One Penny: A Marked Heart Novel (8 page)

Fourteen

After having Braden living in the apartment, monopolizing the couch, and Auggie being there every day when Charlotte woke up, until it was time to open the bar, Penny finally had Thursday night all to herself. Liv was still mad at Braden but had calmed down enough to have him over for their weekly pizza and beer night. Her plan for the evening was to make a few more batches of cotton candy lip balm for the last weekend of the fair. Then, she was looking forward to taking a nice hot bath, curl up on the couch and watch a movie.

She had barely seen Seth all week and guessed he was busy. Otherwise, she would have asked him over. Both Auggie and Braden seemed to like him which was nice but she was hoping he would be her friend instead of theirs.

It was probably nice for Seth because she was pretty sure he didn't have any friends but if that was the case she would still be left at square one, after Charlotte and Auggie got married. Not to mention if Braden was still staying with her, she would need a friend.

Although Penny loved her brother, he was not easy to live with. He was messy, never picked up after himself, didn't cook, wouldn't wash a dish or his clothes. Growing up under the same roof with him was enough to have lasted her a lifetime. She swore if he used the term 'woman's work' one more time in her presence, she was going to have to throat punch him.

Waiting for her lip balms to set up on the table, Penny cleaned up after herself before heading out of the kitchen. Ready to lose herself in bubbles and warm water, she stopped in the middle of the living room. As she mentally pleaded, 'Don't be Braden. Don't be Braden' she stepped over to the door.

To Penny's pleasant surprise, Seth was standing on the other side of the door when she looked out of the peephole.

Opening the door, she cheered, "Hi!"

Seth looked down at his feet asking, "Can I come in?"

Nodding she let him in, wondering if something was wrong.

"Is everything okay?"

"Would you like to go to the fair?" he questioned, appearing nervous.

Trying her best to think clearly while her insides were doing summersaults, she asked, "When?"

"Now or tonight...Tonight," he replied seemingly unsure of himself.

Penny hesitantly asked, "On a date?"

Seth looked like he was going to say something and then paused before answering, "As friends."

Relieved and disappointed at the same time, she smiled, saying, "Okay, wait here. I'll just go change and then we can go."

~

Seth stood in Penny's living room silently admonishing himself for being a complete and total wuss. He could have said 'yes' and she may have said 'okay'. If she hadn't then, he could have offered to go as friends. Now he would never know what she might have said because he took the safe route.

It wasn't long before Penny walked back into the living room. Seth noticed she had a slight bounce to her walk. It was almost like she wanted to skip but was holding herself back. Smiling at Penny and her cheerful nature he envisioned her skipping everywhere she went.

"I guess we're taking your car," she said in teasing tone.

Wanting to reach down and hold her hand, he nodded, replying, "It would be nice for my legs not go numb."

With a little laugh, Penny nodded back.

Seth wanted to stare at her but kept his eyes focused on the road instead. She was unusually quiet. Glancing at her every chance he could, he knew something was different. Maybe she was upset he hadn't really spoken to her since Sunday. He had purposely avoided her but it wasn't because he didn't want to talk to her. The truth was, he was trying to work up the nerve to ask her out.

It had become easier to talk to her as he got to know her better. However, the second he let his mind wonder or dwelled too long on the fact that less than a week ago he had his arms around her, panic would set in.

Knowing the type of guy Penny was accustom to, thanks to Braden, boosted his confidence enough, where she was concerned, to invite her out. Obviously she didn't know what it was like to be with someone who would treat her right. Someone who knew she was unique and one of a kind. Seth wasn't sure if he was that guy either but he wanted her and although a 'friend date' wasn't what was on his mind, it was definitely a step in the right direction, maybe.

Surprised that Penny waited for him to open the passenger door for her when they arrived at the County Fair, he started to feel hopeful about where the night might lead. He resisted the urge to take her hand by reminding himself of the awkward expression she had on her face when she asked if this was a date.

As they headed to the entrance, Penny asked, "What do you wanna ride first?"

"I don't ride rides," he replied in an apologetic tone.

"Oh."

"Do you want to walk through the livestock?"

Scrunching up her face at him, Penny shared, "I don't like farm animals."

Thinking to himself, 'Yea the fair was a great idea' Seth offered, "Would you like to walk around and get a bite to eat?"

Nodding, Penny smiled as she replied, "Sounds good."

Relieved they reached a compromise, he quickly stepped up to the booth and bought both their tickets just in case she planned to argue about it.

Seth held back a smile as Penny noticeably held her breath through the livestock area when they entered the gates.

Once they made it to the concession area, she took a deep breath and hopped in front of him, saying, "Food's on me."

"No, I invited you out. I'm paying," he replied in a serious tone.

Placing her hand on her hip, Penny fussed "When I go out with friends, they don't pay for me."

A bit frustrated with her, he fussed back, "Well, I didn't want to go out as friends," before thinking it through.

Scowling at him she took a step back asking, "Then why did you say you did?"

Taking a look around to see people staring at them as he realized they were arguing in the middle of the concession area, he said, "Let's get something to eat and sit down."

"No," she snapped before assuring, "I'm not doing anything with you until you answer me."

As the embarrassment of everyone staring started to set in, Seth lowered his voice as he informed, "You're making a scene."

"You want me to make a scene?" Penny raised her voice.

"Seriously, Penny," Seth stressed through gritted teeth.

Shaking her head at him, she argued, "No, you lured me out under false pretenses."

Seth couldn't believe she was doing this to him and in public.

The longer he stood there staring at her the madder he became. Who gets upset because someone wants to pay? All of the sudden the crowd around them no longer mattered to him. This was getting settled right here right now.

"If I had said this was a date you would have said no, then?"

Glancing off to the side, Penny replied, "I don't know," before griping at him, "It doesn't matter because you tricked me."

Offended that Penny was now accusing him of ridiculous things, he protested, "You stalked me for an entire week but I'm the one that tricked you."

"To be your friend!"

Her words stung as Seth grasped what was happening and looked at the situation from her point of view.

He couldn't help feeling stupid and a bit like a jerk. Penny wanted to be friends. She had been fairly clear on that matter all along. Friends and that was it.

Softening his expression, he apologized, "I'm sorry you feel like I misled you, I'll take you home."

Frowning at him, Penny shook her head, saying, "I'll find a ride," before she turned and walked away.

~

Making her way to one of the concession booths, Penny felt like she could cry. It was too much. He was too much. She didn't want to consider herself responsible for their argument, but it was sure starting to feel that way.

If he had just let her buy their food, she would have felt better about going out with him. It would have put her back on even ground. Already it had felt like a date and that was not what she wanted. Okay, she did want that but she didn't want the end result of dating, which every experience she'd ever had taught her that the only thing dating led to was breaking up.

Stepping to the Smokin' Hot Legs concession stand, Penny smiled at the lady inside the booth.

Laying her money on the counter, she requested, "One turkey leg, please."

"Sure thing darlin'," the woman replied before stepping back, opening a large ice chest and grabbing a large foil wrapped turkey leg out of it.

The smell of smoked turkey was heavenly as the lady handed Penny a stack of napkins and her turkey leg.

Taking her turkey leg and napkins, she cheered, "Thank you!" before turning and walking toward the covered eating area.

After waving hello to a few people she knew, she found an empty picnic style table and sat down.

The delight in eating something that only came around once a year had dwindled into a feeling of 'I might as well eat' as she sat there by herself. 'Stupid Seth', Penny thought as she set her turkey leg down and started to pout.

~

Keeping an eye on Penny as she sat at a table by herself, Seth planned on keeping his distance until it appeared she was ready to go. He wasn't about to leave her there to find a ride home.

He watched as she laid napkins out preparing to eat. She started to unwrap her turkey leg, and then stopped. When Penny swept the entire length of her hair over her shoulder in order to hold the bottom in one hand while brushing her finger across the ends with the other, he could no longer keep his distance.

Making his way in her direction, he noticed her lips barely moving as she scowled at the ends of her hair. It looked like she was talking to herself. As he stopped for a moment to gather his thoughts, Seth wondered if she was thinking about him. Of course she was. She was probably thinking about what a jerk he was. He was a jerk. There was something about her that pushed every one of his buttons, good and bad. For a second, he considered marching over and telling her with all her cheerfulness and persistent befriending, she had disrupted his entire life. Thoughts of what his life was like before he moved in next door to her filled his mind as he started towards her again.

In just a few weeks, Penny had disrupted his life but in the best way possible. He didn't want to go back to his boring life. Seth wanted stupid arguments and not knowing what was going to happen when he stepped out of his apartment each morning. He wanted long Saturday afternoon runs with only her on his mind. The way she instantly brightened his day when all he could think about was how his father turned his back on him. Seth craved the anxious feeling of holding back when he thought of where touching her again might lead. And he wasn't willing to let a simple trip to the fair take all of that away.

Penny instantly dropped her hair and stared at him as he sat down across from her at the table.

"I only invited you here because you said you were excited about it. I hate the fair. I like you Penny, and I don't mean to be a jerk. I'm a really nice guy but when I'm nervous my mind gets carried away, and I end up acting like an ass with you."

An apologetic expression coated her face as she replied, "Now I feel bad."

"You shouldn't," he assured, thinking how sweet she is.

Shrugging a shoulder at him, Penny shared, "If you had moved next door seven or eight month ago, we probably would be on a date right now."

He thought for a moment before asking, "Because of the drummer?"

With a heavy sigh, she replied, "And every other guy I've been with."

Seth wanted to be sympathetic but couldn't help feeling that was unfair to him.

"You know, we can be friends if that's all you want. But it is wrong for you to judge me for things other people have done without giving me a chance to show you I'm different."

Appearing as though she wanted to smile, she offered, "Since we're both already here and I did ride with you, we can still walk around if you want."

"I would like that."

Penny smiled at him before grabbing her turkey leg and napkins off of the table as she stood up.

Finding the preparation and overall sanitary quality of fair food questionable, Seth declined when Penny offered him some of her turkey. Picking pieces off as they walked around the fairgrounds, she insisted on offering him each piece before placing it in her mouth and assuring him it was delicious.

Even though the carnival area was crowded, Seth didn't mind. The lights from the rides provided a pleasant glow now that it was dark. It would be the perfect time to reach over and hold her hand, but they were both occupied by the turkey leg. While he waited for her to finish, Seth decided to be proactive and see what he was really up against.

"What type of guy are you interested in?"

Stopping, she looked up at him asking, "What do you mean?"

"Don't most girls have a list or something?"

Appearing confused, Penny replied, "Do they?"