Page 72 of Finding Storm

“You saw me yesterday,” I reiterate my thoughts out loud just to wind her up.

“Yesterday was yesterday. I need my Stevie fix every day.”

Grinning at her, I reach for the sugar to put in my coffee. “Aw, you love me.”

“Bitch, please. You know I do. Now, aren’t you going to introduce me to your new friend?” She gestures to Nick, whose eyes are on me. Not Penny.

Huh.

I’ve always thought of Penny as the prettier of the two of us. I think that because it’s true. She’s like a young Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias.

Gah. I love that movie. Makes me bawl every single time I watch it. When Shelby dies … I choke up, just thinking about it.

“Penny, this is Nick Slater. Nick, this is my bestie, Penny Parrish.”

“Nice to meet you,” he says.

“Nick you say?” Penny’s looking at him with serious curiosity. More than he’s a hottie curiosity.

Huh.

“Yep. Nick.” He picks his coffee up and takes a drink.

“Hmm,” she murmurs. “You look really familiar though. Like I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

“I get that a lot. I have one of those faces.”

“Nick’s from LA,” I tell Penny, feeling the need to interject.

Her eyes spark with something. “LA you say?”

“Mmhmm.” Nick nods. He’s pulling apart his pumpkin slice with his fingers now. Putting a piece in his mouth, he starts to chew.

“What brings you all the way out here?” Penny asks.

I can see that Penny’s questioning is making him feel uncomfortable. She can do that sometimes—make people uncomfortable without meaning to. It’s just because her intrusive nature doesn’t have an off switch. She means absolutely no harm. She’s just similar to Gran in that way—nosy.

“Vacation,” I answer for him. “His car broke down. I went to tow him. He’s staying at the B&B.”

Her eyes come to me. There’s a definite smile in them. “And now, you’re having coffee together.” That translates into, Are you also having sex together?

Pen is always on me to start dating again. I’m twenty-four years old, and I’ve dated one man my whole life. I wouldn’t even know where to start. And I don’t think I want to.

The thought of having a man in my life again, giving someone else the power and opportunity to squeeze my heart to a pulp …

Er … no, thanks.

Pen says, if I don’t want to date, then I should at least give my coochie to a man every once in a while. Keep it alive. According to her, if I don’t, it’s going to shrivel up and die, and when a coochie dies, there’s no reviving it.

I used to think no … but meeting Nick has definitely got me thinking other things.

Thinking maybe Pen is right about the sex thing.

Who are you, and what have you done with Stevie Cavalli?

“Pen!” Gary calls. “Need you!”

“Christ almighty.” She sighs. “Coming!” She gets up from her seat. “I’ll call you later,” she says to me. Meaning she’ll call me as soon as her shift here is over, so she can grill me about Nick.