15. Penny
15
Penny
“W ant to see what I did this afternoon?” Penny asked after directing Ward to set the two pizza boxes on the counter. She was proud of what she’d accomplished in only a few hours.
She’d first changed out of her wet things and into another outfit she didn’t mind getting grubby. She made herself a sandwich with cream cheese and tomato jam topped with a handful of the alfalfa sprouts Hazel always had growing in a Mason jar on the windowsill over the kitchen sink. Then she headed out into the garden with it and a large glass of water.
She swept the debris off a little table just off the back stoop and sat down to enjoy her mini meal while she came up with a plan of attack.
That had been her intention, anyway. However, she spent most of her mid-afternoon snack break thinking about Ward and the exhilarating lake time she’d just shared with him. At first, his body had felt foreign in the circle of her arms. It had been a long time since she’d really hugged anyone for more than a few moments, and even then, it was the tense, boxy frame of her mother, or an affectionate, squirmy second grader. There were others, too, of course. Aunt Jean and Uncle Rob, coworkers who were also friends, and parent volunteers she formed sweet, but temporary, relationships with, because they rarely visited her classroom again after their children moved on, something she never took personally.
Technically, it wasn’t hugging. She knew that. But still, she’d had her arms around Ward St. James for over an hour that afternoon. Whether she’d ever admit it out loud to anyone, she’d enjoyed it a little too much, as far as she was concerned. Especially for someone who wasn’t looking for a summer fling.
Determined to set her mind to the task at hand, she’d tugged on a pair of work gloves she’d found in Hazel’s little barn and started by pulling weeds.
“Come,” she told Ward now. “I’ll show you.” She led him out the kitchen side door around to the back, but just stood quietly to see if he would notice.
Ward gazed out over the garden and nodded slowly. It was still rather sad and one woman with a couple of hours could hardly be expected to make much of a dent, but Penny could see a measurable difference in the area where she’d been most aggressive. “Wow,” he said, drawing the word out. “Impressive, Miss Anderson. You’ve been busy.”
“Yes, I have.” She practically preened under his praise. “And I have bramble scratches and bug bites to show for it.” She held out her arms for his inspection.
“Battle scars,” he declared, taking both her hands in his and turning her arms this way and that. “They look good on you,” he added with a half-smile. “But then, pretty much anything looks good on you, Penny.”
She’d stepped out of the shower only minutes before Ward had said he’d be there. Without much time to primp, she’d taken a blow dryer to her hair just long enough for it to not be dripping wet, slipped into a simple, emerald tank dress, and spent the last few minutes applying a little makeup. He’d already seen her without it in the aftermath of their water play, but the dress made her feel pretty, and the smoky eyeliner and hint of plum shadow highlighted her green eyes.
The compliment made her blush, but she met his gaze, anyway, and thanked him politely. The same could be said for him, she wanted to say, but she couldn’t seem to get her voice to cooperate.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. “Maybe you can tell me about your gardening adventure over pizza and lemonade.”
“I take it you’re hungry?”
“I’ve been carting those pizzas around for the last ten minutes, and the smell is driving me crazy. I’m hungry, yes. That’s why there are two larges in there.” He pointed at the kitchen door they’d left standing ajar. He offered his arm. “Shall we?”
She slid her hand into the crook of his elbow, her palm resting against the curve of his forearm. The soft rasp of hair on his arm felt oddly intimate, and she resisted the impulse to brush her fingertips against it.
Oh my, she heard her own voice utter inside her head. Yikes, did he smell good, but should she say so? What if it was just his deodorant? Wow, your pits smell great! Yeah, no. That would just be awkward for everyone.
The pizza was still hot inside the boxes, and Penny discovered that she, too, was ravenous. She loaded up her plate with three large pieces and gave Ward a warning glare when he eyed her plate with one raised brow. “I’m not going to pretend I don’t like my ‘zah,” she explained, ending the word with a breathy ‘h’ sound. “I know people claim that leftover pizza is the bomb, but I prefer it fresh and hot, and with the cheese still stretchy. Even if it means I get to—I mean have to —eat a whole one by myself.” She lifted the lid on the box she’d just taken a slice from and made a big to-do about counting the remaining slices. “Hazel can share her piece with the dogs, you think?”
They sat at the breakfast nook where they could look out over the garden. It was still going to be light for another hour, so they had plenty of time before they had to move out to the front porch so they could watch the sunset over the lake. Ward waited for her to sit before he slid in opposite her, then he popped the stopper on the fizzy lemonade Penny had pulled from the fridge and filled their glasses as full as the foam top would allow.
“I don’t think I need to keep any of this a secret from you,” Penny began after they’d both pounded down their first two slices of pizza. “But this does not get back to Hazel, you hear?”
“My lips are sealed,” Ward said around a mouthful of food.
“Ew. Not that sealed, they’re not.”
Ward guffawed, but he at least put a hand up to cover his mouth. When he’d swallowed, he apologized. “I’ll just say ‘mmhmm’ from now on.”
“To everything I say?”
“My mother taught me that women are always right, and my father taught me to always agree with the woman.”
“You know, I like Ted and Rachel more and more every day. I deal with a lot of parents, both good and not so good. Here’s to your awesome parents.” Penny lifted her slice of pizza in a toast. “Don’t take them for granted, Ward St. James.”
A dark cloud passed through his eyes, but he recovered quickly and raised his own slice in the air between them. “Hear, hear. Now tell me this not-so-secret secret of yours.”
Penny hesitated, curious about his reaction, then decided against asking him. If he wanted to talk to her about it, he would, wouldn’t he? Besides, it really wasn’t any of her business. They’d only been on speaking terms for a little more than twenty-four hours.
Huh. It sure felt like a lot longer than that.
She first explained to him about The Garden Variety Lovers Club. “You know everyone in our little club, right?”
“Mmhmm,” he said, even though he didn’t have food in his mouth.
“So you probably also know that we’re all single.” She felt her cheeks grow warm at the admission, and she hoped she wasn’t overstepping any girlfriend rules.
“Now I do,” he said. “But there’s nothing wrong with being single, right?”
“Exactly,” Penny shot back. “I mean, have you seen the options this town has to offer? Is it any wonder?”
“Mmmmmmmhmmmmm.” He dragged the sound out and narrowed his eyes at her.
“Oh, I don’t mean you, Mr. Stud Muffin. But you’re not sticking around, so you don’t count.”
He propped an elbow on the table and struck a pose with his chin resting on one fist. “I’ll have you know; I like to read, too.”
“Of course, you do.” She reached over and pressed her thumb to the middle of his forehead. “Here’s a gold star for you. Now let me finish my story.”
Ward waved his hand in a ‘go ahead’ gesture and went back to his pizza.
“Well, we may all be single, but we all also don’t necessarily want to stay that way.” She paused and considered how her words made them sound. “Not that any of us are desperate," she clarified. "But we all consider ourselves to be lovers of love.”
“I doubt you’re the only ones,” Ward said solemnly, but the glint in his eyes told her he was doing his best not to tease her.
“And we’re all very different, but not in a weird way.” She pointed at him and shook her head. “Don’t you dare. We’re not weird, got it?”
“Mmmmmhmmmm.”
Penny cracked a smile. “You’re not funny. But anyway, we’re all unique, but also fairly normal. And we’re going to be holding our meetings—counseling sessions, as we fondly call them—here in Hazel’s garden. The term ‘garden variety’ is a poetic way of saying that something is common or normal, right? So it’s a play on words. We are normal girls meeting in a garden. Garden variety lovers.”
“That’s pretty clever,” Ward concurred, nodding in affirmation.
“Thank you. That’s us. Normal and clever.” Penny paused in her explanation to start in on her third piece of pizza.
“So what exactly does this club of yours do?” Ward pulled one of the boxes closer and loaded up his plate again.
When she could talk again, she gave him a quick overview of the plan for Hazel’s guesthouse and gardens that The Garden Variety Lovers Club had come up with.
“And why is this a secret from Hazel?” he asked.
Penny sighed, once again wondering if she was sharing stuff that was too personal. Stuff Hazel wouldn’t want a bunch of people to know.
“You don’t have to—”
“I know,” she said, cutting him off. “I don’t have to tell you. You say that a lot to me.”
He pretended to zip his lips shut.
“I think Hazel’s in some financial trouble. She says she’s not sick. Yes, I asked her. But she has no guests—actually, someone is coming at the beginning of August—but usually, this place is hopping, if not exactly packed the whole time I’m here.”
Ward set down the uneaten portion of his slice and wiped his hands on a napkin. He was not smiling anymore. In fact, he looked concerned. Well, good. They were all concerned.
“And then there’s the garden.” She gestured out the window. “Hazel—or The Garden Gate Guesthouse, for that matter—without a garden?”
“I see.”
That wasn’t exactly the response she’d expected, but maybe she wasn’t making things clear. “So, we are going to start having our club meetings here, and since Hazel won’t let us pay to use the space, we are going to work in the garden as a tradeoff. Between the six of us, we should have this place looking well on its way back to its former glory in a few weeks, don’t you think?”
“Huh.”
Penny barreled on, beginning to feel defensive. “Candy is putting together a website for the guesthouse, too, one that will allow people to make reservations online, instead of just by phone. Hazel doesn’t have one, can you believe it? She says the learning curve is too much for her to manage at her age, but she won’t have to manage it. One of us will do it for her. And once it’s up and running, the reservations should start picking up again. This place is charming and unique. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be full.”
There was a long pause, and then Ward said quietly, “Unless Hazel doesn’t want it full.”
Penny dropped her gaze to her glass where she drew circles in the condensation with her thumb. She’d thought about that, of course. But Hazel had told her she had guests coming in August.
“Don’t take me wrong, Penny. I think it’s a great idea.” But his voice was laced with censure. “If you’re sure she’d think so, too.”
She was as sure as she could be without coming right out and asking. In so many words, though, hadn’t she? Hazel just said she was feeling her age, not that she was making plans to retire. Or close the guesthouse. “I—we’re helping her get back on track, Ward. Just like you’re doing with your parents.” She sounded as defensive as she felt.
Ward cocked his head and frowned at her. “My parents asked me to come.”
“Did they? Because Hazel told me that she asked you to come. That your parents weren’t going to.” Yikes. That came out sounding way too much like a challenge. A line drawn in the sand. Weren’t they supposed to be on the same team now? Part of Penny wanted to spool the words back in, but another part of her wanted him to see her vision, to back her up on this, and she felt like he was taking her out at the knees, instead.
Ward visibly stiffened. “Really.” It wasn’t a question, but there was a whole lot of meaning in that single word.
“You tell me, Ward. Is that true? Or at least, is that the way you remember it?” She’d learned with her students how true the old ‘perception is 99% of the truth’ adage was.
“My parents were sick, though, Penny. My mom almost died. My dad needed help because he was too busy helping her. I don’t think you can compare the two scenarios.” He’d gone completely still as he spoke, and Penny felt a horrible sinking sensation in her stomach.
Or maybe that was the third piece of pizza; they were enormous slices.
But Ward was right. Her comparison wasn’t fair. She wasn’t Hazel’s daughter, or any kind of relative, for that matter. They’d become friends over the course of the summers she’d been coming, but technically, she was Hazel’s paying guest. A lodger.
“I’m sorry,” she said, almost too quietly to hear. “You’re right. It’s not the same. I was out of line.”
Ward didn’t speak for far too long, and Penny closed her eyes, letting her shoulders droop. But when she opened her mouth to say more, Ward finally said, “Look. I think you all are doing a good thing. You’re doing a good thing here, Penny. You’re trying to help. You are helping. I see how your presence alone has lifted Hazel’s spirits, just since you got here.”
“You don’t have to placate me, Ward,” she said, beginning to second-guess everything.
“I’m not placating you.” He paused, and when she kept her eyes down, he said. “I wish you would look at me. I want you to see that I mean what I’m saying.”
She glanced up at him, but she couldn’t hold his gaze. He continued, anyway.
“I believe you’re right about there being something else going on. She asked me to help shore things up around here. Not fix them. Shore them up. Those were her words.”
“She said the same thing to me the other day,” Penny acknowledged grudgingly. She hated the way this conversation was playing out. Loathed it. They’d been having so much fun, and now she felt like she was being chastised. It felt demoralizing; she could think of no better word, even though she also felt certain that was not Ward’s intent. In fact, he seemed to genuinely be looking out for the best interests of everyone involved. Including hers.
But could she bear having him tell her she was wrong? No one liked to be told such things, did they?
“She has always called Pete Johnson to help her with repairs in the past. J stuff she would have done herself in the past.” He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I walked in on her with a huge stack of bills.” Penny straightened, finding her nerve enough to speak. “Right there at the counter. She just shoved them all in a basket when I came in and acted like I hadn’t seen them.”
“I don’t know. I suppose it’s possible that she couldn’t afford Pete’s services this year, but like I said, she could have done all the things I’ve done with one hand tied behind her back. She didn’t need me to do them for her.” Ward’s brow furrowed in thought. Finally, he said, “What I’m saying, Penny, is that maybe the cosmetic stuff we’re doing is just that. On the surface. And that the problem, whatever it is, goes much deeper.”
“I asked her the other day if everything was alright. That was when she told me she wasn’t sick. She just seemed… I don’t know. Sad, I guess. Things are so different this summer, Ward.” After a beat, she added, “I’m worried about her. I may be going about this all wrong, but I can’t just sit around enjoying my vacation if there’s something wrong with our Hazel.”
“I agree.” Ward stretched his hand across the table. She hesitated only a moment, then put hers in it. With their palms pressed together, his fingers brushed against the tender inside of her wrist, and Penny’s pulse jumped. “Maybe talk to your friends about this again. There might be things that have come to the surface with the others, too, now that you all have had a few days to process through what you want to do for Hazel.”
“They’ll be here Wednesday morning. Do you think I should cancel? Or maybe we should meet at Juno’s again, instead.”
“I would still meet here. Let them all see what they’re up against,” he said with a half-laugh. “I’ll be here, too.”
“You will?” Penny’s heart skipped at the thought, partly because the thought of seeing him again made her heart do that, but also because she wasn’t sure how focused she could be if he was wandering around the property looking all manly in his tool belt.
“The roof repair was just a quick fix until I could get shingles to match what she’s got up there. They come in on Monday, but she called me this morning to tell me I’ll have to wait until Wednesday to put them up because of a scheduling conflict. Thankfully, we don’t have more rain on the forecast until the end of the week, so I was fine with that.”
Why had Hazel told her there’d be nothing going on around the place on Wednesday morning, then? Had she forgotten about their meeting when she spoke to Ward that morning?
He chuckled and squeezed her hand. “I can see the wheels turning in there. You’re thinking the same thing I am, aren’t you? Miss Hazel is making sure our paths don’t stop crossing, am I right?”
Penny shook her head. “She is so subtle.”
“Between her and my mother, it’s all over but the crying… Crying babies, that is.”
“Hush your mouth, Ward St. James. Hazel could walk in at any moment. I wouldn’t want to give her any ideas.”
“What ideas don’t you want to give me?” Hazel was home. And the dogs came tumbling after.