Page 53 of While the Sun Shines

“I have to watch Whit spend all of his goddamn time with Cooper, and you’ve got the farm, and now, even Abelardo is so excited about fencing he’s going to want to spend all day doing that, and even fucking Courtney has a boyfriend.”

“Who’s Courtney?”

“My coworker, Drew.”

“Right, of course.”

“No, not of course. She started in April, and it’s like goddamn clockwork each year. You have time for me in the winter, and then spring rolls around, and it’s like, Penny who? You don’t know Courtney. You haven’t been by the bar since March. She’s never even met you.”

“You and I hung out last summer, didn’t we?”

“We hung out last summer because we were all so worried about you that I made the time to make sure you were okay, but you’re too fucking dense to return the stupid favor!”

“Oh.”

“If I ever want to see you, it’s on the farm’s damn schedule. And it was fine when Whit was around ’cause he gave a shit about me, but he’s got Cooper now.”

“I give a shit about you.”

Penny folds herself back into her seat, arms crossed. “Then fucking act like it.”

“I do. I—I love you. What I told Cooper yesterday, I mean it. I do, Penny you’re—”

“No. If that’s what you’ve got to offer, I don’t want it, Drew. I deserve so much more.”

Drew’s stomach sinks. Amazing, he was going to end that sentence with. Awesome. Funny and hilarious and wonderfully ridiculous coming up with farm regulations and games for pie competitions and—and she’s so supportive.

Reassuring with the stress of repairing the house. Encouraging him through the mad scramble to make his business work. Keeping him company with his aunt and uncle moving away. And—and when he was terrified of switching from his small middle school to the regional high school, all those new faces, there she was, making room for him at her lunch table. Ever since then, so many years ago.

Something drops out of his gut. Leaves him hollow.

“I didn’t know any of this,” he says softly. “And I thought—you tell me stuff, all these things you want, your bathtub and learning how to drive the truck and—”

“I’ve seriously considered getting an air horn to get your fucking attention sometimes,” Penny says. “And you think what I’m talking about now is on par with a goddamn bathtub? Really, Drew.”

“Pen—”

But she opens the door and slams it shut behind her, jogging through the rain with her head down.

Water smears the windshield. Drew watches Penny climb into the farm truck’s passenger side, then the lights glow as Abelardo turns it on.

Dully, he follows the truck down the stretch of road, wipers pushing rain away, only for water to smear the glass once more. Half-inch bolts, he could text to Penny so Abelardo knows which ones to get and Drew wouldn’t have to follow them to the store. Fucking wrong move, he thinks, his mind stuttering over what might be the right one.

When the truck parks, only Abelardo gets out, heading toward the hardware store. Drew lets out a breath. He could just hide in here until Abelardo comes back and go inside at that point. How fucking cowardly. Necessary, he thinks, wanting to duck behind his steering wheel when Abelardo glances over.

Drew groans and pushes out into the rain.

Inside the hardware store, Abelardo’s waiting for him in the cool blow of air-conditioning.

Drew feels his face turn red. His ears, down his neck. “Hi,” he gets out.

Abelardo just gives him a kind smile.

“I—” Ground rods are over there, he could say. He rocks back on his heels, his shoes squeaking against the linoleum. “I can only imagine—whatever Penny’s said to you about—I don’t fucking know, man.”

“I’ve gotten the rundown, yeah.”

Drew’s face only flushes hotter.