13. Death to Speed Dating

DEATH TO SPEED DATING

EVERETT

I told Pen to meet me in the parking lot of Cool Beans so we didn't risk Kelsey and Declan, or any of my nosy neighbors, a.k.a my family, see us heading out together dressed up for a holiday party. It was a miracle my family hadn't figured out what I was doing with Penelope yet.

Not that I was doing anything inappropriate.

But I wanted to.

God dammit. Not the plan.

If ever Penelope was going to find her confidence and embrace it to find herself a date, tonight's speed dating event was it. I knew full well she thought she couldn't talk to men, which is why this was perfect. Five minutes was all they'd get with her. While Pen had proved she could verbally vomit or spill coffee on a guy in that time span, my love guru dating instructions for her tonight was to let them do the talking. They needed to impress her. No the other way around.

And I could watch, safely, from the sidelines, with my only care being how many dates she got asked out on.

Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Kingman.

I pulled into the parking lot and killed the engine. Then took a deep breath. What would she be wearing? I should have fucking thought to send her a dress like the guys in the movies. Except, no. The guys who sent dresses wanted to take said dress off later in the evening.

I would be going home alone.

"You've got this," I muttered, channeling a pregame-style pep talk. "It's just a ride to an event, a little coaching. No big deal."

Right. Because nothing said NBD like imagining the girl you can't stop thinking about meeting a bunch of dude bros.

I was halfway to the front door when it swung open, and I froze mid-step.

Holy motherfucking moly.

Penelope stood in the doorway, but she wasn't the Pen I'd been coaching these past weeks. This Pen was...the one from my dreams. Her curves were hugged by an emerald-green dress that made her hair and freckles pop like fireworks, electricity, lightning. Her usually wild curls were tamed into soft waves that framed her face. Those heels were going to make me so hard I'd be busting out of my dress pants.

But it wasn't just the clothes, or makeup, or the hair.

There was something else entirely, something new. It was in the way she held herself, chin high, shoulders back, smiling so sweetly I wanted to lick her up. This new Pen was the woman who'd finally realized how amazing she was, just the way she was.

I must've been staring for way longer than I realized, because she quirked an eyebrow at me. "Everett? You okay there?"

I blinked, trying to jumpstart my brain. It did not work, but I got my mouth working at least. "Uh, yeah. You look... different."

Penelope's face fell slightly, and I mentally kicked myself for an eighty-yard field goal that missed and hit the goalpost.

"Different good," I added hastily. "Like, really good. Great, even. Fire."

Now it was Pen's turn to blink. "Fire?"

Now who was the awkward one with less than stellar speaking skills? "I mean, you always look nice. But tonight you look... like you're ready to slay."

Her smile could've lit up the entire Rocky Mountains. "Thanks. I do feel an extra boost of confidence."

That was exactly it. She was as confident as I'd ever seen her. It was beautiful on her.

"Great. Awesome. Then let's go show you off." What the fuck was coming out of my mouth right now? I shut the hell up and waved her toward my car, staying one step away from her. I didn't dare touch her because I might spontaneously combust.

The subtle scent of her cinnamony perfume, the soft sound of her heels on the pavement, the way her dress swished around her thick hips were killing me. I was a dead man walking.

Teacher. Coach. Guru.

Not lover.

I opened the passenger door for her, and she slid in with a grace I hadn't noticed from her before. As I rounded the hood to the driver's side, I took another deep breath. This was going to be a long fucking night.

"So," she started, breaking my weirdly awkward silence. "Are you going to tell me where we're going?"

I started the engine and thanked the universe for this normal conversation. "This is your graduation, grasshopper. You're ready to dazzle Denver's most eligible bachelors at a speed dating event."

Pen's laugh filled the car, warm and genuine. "That's one heck of a graduation test, given I have yet to even talk to a man in any coherent fashion."

I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. "You talk to me just fine all the time, Pen."

Our eyes met for a moment, and I felt a jolt of... something, everything. Nothing that was appropriate for a "love guru" to feel about his student.

I cleared my throat and focused on the road. For the first time in my entire adult life, I didn't know what to say. Any charm I'd ever had fled with whatever brain cells I had and left me stiff in more ways than one. The only thing I could think to do was turn on the radio. One of Kelsey's Christmas songs played, and Penelope softly sang along.

Of course I knew all the words, so I joined her. She smiled over at me, and it was both a balm to my soul and punch to my guts. Goddamn I wanted her, and I knew I couldn't have her.

As we neared the venue, a thought hit me like an LA Bandits linebacker. I was about to watch a bunch of guys fall for Penelope Quinn.

My Penelope.

And I absolutely was not ready for that.

We arrived at the venue, a trendy bar downtown in the HiLo-RiNo-NoNo area, and I valet parked. We walked inside where the place was decorated in pine boughs, bright red baubles, and snowflakes. Luckily, I didn't spot any mistletoe.

Pen's new confident energy radiated off her. Without thinking, I placed my hand on the small of her back, guiding her into the room.

"Ev, I wanted to ask you something before I go into this... thing." This was the first bit of nervousness she'd displayed.

"Anything, Pen." I was sure as shit hoping she would ask me to leave with her right now. Take her someplace else, just the two of us.

"Alright, umm," she said, her voice a mix of excitement and anxiety. She swallowed, looked right into my eyes, and then glanced away, toward the mingling people in the room. "What's my game plan?"

My hand reluctantly fell away from her back. "Game plan. Right. Just one thing. You don't need to try to impress these guys. Let them impress you."

She nodded, biting her lower lip. It was all I could do not to reach out and smooth the worry from her brow. I wanted that confident, sweet, sexy woman standing in front of me.

"Trust me," I continued. "They're all going to be falling over themselves trying to get your attention tonight."

A soft blush crept up her cheeks, and I had to remind myself to breathe. Since when did Penelope blushing affect me like this?

"And just like before," I added, my voice softer, "if you feel uncomfortable at any time, for any reason, I'll be right over there at the bar." I pointed to a stool at the far end with a clear view of the tables.

"Just give me a signal." I tugged on her ear, tapped the side of her nose twice, and swiped my finger across her forehead. "I'll swoop in and get you out of here faster than I can run a touchdown."

Her shoulders relaxed and she gave a small giggle, just like I hoped she would. "Deal."

"Okay then, off you go." I turned her toward the table with her name on it, and as Pen made her way into the lion's den, I retreated to my designated spot at the bar.

"You're not joining them, Mr. Kingman?" Shit. Hopefully this bartender was the only one who recognized me tonight. This wasn't about me. "Nope. Just here to support a friend."

I ordered a sparkling water, more for something to do with my hands than any thirst I might have.

A tall leggy blonde walked into the middle of the tables and tapped a knife on her champagne glass to get everyone's attention and glanced my way with a little start. I spun around in the chair before she could say something about me being here.

"Okay everyone, let's find you a match made in the stars this holiday. Ladies, to your tables. Gentlemen, you'll start at the table number designated on your name badge, and when you hear the Christmas bells jingaling, it's time to move to the next table. Happy hunting, or err, good luck, everyone."

The event kicked off, and I turned back around, staring down the first man to approach Pen's table. He didn't even notice me because he only had eyes for her and her cleavage. God dammit. Her eyes are up there, buddy.

She started off a bit awkward, her hands fluttering nervously as she spoke to the first guy. But as the minutes ticked by, I watched her confidence grow. By the third date, she was laughing, her eyes sparkling in a way that made my chest tighten.

I'd seen Penelope laugh before, of course. But this was different. This was Pen truly being herself, charming the pants off these guys without even trying. Boy, were they charmed.

And if I'd been paying attention even a little bit before now, I'd realize they all looked a bit familiar.

The fourth guy approached her table, and I definitely recognized him. He was a local news anchor. The fifth guy, who couldn't stop staring at her lips, played for the Blizzard. The sixth... well, the sixth looked like he was about two seconds away from proposing marriage, just like he had on the second rate TV show he starred in.

Dammit. Why hadn't Dion told me this was an event for local celebs and not just anybody off the street? All those questions and the headshot request made a whole hell of a lot more sense now.

I gripped my glass of water tighter, the condensation doing nothing to cool the heat rising inside me. This was good, right? This was the whole point of the exercise. Pen wanted to find herself a date for the red carpet, and I'd unknowingly provided the perfect scenario for her to do that.

She was crushing it too. At this rate, she'd have dates lined up for the next ten years, much less for the Grampys. I should be thrilled.

So why did I feel like I was the one being cancelled?

"Another water? Or maybe something stronger?" the bartender asked, eyeing my empty glass.

I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak. As he slid a fresh water to me anyway, the bell rang again. Penelope was talking animatedly, her hands gesturing as she told some story, and she didn't seem like she wanted to stop. The guy across from her was leaning in, completely captivated.

Join the club, buddy.

I took a long pull from my water, trying to drown the voice in my head that was screaming at me to go over there. To do what, I wasn't sure. Rescue her? From what, success?

No, a traitorous part of my brain whispered. To claim her as mine.

I nearly choked on the bubbling water. Where the hell had that come from? Pen wasn't mine to claim. She was my student. My brother's fiancée's assistant. My friend.

Just then, Pen's eyes met mine across the room. She gave me a small smile and a thumbs up. I returned the gesture automatically, but inside, I was a mess of conflicting emotions.

Pride at how well she was doing. Jealousy at the attention she was getting. And something else, something deeper and more terrifying than I could handle at the moment.

The guy finally stood up, and the next one moved to take his place at Pen's table. But I didn't just recognize the guy who was up next. I knew him. It was Dion, the rookie, and he had on a smile a mile wide. I made a decision. A stupid, reckless decision that Future Everett was definitely going to regret.

I downed the rest of my water and stood up. It was time to get a closer look at this speed dating thing.

After all, I was supposed to be observing, right? And how could I observe properly from all the way over here?

At least, that's what I told myself as I made my way towards the tables, my eyes never leaving Penelope.

"Hey, rookie," I said, clapping him on the shoulder. "How about I do you a solid?"

Dion looked at me, confusion clear on his face. "Kingman? What are you doing here? You're the last guy I thought would do celebrity speed dating."

I leaned in, lowering my voice. "You know that supermodel I did the underwear shoot with? How'd you like me to set you up on a date with her instead of doing all this nonsense?"

His eyes widened. "For real? That'd be awesome, but... why?"

"I want your spot in this speed dating round. What do you say? A real celebrity date for five minutes with..." I gestured towards Pen's table.

Dion's gaze followed mine, and he whistled low. "Damn, Kingman. I've been looking forward to talking to her. I'm an ass man and hers don't quit."

I narrowed my eyes at him, and he grinned, holding up his hands in surrender. "All yours, man. Good luck."

Heart pounding like I'd just run a four second forty yard dash, I made my way to Pen's table just as the bell rang. She looked up, surprise flickering across her face as I sat down.

"Ev? What are you doing?"

I leaned forward, acutely aware of the ticking clock. "I couldn't do it, Pen. I couldn't just stand back and watch."

She tipped her head all cute and curious like. "I thought that was the whole point of you being here."

"Yeah, well, plans change." I took a deep breath, steeling myself. I was going to do it. I was giving in. "I don't want you going out with any of these fucking guys."

Pen's eyes widened, her lips parted, and she blinked a few times. "But you're the one who set this whole thing up. You're supposed to be helping me find a date for the awards show. I think I already have at least three strong candidates, including Fox Daws, the rock star. Did you know he was from Denver?"

"Fuck Fox Daws." I clenched my teeth and my fists under the table. "I thought I could be your dating coach, your love guru, your... whatever. But I can't. Not anymore."

I grabbed Pen's hand, and the lightning struck and the thunder rolled right through me.

I was in love with Penelope Quinn.