Chapter Twenty One
PENNY
After cleaning up in the bathroom, I was surprisingly awake. I looked out the corner of my eye at Spencer. He seemed energetic too.
"What's going through your mind, beautiful?" he asked.
"I have a lot of energy and was wondering if you do too."
He cocked his head toward me, raising both eyebrows. "Why? Do you have any suggestions?" he asked.
"No sexy suggestions. No. We can leave that for later tonight."
"Honestly, I'm not sure how much sleep you'll get if you stay here. Ben was getting up every few hours last night."
I sucked in a breath, putting both palms on my stomach. It bottomed out. Did he want me to leave? My heart ached.
"Oh, I mean, I can go home obviously. Maybe I should do that." I looked around the floor for my clothes before remembering they were in his office.
"What's wrong?" he asked, grabbing both my hands and tucking two fingers under my chin.
“You probably have stuff to do," I said quickly, stumbling over my own words.
"Why are you suddenly so nervous?"
"Because I don't want to impose."
"You're not imposing.”
I took in a deep breath, finally feeling like my heart slid back in place. "You’re sure?"
"Yes."
"But you said, 'if I want to stay here.'"
"I meant what I said. I'm not sure how much sleep you'll get. That was all.”
“But last time I was here, he slept through.”
The corners of his mouth twitched. “No, he didn’t. But I went to him before he woke you up.”
“Wow. I didn’t realize.”
“Even so, that was a good night. But some aren’t. And I don't want you to be sleep-deprived because of me."
I pushed a strand of hair behind my ear, trying to gauge if he really meant it. "I don't mind," I said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah." I wanted to be close to him, to both of them. Part of me worried this was going too fast. I still wasn’t healed from everything that went down with Wally. But things were shifting for me. I was looking forward to the future more than I feared it.
"Okay."
I yawned and then put a hand on my belly. “I'm a bit hungry.”
He grinned down at me. "Then let's get wild. See what I have for you down in the kitchen."
“I want to get dressed first.”
He’d put on fresh clothes, but I only had my crumpled white dress. I put it on, trying to smooth out the lines, but it wasn’t much use.
We descended the stairs together, and once in the kitchen, he opened the fridge.
"I have everything for chicken stir-fry, if you want."
"Sure. Why not? We can cook together. I will need precise directions. I've never cooked a stir-fry before."
He leaned over, pressing the tip of his nose into my cheek. "Works for me. I'm good at giving instructions, and you are excellent at following them."
I sucked in a breath. Well, well! He was determined to keep me on my toes, wasn't he? We started to work side by side. I liked the ease between us. We had a flow going.
"When are they returning from the walk?"
He looked at the fridge, which was when I realized he'd printed the baby's schedule. My God, this was adorable.
"This is… I didn't know people did this," I said.
"I made a color-coded spreadsheet because it’s easier for both me and Agatha to keep track. They should be back soon."
Once everything was in the pan, I felt my phone vibrate.
I had a message from Taylor.
Taylor: Date still ongoing?
Penny: YES! And it’s amazing.
Taylor: Good for you. I’m almost done filming in this hotel. Want to catch up later?
Penny: Sure.
While everything simmered in the pan, Spencer started the rice cooker. I was eyeing it with appreciation. I always managed to either burn the rice or make it watery. Looked like I needed to invest in one of those automated cookers.
He took out his phone, saying, "Let me just check one step in the recipe because I can't remember if…" He groaned.
"What? Did we do something wrong?" I was already pretty hungry.
"No, it's from Naomi."
My stomach sank. My shoulders dropped.
"She's asking if she can drop by to see Ben. She can’t make it on her usual day."
"It's fine by me," I replied even though he hadn't asked.
"Are you sure? I was planning on making this an evening for us."
"We can do that another time. I should go…"
Spencer set his jaw. “I’d like you to meet her.”
“What?” I was stunned.
“I spoke to her about you.”
“You told Naomi about me?” I asked, speaking slowly. I couldn’t wrap my mind around his words.
“Yes. We didn’t have a big talk or anything, but I mentioned you.”
Surely that was a huge deal, right? It felt like that.
“You’re part of my life and Ben’s,” he went on. “I know we only agreed on a fling, but this feels more important.”
“For me too.” I smiled from ear to ear. This was a monumental shift, and I was bursting with happiness. This was amazing. There was no fear and no unease. I was simply basking in the moment.
"It's time you met Naomi too. I'm sorry to spring this on you."
"Really, I don't mind," I said, but on the inside, I was stressing out. “When is she coming?”
“One hour.”
“Okay.”
Ten minutes later, the rice was ready. I was going through the motions. My mind was on Naomi. Why was I so nervous?
Agatha returned with Ben just as we finished eating, telling him she decided to stay outside longer because the weather was so gorgeous. She gave Spencer a rundown of the day. Once she left, I cuddled Ben. He snuggled his forehead against my clavicle, making cute baby noises.
"When is Naomi arriving?" I asked.
"Twenty minutes, give or take."
The doorbell rang seven minutes later. I tried to calm down as Spencer went to open the door. He was carrying Ben now.
"Parking here is getting worse every time, I swear. And what’s that god-awful Ford still doing there? Your neighbor is allowing their staff to park in front of the house? It’s ruining the aesthetic of the neighborhood.” She stopped, glancing at me. “Are you the new nanny?”
“No. Naomi, this is Penny.”
“Oh!” Her expression immediately changed.
She softened her brow, glancing up and down at me.
Clearly, she wasn’t impressed. I tried to view myself from her point of view.
My dress was crumpled, and the tip of my nose was red from the sun.
She looked extremely fashionable in a dark green wraparound dress and high heels.
Her blonde hair was styled in waves and clipped on the right side. She looked like a fashion model.
“Hi, Naomi! That’s my car, by the way.” My tone was belligerent, but I couldn’t keep it even.
She flushed. "Oh, are you one of those types who wants to save the planet and buys age-old cars? Because let me tell you, the new ones are much more comfortable and eco-friendly."
I instantly disliked her, but I tried to cover it with a smile. I didn't have to like her. I just had to get along with her.
"I'm simply house-sitting for Spencer's neighbor, and the car is what I can afford at the moment."
She glanced from me to Spencer. “Wait, so you’re not actually his neighbor?”
“Naomi!” Spencer said in a warning tone.
She cleared her throat. “Can I hold the little one?”
She glanced around the kitchen and then at Spencer. "And you two were having a date of sorts?"
"Yes," Spencer said, handing Ben over to her. She put her hand under his head and then clumsily brought him to her chest.
"Oh look, I think he knows who I am," she said. "I kept thinking he might forget about me."
"You're his mother," Spencer replied. "He won’t."
"Right," I said, "I'll just clean up in the kitchen."
"No, I'll do it later," Spencer insisted, pinning me with his gaze, and I was rooted in my spot. I felt out of place here with them.
"Are you hungry?" I asked Naomi. What else could I do? "There's still some leftover chicken stir-fry."
"Spencer cooked, I’m guessing. He likes to show off with that."
I swallowed hard. I didn't like this. Was this her attempt to inform me of their connection? Make chitchat or rub it in my face that she'd had Spencer first? At any rate, I felt even more uncomfortable than before.
"Listen, Spencer, I wanted to run something by you. Um…" she began.
"I'm listening." His voice was even tenser than before.
Naomi looked at me. "Can you leave us alone for a bit?"
"Yes. Of course.”
"You can say whatever you need to in front of Penny," Spencer said.
"No, really, I think it is best for me to go. I'll be next door, okay? Just let me know when you’re free."
My legs felt a bit shaky as I headed to the door.
Spencer didn't try to stop me again. It was a bit chilly, so I ran over to Taylor's.
I was too jittery to call her. The animals were happy to see me.
I took Becky out for a walk, then began the evening feeding routine, cleaning up litter boxes all the while wondering how the conversation was going.
SPENCER
"What the hell?" I asked her the second we were alone. "I told her you could say anything in front of her."
Naomi shrugged, tugging at her own hair. "You might feel comfortable talking in front of her, but I didn't. After all, I just met her."
"Fine. Then spit it out," I said.
She lowered Ben back into his crib.
"I'm having a bit of a hard time. I don't have as many gigs as before. I have to travel more for them. Remember I wanted to buy him one of those Gucci onesies that all my friends’ kids have? Would it be terrible if I asked you to pay for it?”
“I’ll buy my son anything he needs, but that seems like a waste.”
“He’d look cute in pictures. My followers on Instagram would love it.”
Her priorities amazed me.
“I already ordered it, and it’s custom-made. It should be delivered any day now.”
“I’ll pick up the tab.”
“Thanks. I’m trying to curb my spending. I even canceled my last hair appointment.”
I frowned. Naomi never respected money. She spent it like it was endless. She wasn’t telling me the whole truth.
"How about your guy? Why isn't he helping out?"
She looked at her feet. "Gregory broke up with me."
"I'm sorry," I said.
"Really? You won't say anything like karma bit me back?"
“I don't want bad things to happen to you," I told her honestly. "You're Ben's mom."
"Anyway, I've got the next two gigs lined up. After that, it's all dried up for a bit."