Okay, ouch.Brett turned in his chair. “Don’t need much for myself.”
Penny ignored the self deprecation. “I wanted to ask you how this would best work for you. Do you want me to take a few dinners throughout the week, assign a few days? I could prep lunches or . . .” Penny opened the freezer.
Brett wanted to stand and walk closer for this conversation, but his knee was already complaining from the activity that morning. Which meant he likely needed more activity, not less. PT, whenever they started, was going to be brutal.
“Yeah, I think that would be great,” he answered. Penny slammed the freezer closed, and Brett frowned. That was a bit aggressive. “I'm not a terrible cook. Why don't you take Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and I'll take—
“No, I'll take four days. You can have three.” Penny spun and planted her hands on the counter. Her eyes flashed. “My mom is from Greece, and she forced me to learn how to cook before I went to kindergarten.”
Was this a competition? He had no clue what he was competing for, but he jumped in anyway. “Well I learned to cook an egg in preschool.”
Penny’s lip twitched.
“Your family’s from Greece? Have you ever been?”
Penny nodded, her shoulders still tensed and lifted next to her ears. “We're actually planning a trip this summer.”
“Oh, yeah?” He swiveled further in his chair. She didn’t respond to the preschool comment which meant he definitely won that round.Was he really throwing down his mitts over cooking age?He needed to slam something against the boards and get it out of his system.
“For my parents' fortieth anniversary.”
Brett whistled. “Forty years. Impressive.”
“Glad my family can intimidate you, too.” Penny pushed back and reached for her keys on the other side of the island where she’d left them earlier. “How long have your parents been married?”
He shrugged. “I honestly have no idea.”
Penny spun and opened a cupboard, closed it with more force than was necessary, then moved on to the next.
“Are you alright?” Brett asked. Although he was sure his kitchen could handle the mild abuse, it didn't seem like normal behavior for her. But who knew? He'd only spent a few hours in her company.
“Fine. Just getting the lay of the land. Why?”
“I don't know, maybe because you’re shaking the cupboards down like they stole something.”
Penny’s cheeks coloured as she walked to the door to slip her shoes on. Brett didn't know whether to pretend to be working and let it go or wait.
“What?” Penny held out her hands, and for a second, she looked like a defensive teenager.That was it.Something pained behind her fierce expression. He’d always been able to read people, which hadn’t always been to his benefit. It made friendships easy to come by, but the burdens were heavy to carry.
Brett exhaled and stared out the bay window. “Looks a little windy out there today.”
Penny scoffed. “Can you say that in good conscience?”
Brett eyed her curiously. She was picking a fight. He knew that feeling, too. Where you were so fired up you had to beat something to get it out of you. He had no problem being a sparring partner. “What do you mean by that?”
“I'm just saying. When the wind in this province gets to hurricane levels, I don't think this can be labeled windy.”
“Says the woman who moved here when?”
Penny’s gaze sharpened. “Two years ago.”
“Hardly counts.”
Penny blew out a breath and adjusted her shirt over the waistline of her pants. The wide-legged jeans looked comfortable, hitting her perfectly at the waist and flaring over her hips. Brett’s skin warmed, and he looked down at his screen.
“I'm sorry. I got an email a few minutes ago, and it wasn't great.”
Brett was curious, but he held back. If she was ready to talk about it, she would. “I'm sorry,” he said instead of asking another question. “Hopefully grocery shopping will take your mind off it.”
