Page 31 of Penny & Royce

He chuckled and leaned forward. “You’re nervous.”

Her gaze flicked up to his, and an argument was on the tip of her tongue, but he kept going.

“It’s fine. I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting you to ask me out.”

Penny stiffened. “Oh, this isn’t…”

Her eyes darted to the window behind Emerson, and she could have sworn she saw Royce walking past. She tilted to the side to get a better look, but she didn’t see him.

Frowning, Penny dragged her eyes back to Emerson. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” He said it with so much ease she almost forgot she was here under ulterior motives.

“Do you believe in love at first sight?”

Emerson’s eyes widened, and then he laughed. “Boy, that’s a heavy question.”

Heat unfurled beneath her skin. “Oh. I’m not talking about you and me. We’re not—” She winced. “That came out wrong.”

He reached across the table and placed a hand over hers to still the tapping she hadn’t realized she was doing. “Hey, I’m not making any assumptions, Penny. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hopeful this could turn into something.”

The warmth beneath her skin intensified, but not in a good way.

Penny shook her head, and a strained laugh bubbled up from her chest as she pulled her hand away from him. That telltale nausea tickled low in her stomach.

Not now.

Shoot. Not now.

All she was supposed to do was get Emerson here so he wouldn’t be in the way when Mathew confronted River. She had not meant to hurt him or give him the wrong idea.

Emerson’s brows drew together. “Are you okay?”

“What?” Her head snapped up.

“You look a little green.”

Penny didn’t want to be here with Emerson. Not like this. She wanted Royce seated across from her, giving her that smile that could soothe and unsettle her all at once.

“It’s okay if you need to head home,” Emerson said. “I could walk you?—”

“No. No. It’s fine,” Penny insisted.

“You sure? Because you look like you’re a few seconds away from losing your lunch.” Emerson shifted in his seat. “We can take a rain check. I’d be happy to take you to dinner sometime.”

Her nerves got even worse the more he spoke.

“And hey, your brother’s wedding is coming up, right? We could?—”

Penny offered him a weak smile as she raised a hand to stop him. “I haven’t been honest with you, Emerson.”

He frowned. “I’m sorry, what?”

She blew out a breath. “I mean, I haven’t lied to you. I just…” She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them and drew on all the courage she could muster. “I should have been clearer when I asked you to coffee.”

It didn’t matter how long she studied him in that moment. Emerson wasn’t giving anything away. He watched her, waiting for her to continue. And all the while, her blush got worse. She wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t look human anymore.

“I’m sorry,” she blurted. “I shouldn’t have asked you without making it clear. I thought it would be nice to catch up. I know we’re not really close, but…”