Page 72 of Josephine and Clay

“I don’t⁠—”

“You absolutely do,” Penny says, steering me toward a corner booth.

I sit without arguing.

Laura appears a moment later with two menus we don’t need since I already know this place off by heart. “Coffee?”

“Yes,” Penny says.

“Tea for me, please.”

My thoughts circle back, inevitably, to the message.

I flip my phone over to find it still there.

Penny leans forward slightly. “Are you going to answer him?”

“I don’t know.”

“You usually know.”

I shrug helplessly. “I usually have fewer variables.”

“That’s a very clinical way to say your life just got complicated.”

“I prefer accuracy. I mean, it just got really deep, didn’t it? And it was never supposed to be deep with us. Casual, fun, flirting, not… this.”

She smiles faintly. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Laura returns with drinks, setting them down with practiced ease. “Food?”

“Something bland,” Penny says immediately.

“I don’t need bland.”

Laura doesn’t even blink. “I’m bringing you toast and eggs.”

I exhale slowly and wrap my hands around the warm mug, letting the heat ground me.

This is manageable. I can handle breakfast. I can handle one day at a time. I can…

The bell above the door rings again.

The energy changes. The volume lifts just slightly. There’s a familiarity to the way people greet them, the way space makes room without being asked.

The McCoys.

Shit.

Penny glances over my shoulder, curiosity immediate. “Oh⁠—”

“Don’t,” I say quietly.

“I’m just looking⁠—”

“Penny.”

“Fine,” she mutters, though I can feel her practically vibrating with interest.