Chapter Twenty One #2
"If you have more time, you can come around and spend it with Ben."
She shook her head. "No, that's not going to help me get out of this slump. I have to go out and fight for gigs. Besides, you seem to have it all under control. Sooo… that was Penny, huh?"
"I don't like your tone.”
"I'm sorry! She just has no sense of style and is seven levels beneath you, driving a Ford."
"That's rich, coming from someone who just said she’s in financial difficulties."
"That's different," she said nonchalantly. "We both come from money. Mine's just dried up. Anyway, I would never have stepped out of the house like that."
"Don't you dare trash-talk Penny."
She was the most amazing person I’d met, and seeing the difference between these two women was a true eye-opener. I had no idea what I ever saw in Naomi, and I was starting to regret that she was Ben’s mom… Why couldn’t it have been Penny?
"I was only going to mention the obvious. You and Penny are from very distinct worlds. I don't see how that's going to work."
"You and I aren't from distinct worlds, and look how that turned out," I said coldly.
"Yes, well, I've made a lot of mistakes in my life," she said, and then glanced straight at me. "This was one of them. I shouldn't have left. I'm sorry about that. I don't think I ever said the words out loud."
"I appreciate you saying them now," I replied.
I would have preferred to hear them months ago, but it was better late than never.
Then again, I only regretted the fact that she'd left and I hadn’t been part of the pregnancy experience.
But Naomi and I would never have worked out long-term.
We were two different people. Our values were different.
After she left, I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. I was never in a good mood after Naomi’s visits. I usually liked to head out, or if that wasn't possible, then hop on the treadmill and work out. But right now, all I wanted was Penny back, so I texted her.
Spencer: She's gone. Want to join me for a glass of wine?
Penny: Sure.
I let out a huge breath of relief. A few minutes later, I heard a light knock at the front door. I opened it for her.
"I thought it best if I didn't ring a bell in case Ben is napping."
"He is." I loved that she was so thoughtful.
"How did it go?" she asked.
I frowned. "She said that work's slowed down and she doesn't get as many gigs as before."
"What does she do?"
"She's a photographer. Anyway, she asked me to pay for some clothes she ordered for Ben. I don’t mind.
Then I asked if she'd visit Ben more because she hinted that she doesn't have as much to do after those gigs end.
She said I'm doing such a great job that it wouldn't make sense.
" My head was pounding. I felt like a vein was about to burst. I couldn’t believe how little she cared about Ben.
"I'm sorry," she said.
“It is what it is.”
Ben woke up, and I took him in my arms at once.
He immediately moved his head toward my neck, and I secured him in his favorite spot. I held him close to me. His mother might not want to spend time with him, but I’d be here for him no matter what, forever. I’d give him everything he wanted and needed.
"Can I hold him?" Penny asked.
"Sure." Parting with Ben was always difficult for me, but for some reason, not when Penny wanted to hold him. I liked seeing them together. He immediately moved his head, and I knew what he was searching for. I tapped a point at the side of her neck and said, "Put him here. He'll love it."
She readjusted him, and he let out a cute sigh, resting his nose there. "Oh my god, this is truly, truly adorable."
"You both are," I said.
I went over to the wine fridge. It was mostly for Ben’s sake that I was disappointed. I couldn’t care less if I ever saw Naomi again. But our son needed that relationship and should have it. I knew what it was like growing up with a parent who didn’t want to be around you.
But seeing how affectionate Penny was with him meant the world to me.
"Do you want red or white wine? I forgot to take out a bottle earlier."
"White."
I grabbed a bottle from the wine fridge and poured two glasses.
"I can feel you slipping into your grumpy self," she said.
"What?"
“When I first met you at the store, I kind of thought you might be a grump, and now I can see those frown lines deepening."
She came to me, touching my cheek. I so needed that.
"I don't understand why she doesn't want to be more involved. My own mom didn't have a choice. She couldn't stick around—she was sick."
"Oh my God," she murmured. "I never thought about it like that."
"I know it's not the same thing. I just need to get it out of my head."
She put one hand at the side of my neck. "What do you need? Tell me."
I put one hand over hers, setting down my glass. "You. Just you."
She came closer, rising up on her toes and feathering her lips down my neck. "I'm all yours, Spencer. All yours."
Being here with Penny and Ben was everything I needed. After the way things ended with Naomi, I never thought I’d trust anyone. But this was more than trust. I cared about Penny on a level I'd never done about anyone before.
"Is your offer of spending the night here still on?”
She smiled up at me. “Oh yeah.”
The next morning, I woke up to an email from Joe with excellent news. He had tracked down the writers behind The Digital Owl. It turned out to be three young writers: Juliet, Diego, and Jenna.
I set up a call for you with them at ten o'clock.
Joe
That still left me four hours. I’d woken up because Ben was fussing around. He went right back to sleep after I gave him his bottle. I walked from his room straight to the master bedroom to get some clothes.
Penny was still asleep. I couldn't help myself and leaned over, kissing her neck.
She shifted on the mattress. "Mm-hmm? It's morning already?"
"Yeah, but you can go back to sleep. I've got a call at ten, and I want to prep for it.”
“What time is it?”
“Six.”
"Okay, bye," she mumbled, making me chuckle.
After dressing, I checked on Ben. He was still asleep. Next, I went into my office.
Joe had sent me info about the writers. They called themselves investigative journalists. I managed to read a few of their pieces until ten o’clock when the call started via Zoom.
"Hi, Mr. Whitley," Diego said.
"We're big fans," Juliet added.
"Glad to hear that,” I replied.
Jenna nodded. "We always read the articles of the competition."
I laughed. "I do the same."
"And despite being a huge conglomerate, your team produces excellent content."
"Look, I will be honest with you three. The reason I wanted to set up this call is that I need to add more writers to my team to do the type of writing you do. Smart, in-depth, well researched. We have a biography section that’s been neglected lately. I’d love to have you on our team.”
"Oh, we love writing biographies," Jenna said.
"I know, I saw a few on your website, and you have interesting angles."
Juliet cleared her throat. "But we're not looking to work for someone else."
"We're happy running our own company," Diego said.
"Tell me more about your plans for the company. Maybe we could collaborate?"
"Well, we do want to expand," Diego said. "We just don't have the funds right now.”
This was exactly what I was hoping to hear.
I rolled my shoulders, looking at each of them before saying, "Then I have a proposition for you. As you know, Whitley Publishing has many brands under its umbrella. We have fifteen publications."
"Yes, we know that," Jenna said.
"What if The Digital Owl becomes one of them? You'd still work for yourselves, but you’d have my money to expand with."
Diego jerked his head back. Juliet blinked rapidly. Jenna seemed stunned.
"Oh wow, we could’ve used some warning," Juliet said. "We weren't expecting this. It’s a lot to spring on us."
"Can we think about it?" Diego asked.
"Sure, take all the time you need." I was certain that after the shock wore off, they’d start to be skeptical. The deal probably sounded too good to be true, but I was going to win them over.