Page 2 of Penny & Royce

Mystery man was on the phone, nodding as he spoke. As ridiculous as it was, Penny continued to drink him in. She’d never been the spontaneous sort. Everything about her life was planned to the letter. But that didn’t stop her from longing for a time when she could throw caution to the wind and toss aside any care for the consequences.

She lifted her gaze back to his face only to find him looking right at her.

Penny startled and looked away.

She was only on the second story, and her window was nice, large, and clean. It wasn’t tinted either. She waited for what felt like several minutes before glancing back.

The man was still there.

Still looking her way.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she turned from the window. Her hands trembled as she reached for her office chair and sat down. She didn’t know why that single look had rattled her so much. It had felt too direct, too knowing, like they’d met before.

Crazy.

And she’d been foolish enough to stare.

Whoever that guy was, she would steer clear.

For now, she needed to focus on what her therapist brain was telling her to do. She needed to find her happy place again. She needed to find a purpose.

So what did that look like for Penny Klein?

Picking up the legal pad, she flipped the page and placed it on her desk once more. Then she grabbed a pen and tapped it against the paper.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap, tap, tap.

If she was stuck in a rut, she needed to do something she never did. Maybe she could go out tonight. She didn’t exactly have close friends. She’d gotten to know Isabelle a little, but not enough to ask her to hang out. Besides, if Penny was intent on making a change, maybe she needed to do this on her own.

Nodding, she wrote down,Go out and have fun on my own.

Then she tapped the desk some more until a few more ideas came to her.

Dance with a stranger.

Do something out of character.

Get a puppy? Or maybe a cat would be better…

Be reckless.

Fall in love.

She stared at that last line and snorted to herself. Love didn’t come easy. It was one of those unattainable things in lifethat only a select few found. Her brother Mathew was a prime example. He’d thought he loved Victoria. That marriage had gone up in smoke, and now he was chasing some other girl.

At least River seemed to be good for Mathew. She was getting him out of his shell and pushing him to his limits in a healthy way.

“I hope they make it work,” Penny murmured.

She glanced at the time. Five o’clock on a Friday.

There was that country club people liked to flock to. Memberships weren’t required for most of what was offered, and the owner was wealthy beyond all reason. From what Penny had heard, all he wanted to do was help the community.

Why were all the good ones taken?