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Penny
Penny made it out to her van without her feet actually touching the floor. At least, that was what it felt like.
The man knew how to kiss!
Like the thunderstorm he was, the kiss had been sudden, near violent in its intensity, and had left her breathless.
Exactly why he had kissed her, well, she hadn’t quite figured that out. Proving a point maybe? It didn’t matter because wow. It was just like in those romance novels. For those few moments, everything else had ceased to exist.
As for what had happened afterward, she wouldn’t think about the regret she had seen in his eyes.
“Mom,” she called out when she got back to the flower shop. “Did you invite Lenny Petraski for dinner tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“He stopped in earlier. One thing led to another, and the next thing I knew, I was inviting him for dinner.”
Lenny had just happened to stop by the floral shop today? Penny found that hard to believe. The timing seemed suspicious.
“Why did he stop in?”
“He said he wanted to check in and make sure everything was okay.”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Penny asked, though she had a pretty good idea.
Addie shrugged. “Who knows why men do what they do? My guess is, he realizes he has some competition now and figures he has to do something. It’s not a bad thing.”
Penny rolled her eyes. “It’s not like that.”
“Hmm,” her mother hummed, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but she did have a knack for seeing things clearly. Perhaps too clearly. “So, how did today go? Did you see Sam?”
Penny gave her a rundown of the day’s events. The only thing she left out was the kiss, for obvious reasons.
And really, what was there to say about that? Penny’s entire world had shifted, but nothing else had changed.
“I suppose it’s up to Jaxson and Sam now,” Addie said with a sigh. “I hope it works out for them.”
Penny did, too, though she wished she could be part of it.
* * *
Lenny arrived promptly at six. Dinner with Lenny was pleasant, as usual. Topics ranged from the upcoming Community Days celebration to whether or not the Sumneyville Bearcats—the local softball team, for which Lenny was a second baseman—had a shot at winning the regional league title.
Penny tried to pay attention—she really did—but her mind kept wandering back to Jaxson’s motel room.
“What do you think, Penny?” Lenny said.
Penny snapped back to the dining room to see everyone looking at her expectantly. “I’m sorry. What do I think about what?”
“The police officers picnic at the state park this weekend. Would you like to go?”
“Oh, I can’t. I have to work.”
“I think I can hold the fort for a few hours,” Addie said unhelpfully, a calculating gleam in her eye. “You should go. Have some fun.”
Penny forced a smile. “In that case, how can I say no?”
“Great. I’ll pick you up at noon?”
“Sure. Sounds awesome.”
* * *
“Something tells me you’re not happy about going to the picnic with Lenny,” Addie commented while they were doing the dishes later.
“What makes you say that?”
“Call it mother’s intuition.”
Penny didn’t know what to say to that, so she said nothing.
“You could do worse.”
“I know.” Penny dried the last dish and put it away.
She could hear the television in the living room, knew that her father was probably dozing off to some war documentary on the History channel. Her mother would be joining him soon enough, curling up with a book until she, too, felt the pull of sleep and began to nod off.
Was this what she had to look forward to someday? Was it wrong to want something more?
Penny felt too restless to watch TV or read and opted for a walk. The rain had moved on, leaving everything smelling fresh and clean. Twilight was ending, and dark hues of blue were creeping along the horizon. Lightning bugs flashed on and off; crickets and cicadas and tree frogs created a pleasant background hum.
She loved Sumneyville—she really did. Loved that she could take a walk at night and not have to worry about her safety. That she knew everyone she encountered along the way well enough to stop, and exchange pleasantries or have a brief chat.
She loved her family, too. And working in the flower shop.
But it wasn’t enough. As much as she took comfort in those things, she craved more. Like passion. Excitement. Near-violent kisses by storm clouds that sent bolts of lightning racing through her body.
Those things had been nothing more than vague notions at one time. Things she’d read in a romance novel or seen in movies. Things that people said didn’t actually happen in real life.
But now, she knew they were real because she’d felt them when Jaxson kissed her. The moment his lips had touched hers, it was as if a switch had flipped and something inside her had suddenly turned on.
Clearly, it hadn’t had the same effect on him, but even if she was the only one who had felt it, she couldn’t unfeel it. There was no going back.
The question was, what was she supposed to do now?
Penny walked for more than an hour, lost in her thoughts, when she decided to stop at the playground. Sinking down on the merry go round, she pushed with her foot before lying back and staring up at the stars.
She wasn’t unhappy, not really. Was she asking for too much? Wrong for wanting more?
“If you’re listening and you’re not too busy, I could use some guidance,” she said toward the heavens.
She held her breath, waiting for a sign. Something. Anything. The stars winked back at her. The crickets continued to chirp. A dog barked in the distance.
She pulled herself to sitting, wrapped her arms around the bars, and exhaled heavily.
“Good talk. Guess I have to figure this one out on my own, huh?”
“Well,” said a deep, quiet voice from out of the darkness, “That depends on what it is you’re trying to figure out.”