"Of course you are. Don't ever think you're not. I'm just scared, Joey" Penny replied, she dropped the brush she was holding and began to wipe her hands on a towel, suddenly needing to do something... To keep busy, but his intense eyes remained on her, watched her like a hawk.
She felt terrible. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him, but she had to tell him so he wouldn't keep hoping. "I don't think I'm ready for another relationship just yet. I don't know if I will ever be. What happened with Jeremy.... It was a lot to take. And asking you to wait for me or leading you on would be the wrong thing to do. Friends don't do that to each other, and that what we should be... Friends. We have something amazing going on. We might ruin it if we try to make it something more. And I can't stand the thought of losing you... Or Audrey. I really hope you understand"
"It's fine" Joey said softly, but in his head he wondered if that was all sh
She had turned him down. And it wasn't the first time. A week had passed since then, and maybe she was over thinking, but she beginning to feel him withdrawing from her and she couldn't blame him. It was never her intention to hurt him, and even now with Jeremy gone, she didn't think she was brave enough to take that step with anyone. She wasn't even sure if she would be able to open herself and her heart to anyone else.She looked at Howard. He had finished feeding. She lifted him up-right and began to rub his back to burp him, tilting her head so that she could feel his hair against her cheek. Despite the weariness that was coming back in a tidal wave and the fact that life had just thrown her another rather dramatic curveball, she found herself singing softly.Sleepyhead, close your eyes, for I’m right beside you…----------------Joey could hear the song well before
The something that controlled the muscles in her legs, maybe? At least the need to sit down for a bit became a priority when Howard helpfully decided that he was starving.Which was hardly surprising. They’d been on a mission for hours now as Joey had come shopping with her. She had told him she was going to get new clothes for Howard and he had offered to come with her.And now, here they were, in the Baby Su-permarket and the sales girls had all fallen under Joey's spell the moment he smiled at them. As one of the doctors who worked at the hospital, he was well known. And being single and handsome, Penny could understand. Although for some reason she felt a little territorial when she saw the girls reaction to him. A thought which she pushed quickly out of her mind. It wasn't like she owned Joey or anything like that."We’ll give you the best discount we can manage," the manager who knew Joey sa
The silence in the car started to feel a little awkward. Was Penny also thinking about that assumption the staff of the Baby Supermarket had made? What did she think about it? Had she—even for that tiny moment of time—thought about what it would be like if it had been true?Something like alarm prickled in Joey's spine. He’d already overstepped a boundary falling for someone who would never see him the same way. But it didn't change the fact that he cared. That she had touched his heart in a special way.But it seemed as if something entirely dif-ferent was bothering Penny. She was so quiet."I’ll pay you back," she said, finally. "Please you have to let me. You didn't come with me so you could cover all the expenses""That’s not necessary." Joey replied.She shook her head. "Of course it is. You’ve already done far more than most p
Penny nodded. And then she raised her eye-brows. "Did you know…that if a little girl has broken her arm…when the doctors and nurses fix it, she can choose a pink cast to wear for weeks and weeks?" Then Penny shook her head. "But I guess you might choose a green one.""Nooo…I want pink…"Penny put her thoughtful face on. "Hmm… but you’d have to get out of the car and come to where they make the pink casts."Mia’s face crumpled."Tell you what…" Penny was looking around the car. "Is that your jacket? The pink one?"Mia nodded."If I put it very carefully behind you, I could tie the sleeves over the front and that would keep your arm very, very still while we get you out of the car. And if Dr Joey lifts you, you won’t have to move at all and it won’t hurt more than a little
Mia’s smile was all the response needed.Her mother was smiling, too. "I can’t thank you enough," she said. "I don’t know what I would have done if you two hadn’t found me.""It was our pleasure," Joey said. Wasn’t it, Penny?""Sure was." Penny's smile lit up her face and Joey's heart gave a curious little extra thump. He turned away from that smile to say goodbye to Mia and her mother. It wouldn’t make any difference because he couldn't act on that attraction. He wasn’t even going to be in the same house with her soon if everything went well, which was a good thing for himWith the passion she always displayed with Howard and to keep her independence, he knew that Penny was the type of woman who would fall in love and be just as passionate about being a loving and loyal partner. Just as she had been with Jeremy.The guy that wo
It was nice how he could feel enthusiastic about a garden. Penny thought."Carrots," he added, with a satisfied nod. "And silverbeet. That was always here. Huge bunches of it.""Maybe there’s still some hiding.""I doubt anything’s lasted under this carpet of weeds." he replied.But Jeremy struck gold in the very last cor-ner of the overgrown patch when their efforts had brought them close enough to be working together."Don’t pull that one out," Penny exclaimed."That’s rhubarb…"Dropping her fork in her excitement, she stumbled over the rough earth to pull the veil of sticky biddi bid weeds from the huge, dark green leaves beneath. Joey reached in to help her but it didn’t stop her singlet from getting covered with the tiny green seed balls.Joey even got so
Joey got to his feet but he made no sound other than a grunt Penny couldn’t interpret. Maybe he was relieved at the interruption. Maybe he was disappointed. Or maybe he just had stiff muscles from all that physical work in the garden.He offered Penny a hand to help her up and she took it but it didn’t feel anything like the hand that had been caressing her skin only moments before.And still, Joey didn’t say anything. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to, but then he closed it again, uttering nothing more than another uninterpretable sound as he bent over to pick up the garden fork.Penny picked up the baby monitor. She glanced over her shoulder as she went to collect her shirt.He was turning over earth as if his life de-pended on making this garden look as per-fect as possible.-----------------A foot on the fork. A pile of
Joey's hands slowed. He didn’t even lift the plate that was now perfectly clean under those soap suds. Penny's voice was so quiet now it was almost a whisper. "Joey? Do you understand?" she asked. Joey swallowed hard. Then he turned to face her, his hands dripping water as his eyes met hers. He looked.... Mad. "I understand, Penny" he said huskily. His hands made a fist, like he was willing them not to reach for her and grab her, then he brushed past her and out of the kitchen. ------------------ "Is everything okay with you Audrey" Penny asked Audrey as she joined her in the living room after putting away the dishes Joey had left behind. Audrey looked up from her phone and stared at Penny, "I'm fine. Everything is fine. Why do you ask that?" she replied. Penny took a seat beside Audrey. "You have been coming hom