None of this was Penny's fault-well, except for the first incident in the limo-but either way, Ryan had to be done with this, done with her. She might be cute and fun and sweet and sexy, but that didn't matter. Starting tomorrow, no more Penny. Well, no more Penny outside of their working relationship, something he didn't have much of a choice in. And to facilitate that, he was going to set a new number one priority-get Penny's computer fixed, so they wouldn't have to meet at her house any longer.
* * *
"The party you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please leave a message."
Penny sneered at the phone in response as she stood behind the closed door of the pub's office the next morning. But today she had enough wits about her to do as the voice instructed. "Martin, call me as soon as you get this." Then she hung up and exited the office, where it appeared a small mid-morning rush on coffee and Danishes was just dying down. It was raining outside-the only thing to cool the city in a week-and rain always brought in the coffee drinkers.
"Sorry," she said to Patti, who'd handled the whole rush alone. None of the other servers clocked in until eleven, since mornings were usually quiet.
"No biggie," her sister replied, wiping her hands on a towel. Penny joined her behind the bar and as the last customer went out the door, paper bag in hand, Patti lifted her gaze. "So what were you cleaning last night?"
Penny blinked, feeling as if her sister had just flashed a bright light into her eyes. "Nice segue."
Patti snapped her fingers repeatedly. "Come on, come on, answer me, quick. What did you clean?"
"Uh … floors," Penny claimed, wishing she had more experience at lying.
"With a mop or on your hands and knees?"
Recalling having said she was up to her elbows in suds, she smugly replied, "Hands and knees."
Patti reached down to grab one of Penny's wrists and they both looked down at five perfectly manicured nails. "Liar," Patti said.
Penny sighed. She really did hate being dishonest with Patti, but she still couldn't tell her about what had happened in the limo because something about it continued to feel so intimate, so private, so painfully personal.
"Do I have to twist this," Patti asked, still gripping Penny's arm, "or are you gonna spill?"
Penny narrowed her eyes, and decided to tell her sister as much as she could. "Youwant to know what I was really doing when you called last night? Fine. I was standing in the foyer making out with Ryan in my underwear. Happy now?"
Patti's jaw dropped and Penny took perverse pleasure in having shocked her. "Ryan, the sexy computer guy?"
"That's the one."
Patti sucked in her breath and tightened her grip on Penny's wrist. "Pen, does this mean you're not … "
"Marrying Martin? Correct. I'm not." She glanced at the clock above the bar. "Now I just wish he would call, so I could tell him."
"He doesn't know yet?"
Penny shook her head. "In fact," she sighed, feeling more than a little sheepish, "I may as well tell you. I, uh, didn't exactly have sex with him the other night, either."
"Exactly? What does that mean?"
Penny really did want to be as honest as possible, but … "It's complicated," she said, pulling her arm away to straighten a perfectly straight row of glasses and congratulating herself on having said something entirely truthful. "But all that really matters is that we didn't do it."
She feared Patti would be angry or hurt that she'd lied, but when Penny looked back at her sister's eyes, they shone with happiness. "You made the right decision," she said, then grabbed back onto both of Penny's wrists. "And, oh my God, Pen, you and the hot computer babe! How did this happen? Tell me everything. And is it … serious?"
Penny ignored everything else Patti had said except the last part since it stood out the most. She almost wanted to laugh at the very suggestion that it could be serious, since it was undoubtedly the most unserious, meaningless relationship she'd ever indulged in, at least from his point of view. But her heart hurt too much to even force any laughter, so she just tried for an easygoing expression. "No. In fact, he sort of dumped me already."
A look of horror reshaped Patti's face. "What happened?"
Penny released a heavy breath, realizing she was sending her sister on a veritable roller-coaster ride of emotion. "Martin is his boss. And Martin wants to marry me. You do the math."
"Oh," Patti said, catching on to the dilemma. "Oh, Pen, I'm so sorry."
Penny shook her head. "It wasn't important. Just a fling."
"You're lying again," her sister said without missing a beat. "You've never had a fling in your life, and besides, I can see it in your eyes. You've always been lousy at hiding your feelings."
Which meant, Penny thought, that Ryan had probably seen it last night, too-her hurt, her sadness. But who cared anyway? Chemistry aside, who needed a guy that held her feelings in such low regard?
"Well, it looks like I've had a fling now. But I'm over it," she added, which wasn't entirely true, but no one needed to know that. And when Ryan showed up at her house this afternoon, she was going to fill him in, as well. The new and improved Penny she'd discovered last night after his departure was more than just wild, she was assertive, too, and she wasn't going to put up with this now-I-want-you, now-I-don't stuff. She intended to make her position clear, show him she wouldn't be walked on, and then he'd be sorry he couldn't have her.
Patti took her hands and tried to look cheerful. "How about if Scott and I take you out to dinner tonight?" Penny could only guess that her firm independence had failed to show on her face just now, since her sister obviously felt sorry for her.
"Thanks, Patti, but I'll pass. I've always hated doing the third wheel thing."
"You wouldn't be a third wheel, I promise. And I want you to get to know him better."
Patti's current boyfriend had popped into the pub for lunch a couple of times, but Penny had never had the chance for more than a hello. "Why? Is your thing getting serious?"
Patti hedged a little, but resembled a bashful little girl when she finally smiled. "Kind of. Maybe."
Penny gave her sister a quick hug, accompanied by a reassuring smile. "I'm glad. One of us should have a happy love life."
"Sure I can't talk you into dinner?" Patti asked again.
"Some other night, okay?"
She did want to get better acquainted with Scott-she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her sister blush over a guy-but the timing was all wrong. Too much remained up in the air. Oh, she certainly didn't expect Ryan to stay at her house late again-in fact, she would make sure to get him out the door by five-but she wanted to be home in case Martin called. She wanted to close this crazy chapter of her life, then move on.
* * *
As she had for the past few days, Penny left the Two Sisters Pub just after the lunch rush, knowing Ryan would arrive around two. Upon getting home, the first thing she did was check her answering machine, but no message, no Martin. The second thing she did was change into a pair of jeans-the rain had persisted and given Penny a slight summer chill. Rather than retucking her Two Sisters T-shirt, which had gotten damp and limp from the rain, she twisted the bottom into a knot, then swept her rain-frizzed hair up on her head into a loose bun.
Next, she pulled up her system notes on the computer. She knew they would review whatever new screens Ryan had created first, but thought she may as well be ready to keep the work rolling. Just as she opened the pertinent file, the doorbell rang.
Taking a deep breath, ready to put all this foolishness with him to an end, she rose and whisked opened the door.
He stood on the front stoop, putting down his umbrella and looking just as handsome as ever. But she was going to ignore that completely. She held open the screen door and let him in out of the rain.
"We have to talk," he said, before even laying down his umbrella or taking off his trench coat.
"I agree." She crossed her arms.
"We can't keep doing what we've been doing. We can't keep … getting close. As in physically."
Penny let out a sigh of annoyance and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I think we keep agreeing on that, too."
But she didn't think he'd even heard her since he rambled right on. "I'm thirty years old and dedicated to settling down and excelling in my career. And I've already been through my swinging single stage, and I just can't go there again, as much as I might like to. Okay?"
"Well," she said, just as directly, "I have news for you, too. I figured something out last night after you left."