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PENNY

For the last week, I’ve lived inside my little bubble of an apartment, not really doing much other than wait for the imagined threat that caused us to leave the little cafe abruptly to get resolved or silently hope Collins would pay attention to me. But he’s been missing in action ever since that day. He’s also made it very clear that I need to lie low until he figures things out.

But I am lonely.

Even Luke has a more active social life than I do, which isn’t all that shocking—but still. I guess his personality is more conducive to making friends.

But I’d be lying if I wasn’t curious what has my bodyguard spooked. Something happened in that cafe that is directly impacting my solitary life right now.

In true Collins form, he never brought me out of the dark, and I doubt he will based on historical data. Instead, for days I’ve been thinking of every worst-case scenario and following his wish of me staying in hermit mode.

Well, I’m done.

I’ve watched all the series. I’ve online shopped for all the unnecessary items. I’ve ordered all the takeout meals. And I’ve created five different mock-up subscription box ideas for future upcoming months—my favorite being the Revenge Box and the Make Him Jealous Box.

But I miss the office. I need people in my life and not just words on an email.

Because Claire will be going on maternity leave with the new baby, I’ve been learning some of the marketing responsibilities she typically manages. I love channeling my brain in a different direction, so this has been a lot of fun for me.

It helps that Plus None’s business model is designed to appeal to the modern woman—at all stages of her life. The company wants to expand, and with that expansion comes the need for more ideas. So my vision for a box theme might differ from Claire’s, but it could still work.

And I am freaking excited to show the team and founders my ideas.

But in person…

I can’t do any more virtual meetings. They are lame, and I look like I have hydrocephalus every time my big head pops up on the two-dimensional screen.

At this point, I don’t even care if Collins escorts me to the office on his own. Granted, he’s the inspiration for the boxes. He definitely put me in a mood during the birth of those ideas.

I can’t do another cottage in a field puzzle or watch another infomercial on making custom-flavored sodas with just the push of a button. I’m never going to make sourdough bread or be a homesteader, and yet I went deep down the rabbit hole midweek thinking I could be it and wasted three hours learning how to make a starter.

Boring.

I’m bored.

Now I need some excitement in my life.

If there was a threat six days ago, then surely it’s gone now. I can’t live like this anymore.

So I do something super reckless. I leave my apartment and take the elevator to Collins’s floor.

Maybe if I pretend to play by the rules, then he’ll be more inclined to get me out of this slump. Knocking on his door, I silently pray that he answers.

“Can I help you, Miss Hoffman?”

My body whips around to find Collins’s sidekick—Chris?—standing just a yard away. He really can be sneaky despite being much taller and far more muscular than I am. I didn’t even notice he was following me.

“Yes. Yes, you can,” I say confidently.

Chris tips his head. “How can I be of service?”

“I am going to Hoffman Headquarters today. I need to get out of this building and enjoy life. I’d like to go in the next three minutes.”

“Alright, let’s do it.”

I don’t know what I was expecting when I showed up here, but it wasn’t that. Chris is being way too compliant, which makes me uneasy.

But I can’t be too picky today or smack the gift horse in the chompers. I’ll take what I can get. If it means being escorted through the city by a friendly ogre, so be it.

So I walk beside Chris as he leads me to the parking garage and silently celebrate my little slice of victory.

Because freedom tastes delicious.

“These ideas are amazing,” one of the marketing team employees says, glancing at my portfolio and mock-ups for the boxes I created over the last week. “Truly innovative and fresh.”

“Thank you.” I beam with pride.

I couldn’t have asked for a better response, but glancing over at one of the other team members, Jill, I can tell she has a few things on her mind.

“Do you have any thoughts?” I ask her. I’m not a confrontational person, and yet I can’t help but wonder what her pushback would be. I don’t mind adapting or altering things. It’s not like I’m not flexible.

Jill leans back in her chair. There are six of us having a conference in one of the rooms that is made mostly of windows. We have the blur feature activated that can allow for privacy when needed.

“Yes, please, Jill. Share your thoughts with Penny,” another teammate encourages.

I mean, I am super curious as well.

“It’s just that,” she starts, shuffling through my sketches and write-ups, “these seem a little immature and vindictive, don’t you all think?”

Silence fills the space, and instantly I’m taken back to elementary school when I was called into the office over an issue with another kid that I clearly shouldn’t have been a part of, but because I was unable to defend myself, I took the blame.

While not the same thing, I won’t be that shattered, quiet girl who sits back and just allows someone to walk all over me.

“I value everyone’s opinions, as this is in the early stages of the planning process. However, I’ve done a lot of research on the target audience for these box themes that I’d like to share with you all.”

“A Google search can’t be counted as research,” Jill says, partially under her breath but loud enough for everyone to hear.

A few workers glance my way. Their eyes are kind. I imagine Jill talks to them this way too and that it has less to do with me being new and more to do with it just being her personality. I guarantee if Angie or Claire were present in the room, I’d be treated differently by her. But I don’t need to be rescued all the time. I can try to handle some things on my own.

Reaching into my bag, I pull out my data sheets that I constructed and consolidated to make it easier for my peers to see my efforts. It’s not enjoyable to try to prove myself, but I also understand the need to establish myself to those who don’t know my work ethic well enough yet.

“Here are the top one hundred videos that have been trending on three social media platforms over the last six months.” I spread out the graphs so everyone can see. “Across the various platforms, there’s a correlation in content topics among viewers aged twenty to forty. Granted, I filtered and focused on the videos where females were the creators.”

Several teammates lean over to get a better look.

“This is fascinating, Penny,” one says.

“Great job researching,” another compliments.

“Well, what is in common?” Jill says in a hurry.

“Several things, actually,” I say. “First off, there’s a social epidemic of women being cheated on. And then there’s a strong desire to find the right man.”

“So, you used those trending ideas to construct box themes?” a worker asks.

“Exactly,” I confirm. “And I wa?—”

“But social media is constantly changing,” Jill interrupts.

I nod. “It is. I agree with you, Jill. But so is Plus None. This is not a stagnant company but an evolving one. It is a cool, modern subscription business that strives to create products that appeal to the everyday woman in the now , which means staying on top of trends or predicting them before they go viral. And what better way to know what those trends will be other than to use these massive platforms to gather our data and study the market?”

Several people clap their hands together, making me blush, and making Jill look like she could use some Retinol serum for her scowl.

“Well done,” Angie says from the doorway, beaming with pride.

I didn’t even know she was there witnessing some of our discussion.

When the meeting is over, I join my sister-in-law in the break room for a snack.

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Angie.”

She gives me a side hug. “You are shining in this fluid role, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

We hang out at the table, snacking on some cheese slices and fresh fruit that gets delivered weekly to stock the fridge.

I pop a strawberry into my mouth, savoring the taste of summer. “I could get used to this.”

She smiles. “I hope you do.”

“You have created such an amazing company with Claire.” I glance around the lounge. “It’s truly a dream to work in such a welcoming place.”

“Thank you. I’m just glad that Jill didn’t get to you. I know she comes off harsh, but she’s going through some things right now.”

My smile dims. “I’m really sorry to hear that.”

“It’s no excuse, but she could use some grace. Heaven knows I needed grace in my life at one time.”

I’m relieved that I chose the high road earlier and didn’t get snippy like my instincts sometimes suggest in the heat of the moment. I really do hope that whatever Jill is experiencing gets better.

We are all in this life together, just trying to figure things out.

When I leave the Plus None office space, I’m met with Chris apparently waiting for me.

“I don’t need an escort.”

“Oh, I need one. I forget how to get back to Sky View.”

He starts walking with me, which just makes me groan.

“Then use a GPS.”

“A what?” he asks, but I know he’s teasing.

I shake my head at him. “Never mind.”

Then he smirks, and I just allow him to usher me onto the elevator. But instead of hitting the button for the lobby, I hit the one for Graham’s floor.

“Going to pay a visit to big bro?”

I look up at Chris and narrow my eyes. I know Collins wouldn’t ever trust me with someone incompetent, yet this guy does not fit the mold of a powerful bodyguard.

But what do I know when it comes to all things security? The only thing I focus on in that regard is how to slide under the radar.

Graham’s assistant waves to me and uses her extended hand to show that my brother is available to see me. I must have caught him at the right time.

Walking into his office, I also find Nic.

“Two for one special,” Chris says jokingly.

He’s odd, and that’s saying it mildly.

“Hey, Penny,” they both greet.

They get up from their seats to give me a hug.

“What brings you here?” Graham asks.

“What happened in the cafe the other day?”

“Nothing,” Nic says quickly.

“Liar.”

“Nothing for you to worry about,” Graham clarifies.

I fold my arms over my chest. “You know when you say not to worry, it makes me worry.”

“Well, you should work on that,” Nic says, unhelpfully.

“Gee, thanks, Punk. I’ll get right on it.”

My phone starts vibrating in my hand, drawing my attention to it. Typically, workers have to check in all electronic devices down in the lobby. However, keeping mine is the added benefit of having two older brothers who run this entire building.

Looking down at the screen, I see the caller ID and nearly drop the device.

It says it’s from my number…

Me.

But I know that is impossible. I am obviously not calling myself.

“Penny, what’s wrong?” Graham asks, moving closer to see what has me so off-balance.

He looks at the screen and sees the words—Penelope Hoffman mobile.

I hope my mind is just playing tricks on me, but something tells me the person on the other line is a known person and one who is evil.

Taking the device from my hand, Graham slides the bar to answer and then steps away from me. Nic joins him and they both lean into one another to listen to the call meant for me.

“Who was it?” I demand when the call is over.

“No one,” Nic snaps, not at me but at the situation. Then he quickly says an apology. “I’m sorry, Pen.”

“Have you received any calls like this in the past?” Graham asks, pacing along the windows in his massive office.

“No.”

I can tell he’s scrolling through my missed and recent calls anyway, but it doesn’t bother me.

“Okay,” he says softly.

“Was it Mark? He was calling me?”

Graham looks at Nic, and just like that a message was passed between them without a word spoken.

“Everything will be fine,” Nic says, trying to comfort me.

It’s not working for obvious reasons. For starters, the world could be burning to the ground, and I swear my brothers would have a positive way to spin it if just to attempt to keep me calm.

“I can’t be locked up again. I could barely take this last week.” My words come out frantically.

“It won’t be that bad,” Graham says. “Just go back to your apartment and wait until we tell you it’s safe again to resume normal responsibilities.”

“Okay,” I say, but only to keep them appeased.

There’s no way I’m staying inside anymore.

No. Way.