Penny's Choice

Chapter 9

Penny and Jake spent the next day in bed together, lost in their own world. She couldn't seem to get enough of him and she wore him out. He kept wanting a nap, but she always distracted him.

"I think you're making up for lost time," Jake joked as they snacked on leftover Chinese food late that afternoon.

"You may be right," Penny answered, shrugging. "Are you complaining?"

"Hell, no!" he insisted.

Penny giggled. She had never been so happy. She hoped Jake was happy, too.

Penny frowned suddenly, realizing that she had to go to work the next day.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked, concerned.

"I can't believe I have to go back to work tomorrow," she answered.

"Can you stay the night with me or would you like me to take you home?" he asked.

"I have an outfit I can wear tomorrow, so I can stay here if you want me to," she replied.

"Oh, I want you to," he said suggestively. "There's no question about that."

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Penny was in a daze at work the next day. Her mind, heart and soul were full of Jake. She couldn't stop thinking about him. She wanted to be with him all the time and she knew that was impossible.

Penny didn't think she'd get to see Jake that night because she really needed to work on her music. She hadn't practiced the piano for three days. She'd never gone that long without practicing before. She had to make up for lost time somehow.

That afternoon Harry summoned Penny to his office.

"Have a seat," he said, gesturing toward a chair in front of his desk.

Penny sat down, wondering if Harry was going to give her another project to do.

"I was just going over this report you did before I send it out to the client," Harry remarked, holding up a sheaf of papers.

"Okay," Penny said softly.

"I noticed that the revenue has been miscalculated. You forgot to include the third quarter earnings," Harry continued, disappointment evident in his tone.

"I'm sorry, Harry. It won't happen again," Penny responded.

"We can't send out incorrect reports to our clients," Harry admonished. "What if I hadn't checked this? Do I have to check all your work from now on?"

"No, Harry. I promise I'll be more careful," Penny said softly.

"It's not just about being careful, Penny. It's about being accurate. What's gotten into you lately? This is not the first error I've found."

"It's not?" she asked, surprised.

"No," he answered. "I've been making allowances for you because your work has always been exemplary. If something is interfering with your work I'd like to know about it."

"I've always kept my personal life separate from my professional one," Penny stated in a shaky voice.

"That's a little hard for you these days, isn't it?" Harry asked. "Is Jake pressuring you to spend more time with him?"

"No, not at all," Penny denied. She was the one who wanted to be with Jake all the time.

"Am I giving you too much work?" Harry asked.

"No, it's fine. I can handle it," Penny said in a determined tone of voice.

"Okay then. I'll take your word for it. But I'm not going to be so lenient next time, so let this be a warning to you."