“You watch Ozark?” I ask. Finally, something we can actually talk about.
“I do . . . do you?”
“Oh, yeah. Fucking love Jason Bateman. I met him last year at a charity event. Dude is fucking cool as shit. More of a baseball fan, though, but he respects the game.”
“Wow, I didn’t know you met him. What season of the show are you on?”
I settle into my seat and pop open my chili. Guys filter soundlessly onto the bus. We all respect each other and know this is when the guys with families and loved ones like to make their phone calls, so we all stay quiet and eat our dinners.
And even though I don’t acknowledge what she said about her job and being an introvert, I file it away. Finding something in common to talk about rather than fixating on why we’re weird together seems like a better way to have a conversation. That’s why I jumped on the discussion about Ozark.
“I’m on the current season, episode two. What about you?” I ask.
“Season three. Darn, that could have been something we did together, you know . . . to make things less torturous when we’re together.”
“I wouldn’t call it torturous, well . . . maybe slightly.” She laughs, and I realize I really like the sound of her laugh. I remember liking it the night we hooked up, but hearing it again just reminds me why my will slipped that night, and I allowed myself to taste her. I had to. “But I don’t mind rewatching with you.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know, but it could be good for us. We’ve already started talking more just because of one thing we have in common.”
“True.” She lets out a deep sigh. “God, what you must think of me.”
“I think you’re pretty legit, Penny. I’ve thought that for a while,” I say, finally starting to find my voice. “Ever since Pacey introduced you, I’ve only had good thoughts. Even now, when I come home from a game and find you rambling and steaming my suits, I still think you’re pretty damn great.”
“Thank you,” she says quietly.
“This is where you tell me how great I am.”
She chuckles. “And you’re pretty great too, Hornsby.”
“Eli, call me Eli. Do I have to keep telling you that?”
“Probably. I’m so used to calling you by your last name because of Pacey and all the guys, well . . . and fans. It’s out of habit.”
“I get it, but I don’t think I want my kid calling me Hornsby, you know?”
“He wouldn’t call you Eli, though, either. He’d call you Daddy. So, if anything, I should call you Daddy.”
She walked right into that one.
“That works for me. Call me Daddy all you want.”
She pauses. “I’m blaming that one on pregnancy brain.”
As I laugh out loud, I catch Pacey walking onto the bus wearing a scowl across his face. Pretty sure that scowl has a name, and its name is Eli Hornsby. He moves right past me and doesn’t even bother to acknowledge me. He sits in the very back where I know he spreads out and calls Winnie. If anyone can put him in a better mood, it’s her.
Turning my attention back to Penny, I ask, “Have you had many pregnancy brain moments?”
“No, I think they’ve been more like blonde moments, which I have from time to time. But I’m glad I can blame them on the baby now.”
“You’re a human incubator, so you might as well get as much from it as you can.”
“I guess so.” She yawns, and I look at the clock, realizing how late it must be for her.
“I should let you get some sleep. You must be exhausted.”
“Yeah, pretty tired. I’ve been waking up at four with nausea, so the fatigue is really kicking in.”
“Have you thrown up?” I ask, feeling guilty as shit that I’m not there.
“No, just nausea. It’s nothing compared to what some women go through. Blakely brought me some ginger ale to have in the morning, and that’s helped a lot.”
“I’m sorry I’m not there to help.”
“You don’t need to apologize. You have a job that requires you to be away. I get that, trust me. I’m just glad I have Blakely. And Winnie stopped by the office yesterday as well to see how I was. So I’m really okay.”
“You’ll let me know when you’re not? I feel like we broke through that awkward bubble tonight, so maybe we can move forward from here?”
“That would be nice, you know, as long as you don’t say weird things like I just ate an apple.”