One Size Fits All (The Classy ‘n’ Sassy Series Book 3) (5 page)

She had to laugh at that one. “I already figured that.” And besides, if she was lucky, she might not need her collection much anymore anyway. “But the rest is going to be tough. I don’t really know how to cook. And I don’t have a clue what to pack for a lunch.”

Mia laughed and Penny imagined her shaking her head. “That’s what YouTube is for.”

“Okay. I can do that.”

She could, and would. She’d watch every Rachel Ray clip she could find and figure out how to make all the fabulous food she loved on her own. But it still sucked. It was one thing to be kicked out of her home so her soon-to-be ex’s pregnant mistress could move in, but to give up every minuscule luxury was just so damn hard. And unfair. Jack was the one who fucked up, so why was she the one suffering?

Damn him and his ironclad prenuptial agreement.

But no matter what way she looked at it, she needed more money. Maybe she could earn more. It had been an eternity since she’d gotten a raise. Classy ’n’ Sassy had been in such financial trouble for so long that no one had gotten a raise for years. But things were looking up now. Maybe now was the time to ask for one.

That didn’t mean it was easy.

“So how about this,” Penny continued. “I’ll cut corners and do the best I can, but can I have a raise, too?”

Silence.

“Mia? Are you there?”

“Yeah. I just . . . I don’t know. We’re finally in the clear and I can’t risk going back to where we were.”

“But things are so much better now. Way better than they were before.” She didn’t know for sure, since she didn’t do the accounting, but the shop was a hell of a lot busier than it was a year ago. “You even hired a new employee because business is booming.”

“I know. I just can’t make that decision without talking to Bryn and taking a good look at our finances. I’m sorry. I hope you understand.”

She understood, all right. They’d hired a brand-new person but hadn’t even thought to give a raise to the one who’d stuck by them through all their hardships. Now she was the one in trouble and no one was helping her. This sucked.

CHAPTER
Five

P
enny stood
at the counter ringing up a customer while Chanel helped a woman pick out shapewear. She was glad it was just the two of them today. The last few days at Classy ’n’ Sassy had been awkward. Well, probably just for her. After Mia had turned her down for a raise, she’d mostly kept to herself. She had no desire to be “one of the girls” this week.

She wished her customer a good day and began sorting through the mail.

“Hey, Penny,” Chanel said as she approached the counter. “This pair of underwear is stitched funky on one side. Can I give her a 10 percent discount or something?”

It was standard procedure to give customers a discount on imperfect merchandise. It happened from time to time. Stuff came in and there were small defects they failed to notice before putting it on the showroom floor. It was easier to give a discount than to send it back to the company.

“Sure,” Penny said, turning to a pile of new catalogues, but thought better of her response. “Chanel, wait.”

What if this one time they didn’t want to give a discount? Was Penny ready to get reamed out for it?

“You better ask Mia or Bryn.”

“But they’re not here.”

“Then call one of them. I don’t want to make any decisions that affect the shop.”

“Oh . . . kay.” Chanel headed for the phone and dialed one of their bosses.

Penny breathed deeply and shook her head. Never in the past would she have hesitated like that. Mia and Bryn had trusted her and backed her up. But now? Things just felt different. She used to love her job at Classy ’n’ Sassy. She used to be excited to go to work. But the last few days—hell, the last couple of months—it just hadn’t felt the same.

Was this even what she wanted to do for the rest of her life? When she’d gotten the job, it was a way to fill her days until she became a stay-at-home supermom. But life happened and now she needed to work to support herself.

She’d worked hard for her degree, and so far she’d been pretty damn good at her job. Marketing guru and jill-of-all-trades at a lingerie shop wasn’t what all her college friends were doing with their marketing degrees, but she liked the women she worked with and loved being a part of something so awesome. But the awesomeness wasn’t what it once was. Surely there were other jobs that would pay more.

And maybe she’d be appreciated more.

---------

THOR GRABBED
the net bag of footballs and headed out the back of the school to the football field. The kids were still in class, waiting to be dismissed. He had a few minutes to set up cones for running drills.

He pulled a football from the bag and tossed it in the air. As it twirled in a perfect spiral above his head, a cloud of regret flooded his brain. This wasn’t what his life was supposed to be like. Right now, he should’ve been finishing up a stellar NFL career, getting ready to retire soon. He would have secured a commentator job on ESPN, or maybe even gotten into coaching a college team. He would have bought his mom a gorgeous house in Kenville with a white picket fence, instead of making her live in the same trailer home they’d lived in his whole childhood. She wouldn’t have had to work a tiring, thankless job that kept her out at an ungodly hour. She wouldn’t have become a victim of an irresponsible drunk driver on the road that same time of night.

He was supposed to take care of her. Like she’d taken care of him. He was supposed to do so much more with his life.

“Hey, Coach!”

Joey had come to him the day before and asked if he could join the team. Thor had yet to really see what the kid had, but he needed this chance.

“Hey, O’Conner. You ready to work hard?”

“Yep!”

“Good to hear.”

The other kids arrived and he lined them up. He didn’t need to do it, since most had heard it weeks ago on the first day of practice, but for Joey’s sake he gave his brief spiel about the game and the dedication it took. He tried not to gush too much about his love of the game, or he’d end up boring them. But it seemed to pump them up and he liked that.

They counted off jumping jacks, then sit-ups. Among many grumbles, they did push-ups, too. The coaches split them up, running box and handoff drills, as well as offensive and defensive drills. After two hours, they had forty-four boys and one girl with flushed cheeks, sweaty heads, and grass-stained knees, and he couldn’t be prouder.

“Great practice. Go get some water.”

Thor jotted notes while the other coaches collected orange cones and various pieces of practice equipment.

“Excuse me? Coach Rublinski?”

He looked up from his clipboard. “Yes?”

“I’m Karen, Joey’s mom.”

“Hi.” He held out his hand and she reluctantly shook it. “Thanks for letting him play. He’s a great kid and I think he has some real talent.”

“I didn’t give him my permission. That’s why I’m here.” Her friendly demeanor changed slightly. “I’m very much against this . . . game.”

“He came to me yesterday and said he wanted to play, so I assumed you said it was okay.”

“I told him he needed to get a part-time job after school. He insisted he could do both and stormed off before I could convince him otherwise.”

Thor remembered being a kid and offering to give up football and get a job at a fast food place so he could help out at home. His mother refused to let him quit. “I understand your position. I was a lot like Joey when I was a kid. But I needed football. And I think it could help Joey a lot, too.”

“I don’t need parenting advice from a gym teacher. And I sure don’t need someone filling my kid’s head with nonsense. He needs to learn how to be an adult. This stupid game isn’t going to do that.”

“This sport is so much more than a game.” His defenses rose, but he needed to stay calm. “It’ll teach him responsibility, commitment, respect, teamwork. All key skills in life.”

Surprisingly, she backed down, her expression softening. “I guess I didn’t think of it like that.”

“How about this? The season only lasts a few months. Can you give him a little time? Let him do this now and he can get a job when the season ends. Maybe even a better job than he can get now, because he’ll be a more responsible person then.”

“I guess. But I don’t have any money to give you for anything.”

“I know. I loaned him a pair of my cleats and the school provides all equipment for free.”

“Fine. But if I see anything negative, he’s done.”

“Deal.”

She turned and walked off the field. He’d won the battle for Joey, for now.

---------

PENNY LET
out a sigh as she plopped down onto her couch. Staying in her relaxed position, she reached for the mail off the coffee table. She’d learned to open all mail with caution. She never knew when one would be a bomb that would explode in her face with demands for money, also known as bills that normal people paid on a monthly basis.

And today was no exception. Why did it cost so damn much for electricity? She hardly even used it. It was still technically summer, so she didn’t even turn the lights on until the sun set, and it’s not like she watched TV nonstop. Deep breath. Add it to the list of things she had no clue where she’d get the money for. Never in her life had she felt this way. She wasn’t even sure how to explain it. A definite unease. And the only way to make that go away was to pay all the bills and not have them hanging over her.

But how could she get the money she needed? The raise request was a dead end. Bryn had expressed how much she “loved and valued” Penny and that she was “so, so sorry” they couldn’t give the raise right now, but Penny still felt like shit. And then had to pretend like everything was fine and dandy.

But she needed money now. How was she supposed to get more money if her bosses were unwilling to give her more?

She needed to do what normal people did, and get a second job. It’s not like she had much going on in her free time anyway.

But what kind of job could she do that wouldn’t interfere with her work at Classy ’n’ Sassy? And what was she qualified for? Obviously retail, but would that just make her want to buy more stuff? Employee discounts were a curse. The temptation surrounding her could be disastrous. The restaurant business? She’d never done that, but her college roommate had been a waitress while they were in school. She’d probably learned a thing or two. But could she carry a tray like that one-handed? Hmmm. Not sure. Maybe she could be a hostess or something. That would be easy.

Done. That’s what she would do.

With renewed energy, Penny grabbed her laptop and got online. She clicked the Help Wanted section of the Newford News’ Web site. There were tons of restaurant job listings, but many said “experience needed.” Crap. She could maybe fudge that bit of information, right?

Penny made a list of places to call. One of the twenty had to give her a chance, right? She felt good. Positive. This independent-woman thing was hard, but maybe, since the start of all this, she was finally on her way.

CHAPTER
Six

P
enny headed
to work for the Sunday shift and stopped for a treat on the way. It’d been less than a week since she gave up buying lunch and other little things to save money, but she deserved a splurge. And she knew exactly what she wanted: a salted caramel mocha cappuccino from the café near the shop. The second she walked in, the aroma of fresh brewed coffee swirled around her and she was in heaven.

She ordered and even threw in a slice of homemade pumpkin loaf. Her mouth watered just thinking about it all.

“Penelope!”

The squeal came from her right. She couldn’t quite place it. And then she was faced with something she hadn’t yet had to deal with.

“Blaire! How are you?” Penny forced a cheesy grin.

She leaned in and air kissed the space on both sides of Penny’s face. “Fabulous! I heard about the divorce.” She stuck out her collagen-filled bottom lip. “So tragic. I can’t believe he left you for such a slut.” She whispered the offensive word. “I heard she used to be a stripper or something. He met her at one of the private gentlemen’s clubs. At least she was a high-end slut.”

Information Penny did not know. Or need to know. At least it proved her theory of Jack finding a slut—er—woman who was willing to do dirtier sex stuff.

“Can you believe I got an invite to her baby shower? Like I want to go and celebrate that child. But of course, I have to. Richard would kill me if I snubbed his BFF’s new fiancée. But don’t worry, I’ll report back on how fat she got. Ha! Forget twirling on a pole now.”

Uh. Back up one second. “Fiancée?”

“Ugh. I know, right? You technically didn’t even sign divorce papers yet. I heard the ring is hideously huge.”

This just kept getting better and better.

Blaire continued like she hadn’t just handed Penny a bucket of shit. “So why haven’t you been at the club? Or hot yoga? I miss talking to you.”

As if they’d ever had a real conversation. Their friendship consisted of them and their significant others attending stuffy dinners where people discussed boring things. Whenever the women had been alone, all Blaire did was dish about so-and-so’s latest botched plastic surgery or whatever gossip was hot at the moment.

Remembering it all reminded Penny that her only real friends were Mia and Bryn, and she vowed to fix her situation with them. Pronto. She was done having conversations like this with people she despised. She did it in the past for Jack, but that responsibility was over.

“I’ve been busy” was the only excuse she could manage. And like magic, her name was called and her beverage set on the pickup counter. “That’s me. I really need to go.”

“Okay. But we totally need to get together soon. There’s so much I need to fill you in on.”

“Sure.” She inched toward the door.

“Fab. I’ll call you. Ciao!”

---------

THOR WIPED
his moist hands on his only pair of dress pants as he walked up to Penny’s apartment. He tried to calm his nerves, but it wasn’t going to happen. It was their first official date. That meant something. This was way more important than the hookups and casual relationships he’d had in the past. He was going into it with the intention of more, probably for the first time in his life. And that was damn scary.

She answered the door and he sucked in a breath. Who knew a plain black dress could look so sexy? Formfitting, ample cleavage, with thin straps that showed off perfect shoulders. He had no idea all this was under her regular clothes.

And man, did he like what he saw.

“Hi,” he managed to spit out.

“Hi, yourself.”

“You . . . look . . . good. I mean, great. Um . . . ” He was so bad with this stuff. “You look really nice.”

He could tell she was stifling laughter. “Thanks. You look good, too. I like you in real clothes.”

He wouldn’t tell her the dark gray pants and blue-and-white-striped dress shirt were pretty much the only dress clothes he had. His closet was full of track pants, basketball shorts, and T-shirts. A gym teacher didn’t need fancy duds.

But maybe he’d get more nice clothes if they got reactions like this from her.

“Ready to go?”

“Yes.” She grabbed a little purse and shawl and locked up. “So, what’s the chef’s table like?”

They headed for his truck. “Basically there’s a small table in one corner of the kitchen. We get to watch everything going on, and Kevin—my friend—will make us food and bring it over. It’s usually five courses of whatever he feels like making that night.”

“Cool. I’ve been to lots of fancy places all over the world but I’ve never done anything like that.”

He opened the passenger-side door for her. “All around the world?”

She shrugged. “I used to travel a lot.”

After she sat, he closed the door and headed for the driver’s seat. “I’ve never been outside Newford, except for football games.”

“My ex does a lot of traveling for work and I used to tag along. Paris, Rome, Dubai. I’ve been all over.”

Thor pulled out onto Main Street and began the short drive to the restaurant. “Damn. He must do something really important to travel to all those places.” And make a shit-ton of cash.

“He thinks he’s more important than he really is.”

“Do you miss all the traveling?”

“Sometimes. But it’s not fun to sightsee by yourself. And you can only shop in designer boutiques so much before it gets boring.”

That answered the money question. Which made him feel kind of weird. He’d never been happy with the amount of money he made, but now there was more pressure. Penny was used to really fine things. There was no way he could give her that. “All my clothes are from Target. I grew up poor and my skin is probably so used to cheap clothes that if I ever put on anything good, it’d probably rebel and break out in hives.”

“I love Target!” She laughed and he was glad for that. “I used to care about all the designer stuff. I had to, since everyone in my social circle did. But those people are annoying and the drama is exhausting. I’m so glad I don’t have to be a part of that world anymore.”

That definitely made him feel better.

Thor pulled up to Russell’s and the valet attendants immediately opened both doors. He handed over his keys and met Penny on the other side. “Shall we?”

“We shall.” She curled her arm around his and he liked it. A lot. An uncontrollable grin slid across his face.

They stepped inside and the place was busy, as usual. Reservations booked up a month in advance and walk-in seating was nonexistent. He was happy for his friend. Never would he have expected a fellow football player to become a chef, let alone a star.

Thor led her to the hostess stand but heard, “Penelope?”

She stopped and his momentum was jerked. Her grip tightened around his bicep. “Hi.”

He realized she was talking to a man. He knew the type—he could tell by the suit. They occasionally wandered into The Red Brick, but the scotch usually wasn’t up to their standards, so they left quickly.

“What’re you doing here?” the suit asked.

“I’m . . . having dinner. A date.” She turned to Thor, obviously frazzled, then back to the guy. “This is Theodore Rublinski.” Her gaze met his again and she didn’t even have to say it. “Theo, this is Jack.”

Her ex stuck out his hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”

From the look on Penny’s face, the encounter was far from pleasurable. For any of them. Thor took the offered hand, gripping it a little tighter than he normally would. “Nice to meet you, too.”

Jack narrowed his eyes at Thor, and when he let go, Jack wiggled his fingers and rubbed his palm. Thor tried not to laugh.

A brunette appeared at his side, clutched his arm, and dug her bright red nails into the fabric. Huge fake breasts were practically pouring out of her painted-on dress, accentuating what he assumed was a baby bump. The diamond on her finger was so huge it looked fake, but he was sure it wasn’t.

“Jacky, can we go somewhere else? The ladies’ room doesn’t even have an attendant.” She then turned to Thor and Penny. “Do I know you?”

“Theodore Rublinski?” the hostess called out. “The chef’s table is ready for you.”

“Chef’s table?” the brunette said with a pout and turned back to Penny’s soon-to-be ex. “Why can’t we sit there?”

“Bye,” Penny said with a little wave, a smile of smug satisfaction on her face.

Thor was happy to save her from further distress. Making her ex and his new girlfriend jealous was just a bonus. He couldn’t help but chuckle though. “That was . . . interesting.”

Penny laughed, too, as they weaved through the dining room, glad the scene hadn’t ruined their date. “Did you see that dress she was wearing? I didn’t know they made slutwear for pregnant women.”

He hadn’t expected such a catty statement, but found it hilarious. He almost had to cover his mouth with his hand to hide the laughter bubbling up from his gut.

The hostess seated them as waitstaff and sous chefs buzzed around the kitchen. “Chef Kevin will be right with you.”

“Thank you,” he said, and turned back to Penny. “So, are you okay? That had to be hard.”

“I’m fine.”

The waiter reappeared and placed two glasses of wine on the table. “Enjoy.”

Penny grabbed hers and sucked it down. Whoa.

“Is something wrong?” he asked when she set down her empty glass.

“No,” she said, and sighed. “Sometimes it just really bothers me how unfair it is that some women just get pregnant. And others can’t and probably never will.”

He wasn’t sure where that had come from. And it was a pretty heavy topic of conversation for what was technically a first date. Seemed like there was more to it than a simple statement. Should he ask? He wasn’t sure.

“Someone liked the wine.” Chef Kevin appeared at their table. “Hey, man! How’s it goin’?”

Thor stood and they slapped hands then hugged. “Good. And things look even better for you. This place is mobbed.”

“Yeah. We’re doing pretty well. Hoping to open a new restaurant by spring.” He gave Penny a smile and put his hand out. “Hi, I’m Kevin. Apparently this lug doesn’t make introductions.”

“I’m Penny.”

“Sorry,” Thor said. “I’m an idiot.”

“Don’t worry. We won’t hold it against you,” Kevin said.

Penny laughed, which was good. Thor would take a dozen jokes at his expense if they helped lift her mood.

“More wine?” Kevin asked.

“Please. It’s really good.”

“It pairs perfectly with the first course. A sweet onion and goat cheese tartlet with thyme.”

“Sounds delicious.”

“Give me a second and I’ll send it right over.”

Kevin left and they were alone again, or as alone as two people could be in the corner of a bustling restaurant kitchen. Without Kevin and his jokes, Thor wasn’t sure what to say to Penny.

“Anything exciting going on at the shop?” he asked.

“We’re working on a big Halloween promotion. Sexy costumes that we’re going to zombify.”

“Zombify?”

“We’re going to take the stereotypical slutty Halloween costumes and do zombie makeup with oozing gashes and blood and everything.”

“Sounds fun.” Though he’d never been into Halloween and dressing up.

“It should be. You should come to the party.”

“Maybe I will.”

The waiter stopped by with Penny’s new glass of wine. This time she sipped.

“Oh, I wanted to ask you,” she said as she set her glass down. “Have you heard of that new dog park on South Avenue?”

“No.”

“It sounds really neat. They have all kinds of obstacles for the dogs. I know Scarlett would love it. You think Blitz would?”

“Definitely.”

“We should plan a playdate then.”

She smiled and took another sip of wine. Apparently, whatever was bothering her before was gone. They could get back to enjoying each other. And the food they were about to taste.

---------

PENNY BERATED
herself for letting Jack get to her, but she refused to let him and his pregnant whore ruin her date with Theo. She downed that first glass of wine and it helped push away the annoyance and sadness that had started to creep in. But now she was good. And she wasn’t sure what was in that wine, but damn, Theo was looking fine.

“You have to see this picture I took of Scarlett.” Penny pulled out her phone and leaned to him. Totally an excuse to get closer. She didn’t really care about showing off her pooch.

“Aw. She’s cute. Like her mama.” His cheeks flashed pink for a second. And she loved it.

“Hey. No cell phones at the chef’s table.” Kevin was in front of them, playful grin, holding a rectangular plate.

“Just showing off my dog.” She turned the screen to him.

“I guess I can let that slide.” He set the plate down. “But once you start eating, you won’t want to stop to look at doggie pictures. Here are the tartlets. Fresh goat cheese with caramelized onions on a puff pastry. Enjoy!”

They dug in, savoring the vibrant flavors of brown sugar and butter, the sweetness mixed with the savory.

“I think this is the best tartlet I’ve ever had,” Penny said. “It’s almost better than an orgasm.”

Theo froze, tartlet in hand. “It’s good, but maybe you’re not having the right kind of orgasm.”

Now her cheeks were warm. Especially with the thought of having an orgasm brought on by Theo. Maybe even tonight. No. She wasn’t a sex-on-the-first-date kind of girl.

But if he kept looking at her like that, and she kept imagining him naked, she might be that kind of girl.

“Here’s the wine for course two,” the waiter said, and placed two new glasses in front of them, taking away the others. “It will be out shortly.”

“So . . . I wonder what course two will be.”

Penny shook out of her sex haze. “I can’t imagine anything topping that.”

They sat through three more courses of delectable creations. Kevin was a damn talented chef. No wonder his place was jam-packed. And his new restaurant would be just as amazing. He’d sat with them for a few minutes and told them a little about it, promising to put them on the opening night guest list.

Dessert was about at sexy as dessert could get. A chocolate pomegranate pie with an almond crust and a scoop of basil mint ice cream. Theo took one last bite, leaving a spot of pomegranate sauce on his lip. And oh, holy hell! When his tongue darted out to lick it, she wished that tongue was licking her instead.