One Penny: A Marked Heart Novel (4 page)

Six

Thankfully Seth had the good sense to stop by the grocery store on his way home from work Friday. He couldn't bring himself to step foot out of his apartment after his run Saturday afternoon. He'd laid in bed all day Sunday with a bag of chips and a jug of water thinking of reasons to move. Then he started making a mental list as to why he should have never moved there in the first place. That led to Seth questioning why the universe hated him enough to place him right next door to the only person, other than his father, that could bring an anxiety attack on just by thinking about her.

Reaching out, for the third time, to open his door, Seth drew in a deep breath and then exhaled leaning his forehead against the door instead of opening it. Surely Penny wouldn't be out there today. There was no doubt in his mind that Liv went straight inside and told her he was watching her through the window.

He had already embarrassed himself enough with her, in one of the most humiliatingly regretful experiences of his life. Now if he gathered the courage to talk to her what was he supposed to say? 'Hey, you know how I took you out that time, didn't speak to you and wouldn't sit next to you? Then had all my classes switched around so I wouldn't have to be anywhere near you? Well, good news neighbor! Now I just peer at you through open windows like a perv'.

The truth was, it had taken Seth nearly the entire school year to work up the courage to go up to Penny and ask her out. He couldn't believe it when she said yes. The night of their date, she looked so pretty in her little yellow sundress. When she smiled and held his hand, it was like holding fresh air and sunshine.

Then her two older brothers walked in and said they needed a word with him out back. Seth knew when they showed him the makeshift cemetery in their back yard it was for pets, not people. The chances of Penny having dated someone named Senior Jingle Bells were slim but it was the fact that her brothers seemed serious.

In his mind, all it would have taken was one wrong move and there would have been a Seth marker right next to Senior Bells. And that's how it usually started. One thought that grew in his mind until it took over the rest of his body, leading to an anxiety attack.

Convincing himself Penny would be too offended by his lurking to be on the balcony with muffins this morning, Seth finally swung the door open and stepped out.

"Good morning!" Penny's voice cheered at him.

Once again, in disbelief, he stared at her.

Titling a large plate towards him, she offered, "Cinnamon roll?"

~

Penny's eyebrows raised as she smiled wide in anticipation. Hoping to at least get another thank you out of him, she wasn't prepared for what happened next.

He had a look of sheer panic as he reached back for his doorknob. When he missed, he fell against the wall.

"Are you okay?" Penny asked as he slumped down to the balcony floor.

Unsure of what to do, she stepped closer trying to get a better look at his face and make sure he was still breathing.

With her hands full, Penny nudged his side with her foot, "Umm...Seth?"

Breathing a sigh of relief when he squeezed his eyes shut and groaned, at least he wasn't dead.

"Can I get you something?"

Seth frantically shook his head back and forth as he reached his arm back trying to grab the doorknob.

Doing her best to remain upbeat when it was pretty clear he was trying to get away, Penny asked, "So to go then?"

Continuing to shake his head, Seth choked out a, "No," before finding the doorknob and making his escape.

Penny watched as he flung himself back into his apartment and closed the door.

Standing on the balcony by herself, holding a tray of cinnamon rolls, Penny was about ready to give up. It was one thing for him to be shy, but it was a whole other thing for him freak out and then ninja roll back into his apartment like she was carrying a severed head. It wasn't like she didn't have better things to do then bake goodies for him every morning. She just wanted to be friends. It was getting hard for her not to take his actions personal.

Deciding to give it one final effort, Penny sat down, leaning against the wall between their apartment doors, she placed the tray of cinnamon rolls on her lap. He had to come out sometime and when he did she would just ask him to be her friend. If he said no then, that would be that.

~

Lying on the floor by his door, Seth couldn't believe how he had just acted. He thought she would be upset, outraged even but no, she was standing there smiling telling him good morning with freshly baked cinnamon rolls. And he just made a huge ass out of himself.

Picking himself up off of the floor, he knew one of two things was going to happen. One, Penny would not greet him good morning with anything ever again or two, she would still be out there, and he would have to face her. Pulling his cell phone out of the inside pocket of his suit jacket, Seth called his boss.

It only took two rings for Jackson to pick up.

"Hey Seth."

"Jackson, I had something come up this morning. Is it alright if I come in after lunch?"

"I already told you to take a day or two off. Moving is a pain."

"Thank you. I'll be in after lunch."

With a laugh Jackson replied, "Alright then, see you this afternoon," before he hung up.

After taking a moment to appreciate having a man like Jackson as his boss, Seth stepped out of his apartment.

Glancing around, he saw Penny sitting against the wall with the tray of cinnamon rolls on her lap. When she didn't automatically look up at him, he took a few steps closer.

Looking down at his feet, she said, "Oh, you scuffed your shoe."

Before he knew it she had taken a napkin from out of her pocket, put it to her mouth and then started rubbing his shoe with it.

He took a few deep breaths, finding it hard to believe how her touching his shoe was making him feel before saying, "Your cinnamon rolls smell good. May I have one?"

Penny looked up at him and smiled, lifting the tray off of her lap and holding it up towards him.

He started to reach for one, then asked, "Can I sit with you?"

With a little laugh, Penny replied, "It's your balcony too."

Nodding, Seth removed his suit jacket, laid it over the balcony rail and sat down next to Penny.

He sat still next to her for a few minutes without saying a word. After a few controlled breaths, he started to feel more at ease next to her.

Picking up a cinnamon roll off of the tray, he said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome and by the way, they aren't poisoned or anything like that."

Caught off guard, he paused before taking a bite.

Without skipping a beat, she asked, "What do you like to do for fun?"

"Run."

"Really? I don't run unless someone's chasing me," she laughed before asking, "You really like to run? I mean it's fun for you?"

Finishing his bite of cinnamon roll he answered, "Yes I do."

There was an awkward pause before she started talking again.

"I like to hang out with Charlotte and Liv, of course but I like to go out too. Mostly to The Dog House, to watch my brother Braden play and give Auggie a hard time. My brother Ailin used to be in the band. He and Sophia had a baby a few months ago. Then he was offered a promotion at work, they live in Chicago now."

Seth sat there trying to absorb everything she was saying while eating his cinnamon roll.

"You remember Sophia, don't you?"

As he nodded he recalled wondering how someone as nice as Penny could be friends with snotty stuck up Sophia.

"Well anyways, I'm really excited about the fair coming up. Are you?"

Shrugging, he replied, "I guess...No, not really."

Penny appeared disappointed for a moment before asking, "Got any tattoos?"

Seth smiled slightly as he replied, "No."

"Well, if you ever decide to get one, I work at Legacy Ink."

Picking up another cinnamon roll Seth nodded at her before taking a bite.

He remembered that from Charlotte's conversation with his parents. At the time, there seemed to be too much going on for him to dwell on the information but now, he was curious.

"You don't look like you would work there," he shared.

With a little laugh, Penny questioned, "Why? Because I don't look like Liv?"

Feeling a tiny bit embarrassed about his stereotypical judgment, he replied, "Sorry."

Pursing her lips up into a smile, she said, "For all you know, I'm covered with tattoos under my clothes."

Out of reaction, he immediately asked, "Are you?"

Her smile faded as she answered, "No, not even one."

"Why not?" he asked wondering why she seemed sad about it.

"Because it looks like it hurts and they are permanent you know," she replied almost fussing at him like she was defending herself.

"I don't understand why that's a problem..."

With a little sigh, she explained, "I really want to tattoo but my cousin Kieran says he won't teach me until I get one myself."

For reason's unknown to Seth, the idea of Penny as a tattoo artist was the sexiest thing, ever.

~

Unsure of why Seth was suddenly staring at her the way that he was, she looked down at the, now empty, tray on her lap.

"Well, speaking of... I better get inside and get ready for work," Penny shared.

Quickly hopping up, Seth held his hand out for hers.

Penny took his hand saying, "Wow, you're strong," as he pulled her to her feet.

He smiled and looked down at the ground before replying, "Thank you for the cinnamon rolls."

Watching him closely, she complimented, "You have a nice smile."

"You have a nice everything," he shared before seemingly realizing what he had just said.

Swiftly grabbing his suit jacket off of the railing, he turned and was back in his apartment with the door closed before she could respond.

Regardless of his speedy exit, Penny considered the morning a great success on her path to making friends with Seth. Sure they seemed to have absolutely nothing in common but she just needed to get to know him better. All in all, it was definitely a step in the friendship direction.

Seven

The rest of the week was a cinnamon roll success as Penny noticed Seth heading out to work a little earlier each day, giving them a chance to visit each morning. He even agreed to come over for dinner one night, 'sometime' but still he agreed. It was a good thing too because honestly, Penny was getting tired of waking up at five to bake for him.

Sitting in the corner of Bitsie's Bridal, Penny and Liv stayed out of the way while Charlotte's mom Amila helped Charlotte into the gown she picked out.

"I don't know why Amila's getting all teary eyed."

Popping Liv on the arm, Penny scolded, "Liv!"

"What? Charlotte's just getting married. It's not like she's moving off to another country."

In a hushed tone Penny fussed, "What is wrong with you?"

Hopping to her feet, Liv snapped, "Nothin'" and headed toward the exit door.

Penny sat there for a moment before she realized why Liv must be upset.

Getting up to go after her, she heard Charlotte ask, "What's wrong with Liv?"

Shaking her head as she walked past, Penny answered, "I think she's sad about her mom."

With an understanding nod, Charlotte said, "Her mom died when she was five," when Amila looked at her with concern.

Feeling bad for Liv, Penny didn't always agree with her own mom but she couldn't imagine her not being there either.

It took Penny a minute to find Liv once she was outside the boutique. Walking around the corner of the building, she finally spotted her.

"Hey!" she said making her way up beside Liv.

Noticeably upset, Liv replied, "I just need a minute."

"I guess you wish your mom had been there when you got married."

After giving Penny a strange look, Liv laughed, "Why? I didn't know the woman at all."

Confused, she questioned, "Isn't that why you're upset?"

"That'd be easier to deal with," Liv replied before sharing, "He won't talk to me."

"Kieran?"

With a loud exhale, she replied, "I've tried everything I can think of to get him to tell me what the problem is and all he says is that it's nothin'." Then waving her finger around she continued saying, "But I know it's something, he barely looks at me."

Recalling what Kieran had asked her at the shop, Penny speculated, "Maybe he feels bad about marking Braden."

"I thought so at first too cause that's when it started but he just gave me his usual spiel about following the rules."

"He has the right to deny or change them if he sees fit, though. That's why it's such a big responsibility. To keep with tradition but there's always exceptions."

Appearing very interested, Liv questioned, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you know there is a marker and a drawer, right," as Liv nodded, Penny continued, "Both positions are passed down although the drawer isn't usually by blood. When Kieran's mom got really sick and knew she wasn't going to make it much longer she passed the title over to my mom. The drawer doesn't have any real control or say so, and there can actually be more than one or not one. The tattoo rests with the sole discretion of the marker."

Holding her hand up, Liv asked, "Wait, are you telling me anyone can draw out the tattoo?"

"Well, yeah. I drew out Auggie's 'cause mom refused and I'm not a 'drawer'. Kieran approved it and he's the marker so..."

Liv was infuriated as she all but demanded, "What happens to the drawing after the tattoo?"

A tad cautious, Penny replied, "They all go in a big log book."

"Where is it?" she snapped.

"It's kept in the marking room, why?"

Slapping the tops of her thighs, Liv blurted, "Son of a bitch, I better be wrong!"

As Liv headed to her car, Penny shouted after her, "Where are you going?"

Without answering, Liv got in her car and sped away.

Penny stood there confused for a minute before heading back into the boutique. She had an idea of what Liv was hinting at but refused to entertain the thought. Kieran took his position as marker far too seriously to mess with tradition like that.

As she walked back into Bitsie's, she started to choke up at the sight of Charlotte. It was almost unreal for someone to look that beautiful.

"This is the one," Charlotte assured with a smile.

Penny glanced over the strapless white satin gown with a peacock blue sash, saying, "It's perfect."

"I still need to pick out my veil but..." Charlotte shared before pausing to ask, "Oh, where's Liv?"

With a slight shrug, Penny replied, "I think she went home."

"Oh-kay."

"She must really be upset," Amila chimed in, noticing Charlotte's irritated expression.

"Yea..." Charlotte mumbled clearly disappointed at Liv's absence.

Giving an apologetic smile, Penny walked back to the corner to sit down while Amila helped Charlotte out of her wedding dress.

~

Seth's heart was pounding in his ears along with the music playing through his earbuds. After starting out with long strides, he had picked up the pace, running the walking path around his apartment complex until his body refused to keep going.

What started out as an enjoyable way to clear his head on Saturday afternoon, had quickly turned into a race to get Penny off of his mind. It wasn't that he minded thinking about Penny, in fact, he enjoyed thinking about her. The more he thought about her though, the harder it was to talk to her when they were face to face. It was clear she wanted to be friends. That worked fine for him. She was sweet, funny and so pretty. Not to mention, being friends was a low-pressure way to spend time with her. A lot less is expected in friendship situations. The only problem was when Seth thought about Penny, friendship was the farthest thing from his mind.

Swiping his gate card before jogging through the gate as he headed back to his apartment, Seth faintly heard a horn honk, through the music still playing in his ears. Moving to the side to let the car through, he saw Charlotte and Penny both wave at him as they pulled into the apartment complex. Seth stopped for a second, wishing his run had done him more good before continuing on his way.

He could see Penny sitting at the top of the stairs on their balcony as he made his was closer. The thought of her waiting there for him and what they might briefly talk about before he headed into his apartment to shower gave him a second wind as he sprinted up to their building.

Taking the stairs two at a time he stopped a step below Penny noticing the way the sunlight highlighted the redder strands of her auburn hair as he looked down at her. Her hazel eyes leaned more toward the green side today as they sparked up at him.

As he pulled his earbuds out of his ears, he heard her ask, "How was your run?"

"It was alright," he replied before asking, "How is your day going?"

Without answering his question, she took a deep breath then exhaled before pursing her lips up into a smile.

"Bad day?" he questioned curious as to why she didn't answer.

Penny continued to ignore his question as she stood up and asked, "I'm going to The Dog House tonight, wanna come?"

"Sure," he replied before realizing he just said yes to going out with her.

"Good," she cheered before turning to walk back into her apartment.

Standing there trying to think of something to say, Seth watched her open her apartment door before turning back to him.

"I was thinking about nine but you can knock whenever you're ready to go."

Smiling at her, he said, "Alright," suddenly feeling good about her asking him out.

With a little laugh Penny shared, "Okay, see you later," as she stepped inside her apartment.

Once her door was closed, Seth started towards his apartment when he felt his phone vibrate from his shirt pocket. He pulled it out to see who was calling and just like that all good feelings were gone.