Penny Reid Books Novels & Stories

SAV “Take a breath,”Penny said as I held the phone to my ear while I arranged and rearranged the book display near the cashier station. “You sound like you’re doing aerobics, for God’s sake.” Naturally, I’d confided in my best friend that I had to face Chris at the bookstore. Even if I hadn’t, she’d have known something was bothering me, if not on the phone, when I met her later. Penny worked as an art curator at a gallery a few stores down from mine, and lunch was our thing. She’d called my cell phone a few minutes ago to confirm our lunch date.

Or had there been a struggle? Rachel stepped past him, carefully avoiding a collection of discarded shoes and a stack of books with titles like The Tao of Meow and The Heart of Yoga. She crossed to the window and touched the collage of wilting plants on the sill. Shadows bruised her face, deepening her high cheekbones, making her look small and haunted. Not liking the effect, he switched on the light in the breakfast nook. He watched her gaze roam over the room, her eyes narrowed and troubled. It amazed him that the two women were related. They’d lived through the same experiences, suffered the same losses and fears, yet were black and white, as opposite as two people could be. Rachel was th

“You okay?” “Mm-hmm.” “You’ve been staring at that paragraph for ten minutes.” I smiled faintly. “Just thinking.” “About him?” she asked carefully. “About both of them,” I admitted. She sighed but didn’t push. We’d had this conversation too many times. It wasn’t until later, when the sun dipped behind the buildings, that Jessy gasped and pointed at the TV. “Oh my god, Haven—look!” The news anchor’s voice filled the room: “…and rising author Haven Thorne’s debut novel, The Glass Garden, continues to top charts nationwide…”

“Quinn!” Graham opened the door wide and crossed his arms. “Can you not do this!” He shouted. “My mate is acting weird. I need the book now.” Reid said. Quinn entered in her robe and she rolled her eyes then, she pulled out a thick book with a new cover and handed it to him. “Here, dummy.” Quinn rolled her eyes again. “I fixed it into a new cover. “Thanks.” He stood and skimmed on the book. “By the way, there should be some good news when both of you are fucking nonstop.”

I sat there in the silence, not moving a muscle for a very long time. After a while, I picked up the glass of cold tap water and the bag of bread crusts and threw them both in the trash. Then, I pulled open the bottom drawer of the TV console. Inside was a blue hardcover notebook, old enough that the corners had worn down to bare white. Presley and I had bought it together in our first year of marriage. He said that if a marriage was going to last, the finances had to be crystal clear.

Thank you again for reading "The Alpha's Pen Pal." I hope you enjoyed following along with the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. There will be a book two. Book two is titled "The Beta's Blind Date," and will follow Reid as the main character. I do not know when I will begin updates for this book, as I am currently working on another project that I need to have finished by the end of this month (July 2023), and I am also working on getting Pen Pal ready for print.

We say our goodbyes and I toss my phone onto the couch next to me, looking around the room. It's quiet when Santos has the kids. Almost too quiet. And there's nothing to do. I've deep cleaned the entire apartment from top to bottom. I've done four loads of laundry and put it all away. I even threw dinner in the crockpot already, so my regular chores are done. I tap my fingers on my leg and the Kindle shoved between couch cushions catches my eye. Ooh. I could read for a bit. What is the name of that author I like? The one who writes about all those bearded brothers? Penelope Reads? Penny Reads? Penny Reid! That's it!

Jacob laughed. “I’ll kick your ass too!” I said as I glared at him. “Kris! We have one more surprise for you.” Penny yelled from behind my front desk. “What?” I looked confused. She walked out carrying a massive book. I recognized what it was right away. It’s the type of book that you use for a portfolio. “You got me a new book?” “Kinda.” Penny showed me the cover. It had a Black Moon with two wolves howling. The leather was fresh as I could smell it. Alec took the cover and opened it for me.

Penny walked towards the garden to watch the blossoms sway freely in the wind and she became jealous of them. When she was ready, she remembered that he had talked about an adjacent room. She walked to the door of the room that was closed. Books… It was time to check out the books he kept, but she didn’t even know how to read well. She had dropped out of the school when she was eleven, just after her first grade. Her parents didn’t have enough money to pursue her education. Her mother said that she would homeschool her, but even that never happened.

Her eyes lit up so bright when I told her! Katharine had told me they didn’t have much money, and how Penny always made things that should be work seem fun. That remarkable woman used every trick she had to give Katharine things she couldn’t afford. She showed Katharine by working hard, there was a reward. Like a dinner out for waiting tables, or making beds at a resort, it was a break from the city and memories to share. I looked at the journals scattered around the floor. I knew they held more stories about Penny and her life. I wanted to read them all, but they would have to wait for another time. I had to concentrate on her life with Katharine and hope they gave me a clue.