Ty:(laughing emoji) I was thinking the same thing. We have to wait for Penn. Even if we don’t want to wait. I mean, I want to wait for Penn. But I want you, too.
Freid:Never stop saying such sweet things to me, Ty. I love you.
I inhaled sharply, dropping my phone on top of the comforter. My eyes filled. I wasn’t sure why. I should have been hopping up and down, dancing, laughing. Instead, I lay like a lump. Tears made a wet path into the hair at my temples.
When I next looked at my phone, there were several texts.
Freid:Ty? Ty? Why aren’t you answering me?
Ty:I love you, too.
***
When Monday arrived, we both went to work as usual. We waited for any reply to our first gift. The mug.
Nothing.
Tuesday, the plant arrived decked out with colorful balloons.
Nothing.
Wednesday, we had decided to send him food. Lasagna from the best Italian place I knew. Everyone liked lasagna, right?
We waited, texting each other as much as our free time allowed. By noon, the food should have arrived. My phone dinged with another text. Assuming it was Freid, I opened it to a brand-new header. It was a group text. It said: Freid, Ty, and Penn.
The new message came from Penn.
Penn:Hello. It’s me, Penn. Your beautiful gifts have not gone unnoticed. I love lasagna. Thank you. I think I’m ready to meet again. Are you okay with that?
Freid and I must have been frantically texting back simultaneously. Our texts pinged in together.
Freid:Yes. We would love to meet. Do you want to go back to Animals?
Ty:We are okay with anything. What about meeting again at Animals?
Great minds thought alike. Animals was a safe, public place. But Penn’s answer was unexpected.
Penn:I’d rather meet somewhere more private if that’s okay. Maybe one of your places? If that’s not asking too much.
Freid:I’d love to show you both my place. I can make you dinner.
Penn:Ty’s never been to your house?
Ty:Nope. I’d love to see it. And help make dinner, too.
Penn:Okay, that sounds good. Friday okay? I get off at 5. Can you text me the address? And thank you both for the sweet gifts. My coworkers were very jealous.
I let out a huge sigh in the lunchroom. My colleagues all looked up. “Something awful?” one asked.
“Nope.” I grinned. “Something good.”
Chapter Eleven
Penn
The guys were being so sweet, sending gifts to my work. Nothing over the top that would have me feeling pressured, just cute and sweet: a mug, a plant with balloons, and yummy dinner. I appreciated and loved every one of them, but I couldn’t bring myself to call and say thank you, not until I made a decision. Because if I did, that wasn’t fair to them. So instead, I stayed quiet.
That was until I was asked to feature a book the children’s librarian had run out of time for. The book she had picked out was one I wouldn’t have chosen. Not because it didn’t have value or wasn’t important to kids but because it broke my heart. On the surface, it was a book about a little bunny who said they would run away, and each and every time, the mom said, “Don’t worry, I’ll follow you.” It was cute. The illustrations were great, but the story was about how some loves are unbreakable. In this case, it was a parent’s love.
