Page 13 of Penny & Royce

He dipped his head. “Sounds good to me.”

They walked side by side down the street toward the café about two blocks away.

“So, your brother is getting pretty close to River, huh?” Emerson asked.

She cut him a look out of the corner of her eye. “I suppose. He doesn’t talk to me much about his love life, though.”

“Yeah, I get that.”

Emerson’s shoulder bumped against hers, and she stepped to the side.

“Sorry,” she murmured.

He chuckled, and she tossed him a questioning glance. Emerson shook his head. “You don’t have to apologize. I’m the one who bumped into you.”

She nodded blankly. The apology had slipped from her lips out of habit.

She was still incredibly distracted. There weren’t many people who rode motorcycles in this town. Or if there were, she hadn’t noticed. It wasn’t exactly the kind of vehicle to depend on when winter rolled around, so that meant it was only practical in the warmer months.

Not that she should care.

“Penny? You okay?”

Blinking, she glanced around, then shook her head yes.

They’d arrived at the café.

How had they managed to get here so fast without her realizing it?

Emerson placed a hand on her arm. “Are you sure you’re okay? Would you rather get something to go and I can take you home?”

His hand was large and warm, but it felt different than when Royce had stood near her outside the country club. There was no spark. Not an ounce of longing. No strange hum beneath her skin.

No connection.

“Huh,” she murmured.

“I asked if you wanted to get something to go?” Emerson asked, withdrawing his hand.

She shook her head, then she met Emerson’s eyes. “No, I’m okay.”

He didn’t look convinced. “Really? Because you seem distracted.” His voice softened, and he reached for her hand. “Losing a parent can be really hard. We all get it.”

Penny shook her head. “It’s not that. I mean, yes, it was hard to lose my dad, but it’s not…”

She flushed when curiosity returned to Emerson’s face. There was no way she was going to confess that she’d been waiting for a call from a man she’d met for all of fifteen minutes in a parking lot.

Swallowing down the mortification that confession would stir up, she glanced over to where Jason was helping another customer.

“You know what? Maybe you’re right. I think it would be best if we order something and I eat at home. It’s been a long couple of weeks.”

Emerson nodded. “Of course.”

He offered to pay even though she’d been the one to cancel after accepting his invitation. But when he said he’d get her home, she insisted she didn’t need his help. She’d driven to work, and if he could walk her to her car, that would be more than enough.

She fumbled with her keys after she watched Emerson stride away. He’d given her a hug and told her he was there to listen if she needed someone to talk to. He was incredibly sweet, but something told her he might be interested in something more.

And she simply wasn’t.