11. Penny
11
Penny
W ard was the perfect gentleman, standing aside to let her go out ahead of him, then holding her door open for her as she scrambled into the passenger seat of the van.
“It’s not the classiest ride you’ve ever had, I’m sure,” he said before closing the door for her. “But it’ll get us there. Your bike, too.” He’d already slid her bicycle into the back of the van, wedging it between the rack of tools on one side and the bank of cabinets on the other. “It’s our shop on wheels,” he explained once he was strapped into the driver’s seat. “Dad gave up the shop downtown years ago, since most of his jobs were easier if he could go to them.”
“That makes perfect sense to me,” Penny said, fastening her own seatbelt. The interior of the van smelled interesting, but not bad. There was a hint of lake water, maybe road food—tacos? —and something uniquely male. “Do you like working with your dad?”
Ward paused, as if pondering the question, although it seemed like a pretty basic one to Penny. Did he not, and was hesitant to admit it? It wasn’t a bad or even embarrassing thing to not like working with one’s father, though. Or any family member, for that matter. She’d heard many married couples say as much about their spouses.
“I met him a couple of years ago,” she said, quick to fill the awkward space his silence created. “He seems like a really nice man.”
“He is,” Ward agreed. She glanced over at him and found him smiling warmly. Talk about mixed messages. “And I do like working with him. He’s not just a great guy; he’s a great boss, too. He taught me just about everything I know about boats.”
“It’s nice to hear you talk about him that way. From the rumor mill, it sounds like you’re only here temporarily, and I’m glad to know it isn’t because of stuff between you and your dad.” Penny closed her eyes and turned her face toward the window. What on earth had prompted her to say such an assumptive, insensitive thing?
Ward chuckled, surprising her. “Wow. That was direct. But I agree. You can rest at ease; Dad and I get along great, so there won’t be any awkward tension at the supper table tonight.”
“I’m sorry,” Penny said. “That was totally out of line, wasn’t it? I think being around the girls shook loose a few of my filters. They have a tendency to do that to me.”
“I get along with my mom, too, just in case you were wondering,” he teased.
“Okay. I deserved that.” She grabbed the handle above her window and held on as they hit a rut in the road. The cargo van was not a luxury sedan, that was for sure, and even though the seats were comfortable enough, there was no avoiding the fact that the vehicle was built with efficiency in mind.
“Forgot about that pothole,” Ward said, grimacing at her. “You alright?”
“I’m good. Hopefully, that shook those filters right back into place. Thank you.”
“My pleasure. So what about you? Do you get along with your folks?”
Penny should have known that this was where the conversation would lead. Her parents weren’t a topic she avoided—she wasn’t embarrassed or uncomfortable talking about them. But her circumstances often made other people uncomfortable. Especially people with picture-perfect families like Ward St. James and his parents. She’d learned, however, that avoiding the question often only prolonged the inevitable, particularly with people she expected to be in her life for more than the moment. Ward might not be staying in Autumn Lake any longer than she was, but she assumed they’d be crossing paths on a regular basis over the next couple of months, especially now that they’d decided they were going to be friends.
“I don’t know my father,” she began, her voice steady and her expression as gentle as she could make it. She felt no malice toward the man who’d abandoned them. Her mother had harbored more than enough bitterness for both of them over the course of her life, and Penny believed that refusal to forgive the man had contributed to her mother’s current condition. She’d seen it eat away at her mother her whole life, and Penny had been determined to walk a different path. “He left when I was not quite a year old, and I have no memories of him.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Ward’s words were kind, without judgment, so she continued.
“It’s been Mom and me ever since. She’s sick now, though, and I take care of her. Early onset Alzheimer’s.”
“I’m… wow. I’m sorry to hear that, too. That’s… that sounds like it’s a lot for you.” He lifted his hand from the wheel, and for a moment, Penny thought he might reach over and touch her. Instead, he rubbed at the back of his neck the way he had that first day she’d come upon him in his plastic work bubble. She averted her eyes so she wouldn’t stare, but not before she’d noticed how flexy his biceps were.
Flexy. She had to bite her lip to keep from giggling. Great. Now she was on the verge of giggling. And they’d been talking about such serious matters. He was going to think she was the creep. She took a steadying breath. “I won’t lie to you. It’s not easy. I lose a little more of Mom every day, it seems. It started out slow. Little things, you know? Getting confused easily, not following basic instructions. Trouble with reading, bad depth perception, things like that. But things have been progressing a lot faster these days. She doesn’t sleep well. She’s not safe at all, so she can’t be left alone for any amount of time. She gets combative much more than she used to, and she’s a lot harder to calm down. I used to be able to turn on Gardener’s World just so I could get stuff done, but she’s not really even aware that the TV is on anymore.”
“I don’t know what is too personal, but how do you work? Or have you quit teaching now? Are you her full-time… what do they call it these days? Caretaker? Sitter?” His questions moved her, and she had to swallow the knot of emotion that formed in her throat. He was being so kind. Where most people would find a way to change the subject, he seemed interested in what her life was like.
“I’m a teacher, yes.” Penny smiled just thinking about the kids she’d spent the last school year with. She liked her job; she did. But there were days she’d come home utterly exhausted and wonder how on earth she would manage her mother, who had become as much of a handful as all twenty-one of her second graders collectively. “Mom goes to adult daycare while I’m at work. I was fortunate enough to find one just minutes away from my job. I can dash over there if there are any problems, or just to have lunch with her when I’m not on cafeteria duty.”
They were nearing Hazel’s house now, and Penny felt bad that the conversation was ending on such a serious note. “I’m lucky,” she told him. “I have never doubted my mother’s love for me, and that makes taking care of her now in the state she’s in a whole lot easier. I’ve heard stories that are so much harder than mine. And she worked most of her adult life, so although things are tight, her basic needs are met by her retirement and social security. Sure, it would be nice if we could afford for me to be her full-time caretaker, but my job is necessary, at least for now. Things may change as she gets worse; I know that. Right now, she’s mostly combative only with me. But if she causes trouble at the daycare, she won’t be allowed to attend, and that will bring a new set of challenges.” She toyed with the hem of her skirt, then added, “But she’s my mother, Ward. And we’ll face each challenge as it comes. That’s what family does, right?”
Ward nodded slowly, his brows furrowed in contemplation as he processed all that she’d told him. When he didn’t say anything, she smiled and reached over to poke him in the shoulder.
“My mom is the one who makes me come here every summer. She knew what was coming, and before she pretty much forgot who I am, she had my aunt help her set these summers up so that I would have this time to find my footing again. And do you know why she did that?”
“Why?” he asked, one side of his mouth quirking up, almost like he knew she was trying to lighten the mood.
“Because she loves me. Because I’m so doggone loveable, Ward St. James.” She bobbed her head sassily. “I mean, come on. Look at this face. What’s not to love?”
When he glanced her way, she crossed her eyes, wrinkled her nose, and bared her teeth at him.
Ward reached over and took her hand, holding it gently in his, like it was something fragile. Penny’s face went slack, and a tingle of sensation shot up her arm straight to her heart. “What’s not to love, indeed?” Then he let go and turned into Hazel’s driveway. He didn’t shut off the van, but instead, sat there looking at her for a long moment before he finally spoke. “Hazel said you were something else. She was right.”
How was she supposed to respond to that? Her go-to reaction was to make light of it, but when she opened her mouth to do so, he spoke first.
“You’re my hero, Penelope Anderson.”
She felt the flush rush up her body from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair. “I’m no hero,” she contradicted. “I’m—”
“Just say ‘thank you, Ward’” he said, touching the back of her hand where it rested on her thigh. “You’re not going to change my opinion of you now, no matter what you say.”
Penny shrugged one shoulder. “I changed your opinion of me once already today. Who’s to say I can’t do it again? You didn’t like me, remember?”
Ward grunted and shook his head. “No. You didn’t like me. And I couldn’t figure out why. I mean, look at this face. What’s not to love?” He made an equally goofy expression at her, and that giggle she’d been keeping at bay broke free.
“What’s not to love, indeed?” she chortled, echoing him. “And now, I’ve got to get inside and get cooking. There’s nothing that ruins a chicken curry faster than raw chicken.” She reached for her door.
“Hold up. Let me get it.” Ward turned off the engine and climbed out of the van. He was around to her side by the time she had her seatbelt off. He opened her door, and after helping her clamber to the ground, he walked with her up to the front porch. They’d made it up to the top step before either of them noticed Hazel sitting on the swing with Murtagh.
“Hello, you two,” she greeted them warmly, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “And how was your day?”