Blood in the Golden Palace

Chapter 11: Angelo-4

A young sales rep approached the pair of them with a smile. “Welcome folks. Are we looking for anything special?”

Penny perked up. “The romance section?”

“Second floor to your left,” she said.

“Thank you!” Glancing back at Angelo with delight, Penny hurried up the steps. Angelo followed close behind, tempted to remind her not to run off. Fortunately, she stayed close. Walking into a row of romance books, Penny began to skim through the titles. “This is so amazing,” she said. “I’ve never been to a bookstore this big. I could spend hours in here.”

“I’ll admit, this place is nicer than I thought it would be,” said Angelo. “At least it’s clean.”

Penny started pulling titles and flipping through the pages. “A lot of times, community centered stores like this have an outreach program. I wouldn’t be surprised if they turn the store into a shelter after hours.” Tucking a book under her arm, she moved to the next shelf. “I know I would have loved this place when I was on the street.”

Angelo froze. “You what?” Penny continued to look through the shelf as though she hadn’t just uttered something truly heartbreaking. Angelo reached out, stopping her as she pulled a book to add to her collection. “You were homeless?”

“Sure,” said Penny casually. She flipped the book around to skim the synopsis before returning it to its place on the shelf. “Everyone ages out of the system at eighteen. If you don’t get adopted by then, you end up on your own. Sometimes I found friends who would let me sleep on their couches. But there were a few months when I had to resort to a tent. I actually had trouble finding a job because I didn’t have a home address for a while. But eventually, one of my foster moms let me use her address so that I could finally get work.”

Angelo stalled. Of all the things he could picture Penny doing, living a homeless life was not one of them. “I’m…sorry to hear that,” was all he could think to say.

“It wasn’t so bad,” Penny said. “Especially in the summer. If I had been on my own in the winter, it would have been way worse. To be honest, I think I was pretty lucky. A lot of the guys on my street were really kind. They watched out for me so that I’d stay safe. After I found a place to live, I tried to keep in touch but I never found them again. Sometimes I wonder if they’re okay.”

Angelo was at a loss for words. He wasn’t sure how to handle this new information. Nor did he know how to react after Penny told him so casually. Angelo’s family had plenty of problems, but they’d always been there. He’d always had a bed to sleep in, and food to eat. In that moment, Angelo was blindsided by just how lucky he was to have those comforts. Spotting the books under Penny’s arm, Angelo reached out and took them from her. Penny blinked, but Angelo did not put them back. Instead, he tucked them under his own arm with a smile. “We might need to get you a basket,” he said.

For the next three hours, Penny made her way through the store shelf by shelf. Occasionally, she would insist on cutting down her selection for price purposes, but Angelo wouldn’t hear of it. It took five times to convince her, but eventually, Penny was reassured that price was no issue. Pretty soon, there was a pile of books waiting for them down at the counter. Angelo also insisted on grabbing some cookbooks for Penny, particularly ones that focused on baking. They were welcome additions to the hoard. Only when the bookstore was ready to close did Penny and Angelo return to claim their conquests. It took at least forty minutes to ring them all up. Even with all the used books in Penny’s new collection, the price tag cracked five hundred dollars with ease. Penny paled at the final count. Angelo was shocked it wasn’t more expensive.

They loaded up all of Penny’s new treasures into the trunk of Hank’s rental, and made their way deeper into the city for dinner. With a few choice phone calls, Angelo managed to book them a table at Shichi Sushi. Namely because Penny let it slip recently that she’d never had it. Hank dropped them off, and then drove the books back to the hotel, giving them some alone time for their meal.

Shichi Sushi was a beautiful restaurant, with a freshwater fish tank and plant life everywhere. The tables were secluded and lowly lit. Faint music played along the overhead speakers, adding to the serine atmosphere. Once they arrived, a hostess showed them to a private booth near the back of the restaurant, handed them menus, and left them to themselves. Penny looked over her choices with rapture.

“I don’t even know what half of these words even mean,” she said.

“Well then I guess you’ll just have to try them all to find out,” Angelo joked.

“Jeeze…Sushi is really pricey.”

Angelo laid his hand on her menu, drawing her attention. “Will you stop worrying about the price? Trust me, I have more money than I know what to do with most days.” He relinquished her menu, and she smiled.

“I can’t help it. When you spend your whole life worrying about making ends meet, it’s difficult to rewire your brain.”

“Well when you’re with me, that’s the last thing I want you to worry about.” Penny went quiet. Her eyes, lingering on her paper menu, seemed to go out of focus. Angelo leaned forward on the table. “Penny? Are you all right?”

“All right…?” She laughed. “I’m…Honestly, I’m more than all right. Today has been one of the nicest days of my life.” She finally looked up. “Can I still ask you stuff honestly?”

“Of course.”

“Why are you going out of your way so much? For all intents and purposes, I’m your prisoner. I’m watched day and night, so there isn’t a need for all this effort to keep me under control. Is it just to try and feel less guilty?”

Angelo’s throat clenched up, so he cleared it before speaking. “That’s…part of it,” he admitted. “Though if I’m being frank, I just like you, Penny. I like being around you. You’re a breath of fresh air compared to the rest of my life. So maybe it’s selfish of me, but being able to steal away moments like this makes me feel…normal.” Angelo tapped on the table. “What about you?”

“Me?”

Angelo nodded. “You’re not just indulging me because you’re afraid or anything, are you? I hoped I’d be able to put you at ease at least a little bit…”

“I was at first,” she admitted. “But I feel comfortable around you now. Which sounds crazy to say out loud, all things considered.”

Angelo leaned back in his seat. “You are a wonder.”

“A what?”

“I don’t understand how you could go through the things you did and still come out the other side so…” He hesitated, searching for the right word. “…bright.”

“Maybe I’m just weird,” Penny suggested.

Angelo’s eyes were soft. “The best people are.”

“Good evening.” The voice of the waitress interrupted them. “Thank you for choosing to celebrate this special night with us today.”

“Celebrate what?” Penny repeated.

“Valentine’s Day,” the waitress clarified. An awkward lull hung in the air, and Angelo and Penny glanced at each other. The waitress bounced her eyes between the two. “Er…unless…you’re not…?”

A massive smile spread over Angelo’s face. Checking his smartwatch, it was indeed February the 14th. “Valentine’s Day…” He turned to the waitress. “No, you’re right. We are celebrating.”

Penny blinked. “We are…?”

The waitress was visibly relieved. “What can I get you started with? Some drinks? We have a full bar.”

Angelo turned to Penny, playfully. “How about some champagne, dear?” Embarrassed but smiling, Penny shoved her hands into her face. Angelo could almost feel the heat of her red cheeks. “We’ll start with that.”

“All right, I’ll be back in a moment to take your orders.”

With her hands guarding her face, Penny tried glaring at Angelo, but couldn’t push away her giddy expression. “Oh my God…”

“Something the matter?”

“You are…the most ridiculous…”

“Now, darling, don’t cause a scene. You’ll ruin our special day.”

Penny snorted into her hands, and before long, she was dying with laughter. By the time the waitress returned with two flutes of champagne, the air was light and playful. Angelo ordered a total buffet of sushi for Penny to try, which she did with reckless abandon. Angelo even taught her how to use chopsticks, though she wasn’t very good at them. She ended up eating rolls with her fingers rather than dropping food into her lap. By the time the check came, Angelo paid without a second thought, and the two stepped outside into the chilly night. Now that he knew it was Valentine’s Day, it was easy to spot all the happy couples out and about.

“That was so good!” Penny rubbed her full stomach before throwing on her sweater. “Man it got so cold all of the sudden though.”

“Do you want to go back to the hotel?”

“Only if you do,” she said. “I still have some energy.”

“Well then?” Angelo offered up his elbow. “How about a stroll before bed?” Her eyes twinkling, Penny took Angelo’s arm, and off they walked into the night.