Chapter 11
ELEVEN
Asher
After the weekend together, things went back to normal, as we agreed. We continued texting throughout the day and then spent our evenings sending each other memes and reels. Though with every interaction, there’s a question lingering in the back of my mind.
I had hoped to talk to her on the two-hour drive up to her parent’s house in Arbor Ridge, but Penny spent the entire trip talking to her best friend Shae, whose connecting flight was cancelled for the night because of the winter weather.
Now we’re standing outside her childhood home, which looks like something you’d find on a Christmas card.
The house is a two-story white and gray colonial decorated with icy blue string lights and bright green wreath hanging on the large dark wood door.
This is how I always imagined Christmas — the way it looked on TV and in movies with freshly fallen snow on the ground, not like it is in downtown Madison where the buildings are so tightly packed together, we’re lucky if it sticks outside of Harrington Park.
“Are you ready?” I nod toward the house.
She lets out a breath, “As I’ll ever be.”
I wheel our luggage closer then knock on the front door. Penny quickly grabs my hand, lacing our fingers together and giving it a tight squeeze. I give her one back. The act grounds me more than I thought it would.
“I’ll be right there,” a familiar voice calls out.
After a few minutes, Penny’s mother opens the door, smiling.
“Oh, it’s Penny and Asher,” she announces over her shoulder before ushering us inside.
“Come in, you two. Come in. She’s practically a mirror image of her daughter, short with the same green eyes and strawberry blonde hair, though hers streaked with gray.
The moment I step inside, a cacophony of scents hits my senses: the fresh pine of the large 7-foot Christmas tree in the corner, the crackling fireplace and whatever delicious meal is being prepared in the kitchen.
“Hi, Mom,” Penny says, giving her mother a hug.
“And Asher, it’s so nice to meet you in person.” Her mom pulls away, offering me her hand.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Woodhouse.”
“Oh, call me Heather.” She waves me off and then looks between us. “How was the drive up? We’re still waiting for Penny’s younger sister, Marigold, and her husband. They said the traffic outside of Madison was terrible.”
Penny gives me a look, and I smile.
We finish the awkward exchange, then Heather calls Violet’s boys, Micah and Riley, instructing them to take our bags up to Penny’s old room. She then leads us back to the dining room so I can meet the rest of the family.
“Oh, Hazel.” Penny slides her arm around my middle, “This is Asher. Asher, my twin Hazel, and their partner, Alice.”
Hazel practically jumps up to meet me, extending their hand for a firm handshake. Their partner, Alice, gives me a little wave from where she sits at the table then watches Hazel with what I can only describe as admiration.
“It is nice to meet you both.” I say offering them my hand.
Hazel gives it a firm shake, “I have heard so much about you.”
“Good things, I hope.” I say, placing my palm at the small of Penny’s back.
“Great things.” Penny responds, her voice shakes. She gives me a reassuring smile before shooting her twin a look I can’t quite decipher.
“I hear you own a tabletop store downtown?” Hazel says.
“Yeah, Dragon’s Lair. We sell competitive trading card games, tabletop RPG manuals and the mini figures for turn-based combat games.
” It’s been a long while since I’ve had to explain what I do for a living, most people gloss over the entire fact and mention how hard it is to own a business in this economy.
“Penny mentioned she had a lot of fun playing that one game,” Hazel snaps as they’re trying to recall the name, “Dungeon—something. I think it’d be really fun for us to have some sort of family game night at one of these things.”
Their gentle interrogation is cut dramatically short when Marigold and her husband arrive. The subject shifts to her story of the drive up and how everyone is excited it’s going to snow the entire holiday.
Penny’s quieter than the rest of her siblings, a stark contrast to when she was playing games with my friends. She seems on edge, her posture reminding me of the day the rogue terrier chased her into Harrington Park.
“Hey,” I mutter under my breath, touching her thigh. “Could you help me get the other bags from the car?”
“Oh,” she shakes her head, “of course.”
We walk outside, the hours-old snow crunching under my boots as I make my way down the path. The thick cloud cover renders the sunless sky a dull shade of gray, the only pop of color coming from the sparse cropping of trees at the edge of the property.
“I thought we brought in all the bags.” Penny wraps her arms around her middle to shield herself from the cold.
“We did. It looked like you could use a break,” I shrug off my jacket and hold it out to her. She eyes me then reluctantly slides her arms into the sleeves and lifts the collar until it brushes against her cheeks.
“Are you sure you’re not the one who needed the break?” she asks.
I shrug, “It’s different from my family, but not a bad different.”
“What was your Christmas like growing up in the city?”
“Nothing like this. We’d get a fake tree and spend Christmas Eve decorating cookies. By the time I was a teenager, the whole holiday had lost its magic. Maybe it would have lasted longer if we had snow.” I toe the ground with my boot.
My phone vibrates in my back pocket. I fish it out and there’s a text from Elsie with a photo of Mango resting on a throw blanket with her two cats, Bagel and Cream Cheese, with the caption, “In his element.”
“Who is it?” Penny asks, taking a step closer.
“I got a Mango update.” I say, showing her the photo. “He’s already enjoying his vacation.”
Elsie offered to take him for the weekend as soon as I mentioned it, since her partner is a vet tech. It’s not the first time they’ve watched him, usually on much shorter notice than this. It’s a comfort knowing he’s being looked after and is somewhere where he feels safe.
Penny smiles up at me, “He looks so cute.”
The scent of her wildflower perfume hits me, the same scent has clung to my pillow for a little under a week. A reminder of the weekend together, the way she felt under me, the way she tasted and the way those fleeting moments made my townhouse feel alive again.
Her eyes flit to my lips, and she shivers, a stray snowflake clinging to her eyelashes. Within seconds they’re swirling around us, caught in the ghost of a winter breeze which almost burns my cheeks.
“You’re freezing.” I mutter under my breath, rubbing her shoulders through the jacket, “C’mon, we should get back inside.”
I’m not halfway up the path when a shock of cold hits me between the shoulder blades with a thud.
As I turn, Penny is already molding another snowball in her hand, eyes wild with the mischief mirrored in her playful smile.
“Did you just throw a snowball at me?” I ask, unable to hide the amusement in my voice.
She shrugs, “I’m sharing a little of my Christmas magic.”
Before I can react, she lobs another one at me, hitting me square in the shoulder. “When you said you played softball, I didn’t realize you meant pro.” I double over and grab a handful of snow, but I’m immediately hit with another.
“Both middle school and high school. Gave it up senior year.” She smiles and pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, readying another snowball.
I fling the half-formed clump of snow at her, and she laughs, then jumps out of the way with a squeal. She bounds across the yard, tossing her last snowball at me.
The sight mixed with her excitement stirs something primal inside of me, the scent of wildflowers still fresh on my senses.
I grab a handful of snow and take off after her, gaining quickly.
My arm slides around her waist, pulling her flat to my chest until her feet are kicking in the air, the sound of her laughter infectious.
“Put me down,” she squirms and arches into my embrace, her hands clinging to my forearms like a vice.
I toss the snowball aside and drop to my knees, wrestling her wiggling form to the ground.
Penny rolls onto her back, smiling as the fresh snowflakes cling everywhere—her hair, her cheeks, her eyelashes. She stares up at me, the smile slowly fading as she catches her breath; a familiar look of peace taking its place.
Her eyes flutter closed as I brush her hair away from her face and tuck it behind her ear. She is gorgeous. She resembles a winter goddess resting in the snow with the subtle rise and fall of her chest.
I fight against my instinct to kiss her, knowing it could easily turn into more. This was a line we agreed wouldn’t cross, not unless there’s an audience, but I want to.
I want nothing more than to tell her exactly what these few weeks have meant to me. I want to take her lack of an exit strategy as a signal she doesn’t want this to end either.
“Thank you,” I mutter.
Penny opens her eyes, the green brighter against the backdrop of the snow. “What for?”
“For all of this.”
Her brows furrow as eyes search my face, her cheeks pink from the cold. I can’t ignore the deep ache in my chest when I stare into her eyes. I am falling in love with her. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her. Now, I need to figure out the right time to tell her.
It’s a good thing I have a plan.