Page 11

11

PENNY

“I bloody knew it. I knew he had the hots for you and you fancied the pants off him too. Oh this is too good. Just wait till Jenson hears the news.” Angie’s gleeful statement has me stopping dead in the street and turning to her, incredulous.

“No.” I state firmly as she frowns her confusion back.

“No?”

“No. You won’t mention this to Jenson. None of this can be said to him. I’m activating the Brady sisters code. Whatever I tell you stays between us and only us.” I fold my arms over my chest and hit her with a glare.

She frowns back and pouts her lips before scoffing loudly. “That’s not a thing.”

“It is. I just made it one. It’s the same code we have as Brady brothers, so suck it up.” My smirk is the one I normally reserve for Jenson and his irritating self, but I’ll permit its use on his significant other this time.

“That’s so not fair. It’s been forever since I had gossip worthy of telling people, and now you’re putting me under a gag order. Rude.” The twinkle in her eyes lets me know she's playing, so I carry on with the charade.

“You bet I am. Just like you did to me when you came here and didn’t want Edie to know where you were.”

Angie’s eyes widen and she smirks in acceptance. “You know, when I first met you, I thought you were so sweet and innocent. How wrong was I? I won’t say anything. Pinky swear.” She holds her pinky up to me and I wrap mine around it.

“You were very wrong. I’m part Brady after all. In fact, wanna do a blood pact with me so you have Brady blood running through your veins too? I’m actually surprised Jenson hasn’t suggested it before now.” I don’t realise my error until she's cackling loudly.

“I’ve got other Brady bodily fluids running through me, Pen. I don’t need to cut my hand like kids.”

Gagging on the vomit rising up my throat, I quickly reach over and cup my hand over her mouth. “Never. And I repeat, never. Talk about Jenson’s bodily flui…” A heave stops me in my tracks and she cackles against my hand. “Just don’t. You’re gross. You know what you need?” She shakes her head, my hand still over her mouth, and I spin her around to face the church in the middle of the street. “Jesus. You need Jesus.”

With her back to me and my arm wrapped around her, my hand still covering her mouth, she laughs loudly and leans her head back so it’s on my shoulder. She drags my hand off her mouth and holds it, still giggling, and I can’t wipe the smile from my face. I always wanted a sister, and now I have one. Two if you count Edie as well. And I definitely do.

“I think I may be a lost cause for Jesus, Pen. But I know what you need… A good shagging. And Big Ben is just the man for the job. Ding dong.” She looks up at me and waggles her eyebrows as I shush her loudly and push her away from me.

“You gotta be quiet. I know everyone around here and they all know my dad. The last thing I need is him getting wind of this and thinking I’m giving him grandbabies anytime soon. Especially not with Ben. He loves him way too much. He’d be devastated when I told him it wasn’t happening.”

She grabs my hand and pulls in the direction of the little bistro on the corner of the street. It’s one of my favourite places. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson have owned it for as long as I can remember. The little red and white striped awning covering the two small tables outside is the first thing I spot, and my heart does a little happy dance.

Growing up in a smaller town has its pros and cons. I love knowing where to eat, what to order, and seeing friendly faces that are almost like family every day. Even if they do sometimes snitch on me to my dad about things I don’t want him to know—like this conversation I’m having with Angie. All it takes is for the wrong person to walk by at the right moment and hear about me and Ben and ol’ Hank’ll think he’s getting those grandbabies soon.

Not that he’d disapprove. He’s been going on about seeing me settled for a long time now. And he loves Ben. He’s always telling me about the fine upstanding man he’s become since he came to Chittenango. Even went as far as to try and suggest we date a few years ago, which was firmly declined by me. He and Mama came up with a theory I was dating someone, and I kinda let them run with it.

Which leads me to the other thing I hate about small suburbs like Chittenango—the lack of dating options an OG has. I don’t want to date someone I watched eat paste in elementary school. And unfortunately for me, we don’t have a lot of guys wanting to move here. I suppose I could’ve dated one of the players. Adonis Hart has all the attributes I’d like in a man. But being introduced to them as ‘The Brady sister. Touch her and die’ didn’t really give me a chance in hell. They barely looked at me, let alone considered doing anything else. And I can’t blame them. Only someone with a death wish wants to screw the QB’s sister. Besides, I couldn't date one of Jenson’s teammates. The locker room talk would terrify me. I don’t want him, or anyone, knowing what yucks and yums I have. Nope. That’s for my head only. And possibly Angie’s too.

“Ah my girls… The usual for you both?” Mrs. Nelson breezes past and ushers us to our usual table. “Sit, sit. We’ll get you your drinks. Your hair looks lovely.” She winks at me and smiles. “Are you all ready for Thanksgiving? I’ve had Mama in already bragging about Pops’s culinary skills. She does the same thing every year.” She laughs softly as we grin back.

I let the grin turn into a soft smile. “She hates not being able to cook, but loves having Pops to cater to her needs.”

Mrs. Nelson nods as Angie scoffs through a laugh before smirking at me. “Oh I’m sure she does. Pops definitely caters to all of her needs, right Mrs. Nelson?”

A gasp of shock leaves my mouth but it soon turns to surprise when Mrs. Nelson cackles loudly.

“Rightly so. Us women sure know how to pick our men, Angie. They worship us and we have nothing to complain about, if you catch my drift.” With another wink she scurries off inside the bistro leaving Angie laughing hysterically and me a little confused.

“That’s what I’m talking about. In London I’d have been waiting outside for ages before I’d even got a table, let alone a drink. And I never would have been able to have that conversation with any of the owners there. This place is the best.” Angie leans back in her chair and sighs. She’s not wrong, but she’s also not completely right.

“It has its advantages. Sometimes I feel kinda trapped here.”

I let the words slip out without thinking and shoot a worried look over at Angie. No judgement or concern is written on her face, she looks at me with an open expression, her blue eyes wide and gentle, urging me to continue.

“I love it here, and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, but I just feel like it’s the same shit every day. Take Mrs. Nelson, for example. We didn’t even need to order. I’ve become so predictable, she knows what I want before I do. Because it’s the same every time.” Frustration drips out of me and I blow a breath through my lips.

“So order something different. Mix it up,” Angie suggests, and it just makes my frustrations worse.

“That’s part of the problem. I don’t want to order something different because what I get is delicious.” I growl as she laughs at me. “It’s not funny. I can’t put into words what I mean.”

“I think I get it.” She leans forward, the lingering smile on her lips making me frown back. “You love your town, you don’t necessarily want to leave it, but you’d like it to be shaken up a little?”

“Yes.” I slap my hand loudly on the table top, then shrink in embarrassment when Mrs. Nelson jumps next to me. “Sorry,” I mumble as she places our drinks in front of us.

“No worries, doll. Next time give me some warning before you start banging the table tops and screaming out yes, will ya?” Her wink makes me slide lower in my chair as Angie’s laughter barrels around me.

“That wasn’t funny,” I mumble over the rim of my cup and take a sip of the fresh OJ.

“Oh I disagree. I thought it was hilarious. Now, getting back to your little predicament. Don’t you think a certain tall, dark, and British dude could help you out?” She leans back, clutching at her coffee, and smirks at me from behind the cup.

“Yes. No. That’s what I’m worried about.” I squirm in my seat and rest my cheek in my hand. “What if something does happen and word gets out about it? What if it’s just physical and people think it’s more?” I don’t want anyone else comparing me to my mom, and knowing that Ben has money, power, and looks, people would think I’m only after him for status. Especially if it was just a fling.

“Screw what people think. You do you and be happy.” She hits me with a firm look, jaw set and her eyes narrowed as I scoff back.

“Easier said than done. I’ve lived here all my life, Angie. These people saw the way my mom… was.”

I grimace and swallow down the emotion clogging my throat. I wish I could tell her everything. Let her know these aren’t fears based on insecurities, they’re borne of actual recent events. But I can’t. Can I? I know the Bradys would go crazy mad and do something stupid in my ‘honour’, letting the whole damn town know what’s happened in the process. But Angie? Could I tell her and trust that she wouldn’t breathe a word of it, not even to Jenson?

I know she wouldn’t risk her visa by getting caught doing anything illegal to reap her revenge on him. And in all the years Jaxson was a douche to Edie, Angie never did anything to him without Edie’s permission. Plus, is it fair to tell her something she’d have to keep from her boyfriend?

But having someone to talk to—to just get it off my chest—especially someone who can offer trusted advice would be everything.

Screw it, she was my friend before she was his girlfriend. I’m telling her.

With a deep breath, my mind made up, I decide to bring her deeper into my circle of trust.

“There are still people who firmly expect me to follow in her footsteps.” Angie reaches over the table and grips my hand in hers. “I’ve never wanted to be like her. To have people compare me to her…” I close my eyes and lower my head, fighting the tears threatening to spill down my cheeks as Director Allen's words flow through my mind.

“Hey now, where has this all come from? You’re nothing like her. I don’t care what anyone says. You having a fling or a one-night stand with anyone would be nothing like what she did. I know I don’t know all the ins and outs, but what I do know is you’re not married with a small kid waiting at home for you. You’re not an addict either. You’re a grown-arse woman, free to live her life and make her choices without fear of judgement. You are not your mum just as much as you’re not your dad.” She squeezes my hand and I nod my head slightly. The urge to spill my secrets to her is even bigger now.

“If I told you something, something that you couldn’t tell anyone, including Jenson, would you keep my secret? I need someone on my side, but I don’t want to put you into an impossible situation.”

“You don’t even need to ask that. Sisters before misters. You have my word. And if I break it, you have permission to shave my head and tattoo the word ‘bitch’ across my scalp.”

A small chuckle falls from my lips, and with a resigned breath, I lower my head to avoid her eyes.

“I didn’t just leave the school because I wanted a new start. I was basically forced out.” She squeezes my hand, silently urging me to continue. “A parent at the school came on to me. He was quite…insistent.” Looking up briefly, I note the anger that washes over her features, but I carry on quickly, knowing if I don’t, I won’t be able to continue. “I told him no, fought him off and reported it to my boss. I thought that was the end of it. Until Director Allen called me into his office and told me I had to leave. That if I didn’t go quietly, he’d tell everyone I was the one who came onto a married man. He even used the word predator to describe me. He implied that while the people who knew and loved me would probably believe my version of the truth, nobody else would. That they’d question whether or not I was just like my mom.”

A tear slides down my cheek and I brush it away quickly. “While I absorbed that shock, he offered to make it all go away. All I had to do was the same things my mom was good at. With him.

“I left after that. I knew I could never work with him again. And I knew if I tried to get a job anywhere else it would be a disaster. He never shied away from reminding everyone at the school how well-connected he is. Or how vindictive he could be.”

She squeezes my hand again, but I still look down at the table instead of looking into her eyes. The little voice of doubt in the back of mind is loud, making me question things I know are true—like her loyalty.

“Pen, why didn’t you say something sooner? We could’ve all helped somehow.” Her voice is gentle but I hear and feel the restraint in it. She’s clearly holding back her anger.

“I didn’t want the boys doing anything to jeopardise their careers or lives, and I thought it better to handle it myself. I don’t want anyone else hearing about it. My dad doesn’t deserve to hear shit about his daughter.”

“If I hear anyone say a bad thing about you, I’ll shove a very large dildo up their arse without lube.”

My eyes shoot open and stare at her with my mouth hanging open.

“And if they insist on spreading their lies and innuendo, I’ll dip it in hot sauce and shove it right back up there again.”

I choke on my own saliva as I turn my head to find Mrs. Nelson standing next to us, holding two plates of food.

“You are a fucking legend, lady,” Angie splutters out through her laughter as I try to comprehend what the hell just happened.

“Now, Angie. You know Mama’s rules.” She places the plates in front of us and proceeds to slap Angie on the back of her head.

“She’s not even here and I’m getting slapped.” She rubs the spot as Mrs. Nelson laughs and heads back inside. “Thank you for telling me, Pen. I’ll keep your secret safe but I want you to promise me if anything else happens you’ll tell me. I don’t want you going through all this shit on your own.”

“Actually, Ben wants me to tell him what happened as well. I told him I would if he signed an NDA.” I grimace a little at the smirk on her face.

“I’m glad I’m trusted enough to not have to sign a legal document. When are you telling him?” She leans back in her chair and lets go of my hand as I shrug my shoulders.

“When he signs the contract. I’ve got no reason to trust him yet and that gives me security that he won’t blab. You being an honorary Brady gives me the same security.”

She narrows her eyes at me and purses her lips. “I should’ve had that without being an honorary Brady. But if the Brady code is so important, can’t you tell the boys and have them swear on it too?”

“Nope.” I shake my head for emphasis as she rolls her eyes and motions with her hand for me to continue. “Fine, there’s a clause in the code. One I wasn’t going to tell you about because it revokes the trust but I guess I’ll have to now.” She smirks gleefully as I poke my tongue out. “The boys can overrule the secrecy aspect if the majority rules. So if Jenson and Jameson want to, they can tell anyone they want, or seek as much revenge as they want, without having to worry about others finding out. They’ve done it to me a few times, it’s why I won’t rely on the Brady code with them only. I can’t let them do anything that would jeopardise themselves. Jenson’s just got his career back and Jameson is looking to adopt a baby. I won’t be the reason they lose that. And my dad doesn’t deserve all this. He’s been through enough.” I force my shoulders back and stare her directly in the eye. “You will keep this a secret.” She holds her hands up in surrender and rolls her eyes.

“Of course I fucking will.” She’s louder than she was supposed to be and as the curse leaves her mouth Mrs. Nelson’s head whips up from across the way, she abandons the cleaning cloth she was wiping the table down with and stalks behind Angie silently. I roll my lips to fight the smirk threatening to spoil this. As Mrs. Nelson’s hand collides with the back of Angie’s head. I let the laughter barrel out of my mouth as Angie cradles her head and Mrs. Nelson strolls back to her table again. “You couldn’t have warned me? I swear Mama has eyes and ears everywhere.”

“That’s kind of my point. Now imagine trying to date or do other things in secret. It’s impossible.” I take a huge bite of my sandwich and chew aggressively, trying to shake my frustrations away. I don’t even know why I’m so frustrated. So we flirted a little, that doesn’t mean anything is going to come of it.

“I know what you’re thinking in that big beautiful brain of yours. And you need to stop.” Angie’s voice cuts through my thoughts and I frown, trying to swallow the food in my mouth so I can argue back. “Penny, you haven’t dated anyone since I got here. You’ve definitely not got down and dirty with anyone.”

She shoots a raised brow at me as I open my mouth to argue but shut it promptly when I realise I can’t. It’s been so long, I’ve probably grown my virginity back.

“Exactly. Just promise me you won’t shut the idea of you and him down completely. Go in there with an open mind, a smile on your face, and a killer outfit on that rockin’ body, and see where it goes. Not sure why he ever did, but he’s done ignoring you now. In fact, it seems like he’s paying very close attention to you, babe.”

She winks as she takes a forkful of salad into her mouth. Maybe she’s right. I’m overthinking things again and I just need to see how it goes. And it wouldn’t hurt if I was wearing a killer outfit while doing it either.