“That’s the problem. I like it too much,” Penny admitted.
A girl could get used to that kind of pampering, and Penny had to be careful about indulging in things she couldn’t have. She already had the memories of a motorcycle ride and a toe-curling kiss to deal with. She was pretty sure nothing would be living up to those anytime soon.
“Amen to that,” Tina said. “I’ve never seen myself as a damsel in distress, but I have to admit, I do like when Doc goes alpha male on me sometimes.”
Penny walked with Tina to the front entrance and waited for Kate to pull around. The topical anesthetic Doc had applied had done wonders for the burning and stinging along the soles of her feet. She made a mental note to pick some up at the drugstore later. With luck and creativity, no one else would have to know about her late-night tiptoe through broken glass.
Kate arrived a moment later. Penny used the handholds to climb up into the Jeep, and then they made their way down to the lake. Penny was glad she’d accepted the ride. It wasn’t terribly far, but her feet would have been hurting had she walked it.
She hoped that Jaxson would fare okay. Thankfully, the slope wasn’t too steep. Even if it was, he wouldn’t have accepted a ride if the other guys were walking it.
And he called her stubborn.
The large pavilion looked as good as the manor house. As far as Penny knew, it hadn’t been damaged by the fire, but it appeared as if it had gotten a recent facelift, too. In fact, everything she’d seen seemed to have been recently renovated. Matt and his guys had done a phenomenal job in restoring the place.
Several people were already there, including Jaxson. Some Penny knew. Others she recognized from seeing them around town but hadn’t formally met.
Kate took care of the introductions. “Penny, you know Sandy, Bree, and Matt. This is Nick Fumanti, but we call him Cage. And Hugh Bradley.”
“Heff,” the guy with long, dark hair and an earring corrected with a grin.
Penny recognized him as Sandy’s husband and immediately pegged him as a mischievous devil.
“My husband, Chris,” Tina continued. “And you’ve already met Steve and Doc. Everyone, this is Penny.”
Waves and friendly hellos ensued. Penny offered to help with lunch prep, but Kate shooed her into the pavilion and told her to sit down. Not wanting to cause a scene, she did. Before long, the delicious smell of grilling burgers and hot dogs had her stomach growling.
Unsurprisingly, Sam and Jaxson were the primary subjects of conversation. Cage said he’d do what he could from a digital-records standpoint, though everyone agreed records alone wouldn’t tell the whole story. Unfortunately, the two people who could best answer their questions were gone.
“What about Mr. O’Farrell?” Doc asked later as they sat around wooden tables laden with food.
Penny’s ears perked up at the name. Everyone knew Mr. O’Farrell. He probably knew more than anyone about Sumneyville and the people in it. And not just hearsay either. At over a hundred years old, he’d experienced a lot of the town’s history firsthand. Bonus: he was still sharp as a tack and currently lived in a retirement village in town with Tina’s grandmother.
“That’s a great idea!” Tina said excitedly. “But they won’t be back until Saturday.” She looked to Penny, her eyes twinkling. “Mr. O’Farrell and my grandmother eloped in Vegas.”
“No!”
“Yes,” Tina said with a laugh. “He said he needed to make an honest woman of her.”
“That’s wonderful! I’ll make them a special bouquet.”
“I’m sure they’d love that.”
The rest of the afternoon passed in a haze of delicious food, good company, and friendly conversation. Penny sat back, content to observe the dynamics. It was nice to see them relaxed and comfortable with each other. They were nothing like the monsters some of the townies made them out to be, but Penny had already known that.
Penny was most interested in how Jaxson was handling things. He engaged, but like her, he remained on the fringe. He was definitely the cautious type, the kind of guy who looked before he leaped.
She’d already known that, too, because if he wasn’t, she would have spent the previous night in his bed instead of in a chair in the corner.
Not that she hadn’t thrown caution to the wind and slipped in beside him without his knowledge once he fell asleep. He’d been restless, and she’d simply meant to calm him.
It had worked. Within minutes of her settling in behind him, he’d relaxed and slept more peacefully.
Clearly, his reticence came from the conscious part of his mind, not from the subconscious.
Was Tina right? Did Jaxson really care for her, and if so, then why was he so determined to keep her at arm’s length? Was he worried for her reputation? Afraid she’d want more than he was willing to give?
He didn’t need to worry about either of those things. She might be a romantic at heart, but her expectations were one hundred percent realistic.
Her home was here. He had a home elsewhere. Probably had friends there. Maybe even a woman waiting for him. The thought made her chest ache.
“Penny, are you okay?” Kate asked quietly.
Penny summoned a smile, aware of Jaxson’s curious gaze from the other side of the pavilion. Most of the food had been cleared away, and the guys were loading up the leftovers into the back of Kate’s Jeep.
“Sorry, I zoned out there. Post-meal food coma.”
“Perfectly understandable. Heff is a boss on the grill, but don’t tell him I said that,” Kate said with a grin.
“My lips are sealed.”
Penny rose to standing and stretched. “Thank you so much for letting me hang out with you guys today. I’m sorry I wasn’t much help.”
“No worries. Maybe we can make it a regular thing. We get together every Sunday for girl time.”
“I’d like that,” Penny said honestly.
Kate drove Penny back to the main entrance. “For what it’s worth, I like him,” Kate told her.
“I do, too,” Penny admitted. “But that’s not enough sometimes, is it?”
Jaxson appeared from inside with some of the others and made his way down the steps, his limp more pronounced than it had been earlier.
“I offered him a ride, but he turned me down,” Kate told her.
“He’s stubborn like that.”
“Aren’t they all?”
Penny got out of Kate’s Jeep and made the short trip to the van. Jaxson shook hands with the guys and joined her.
“Want me to drive?” he asked.
“No, I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
He didn’t look happy, but he nodded and opened the driver’s door for her. With a final wave, they were on their way back down the mountain.
She chanced a side-glance his way, finding him staring out the window. “Eventful day, huh?”
“Yeah, you could say that. Matt offered me a room for the remainder of my stay. I think I’m going to take him up on it.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Penny said, keeping her voice light, though inwardly, she was disappointed. If Jaxson was staying at Sanctuary, it would be much harder to find an excuse to see him.