Penny smiled at me. “See you both on Sunday, I guess.”
She’d said Sunday. Again. What about tonight?
“Just text me the time and place,” she added.
“For…Sunday?” I asked. What about room 904?
“Unless you’re busy?”
“No, Sunday’s great.” She probably just didn’t want to say anything in front of Scarlett.
“Bye, Uncle Matt!” Scarlett said. “Bye, Mr. Tanner.”
“See you later,” I said to Penny. I couldn’t even hide the stupid grin on my face. I’d be doing a lot more than seeing her later.
She gave me a weird look and then laughed. “On Sunday, yes.”
“Right. Sunday.” I nodded.
Penny pulled her eyebrows together. “Are you feeling okay, Matt?”
“I’ll be feeling a lot better after tonight.”
She nodded. “I’m glad you liked the milkshake. We’re gonna leave now.” She gave me one last weird look, waved, and walked away.
Tanner burst out laughing.
I just stared at him.
“You thought I…” he laughed harder. “That she was going to…” He could barely catch his breath. “Tonight in a hotel…” He doubled over laughing.
Oh fuck. This was just one of his stupid pranks. Why did he always find it so funny to mess with me? Of course Penny wasn’t going to sleep with me tonight. For Christ’s sake, she had Scarlett with her.
“I got you so good,” Tanner finally said when he stopped laughing. “Pretty sure the only person getting laid tonight is James.” He slapped me on the back as he stood up to go. “You’re so gullible.”
“And you’re a terrible friend.”
“Terrible best friend, thank you very much. I’ll see you tomorrow night at My Favorite Bar.” He touched the side of his head like he was about to tip a hat. But he wasn’t wearing a hat. He shook his head, looking momentarily confused, and then hurried out of the restaurant.
The waitress came over and handed me the bill. What the hell? He’d jilted me with the check again.
***
I walked up the steps of my brownstone on one of the quieter streets in the city. All my friends lived in swanky apartment buildings. The first apartment I’d bought was just like theirs. I’d hated that place. All the white walls and modern furniture and appliances. It was like there was no life in it. It made me feel claustrophobic. I’d sold it for a loss because I couldn’t bear to live another second in that empty hell hole.
When I was growing up, my favorite place to be at my house was the kitchen. It was warm and light and happy. I think I’d been chasing happiness my whole adult life. Even though I knew it wasn’t possible. So I bought a place that felt like a home.
But it still felt like I was suffocating. I unlocked the door, switched on the lights, and tossed my keys onto the little table in the entranceway. The place was a steal when I bought it. A complete fixer upper. There’d been a freaking hole in the ceiling of the dining room with no explanation. I’d been sold. And I’d been fixing it up in my spare time for the last several years. It was better when I kept busy.
But now I’d almost successfully fixed everything that needed fixing. The kitchen was brand new. The three bathrooms too. I’d sanded and refinished all the hardwood floors. I’d even managed to fix the leaky roof by myself without falling off the damned thing.
It was almost complete and I had no idea what to do next. This place wasn’t meant for a bachelor. Somewhere along the way in renovations, it had turned into more of a family home instead of a home for just me. I needed to call my real estate agent. As soon as possible. When I was living in a rundown brownstone, I was fine. But seeing the place fixed up made my chest ache. I wasn’t a family man. And I couldn’t be here anymore. I needed a one bedroom, one bathroom…something. Maybe something between a family home and a soulless apartment building. I just had no idea what that was.
I walked up the stairs, past my home office and a second bedroom I never went in, and down the hall to the master.
I turned on the shower and stared at the double sinks I’d put in. A his-and-hers sink? What the hell had I been thinking? This place was worse than the empty, lifeless apartment building I used to own. There was life here. A life I wasn’t going to have.