Chapter 14
Date? George asked, sitting on the top of her toilet, and watching her freshen up her makeup. He’d dashed into her apartment when Maggie brought over the trays of bars she’d baked for Lucas’s last-minute offensive line meeting he’d called for that evening. Maggie had planned on delivering them herself, but a barista at Brewster’s was a no-show and she had to work. Maggie didn’t say why Lucas had called the meeting and Penny hadn’t asked her. Her wounded pride hadn’t let her. If there were problems, Bash should have shared them with her, especially if he was the cause. She couldn’t coach and support him if she didn’t know there was a problem.
No. Just dropping the bars off at Cal’s house.
George cocked his head as she brushed out her hair. Cal won’t care about the skinny jeans or the additional button you undid. And I know he won’t care about that stuff you sprayed on your neck that smells like unwanted fruit. Penny rolled her eyes at his description of her citrus-based perfume. It was light and uplifting, not that her mood could be improved. She couldn’t wait to tell Bash her good news. Tuna juice would be better.
Penny wrinkled her nose. We’ll have to agree to disagree on that. She grabbed her eye liner for some smoky shadowing. She could deliver bars and leave Bash hungry for more.
The man was a puzzling irritation. She still couldn’t read his moods like she could everyone else, but she was understanding him and could pick up on his cues. When his dark brows drew together, he was concerned, and when his nostrils flared, she knew he was mentally counting to ten. The corners of his lips ticked up when he was amused, but only the right-side lifted when a compliment embarrassed him. He rubbed his thumb against his index finger when he was nervous. His eyes dilated when she stepped close to him. But her favorite was the low growl he made when they stopped kissing.
She stepped back and studied her reflection. What do you think, George? Will I pass muster?
You don’t usually care.
I always care.
You dress to please yourself. You don’t care what the other person thinks.
That’s because I can’t control their thoughts or reactions. Only mine,Penny said.
How Zen of you.He laughed, an unnatural sound and the opposite of the rainbow-colored, glitter-filled laughter of dogs.
Thank you.
But you care about what Bash thinks,George said.
She shrugged. He’s a good kisser.
You like him,George said, narrowing his good eye at her.
Maybe I do. Which is why it’s a good thing to have an expiration date on whatever it is we’re doing.
But there isn’t an expiration date. He’ll be gone five or six months after the season ends and then he’ll be back.
George’s words bounced around her head as she drove. She hadn’t dated—and whatever they were doing was dating since they’d promised exclusivity—without an expiration date since she’d been a senior in high school. Penny groaned as she parked in front of the house and laid her head on the steering wheel.
She was in uncharted waters. Dating a man without an expiration date. A complex man who was a pain in the butt and threatened her gifts, but one who intrigued and challenged her. One who was more interesting than a book.
For the first time, Penny wanted to see where things went. She had more in common with Bash than she thought she would. For a man who didn’t read and thought New York City was the best place on earth—she agreed, but she’d never admit it—they had a lot in common. They had the same sense of humor and they both preferred being outdoors than in. They preferred dogs over cats, and he’d walked dogs with her at the rescue center. She couldn’t discuss books with him, but she had other people she could do that with. Penny didn’t expect him to fill all her needs. Maybe a relationship with Bash wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to her.
The knock on the windshield startled her. Bash stood there in the fading light with his eyebrows drawn together. He opened her door. “What’s wrong?”
“What makes you think anything is wrong?” Penny slid out of the car and walked to the trunk.
“Because you sat in the car for several minutes with your head on the wheel,” he said.
“Gathering my thoughts.” She slapped on a smile as she opened the trunk, hoping he’d change topics.
“Your thoughts are always gathered. Probably alphabetically ordered, too,” he grumbled as she handed him a tray. Penny liked the compliment.
“And yours are in order of importance.” She shut the trunk and genuinely smiled at him. “Hi.”
“I really want to kiss you right now.”
Penny fully supported that thought, but she didn’t want Cal to see it. “Most people respond with hi or hello.”
“Hi,” he deadpanned.
“And I really want to kiss you, too,” she said.
The corners of his mouth twitched. They carried the trays into the kitchen, where Lucas reigned over the chaos. The table was covered with trays of deli meats and cheeses, sliced tomatoes, lettuce and onions, assorted buns, chips, dips, hummus, and several large deli salads. “I thought you were doing soup?” Penny asked, looking at the pile of food and wondering where to put the bars.
“Change of plans. This is easier,” Lucas said, taking the tray from her. “Guys can load up on food and either eat in the living room or around the fire pit outside.”
“And you’ll have leftovers,” Penny said before the men burst out laughing.
“Maggie didn’t make the frosted ones?” Cal frowned as he inspected the trays.
“She didn’t have time. Maybe next time she’ll get more warning.” She glared at Lucas, pleased to see guilt surrounding him. She couldn’t dive into Cal, but she knew her baby brother’s moods, and he was a mixture of happy and nervous. Penny knew he enjoyed playing, but as a rookie, he was still finding his place with his teammates. She turned to Bash and got nothing. Blank. Empty. A vast well of nothingness. Just like your skills.
Penny looked away from him. Being with him would be easier if she wasn’t a witch, but if she wasn’t a witch, she wouldn’t have given Bash the time of day. She needed to push through this challenge.
Chairs surrounded the fire pit. Someone, probably Cal, had built a Jenga-style pile of logs and some twigs glowed inside them. Penny moved closer to the window and stared at the embers, willing them to grow. And they did. She added a touch of wind swirling out from the house to the backyard. It was enough for the flames to breathe but not jump. Penny might not fully have her gifts, but she would. She would stick with Bash and make a breakthrough.
“Do you want a sandwich to take with you?” Bash asked, surprising everyone.
“No thank you, but I won’t say no to one of Maggie’s blondies.”
He grabbed one with a napkin and handed it to her.
“I’ll walk you out.” She gave Cal a quick hug as she passed and wished Lucas good luck with the meeting. “Your fire’s roaring,” Bash said to Cal, and she followed his line of sight to the fire pit.
Cal shook his head as he walked to the sliding patio door, saying, “Yeah, I’ve got a magical touch with fires.” He looked at Penny in disbelief. She hadn’t pulled a stunt like this in ages. But she didn’t regret it. His pathetic fire needed help, and she needed to prove herself to herself.
He opened the door for her and inhaled as she brushed past. The scent reminded him of the fruit trees blooming on a small Greek island he’d visited. She smelled of sunshine, lemon, and a hint of warm earth. Bash pulled her to the side of the garage away from the house, loosening the bulb in the light as they passed. He needed a little one-on-one time with Penny without being watched, and he wanted to know what had caused her to look so forlorn in the car.
She seemed anxious instead of her usual calm, and it fueled his anxiety. Bash had enough worries of his own about tonight’s meeting; he didn’t need to be distracted by hers. He’d get her issue out of the way and then they could deal with his bigger ones.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, but I’m feeling a little naughty sneaking behind the garage with you.” He didn’t believe her, but naughty was more tempting than interrogating her.
He slowly dragged her arms overhead. Her breath hitched. He nuzzled the side of her neck. “You’re practically vibrating with energy.”
“Mmm, I am when you do that.” Bash leaned his forehead on hers and growled her name in warning. He’d rather kiss her than talk, but kissing wouldn’t get him through the meeting. “I got a letter today.”
“And?”
“Gloria Sebastian is coming to Get Lost for a book signing next month. Two weeks before Christmas. It’s the sales boost we need.” Penny’s voice was at a tween-squeal decibel by the time she finished. His ears rang, but it was worth it to bring this happiness and relief to her.
She and Elspeth were worried about the store. Like most retailers, the time between Halloween and Christmas was make or break time. They lost money throughout the year, and they counted on holiday sales to make up for the loss and add some extra padding moving into the new year. Bash had been there enough nights at closing to know Get Lost wasn’t different. He’d hated seeing the worried look on her face, which was why he’d called his mother last week and dangled the ultimate bribe in front of her.
They’d turned down his initial offer to visit. His father would to be in Europe, and his mother hated traveling without him. Bash didn’t care. He needed her at Get Lost sitting at a table with a smile slapped on her face and a pen in her hand. “Mom, it would mean a lot if you came. You don’t need to stay long. Consider it a strategic strike.”
“Sebastian, you know I hate strange places and I’m behind on my draft.”
“I’d be there so it wouldn’t be so strange, and you’re always behind, but you always pull it off,” he’d said.
“I’m more stuck than behind. It’s hard to catch up when you don’t know where you’re going.”
“Maybe a change of scenery is what you need to get the ideas flowing again?”
“Maybe,” she hadn’t sounded convinced, and Bash scrambled.
“What if you do the book signing, then go to San Francisco for the game and take in Alcatraz, which should give you lots of ideas, and then borrow the Duchene’s house in Napa? I bet a change of scenery with no interruptions would help.”
“Maybe,” she said, this time sounding more convinced, but still on the fence. He’d thrown a verbal Holy Mary pass, but she still hadn’t committed. Bash dug deep. He needed to win this for Penny.
“And I’d like you to meet someone.” As soon as he’d dangled that carrot in front of his mother, she was packing her bags.
And now he basked in Penny’s dancing eyes and sparkling smile. He wanted to join in, but he needed to play it cool. And he didn’t want to dig himself a bigger hole. There’d be hell to pay when Penny learned his real name. “Hey, that’s great news.”
“It is. And totally out of the blue. I mean, they’d sent me that lovely rejection letter. I wonder what changed their mind.” Her smile faded as she bit her lower lip.
“Don’t overthink it. Consider it a gift.” His free hand traveled down her arm and wrapped around her back as she arched into him. “I hate all these cold weather layers,” he mumbled as his hand burrowed under her jacket, sweater, and shirt. “I miss the tight T-shirt and shorts you wore hiking.”
“Liked those, did you?” she asked, kissing the underside of his jaw while his hand snaked around her rib cage.
“I could barely form words.” Bash grazed the side of her breast and captured her mouth, as his mind went blank and slipped into bliss, forgetting all his problems and concerns.