Uh oh. Penny has a boyfriend.
Missy waited until the lunch rush was over to corner Bo. He was prepping the kitchen for the next day, making sure the supplies here stocked and he had all the ingredients he needed. Making everything from scratch was time consuming, but it paid off. They had a strong client base because everyone knew his goods were fresh, not frozen.
She watched him fill a shaker with cinnamon, feeling a wee bit nervous. "Hi."
He didn't bother looking up. Looking at Missy usually got him into trouble. It scrambled his brain and made him say stupid things. "Hey."
Missy smoothed her hands down her jeans and walked closer. "Bo? Can we talk?"
He sighed and looked up finally. "That never seems to turn out well for you and I," he pointed out.
Missy grimaced, knowing he was right. Well, almost right. "We had a good time that first day we met. We drank coffee and talked a bit. It was really nice."
He smiled a tiny bit. "True." Then he sighed tiredly. "Look, I like you. You seem to like me. But this," he gestured between the two of them, "isn't a good idea. Not because we work together, or because you'll eventually go home to Texas. It's a bad idea because I'm not in a good place right now. I'm tired, I'm ill, I'm having… problems. As much as I would like to ask you out, I can't. I can barely function some days."
Missy almost turned to leave. Possibly at a pace midway between speed-walking and 'running from chainsaw wielding maniac'. Then her Cooper spirit kicked in. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked him in the eyes.
"I was abused. My last boyfriend was violent, obsessive and loved to make me feel worthless. I'm in therapy, also. I want to get to know you better. That scares me and excites me all at once. The thought of being intimate with you makes me break out in a cold sweat. My stomach is churned up right now. But I also feel scared that if I don't pursue this," she waved her own hand between them, "we'll miss out on something that could be great."
Bo stared at her with a stunned expression. After a few minutes he wiped his hands on his apron, took three steps and cupped her cheeks. He only hesitated long enough to swallow nervously before kissing her until his own toes curled.
"Good lord! My eyes! It burns!"
Bo and Missy sprang apart to see Becca standing in the kitchen's doorway, a huge grin on her face. Missy immediately turned bright pink. Bo snatched up a piping bag of icing and threw it at Becca who scrambled out of the room with a laugh. Missy hid her face in his shoulder, her shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. Bo couldn't help grinning.
"I swear," he grumbled good naturedly, "that purple haired imp is going to end up baked into a loaf of pumpernickel."
Missy gave a snort of laughter and looked up. "Bo? What now?"
He tucked her hair behind her ears and cupped her cheeks. "How about we go to lunch? We have to ease into this, Missy. I wasn't exaggerating earlier. I'm really in a messed up place right now. I can't promise you anything. I can't ask you to promise me anything. But I can handle lunch."
A smile slowly spread across her face. "Lunch sounds good," she said softly.
Bo stepped back and reached for her hand. "Becca! Hold down the fort. And keep your mitts out of my dark chocolate fudge balls! I'm making turnovers later!"
"No promises," Becca yelled back. "Take her to the Cheesecake Factory! They have sweet potato fries!"
Bo and Missy headed out the back door, laughing. He opened the door for her, and Missy got into his Jeep. She watched him move around the front of the car, feeling hopeful.
XTBBTX
Sheldon was just walking up the sidewalk to her building when he saw Penny standing beside a black pick-up truck. His smile froze a he watched the man she was speaking to lean down and kiss her. The way Penny wrapped her arms around him and molded her body to his make Sheldon's blood run cold. He watched helplessly as the man held Penny close. When the kiss finally ended Penny's arms stayed in place. Sheldon turned to leave and inadvertently attracted Penny's attention.
"Sheldon?"
He stopped and slowly turned back toward her. She released the guy and took a step toward him. If she had kept her arms around the man Sheldon probably would have walked away. He slowly approached, feeling betrayed. "Hello, Penny."
She smile widely. "You're early."
He looked down at his feet. "The bus stops here at 5:40. I usually stand out here until 5:55."
Penny laughed lightly, shaking her head. "There's no need for that, Sheldon. You can come up early. I'm glad you're here, though. There's someone I want you to meet." She stepped back to the guy and linked her arm through his. "Sheldon, this is my fiancée, Charles Martin. Charlie, this is my friend, Sheldon Cooper."
Sheldon looked at the man fully. What he saw surprised him. The man's hair was very long. It was hard to notice from a distance because it was pulled back into a ponytail. Beneath the sleeves of his dress shirt Sheldon could see the bottom half of an elaborate Joker tattoo. The boots he wore were scuffed and worn down at the heel. Sheldon frowned slightly, confused. "You are not a business man."
Penny burst out laughing. "Charlie is a rancher. He breeds horses."
Charlie grinned and placed an arm around Penny's shoulders. "I'm only dressed up because we met with Penny's aunt today. She tends to look at Penny with pity if I show up in my work clothes, carrying a rope."
Sheldon shifted uncomfortably before slowly extending his hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Martin."
Penny smiled happily as Charlie reached out and shook Sheldon's hand. "Pleasure to meet you as well. Penny rarely talks about her clients, and she never tells me anything personal, I promise, but she's mentioned you several times. I've met Howard and Leonard and she tells me you are friends with them as well. Good guys. I've been trying to get them to come out to the ranch for a weekend. Maybe I can convince you to come out and you can help me drag them out of the city."
Sheldon cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Thank you for the invitation," he murmured.
Penny took pity on Sheldon and patted Charlie's arm. "Sheldon, let's head upstairs. It's almost time for our session." She leaned up and kissed Charlie's cheek. "I'll see you later, honey."
Charlie nodded and headed around his truck. "I'll pick you up at 8, babe. Good to meet you, Sheldon. Take care." Sheldon watched him start the truck and pull away. Then he turned and followed Penny inside.
"How was your week?" Penny asked as they got into the elevator.
"Productive," he answered. "I have had an offer to lead a scientific expedition to the Arctic for three months. I turned it down, of course."
Penny looked at him with surprise. "Why?"
Sheldon looked at her as if she were dense. "Penny, it's in the Arctic. I will be in a small building with five strangers for three months. It has three rooms. A bathroom, a primitive lab and a communal room. There is no internet, and none of the other team members have an interest in playing Halo."
Penny rolled her eyes and stepped out of the elevator when the doors opened. "Sheldon, it sounds like a very important opportunity. It could be the next step on the path to your Nobel. If you want, I can help you practice some relaxation techniques that will keep you reasonable calm."
He waited for her to open the door to her office before answering. "Penny, I am more relaxed now than I was six months ago. But even you must know that I will never be that relaxed. I am a genius. I will win my Nobel regardless of whether I lead this expedition or not."
Penny sat down on her chair and he sat down across from her. He felt another wave of discomfort now that he was looking at her. Penny sighed and leaned forward, bracing her elbows on her knees. "Want to talk about it?" she asked softly.
He looked at her warily. "Talk about what?"
Penny's expression was calm and open. "About how you feel about Charlie. About the way you feel about me."
Sheldon blushed and jumped to his feet. "I have no idea what you mean," he insisted.
Penny looked up at him. "Sheldon, I know you pretty well. Besides, I've been a therapist for a long time. I've been in therapy myself. I know how easy it is to grow attracted to someone you spend so much time confessing your secrets to. Please sit down. I would like to talk about this. Can't you trust me enough to discuss this honestly?"
Sheldon shuddered for a couple of seconds before forcing himself back down onto the chair. "I like you," he mumbled. "I like you a lot."
Penny nodded. "I like you, Sheldon. You're a wonderful guy. I would like to think we have forged a friendship of sorts."
He looked up, suddenly very angry. "No! I like you! I'm attracted to you!"
"I know," she replied gently. "But I also know that most of the attraction you feel is due to our sessions. Sheldon, you have bared your innermost turmoil to me on a weekly basis. I have been a sort of maternal figure for you. But instead of feeling like I'm a surrogate mom, our close ages and the fact that we are both physically attractive people has you thinking of me in a romantic way."
He started to open his mouth to argue but Penny held up a hand. "Sheldon, let me tell you a story. After I was raped I started seeing a therapist. He specializes in treating other therapists. Within three months I was locked into an attraction that was preventing me from moving on. He recognized what was happening and referred me to my current therapist. Sheldon, I dreamed of this man. I imagined a future together. I didn't care that he was gay. I was convinced he loved me, too."
Penny sighed sadly. "Therapy is incredibly beneficial, but there's a slippery slope to it. It's easy to romanticize the therapist/patient relationship. Your emotions are confused. I'm not saying you don't actually like me," she said quickly when he started to speak again. "What I am saying is your affection for me is tangled up with your desire to improve yourself."
He shook his head firmly. "I know how I feel."
Penny stood and held out a hand. Sheldon placed his in hers quickly. "Then kiss me," she said softly. "Kiss me like you want to."
He looked at her with surprise. "What? But your fiancée…"
"Will understand,' she assured him. "Do you want to kiss me?"
Sheldon nodded immediately. He licked his lips nervously and bent his head.