Page 108 of Penny & Royce

That question was enough to put Penny in gear. She lifted her hand to her messy bun, then let her fingertips trail down the side of her makeup-free face. She probably looked a wreck, but sick?

Her grimace must have said more than she was capable of verbalizing because Rose rushed to place a hand on Morgan’s forearm.

“What she means is that you look like you could use a little TLC.” Rose smiled, but there was definite worry in her eyes. “Has your nausea been acting up again?”

She turned to Morgan. “She gets this thing when she’s stressed. It’s a whole situation.”

Morgan’s eyes softened with understanding. “That’s rough. And I bet it doesn’t help… everything that’s been going on.” She gnawed on her lower lip. “Royce is worried about you.”

Penny straightened at the mention of his name. “Did he move back home?”

Morgan gave her a cocked brow. “Think about that for a moment, then tell me why you think he’d ever want to live under the same roof as our dad and Lincoln right now.” She shifted her weight from foot to foot, then peered inside. “Would it be okay if we came in? We could chat. Catch up.”

As if realizing they probably shouldn’t be seen in a group, Rose glanced over her shoulder down the hall to the other apartments.

Penny would have laughed if it wasn’t so heartbreakingly understandable.

These two showing up together had to mean something. She just wasn’t sure what.

Stepping aside, Penny ushered them in. She tugged at her wrinkled T-shirt, then gave up caring if she looked presentable.If anyone could grasp the utter despair she was dealing with, it would be these two.

She settled on the couch, not surprised to find that Daytona had skittered off somewhere in the apartment.

So much for wanting cuddles.

Rose and Morgan stared at her expectantly. It was unnerving the way they were watching her, and she nearly blurted that she’d changed her mind and didn’t need company.

Then Rose broke the uncomfortable silence.

“I know Dad told you about what happened with his grandmother. How that betrayal started this whole thing. Neither side is guilt-free in any of this. Over the years…” She grimaced, then smiled sheepishly. “Over the years, we haven’t exactly been the best at helping the prior generation get over themselves.”

Morgan snorted. “Says the girl who pushes my brother’s buttons just because she can.”

Rose pointed at her friend. “Hey. Lincoln is a jerk sometimes. You should have heard what he said about Royce and Penny. He deserves to be pestered.”

Morgan rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Penny. “The biggest grudge is the one between our great-grandparents. After that, it’s been more or less minor. Squabbles over property lines. Trying to one-up the other when it comes to harvest season.”

She shot a pointed look at Rose, who laughed and held up her hands.

“Last year was not my fault.”

“You let the goats all over our property, and they practically demolished half our carrot crop.”

“I didn’t let them do anything,” Rose insisted.

“Maybe not, but you didn’t help the situation. And you let that stupid goat onto our property at least once a month just to make Lincoln mad.”

Rose snickered, and by the way Morgan was fighting a smile, it was clear she wasn’t too put out by it all. It must not have hurt their overall numbers.

“Anyway,” Morgan continued, “what I’m trying to say is that it’s about time this grudge is buried. Rose and I met in college. We both had big plans for our future, and to a degree, we use what we learned to help with the finances of our farms. But the reason we came back here to help was to end this feud. We just haven’t figured out how.”

Penny swung her gaze from Morgan to Rose. “You realize it’d be a lot easier if you didn’t go out of your way to make Lincoln mad, right?”

Her cousin laughed her off with a wave of her hand. “Lincoln is an idiot. And he’s the one exception to this rule. If he’s going to be a jerk, then he deserves what I dish out.”

Morgan rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh. Penny could tell she understood that Lincoln had the most sway with her family, and since he couldn’t stand Rose, it wasn’t going to be easy to persuade him to drop any fight he had with their neighbors.

Penny offered her an empathetic smile.