Page 17

seventeen

Miles

H er brother being present on our first nondate date isn’t great, but nothing seems to go easy with me and Penelope. However, she’s worth it, and as a big brother myself, I get it.

I extend my hand with a smile. “Miles Anderson, nice to meet you.”

“Quinn Walker, nice to meet you as well.”

“Coach Miles!” Kai runs out and I squat down to give him a hug. “My uncle Quinn who was in the navy is here!”

“I see that.” I stand back up. “We loved you navy guys. You were great at giving us a ride.”

He chuckles. “I didn’t give anyone a ride. I came in to save your asses when you got lost. It’s fine, though. I just love having marines indebted to me.”

Penelope sighs. “Great, it’s going to be like this all night.”

“We’re just getting it out of the way,” Quinn says. “So the more important question is ... what’s your favorite football team?”

“What’s yours?” I ask, not wanting to give my hand away too quickly.

Quinn’s eyes narrow and then he laughs. “Well played. I think we’ll be just fine. As long as it’s not someone from the NFC East.”

Well, good thing I didn’t say my team then. Otherwise, this would’ve made for an even more uncomfortable night.

We head into the kitchen area, where there’s a small table off to the right that’s set for three, indicating she wasn’t expecting her brother. We all take our seats, and there’s a dish with pork chops, mac and cheese, stuffing, and a salad.

“So, Miles, Penny said you’re the principal at the high school?” Quinn asks, leaning forward, resting his arms on the table.

“I am. I got promoted about five years ago.”

“Do you like it?”

“I love it,” I admit. “I didn’t think I would, but it’s been a really great experience. Unless I’m having teachers quit at the last minute and doing interviews with people who shouldn’t be near children.” I chuckle.

Penny giggles and that sound, so musical, so sweet, makes me want to hear it more and more. She doesn’t laugh like that often, and man ... I plan to change that.

“Miles had a pretty interesting string of interviews yesterday.”

I nod. “It was ridiculous, but it led to a great end of the day.” I look to her, hoping she knows I mean I got to be with her.

Penelope’s cheeks turn the most beautiful shade of pink, and then she looks away.

Quinn clears his throat. “I’m not sure I could handle being with kids all day. I have a seven-year-old, and I can’t imagine having that nonstop. Although some days it feels like I deal with children in my line of work.”

“What are you doing now that you’re out of the service?” I ask him.

“I work for a start-up company in Virginia Beach.”

“Oh? A start-up for what?”

If I weren’t who I was, I wouldn’t have noticed the little tic in his jaw or the slightest drifting of his gaze to the left, but I was also trained well.

“Internet security.”

The way he says that has my senses tingling. He’s withholding something.

“Probably something you’ll excel in. I wish your company a lot of success,” I say, wanting to assure him that I believe the lie. He clearly is doing something secretive, and it’s not my business.

“I’d like to think I’m good at everything security based. We’re not a group to let anything happen to the people we’re working with. We know when to act on something and when not to.”

And there he just confirmed it. To Penny or anyone else, they might miss it, but he just told me that he knows I know he lied, and he respects that I didn’t push.

“I understand that. I, too, am very protective of my kids and the people I care about.”

Penelope looks to me, then to her brother, then back to me. “I feel like this conversation is like a secret message between you two, and I’m okay not being involved. However, dinner is done.”

We both smile, and I take the bowl of salad from her. “Thank you for making dinner.”

“Thank you for everything. Kai and I would’ve been miserable if you hadn’t come to our rescue during that storm, right, Kai?”

Kai nods. “Your house is so cool. Uncle Quinn, Miles’s house has power all the time. No matter if it storms and he has a room we made into a fort!”

Quinn chuckles. “I love a good fort.” Then he turns to me. “I appreciate you coming up here. I heard about the tree almost falling on the house. I’m glad my sister and nephew were safe.”

“There’s no need to thank me.” I would’ve done anything for them.

Penny speaks up. “This side of Ember Falls isn’t as inhabited as the other. Miles was just being neighborly.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” I explain. “I didn’t check on Mr. Kipland.”

She drops her head, but I catch the smile beforehand. “Well, not during the storm, but we did after. So you still care in a neighborly way.”

“No, I came because I was worried about both of you.”

I meet her brother’s gaze, and he doesn’t hide his gratitude, nodding once. I return the gesture and pass the bowl.

Dinner is easy, and the conversation flows effortlessly. Quinn and Penny tell childhood stories, and Kai is close to bouncing out of his seat when he talks about how much he loves hockey practice.

I know I went into coaching the team begrudgingly, but it’s actually been a lot of fun. The kids are all great, and the fact that Kai has made friends with Ethan makes it better .

Quinn stretches and then places both hands on the table. “Well, I better get going.”

“I’m glad you stopped by,” Penny says, placing her hand on his. “Next time maybe call first.”

He chuckles. “And ruin the fun? Never.”

“It was great meeting you,” I say as I get to my feet and extend my hand.

“I feel the same. Be good to my sister.”

“I will.”

Penelope huffs. “Come on, let’s get you in the car.” She places both hands on Quinn’s back and pushes him toward the front door. Kai follows them, laughing.

I start to clean up in the kitchen, giving them all time. As I’m washing the dishes, she comes back in.

“Miles! What are you doing?” she yells.

“The dishes.”

“Yes, I know that, but please stop. You’re my guest.”

I want to be much more than that.

“And you fed me. The least I can do is clean up.”

“This night is really not going the way I expected,” she says under her breath.

I chuckle. “Where’s Kai?”

“Getting in the shower and ready for bed. Please, I beg you. Leave the dishes.”

“How about you dry and I’ll wash?” I offer.

She shakes her head but grabs the towel and leans against the counter. “Thank you for doing the dishes and being so great with my brother.”

I smile warmly. “What, you don’t bring your big brother on all your dates?”

Penny laughs. “I don’t. It was definitely unexpected. I thought that we were ... going to be able to ... you know?”

“No, tell me,” I push.

“You just want to hear me say have a date?”

“I really do.”

She laughs softly. “Well, too bad. I’m not going to say it. We were having dinner so I could thank you. ”

“Well, then, I guess we’re going to have to have a proper date.”

There’s something in her eyes. Something that wasn’t there before. A little bit of trust mixed with desire. She wants to date me. She just doesn’t want to want it.

She pulls her lower lip between her teeth. “You think so?”

I can’t explain in words what it is about her, but I’m drawn to her. I want to be her comfort, her safe place, the person she can’t wait to tell good or bad news to. I want to be her person, the one who soothes her worries and gives her a reason to smile.

Looking at her, with that soft expression in her eyes, tugs at my heart.

She’s afraid, and the need to relieve that is too much to ignore.

I put the dish down, shut the water off, and turn to her. “What has you hesitating?”

Her blue eyes are watery. “I don’t want to hurt you. And most of all, I don’t want to let Kai or myself get hurt.”

“The last thing I want to do is hurt you or Kai.”

“I know.”

Does she? I wonder if she truly believes that.

“Then trust me.” I step closer, placing my hands on her waist. “Let me take you out tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

I nod. “Tomorrow. I’ll have Eloise watch Kai and we can go out.”

She sighs, and her hands move to my chest. “Okay. One date.”

I grin. “I’m going to kiss you so it officially seals this deal.”

I bring my lips to hers before she has a chance to reply, and she melts into me. I hold her tightly as we share one of the most innocent and intimate kisses I’ve ever had in my life.

I could spend the rest of my life doing this. Cleaning up after dinner, kissing her in the kitchen, and then carrying her to bed and doing a hell of a lot more than that.

But for now we’ll start with a date tomorrow, when I plan to secure many more in the future.