Page 9 of While the Sun Shines

Cooper leans in to give Whit a quick kiss. “You are. You’re perfect.”

“Thank you,” Whit says and far more slowly and thoroughly, kisses him back.

Penny groans. “Gross, stop. I can’t handle the sight of you two on top of everything else.”

Whit slips his arms around Cooper’s waist. “If I’m so perfect, can I get promoted to best friend?”

“Stop,” Drew says.

Penny throws up her hands. “Finally, thank you.”

“No, I mean ’cause I’m Cooper’s best friend. And after the sheep, Coop, can you get the tedder greased, and, Whit, can you make sure we’ve got enough baling twine?” Drew looks from his phone to the window and back again. “It’s hot and sunny today and tomorrow, so there’s a good chance if I get that field mowed first thing this morning, we could be baling by tomorrow afternoon.”

“Isn’t there a third day of sun in the forecast?” Whit asks. “We don’t have to rush; might be good to make sure the hay is fully dry.”

“Those sheep are eating the last of what we’ve got. I want those bales in the barn as soon as we can,” Drew says.

Cooper spoons scrambled eggs onto three more plates. “Drew, let’s take a moment, first, to focus on the fact that Penny had the privilege of seeing my ass. Not many people do, you know.”

“I saw your dick last summer and I’m still recovering from that,” Penny says.

“Can I offer you more bacon?” Cooper asks.

“Yes, but don’t think I’m not trying daily to exorcise that image from my memory.”

Cooper sets a couple strips of bacon on the other plates and then piles the rest onto Penny’s. “I have a great dick. Right, Whit?”

“Whit, if you answer that, I’ll put cow shit in both of your boots,” Penny says. “And honestly, sharing a bathroom with you two is only like ten percent having to see Cooper’s butt. The rest of it is constant exposure to our resident lovebirds and the sad, sad reminder that at this rate, I’m going to be single for the rest of my fucking life.”

“Yeah, ’cause who else’s butt could compare to mine?” Cooper grins around a mouthful of bacon. “But c’mon, of all the butts in this house to see, this really didn’t work out too badly. Whit’s your cousin, so awkward, right? And Drew’s is probably so pale it’d have blinded you, and sure, he’s got the hot-burly-lumberjack thing going on with his bod, but did you even have sunglasses on you? An ass that ghostly, I’d worry about your eyes.”

Penny leans over and snags a strip of bacon from Cooper’s plate. “I’m claiming this as mine.”

“Unless, wait. Drew, is your ass as freckly as your face?”

“Cooper, more eating, less chatting,” Drew says, hurrying through his own eggs.

“Pen, you’re not going to be single for the rest of your life,” Whit says.

“Drew, since you didn’t answer, I’m going to take that as a firm yes,” Cooper says.

“Fuck all of you.” Penny points her fork at them. “You try sharing a bathroom with an adorable couple when you’ve been single for ages, and will be forever.”

“Aw, Whit, Penny thinks we’re adorable,” Cooper says. “Besides, Pen, don’t you and Drew have some deal in place to get married in twenty years? You should, if you don’t, ’cause by then maybe he’ll have actually had a girlfriend to practice on.”

“Very funny,” Drew says. “I’m retracting my best friend statement. And I’ve had girlfriends, thank you.”

Penny’s head jerks up. “Who?”

“Miss Sadie,” Cooper says, pointing to where Sadie’s lounging on her dog bed, one ear flopped inside out.

“Cooper, eat,” Drew says. “And I have. Like, what about Kirsten?”

Penny grimaces. “Drew, my friend, that doesn’t count.”

“Why doesn’t that count?”

Whit nudges Penny with his elbow. “Porque nunca te cayó bien.”1