“Why are you always so pessimistic?”
“Realistic,” I counter, at which she just rolls her eyes.
“Tomato, tomahto.”
“Yeah, yeah, smartass.”
“How was your school?”
“It was…” Emmett’s disappointed face flashes before my eyes, making my heart sink a little. I hated seeing him like that. I hated even more that I was the reason behind that look. “Good,” I finish weakly, but Penny doesn’t notice. Instead, she nudges me with her elbow playfully.
“Seen a certain football player?”
I groan. “Don’t say it like that.”
“Like what?” That innocent look she’s sporting isn’t fooling me. Not in the slightest.
“Like that. Like there is something going on.”
“It’s not?” she asks, a frown between her brows deepening.
“Of course not.”
“Emmett said you guys are friends.”
“We are,” I confirm. “Sort of.”
Penny quirks a brow. “That doesn’t sound convincing.”
That’s because I’m not. But I’m not about to admit that. Instead, I play a few keys, hoping it’ll draw her attention from a certain boy. “C’mon, play something for me. I so rarely get a chance to hear you play.”
Penny gives me a look that tells me she sees right through me. “You have to start letting people in.” She presses one of the keys, the sound ringing in the room. “There are some good things about Texas, you know.”
“I do, but don’t get too comfortable.”
I’ve had my life uprooted one too many times to let myself believe this is forever. A rug can get swept from under your feet before you can even blink, so it’s better not to get too comfortable.
“And you don’t be so moody.”
Not waiting for my retort, Penny turns to the piano. Her fingers hover in the air, just above the keys, and then she slowly puts them down, creating a soft melody.
Penelope has always had a thing for music, ever since she was a baby. All she wanted to do was bang against things as hard as her chubby little hands would let her. But while all she created before was noises that most of the time drove Mom and me mad, now she’s gotten better. So much better. It was all thanks to one of her previous teachers who took her under her wing and gave her free classes one year.
Looking back, I think her love of sound came with her inability to see. To compensate—in a way—for her lack of sight, she had to rely on her other senses to fill in the void that was inside her.
The melody slowly grows in intensity as her fingers move faster and faster over the keys, creating a haunting sound that touches your soul.
Penny moves in time with the notes, her whole body flowing with the melody. As the piece reaches a climax, her head falls back, more of her hair slipping the confines of her braid. Her breathing is rushed, color filling her pale cheeks as she slowly brings the piece to an end.
“That was beautiful.” I wrap my arms around her and pull her in for a hug.
“Thanks,” she says, a smile curling her lips. “I’ve been practicing every chance I can; maybe if I get really good, that could be my ticket to college, since I know…”
I take her hands in mine, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “You’ll go to college, Penny. I know you will.”
“It’s not the same, and you know it.”
My heart squeezes painfully at the sorrow in her voice. “I do, but I also know any college would be lucky to have such a smart, talented girl like you.”
“Fingers crossed, right?”
“Fingers crossed.” I give her another squeeze and then get up. “How about you play for a bit more while I go up and change? Then we can do something fun together.”
“Yeah, sounds like a—”
The rest of the sentence dies on her lips as the doorbell rings, making Henry jump to his feet and start barking excitedly.
Penny and I exchange a look.
“Are you expecting somebody?” Penny asks, brows furrowing.
I shake my head and get off the bench.
“Not that I know of.” I head to the door, Henry at my feet. “Be right back.”
Pulling open the door, I come face to face with the last person I expected.
“Becky.” I look over her shoulder, but there is just her Jeep parked in the driveway. “What are you doing here?”
Henry barks excitedly, happy to have company. Seriously, if somebody were to break into the house, Henry would welcome them with open arms or paws, in his case. Completely useless as a guard dog, that one.
“Nope, I’m here to get you.” Henry nudges her with his head, drawing her attention. “Oh, who do we have here?”
Becky crouches down and scratches Henry behind the ears, all the while cooing excitedly, and Henry, the traitor, enjoys every second.
“Ummm…” I lean against the door. “Get me for what?”
Becky looks up and gives me an extra big smile. “You know how you complained you were hot earlier?”
“Vaguely,” I admit, unsure where she’s going with this.
“Yeah, well, you’re not the only one. That’s why we decided to go swimming!”
“Swimming?” I frown. “And who exactly is ‘we’?”
“Yeah, silly, swimming. You know that thing where you get in the water to cool off when it’s extremely hot outside?”
Henry gives another nudge to Becky since she stopped petting him.
“I didn’t realize there’s a pool here in Bluebonnet.”
A secretive smile curls her lips. “There isn’t.”
“Then how are we going to swim?”
“The old-fashioned way, how else?”
Before I can ask her what she means by that, I hear rustling coming from the living room. Henry’s head snaps up at the sound. He tilts it to the side, as if listening carefully, and then dashes to the living room without a backward glance.
I guess he’s good for something after all.
“I didn’t realize you have a dog.” Becky lifts her brows in question, just as Penny walks to the doorway, Henry by her side.
“Kate? Who is it?”
“He’s not mine,” is my only explanation as I turn toward Penny. “A friend of mine.”
“Oh.” Penny pushes a strand of her hair behind her ear, a nervous smile flashing briefly over her lips. “I didn’t realize you’d have company.”
“Becky just stopped by to invite me for a swim, although I’m still not sure where,” I explain, glaring at the person in question. “Becky, this is my sister, Penelope. Penny, this is Becky, one of my classmates.”
“Hi.” Penny waves her hand.
“Hey, it’s so nice to finally meet you!” Becky gives me a quick glance. “Kate told me a little bit about you. What grade are you in? You look around my brother’s age. Maybe you know him…”
“Oh, I don’t attend school here,” Penny says quickly.
“No?”
“No, I—”
“Penny, you don’t have to—” I start, but she just shakes her head at me.
“It’s okay, Kate. She’s your friend, right?”