Aspen said when she ran out of breath and needed a break, defending me like the angel she was. “We all know to build in the buffer.”
I kissed her cheek and murmured, “This is why you’re my favorite.”
I stood and scanned the area for an open spot. There was only one, which was an old log that had been turned into a makeshift seat. It just so happened to be right next to Mac.
Before heading over, I peeled off my oversized T-shirt to use it to brush away any dirt from the log. The sun filtered through the trees above, dappled light kissing my skin, warm but not harsh.
As I walked past him, Mac lifted a bottle in my direction—offering it wordlessly, the hint of a grin still tugging at his lips.
That smile, that look… it was all there, leaving me even more breathless.
I took the bottle from Mac’s hand, letting my fingers brush his on purpose—just lightly, just enough.
Electric.
He felt it too. His jaw ticked, that almost-imperceptible shift in his shoulders, like he was grounding himself against the jolt of it.
“Thanks,” I said, my voice softer than before. Almost shy, which wasn’t like me. Not usually.
I had to keep myself in check today because our friends still didn’t know what was happening.
I don’t know why I still hadn’t gone to Aspen to help with the mess inside my head. Maybe a part of me felt silly for not cutting things off for good, for giving him the chance to yearn and grovel his way back into my life.
Mac tilted his head, watching me. “Hot pink, huh?” His gaze dipped for the briefest second, enough to make heat crawl up the back of my neck. “The color of angels.”
I rolled my eyes, but I smiled anyway. “You sound like you thought hard about that one.”
“I didn’t.” He leaned back on his palms, his thigh brushing against mine as I sat down next to him on the log. “But I have been thinking about you nonstop in less than that since the other night.”
That earned him a sharp inhale from me, and a heartbeat that stumbled in my chest.
“Mac…”
He didn’t say anything right away. Just looked ahead at the water glimmering in the sunlight, the ripple of movement from the light breeze. The sound of chatter fell into the background from our friends next to us.
Then he turned his head toward me, voice low and steady. “If you want to pretend it didn’t happen because that’s what you need, fine. But I won’t.”
“I’m not pretending,” I said, barely above a whisper. “I just… I don’t know what to do with it.”
“Then don’t do anything,” he said, his voice like gravel and velvet all at once.
I swallowed hard, not sure how to relieve the ache that started to press into my chest.
We sat in silence for a minute, yet it was anything but quiet because my mind was swirling.
Every nerve in me was alive, way too aware of his proximity. My fingers curled around the edge of the log just to keep them from doing something stupid.
“You always did know how to get under my skin,” I murmured.
Mac leaned closer, his voice a breath against my ear. “That’s because you’ve always let me.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and my whole body went still, except for my heart—my traitorous, unrelenting heart—pounding like a drum against my ribs.
I turned my head, only slightly, and there he was. So close.
Too close.
Not close enough at the same time.
“She’s coming!” Aspen hissed, snapping my attention away from Mac.
Rhodes, Theo, Boone, and Aspen stood off to the side, waiting for Ellie. Logan was in charge of distracting her and leading her here. It was his job to make sure the surprise went off without a hitch.
Even though I looked away from Mac, I could still feel the weight of his fixed look on me, like a tether pulling tight between us, and it left a buzz under my skin I couldn’t shake.
Voices drifted through the trees, quiet at first, then clearer as footsteps approached. A few moments later, Ellie stepped through the clearing. She stopped short, her long blond hair catching the dappled sunlight as she reached up and tucked a few strands behind her ears.
“Surprise!” we all yelled, the word echoing across the water and into the woods.
Ellie blinked, eyes wide, and then broke into a breathless laugh. Her gaze swept over the setup—the pop-up table full of snacks, the coolers loaded with drinks, the blankets and floaties scattered across the grass—and finally landed on us.
“What the heck?” she asked, putting her hand over her chest.
Aspen was the first to reach her, wrapping her in a hug. “We wanted to throw you a little birthday get-together.”
“We figured something small, just the core group,” Rhodes added, smiling warmly.
Ellie turned toward Logan. “Did you know about this?”
He shrugged with a grin that betrayed him instantly. “Maybe.”
She swatted his arm, laughing. When she turned back, Logan touched the spot like it still tingled, the grin lingering on his face even when he thought no one was watching.
Everyone began settling in—grabbing drinks, finding seats, tossing jokes across the circle. Ellie, beaming, finally declared, “Okay. Enough chit-chat. I’m getting in the water.”
This spot had always been a Cassidy family favorite—full of childhood memories, secret teenage parties, and sun-drenched summer days. The trees created a shaded canopy overhead, the light filtering through in golden specks. The water shimmered beneath it, clear and inviting.
Boone was the first to make a splash, leaping in with a front flip. Mac followed with a running start and some kind of half-twist that sent water crashing over the rocks.
I set my drink carefully on a nearby boulder and backed up a few steps.
With a grin, I took off running, launching myself into the air and mimicking Boone’s flip. For a second, I flew, and then the cool water welcomed me in a rush.
I let myself sink, the shock of the temperature calming my overheated skin. I stayed under just a moment longer than necessary, eyes closed, savoring the quiet.
Eventually, I popped up to the surface and swam toward the others. We floated, joked, and basked in the ease of it all. At one point, the group naturally split—girls on one side, guys on the other.
Ellie raised her drink. “Thank you all, seriously. You’ve been so inviting since I came back. I didn’t realize how much I needed this.”
I reached out and rubbed her forearm. “You’re one of us now. You’ve got us for life.”
“Facts,” Aspen chimed in. “We’re happy to have you.”
“We need a girls’ night,” Theo said with a mischievous grin.
“Ooh, maybe at Aspen’s cabin?” I suggested.
Aspen’s face lit up. “Yes! Spa night, wine, music, maybe some deep, emotional soul-bonding.”
I laughed. “And secrets. We’re spilling all the secrets.”
That last part was for me. Maybe a girls’ night would be the perfect opportunity to finally say out loud what I hadn’t told any of them.
I glanced across the water, finding Mac immediately. Just seeing him sent a rush through me. The memories of what it felt like to be on the verge of something with him—teetering between casual fun and something real—hit me.
We were finding our way back, step by step. But deep down, I knew I needed more than flirtation and stolen moments. I needed reassurance that this time, it was different. That I wouldn’t be left picking up the pieces again.
I felt us edging what we once were, but I needed that final mile, that honest conversation, that proof before I handed him my heart again.