Summer
It’s late afternoon, and the scent of coffee fills the air as I swirl foam over a cappuccino. The bell above the door jingles, and Penny walks into Sugar & Spice, cheeks flushed from the cold.
“Hey, bestie!” she grins, shaking the snow from her coat before hanging it by the door. She plops down on one of the stools at the counter.
“Hey, Penny. How are you? More photoshoots today?” I ask, already reaching for her favorite mug.
“Nope. Took all my appointments this morning so I could sneak in a coffee break and spend the rest of the day editing.” She sighs, happy and relaxed, as I start her drink.
“I’m proud of you,” I tell her. “Building your photo studio from scratch? That’s amazing.”
“Look who’s talking,” she teases. “Miss I-own-the-best-coffee-shop-in-Fremont-County.”
I laugh, sliding a Christmas brownie toward her just as she leans in. “I talked to Dex this morning, and I have news for tonight…” she says, dragging it out.
“That sounds suspicious,” I say, setting her cappuccino in front of her.
Penny takes a sip, eyes sparkling. “Starting this Thursday, the Midnight Rodeo bar is hosting karaoke night. Once a month.”
My jaw drops. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope! Beer, fun, and karaoke. What could go wrong?”
“Penny, I’m going to need more than one beer before you hand me a microphone.”
“Please. I’d pay good money to hear you sing with Grace and me. Cas and I might even do a duet.”
“Grace is coming too?”
“Yep. She needs a girls’ night out as much as we do. And what better excuse than karaoke, beer, and fun Thursday?”
I groan. “We really need a better name than that.”
Penny shakes her head solemnly. “Absolutely not. That name was chosen the night Cas asked me out. It’s tradition now.”
“Fine,” I laugh. “Thursday karaoke, beer, and fun it is.”
“Well, just karaoke and fun for Grace,” she adds with a smirk. “Semantics.”
We both laugh until the noise settles into a comfortable quiet. Penny takes another sip, then glances up at me with that familiar look, the one that means she’s about to shift gears.
“Speaking of the Hawthornes…” she begins softly. “How’s life at the ranch?”
I smile, warmth blooming in my chest. “Mia loves it. She goes on horse rides with Grace after school, bakes cookies with Lily, and watches Tom & Jerry with Josh, who, by the way, pretends it’s for her but laughs louder than she does. She even convinced him to watch Frozen more than once.”
Penny chuckles. “You’re family now.”
Her voice softens. “And what about Ethan?”
I pause, my hands tightening around the dish towel. “What about him?”
“I think he really likes you, Summer.” Her tone is careful, gentle. “You should see the way he looks at you. The second he walks into a room, you’re the first person his eyes find.”
I shake my head quickly. “Penny, no. I’m not looking for a boyfriend. You know that. And anyway, a man like Ethan has nothing to do with a woman like me. Have you seen the women who chase him around town? They could be models. I’m not… that.”
Penny’s expression hardens with frustration. “You know when people ask what superpower you’d want if you could pick one?”
“Yeah?”
“I’d choose the ability to make you see what I see when I look at you.”
I blink, stunned, as she leans forward, eyes fierce.
“You’re a gorgeous woman, Summer. Your family and your idiot ex messed with your mind, but when I look at you?
I see a tall, stunning woman with curves other women would pay to have.
You have a smile that lights up a room, eyes that turn heads even when you don’t notice, and one of the kindest hearts I’ve ever known.
I see someone who rebuilt herself out of nothing and wasn’t afraid to chase her dreams and fight to give Mia the world. ”
Her words hit something deep, fragile. My throat burns as I fight the tears threatening to fall. Part of me warms at her kindness… but another part, small, tired, wonders if she’s just saying it to make me feel better.
“Don’t let your family or Kevin ruin the chance for you to have a good man at your side,” Penny says softly.
“It’s not that I don’t like him,” I admit quietly.
“He’s gorgeous. And on top of that, he has a heart of gold.
But I can’t start over, Penny. I don’t want to.
I don’t know if I could handle another man rejecting me or trapping me in something loveless again.
” A tear slips down my cheek before I can stop it.
“I promised myself I’d never give that power to another man after Kevin.
And as much as I admire Ethan, I just… can’t. ”
Penny walks around the counter and pulls me into a hug. “Oh, Summer. I just want you to be happy. I made the same promise when I left Mark. But look at me now, Cas makes me so happy, and I want you to have that too.”
“I get it,” I whisper. “But I want to find that happiness by myself first. I have friends, I have Mia, I have this shop. I am happy. Please let it go.”
Penny searches my face, then nods. “Okay. I promise I won’t butt in anymore.”
She grabs her purse and heads for the door, pausing long enough to give me a mischievous grin. “See you tonight for karaoke, beer, and fun?”
I laugh. “Sure. Need me to pick you up?”
“Oh no, Cas promised to be our driver so that we can let our hair down.” She smiles.
“Perfect.”
“See you later, bestie!” She waves as the bell jingles behind her, leaving the faint smell of caramel and Christmas in her wake.
I watch her go, the shop quiet again. The cappuccino machine hisses softly, and for a moment, I stare out at the people walking by beyond the window, thinking about Ethan’s smile, and the promise I made to never need anyone again.
But a tiny, traitorous part of me whispers that maybe… wanting someone isn’t the same as needing them.