Penny Takes the Stage

Chapter 22: Happy

Penny rose a little later for a bathroom break, and, if she were honest with herself, to get a little air. She wasn't used to being at the center of a huge group of people, and she'd just spent the last couple hours being the focus, or one of the foci, if one wanted to get persnickety, of an adoring group of a very vocal bunch. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to be at the table with her and Cam, wanted to be part of their group and talk to them, or hear what they had to say.

In the past, if she'd gone out at all, she would've been one of the group of Frederick's admirers, sitting quietly, trying to catch every word that came out of his mouth, trying not to miss one single pearl of wisdom that he might drop.

So on her way back from the ladies' room, which was conveniently located near the entrance to the bar, where it was quieter, she stepped outside, into the sultry New York night. Even though it wasn't particularly cool, the absence of people made it feel relatively refreshing compared to inside, and she definitely welcomed the quiet. She took a few deep breaths, flapping the skirt of her dress and smiling as she looked down at it.

It was pink and white, a sleeveless A-line in a loose linen weave that Cam had chosen for her from a catalog. Penny hadn't even known he'd bought it until it arrived at the house and he'd opened the package to show her.

"Oh, nice," she said, admiring the pattern of beach and seashells on it. "Pretty. Who's it for?"

"You, silly goose," Cam answered. "Please try it on?"

Penny had demurred, based on the price alone.

"Please, love, I thought of you immediately when I saw it. I'd love to see it on you," Cam begged. "Just try it, and if you don't like it, I'll return it straight away, promise."

So Penny had gone to the bathroom and pulled it on, doing up the big pink buttons in the front, and looked at herself.

The pink had heightened her complexion, bringing out the roses in her cheeks, and the cut of the dress had given her a figure, an actual waist and hips, which didn't look--terrible.

So she'd worn it out to the living room to show Cam, the way his eyes lit up when he saw her had been enough to make her want to never take it off.

Penny took a last deep breath and went back inside, finding she already missed sitting next to Cam and basking in the light of being his girl. She looked forward to seeing his face when he saw her return.

"Already sick of his majesty's presence?"

Frederick's sarcastic voice cut into Penny's thoughts like a dull, ugly knife, and she whirled to where he was leaning against the wall next to the bathrooms.

"What?"

"I asked if you were already as sick of him as I was."

"No, I'm not." Penny kept walking, but Frederick reached her in two steps and grasped her arm, turning her to face him.

One of Penny's cast mates, a slight boy named Timothy, exited the men's room at that moment and saw Penny in Frederick's grasp. His eyes widened and he walked quickly toward the back of the restaurant.

Great, they were going to have an audience soon.

"And what the fuck are you wearing?" Frederick asked, reaching out and flicking at the skirt of her dress. "Did he pick this out for you? You certainly didn't choose such a garment for yourself."

It annoyed Penny that Frederick knew her that well, so she didn't answer him.

"You've changed a bit, then, I guess," Frederick continued. "There was a time when you understood that you were a big girl and that the whole fucking world didn't need to know that, remember? What happened to that girl?"