Penny re-read the message twice, her heart sinking like a stone.No, she didn’t know where the damn foam roller was.What a narcissistic prick. She clicked off the screen, and her stomach grumbled as she strode to the door.
Fantastic.She'd forgotten to think about groceries in all the hubbub the night before, which meant she was going to have to brave the store this early in the morning or find breakfast somewhere to tide her over.
The version that did not include both shopping and cooking sounded like the more pleasant option, given her current bleary vision and mildly murderous thoughts. Kelty had helped drop her car off yesterday afternoon before Tyler came to pick up her things. It had seemed so smart at the time since Kelty had to stop at the bank just down the street. If she’d been thinking though, she would’ve driven separately and hit the grocery store on the way over.
No point rehashing it now. It wasn’t the end of the world. All she had to do was sneak out the front door without waking Brett up. Simple enough. She grabbed her keys off the dresser and tiptoed down the hall. Penny stopped in the kitchen to get a glass of water and nearly slammed into the counter when she heard rustling behind her.
She dropped her phone, and it clattered onto the wood floor. Thinking she could somehow reverse the noise that had already echoed through the apartment if she moved fast enough, she bent down and picked it up. Thankfully she hadn’t been already holding a glass. When she stood, she saw Brett shooting up on the couch. Shirtless.
He winced and fell back against the armrest, the blanket he’d slept with puddling at his waist. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.”
Penny’s heart jumped into her throat at the sight of his bare torso. He was thick. Sturdy. Not cut like one of those guys that counted their macros, which was actually more attractive in Penny’s books. She’d gotten enough of that self-obsession with Danny, and it wasn’t like his muscle was useful for more than entertaining himself in the mirror. When she caught herself wondering how Brett’s weight would feel on top of her, she shook her head and gripped the edge of the counter.
No.She scolded herself like a toddler or disobedient dog. Penny was onto herself. She was feeling vulnerable and stressed, and she was not going to do what she always did. She was not going to seek validation and purpose in someone’s arms. She was going to figure this out on her own for once.
Brett dropped an arm over his face, and Penny pressed back into the corner, trying to hide in the shadows since her eyes were puffy and she probably looked like she'd had an allergic reaction to shellfish.
“It's fine. I was just getting a drink of water and thought you were still in bed. I didn’t want to wake you.”
Brett rubbed his eyes. With his hair mussed around his face, he looked like a rock star who’d woken up confused to find the hot model he’d spent the night with wasn’t next to him. “Do you always get up this early?”
Absolutely not.“Do you always sleep on the couch?”
“It’s a recent development.” Brett dropped his arm, and Penny noticed his right leg was propped up on the armrest. She leaned forward to try and parse out the tattoo on the underside of his bicep now that it was on full display.
“Knee bothering you?”
Brett exhaled. “It's not bad.”
It was bad if he was opting to sleep on a couch that was approximately two feet too short for his tall frame. Penny didn’t want to continue the conversation since it would likely require her to make eye contact, but she couldn’t help herself. “Taking an NSAID before bed would help with that.”
“I don’t take pain killers.” Brett sat up, which only made his pecs look larger. He straightened the chain on his neck.Have mercy.
Penny turned back to the cupboard and pulled out a glass since her mouth now felt like it had been held up to a blow dryer.Right.Brett hadn’t taken anything after surgery, which was borderline insanity, but he was a hockey player. He was probably convinced real men didn’t need meds. That his testosterone and machismo could pull him through. Well, that and her physical therapy, of course.
Penny gulped water from the tap, then set her glass in the dishwasher and made her way to the door.Don’t look at him. Don’t—
“Where are you going?”
“To get breakfast and go grocery shopping,” she answered too quickly.
Fabric rustled behind her. “You don't need to do that at the crack of dawn. I doubt Timmie’s is even open yet, and I have plenty of stuff here.”
“I don't expect you to—” Penny started, but Brett cut her off.
“No, let me make you something. You can go shopping later.”
Make you something?Penny froze with her hand on the door. She didn't want to be rude, but the last thing she wanted was for Brett to feel that he'd accepted a charity case.
“It’s fine, I'll—”
“Stop. I'm making myself breakfast anyway. It's no big deal.”
Penny stood, conflicted. On the one hand, she did not relish sitting in a parking lot waiting for a restaurant or grocery store to open. On the other, the idea of turning around and letting Brett see the bags under her eyes made her squirm.
With each of her boyfriends, she'd woken up and gotten ready before they did so they'd never had to witness her morning breath or her less than perfected face. Danny had always slipped out of bed and gone on a run, which had given her ample time to make herself presentable.
But Brett wasn’t a boyfriend. He wasn’t even a friend. So why did it matter if he saw her looking terrible? It was probably best she ripped off the Band-Aid early. Plus, if he was going to make eggs shirtless, who was she to say no to that?
