Trouble (Dogwood Lane #3)(20)

“Need another drink, Penn?” She looks up at him as if he could ask for anything and she’d get it, or do it, right there.

My gaze whips to Penn. He’s looking at me. I can’t help but feel a little bit satisfied.

“Nah,” he says. “What about you, Avery?”

The waitress follows Penn’s line of sight to me. “I’m sorry,” she says. “I didn’t see you come in. It’s been crazy here. Can I get you something?”

“I was going to grab dinner but haven’t seen a menu. Maybe a burger? I heard they were great,” I suggest.

“We have great burgers and tenderloins, and breaded mushrooms to die for. Let me grab you a menu so you can make an informed decision.” She pauses. “My name is Alexis. Don’t listen to anything these punks tell you about me.”

I laugh. “Deal.”

She turns to go. Penn’s head turns to follow her.

My stomach tightens as I watch him watch her. His expression is mostly neutral . . . until he catches me watching him. He runs a hand through the hair I just cut, the dimple in his left cheek shining.

“What?” he asks.

“Nothing.” I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m going to go grab a seat with Harper. It was good seeing you, Penn. Nice to meet you, Matt.”

“Oh no,” Matt says. He shakes his head from side to side. “Uh-uh. That’s not gonna fly.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

He quirks a brow. “You have to sit with us. We’re friends now.”

The two of them stand shoulder to shoulder like two linebackers protecting the end zone. Only in this case, the end zone is my self-restraint.

A warmth spreads in my stomach as they silently challenge me. For some unexplained reason, though our interaction can be measured in minutes, I feel like I’ve known them forever and better than I know all my old friends in California. It’s so odd. Alarm bells should be going off. But they’re not.

“Maybe I like sitting with Harper,” I say.

“She looks like she’s on a date,” Matt says. “But I could be wrong. What do I know?”

“Then I’ll take it to go,” I suggest. “I’m perfectly happy eating at home.”

“Just, um, really quick—you would be at home alone, right?” Penn asks. “I mean, there’s no one there waiting on you?”

I try to ignore the way his lips twist to hide a grin. “How smart would it be for me to tell you if I’ll be at home alone?”

“It wouldn’t,” Matt says quickly. “Trust me. Bad idea.”

Penn glares at him before turning his attention back to me. “It would be super smart. What if something happened to you and you didn’t know who to call? Come to think of it, I should totally give you my number too.”

“Nine-one-one is pretty convenient. I think I’ll be okay.”

“Ooh, she doesn’t want your number,” Matt jokes. “Let’s write this one down in the record books, boys.”

“Will you shut the hell up?” Penn sighs. “Give the girl some time. It’s probably pretty overwhelming to meet me.” He turns slowly, his eyes full of salaciousness. “I’ll give you some time. No worries.”

I roll my eyes to distract him from the goose bumps breaking out across my skin.

“You can give me all the time you want,” I say. “It won’t make a difference.”

Instead of being dissuaded, his position solidifies. The look on his face threatens to dissolve me where I’m standing. It’s heady, a mixture of alpha and beta. A combination of sweet and sexy that’s so intoxicating that I feel like I’ve already had a drink. But I’m not going to entertain that reaction.

I need to find out who I am, not who wants to sleep with me, and I have little faith that giving in to Penn will somehow become an epiphany about my life.

Epiphanies over orgasms. I need that on a shirt.

“Do you really believe that?” He raises a brow.

“Absolutely.” I rip my gaze away from him and flip it to Matt. “Where’s the bathroom around here?”

He points across the patio to a door behind the makeshift tiki bar. There’s no hiding his amusement with Penn and me. “Want me to show you?”

“I can find it. Thanks.” I start to step that way but stop. “If the waitress comes back, will you tell her I’ll just have a bacon cheeseburger, no onion? And to take it to Harper’s table?”

Matt grins smugly. “Will do.”

My eyes drag over Penn as I focus once again on the bathroom.

The jerk is smirking.

I flash him my sassiest smile and walk away.





CHAPTER EIGHT

AVERY

The bathroom is clearly marked and also thankfully unoccupied. I dart inside, my mind racing, and fiddle with the lock. A screw is missing, and it takes forever to get it latched. Once I do, I collapse against the wall and breathe.

There’s a little sink with a mirror hanging above it that looks like it was put there before I was born. The toilet is obscured from view by a wall. The room definitely leaves a bit to be desired but is somehow still charming.

I close my eyes and inhale a deep lungful of air.