Page 107 of Penny & Royce

It was then he noticed the folder in Penny’s seat.

Had that been there this whole time?

How had he missed that she’d brought it along?

No. He would have seen it in her hands. There had to have been a moment when she’d slipped out here to place it in his truck.

It was the easiest way for her to make herself do what she thought needed to be done.

And the worst part was that he couldn’t even blame her for taking it.

Because if he were in her position, terrified and hurting and convinced this was the only way to keep from ruining the man she loved, he might have done the same thing.

27

PENNY

Aweek had passed with no further contact from Royce.

Penny was miserable.

And she had only herself to blame.

For all intents and purposes, she’d become a shut-in. She went to work, ate what little she could manage, slept, then started over again the next day.

She didn’t know what she expected to happen after Royce left following their final date. That he’d find the paperwork and come storming back to her side and refuse? He’d told her he wouldn’t do that.

Penny couldn’t expect him to sign the documents the next day and drop them off either. He had a right to contact his lawyer and make sure everything was on the up and up.

Over the last couple of weeks, Daytona had seemed to notice that Penny needed more comfort. Her cat wasn’t known for being a cuddler and more often than not was hard to find whenPenny came home from work. She liked to hide beneath the bed or the couch.

But today seemed to be different.

Daytona had actually jumped up onto her lap. She curled herself into a warm little ball and purred when Penny lightly ran her fingers through her fur. The low rumbling sound was nearly enough to lull her to sleep if the knock at the door hadn’t startled her out of her quiet reverie.

She glanced toward the door with fresh unease.

There were only a handful of people who would bother to come pay her a visit.

Her brothers. Their significant others. Her mother.

And Royce.

Penny considered not answering the door. At this point, she wasn’t interested in seeing any of those people. She didn’t have the heart or the energy to speak to her family regarding her poor life choices. And she definitely didn’t feel up to getting the divorce paperwork back from Royce. Just seeing both of their names on that document might be enough to send her over the edge.

Another knock sounded, and Penny groaned.

She’d never been very good at avoiding the inevitable anyway.

That was one of the reasons she’d left the folder in Royce’s truck.

She headed for the door, then pulled it open without checking who it was first, only to be stunned into silence.

Her cousin stood on the doorstep, but it wasn’t the fact that Rose was visiting that turned Penny’s life upside down.

It was the person standing next to her.

Morgan gave a little wave that didn’t match her overly bright smile at all. “Hey, Penny.” Her smile faltered as her gaze sweptover Penny from head to toe. She frowned and stepped over the threshold. “Oh, Penny. Are you sick?”