Page 11 of Penny & Royce

“I asked around.” Then he grimaced. “Which sounded less terrible in my head.”

“It didn’t sound great out loud.”

“I know.” He slipped his phone into his pocket. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.”

She shook her head, but the corner of her mouth curved.

Royce backed toward his motorcycle, still smiling like a fool. “Good night, Penny.”

“Good night, Royce.”

He turned away before he could say something reckless enough to ruin it.

For the first time in a long time, Royce Meyers wanted something he couldn’t win by pushing harder.

He’d have to earn this.

And somehow, that made him want it more.

3

PENNY

Penny fiddled with her pen, then brought the end to her mouth and nibbled on it as she looked out the window. It didn’t matter how often she stole moments away from work to search for him.

Royce hadn’t shown.

It had been a couple of weeks, and there had been no sign of him.

At first, Penny had been disappointed and confused when she didn’t hear from him in the first few days. She’d believed he would follow through with his promise.

One day to make her fall in love.

You get to pick the pace he’d said.

She scoffed. As if. He was probably just blowing smoke.

Now, she wasn’t disappointed or confused.

Nope. She was embarrassed.

Embarrassed that she’d let him get into her head.

Embarrassed that she’d let herself believe he’d actually call.

“Stupid, Penny. You’re a logical, reasonable therapist. You should know better than this.”

She tore the pen from her lips and tossed it into the mug on her desk. The man might as well have been a ghost. If she hadn’t seen him before that night and she hadn’t seen him since, she could have convinced herself he was just some tourist passing through town. Or that it was just a dream.

Penny pushed aside the frustration. There was no point in dwelling on Royce. He’d made an impression, but in the end, maybe he’d been like all the other men who weren’t serious. A flirt. A guy who liked the spark of the chase but not the effort that came after.

Was it any wonder she was so jaded?

And yet it didn’t stop her from searching for that happiness she wanted so badly.

Maybe she was a lost cause.

Penny rifled through her paperwork, too distracted to be productive. With each passing day, she’d allowed herself to be consumed by questions about him. No matter how often she chastised herself, she couldn’t stop. She didn’t even know who she’d ask if she wanted to inquire after him.