Chapter 7
"Mudge, you're not being a very good wing-dog," Dave scolded. Dave, arms full of vegetables and other accoutrements from the refrigerator, stepped over said wing-dog. Mudgie lay in the middle of the kitchen floor licking himself in places dogs liked to lick themselves.
Dave sighed. "I'd send you to the kennels but then Penelope wouldn't have a reason to stay."
"This is important," Dave continued as he set the ingredients down on the counter. "This might be our only shot."
He looked down and saw that Mudgie was watching him. He knelt down and scratched both of Mudgie's ears. "I've been waiting a long time for this, Bud. I had no idea she was going to stay with that moron for so long. You know! You know I can't forget that night. She was all wet… her face flushed…"
He gets lost in the memory for a moment. Suddenly, the dog sneezed, pulling Dave back to the present.
"I knew I was a goner right then, Mudg! I fell in love so hard. When I came back from Indianapolis, that… guy," he spits out. "Was waiting to talk to me. I really thought it wouldn't last long, their relationship, but that surprised me too!"
He stood up and sighed, watching as Mudgie started licking again. Dave shook his head. "If only we could all be so nonchalant."
Dave walked over to the sink and washed his hands before starting to prep the food.
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Penelope exited the steamy bathroom with a towel wrapped around her. Her hair lay damp on her shoulders. She spotted the pile of boxes near the door. 'Did Dave come in while she was in the shower?' she wondered. 'Did he sneak a peek?'
A flush of desire warmed her from the inside out. Hopefully soon he would join her in the shower. She fished through the open suitcase she had left on the bed and pulled out a pink, Baby Doll nightie with matching panties. Dropping the damp towel on the floor, she slipped into her night clothes.
She grabbed the towel from the floor and padded back to the bathroom. The mirror was barely useful as she put up her hair, trying to match it to "that" night as best as she could remember.
"Maybe I should ask Dave, he probably remembers," she said to herself in the mirror. She picked up a tube of lipstick from the counter. "One thing I do remember, I was NOT wearing make-up. A little lipstick tonight though seems to be in order."
She painted her lips a bright red to match the robe, scrunched the ends of her hair and took one last look at herself.
"Good enough," she nods.
Back in the bedroom, she slips on the robe and a matching pair of sandals. She wasn't quite comfortable enough to go barefoot. Not yet anyways.
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Dave bent over to pull the casserole out of the oven when he noticed the air in the kitchen changed. His heart raced and his hands began to shake. He stood up, grasping the hot dish tightly and turned around.
Penelope stood on the opposite side of the kitchen island looking almost exactly like he remembered. Except for the lipstick. She hadn't been wearing lipstick that night. He stared at her for several seconds.
"Do you want to put that down?" she suggested.
"What?"
She grinned at him. "Put the casserole down before you burn yourself."
Dave blinked and looked at the hot dish in his hands. "Shit!" He abruptly placed the dish on the counter.
"Did you burn yourself?" she asked. She hustled around the island and grabbed his hand pulling the oven mitt off to inspect for damage.
Dave gaped at her. She glanced up and caught his expression.
She laughed gently. "You've seen me like this before."
"Only in my dreams," he confessed.
She raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."
"Penelope, I…"
"Rowroooooo-"
Dave and Penelope both turned to look at the chocolate lab standing at the edge of the kitchen. The dog began howling.
"I think he needs to go out," Dave said. His shoulders slumped.
"I'll dish up dinner. Take your time, it needs to cool a bit," Penelope suggested.
Dave trudged towards the garage, Mudgie leading the way. Pulling on a jacket, he grabbed a leash and attached it to the dog's collar before opening the door and heading outside.
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The air outside was nippy as a cold breeze swept through the neighborhood. Dave made note to move Penelope's car as he and Mudgie made their way to the street. They made their way through the dark as the dog stopped to sniff and pee every bush.
"You have horrible timing," Dave grumbled. "We were so close…"
Mudgie stopped sniffing and gave Dave a look, then he sneezed again.
"Gesundheit," Dave said without feeling. He sighed and followed the dog down the street.
"Maybe it's too soon," Dave spoke to no one in general. "I should probably slow things down. Shit, she was just crying over that dumbass a few days ago and here I am, ready to confess my love."
Mudgie found a spot to do his business as Dave stared at the Moon.
Dave and Mudgie stumbled into the house. A tinkle of laughter caught Dave's attention. He hung up the leash and removed his jacket. Penelope was on the phone it sounded like. He could hear the flirty-ness in her voice.
"You know it's not like that," Penelope giggled into the phone as Dave stepped into the kitchen. "I gotta go my chunk of chocolate thunder. Dave just got back."
'Morgan,' Dave thought as he washed his hands. 'Dammit! He forgot about the relationship between those two. Was Morgan interested in starting something with Penelope now that Lynch was out of the way?'
He bristled at the thought.
"I hope you don't mind, I poured us some wine," Penelope called out.
Dave shut off the water and grabbed a towel to dry his hands. He spun around, ready to take things slower and came to a complete stop. The lights were off in the dining area. A few candles flickered on the table and Penelope sat there, wine glass in hand, smiling at him. Her robe was looser, the top parted to show off the tops of her creamy breasts. He caught a glimpse of something pink and silky.
"Come eat," she said. "Dinner is still warm."
Dave tossed the towel on the counter and wordlessly joined her at the table. His mind was complete mush. 'This is it,' he thought. 'The end of my sanity.'
The rest of the night did not go as Penelope had hoped. David was quiet and withdrawn throughout dinner. Afterwards, they cleaned up the kitchen together. Dave went out and moved her car then they sat on opposite ends of the couch and watched a movie.
Penelope wasn't certain what had happened, but she knew she didn't like it. Before Mudgie had interrupted she thought for sure that Dave was going to tell her something important. At the moment, he wasn't talking, and she was pretty sure that Mudgie wouldn't tell her either. She just needed to show a little patience.
After the movie, they said their good-nights and headed to bed. Penelope pressed her ear against her door and listened carefully as Dave got ready for bed. This was NOT how she planned for their evening to end. She waited for him to go quiet then turned off the lights and sat on the bed after kicking off her slippers.
She pulled out her phone and began playing one of her favorite games. It kept her awake and made time pass by quickly. After passing through several levels, she closed the app and noted the time, it was just past midnight. Perfect.
Penelope got off the bed and slipped out of her robe before padding across the room and opening the door. She paused and listened intently for any noise from Dave's room or from downstairs. The place was eerily quiet.
She slipped across the hallway and carefully grasped the knob to Dave's door. Slowly twisting it, she opened it with barely a peep. She slid inside and just as carefully closed the door behind her. Dave was laying on his side facing the wall softly snoring. Penelope crept across the room to the opposite side of the bed. She took off her glasses and laid them on the nightstand. Pulling back the covers, she slid into the bed behind him.
Dave half-roused. She reached out and gently rubbed his back easing him back into sleep. He breathed deeply, not quite snoring this time.
She lay there for a long time, her hand resting on his back and just listened to him breath. 'This feels right,' she told herself. 'This is where I belong.'
She drifted off to sleep.
End Chapter 7