Sophie adopted a similar stance. “Yeah, you’re acting weird.”
Penelope jerked away, some of the bubbly liquid sloshing over the sides of the glass. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Maddie pointed at her. “The woman who only allows herself one drink per hour to give her body time to properly metabolize the alcohol has now had”—she peered at her watch—“three drinks in ten minutes.”
“Tough day at the office.” Her voice sounded like a squeak.
Sophie shot Evan the evil eye. “Did you do something to her?”
Penelope gasped in horror. “Sophie, no!”
“What could I have done to her?” Evan asked, sounding more curious than worried.
“I don’t know,” Sophie said, eyes narrowed, before shifting her attention to Penelope. “Did he start pulling your ponytail again?”
Gracie snorted and Penelope glared at her before shaking her head. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
In a totally calm, reasonable tone Evan said, “I was just being nice and getting you girls some drinks.”
Maddie whipped toward her brother. “Since when?”
Evan shrugged. “Geez, Maddie, you make it sound like I’m incapable of being decent.”
Maddie waved her hand in the direction of the couch. “You got up to come over here.”
“So?” Evan’s tone dared her to make an issue of it.
Penelope couldn’t stand it one more minute and she said, “Excuse me.”
She was positive they all stared after her, but she didn’t look back. No, she hurried down the hall, through the kitchen and up the back staircase. She just needed a minute.
Okay, maybe thirty minutes to get under control. Once she had time to compose herself and make a list to one, explain her behavior, and two, figure out how to deal with this fiasco, she’d feel much better.
Why hadn’t she thought this through? She’d had all day to strategize about tonight, but she hadn’t done any of that; instead she’d obsessed on why he hadn’t touched her, or kissed her, or pushed her to the ground and taken her right on her doorstep.
Now she had no idea how to act around him, and look at her, she was acting like a maniac.
She found the spare bathroom and locked herself inside, leaning against the door. She downed the last of the drink she certainly didn’t need, and put the flute down on the vanity. The bathroom was lovely, with soft gray walls, white custom-made cabinets, and brushed silver metals. It would help calm her.
She closed her eyes and started to count, but her head swam.
She snapped her lids open. Bad idea. Champagne on an empty stomach was not her brightest move.
There was a knock on the door. “Penelope?”
Gracie. Thank God it wasn’t anyone else.
Penelope opened the door a crack and peered out. “I’m okay.”
“Let me in,” Gracie said.
Penelope sighed and stood back to let her in. “I’m fine.”
Gracie closed the door and held out a plate of appetizers. “You’d better eat these. I managed to hold off Maddie and Sophie, but I’m positive they’ll be here any moment to check on you. Did something happen?”
Penelope took a bite of some puffed crab thing that tasted divine. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. We went to dinner last night and now I can’t remember how to act.”
Gracie let out a little squeal of delight. “Really now? What happened?”
She swallowed, hoping the food acted quickly because she was officially drunk. Which, in itself, was completely out of character for her. She was the designated driver. She stood quietly in the corner, watching everyone’s purse while they acted all wild and crazy, then she took them home.
“Nothing,” she shrieked, waving the plate as she spoke, and one of the appetizers flew, sailing across the room.
Gracie walked over and picked up the mess with a napkin. “Nothing?”
“Nope. We went to dinner, we talked, and then he walked me to the door and said good night.” After their initial discussion, they’d stayed away from anything serious for the rest of the night, but the tension had been off the charts. They’d taken to long silences where their breathing kicked up and images of the past mixed with the heat of the present.
She’d been prepared for sex, ready to get it over with, and he hadn’t even kissed her on the cheek. No, he’d just run his fingers through her hair, over her lips, and then he was gone.
She’d never been so confused.
She turned to Gracie. “Help me.”
Gracie nodded. “Okay, what do you need?”
Even inebriated, her mind clicked away and the planning helped to soothe her. “First, I need an excuse for my behavior. Something good to tell Maddie and Sophie.”
Her friends knew her too well. They knew something was up.
Gracie tapped her finger against her jaw. “Something with work?”
Penelope blinked at her. “Why would I have a problem with work?”
Gracie laughed. “Sorry, I forgot who I was dealing with.”
Penelope’s mind was a complete blank, filled with nothing but the truth.
There was a knock on the door and Maddie called out, “Pen, Gracie, you guys okay in there?”
Followed by Sophie’s, “Open up.”
In a panic, Penelope whispered, “What am I going to do?”
Gracie’s brow furrowed in concentration.
“Come on, Penelope, you’re worrying us,” Maddie said.
“Yeah, let us in,” Sophie said.
“I’m peeing,” Gracie yelled. “Give me a minute.”
Penelope gave her a horrified look.
Gracie waved a hand. “It was better than nothing.”
Penelope sucked in great lungfuls of air. This is why she minimized her alcohol consumption. She couldn’t think.
Gracie snapped her fingers. “You said you were going to the benefit with Logan Buchanan, right?”
“Right. So?” Penelope’s brain refused to focus.
“Use him as an excuse,” Gracie said, as though Penelope was slightly dense, which sadly wasn’t far from the truth.
Her brow furrowed. “What could possibly be wrong between me and Logan?”
Gracie shook her head. “That man is gorgeous. Trust me, it’s believable.”
“What should I say?”
Gracie flushed the toilet and flicked on the water. “Say you developed feelings for him and you think you’re going to fuck his brains out tomorrow.”
Penelope put a hand on her chest. “I’d never say any such thing.”
Gracie rolled her eyes. “Improvise.”
“What’s going on in there?” Sophie called.
“We can hear you whispering,” Maddie said.
Penelope took a deep breath, plastered a smile on her face, and swung open the door. “Sorry about that. You know Gracie, she’ll just drop her pants whenever.”
Gracie slapped her on the shoulder. “Hey now.”
Maddie crossed her arms. “What’s going on?”
Sophie did the same, expression stern. “We demand answers.”
Penelope pointed at the two of them. “You’re the troublemakers here, not me.”
Maddie tossed her red hair over her shoulder. “Um, don’t even try that. We’re your best friends, we know you, what’s wrong?”
Okay, before she went down the Logan road, she tried a diversion tactic. “What’s wrong with having some fun?”
Sophie scoffed. “Your idea of fun is learning a new Excel formula from YouTube.”
“Hey! You take that back,” Penelope shouted, far too loudly. “I know how to have a good time. It’s Friday.”
Cecilia came up the stairs and walked briskly down the hall, looking like a polished rich girl in sleek jeans and a white flowy top. “What is going on up here?”
“Nothing.” Penelope waved at them. “I went to the bathroom and they all followed me.”
Maddie scowled. “Penelope’s acting weird.”
“She is,” Sophie said.
Calmly, Cecilia tilted her head. “Is everything okay, Penelope?”
She’d changed into jeans and a black top after work and she smoothed out the wrinkles in her shirt. “I’m perfectly fine.”
“The real question is, what is she hiding?” Maddie said, as if Penelope hadn’t spoken.
“I’m not hiding anything.” And to her horror, Penelope felt a flush crawl up her cheeks.
Sophie wagged a finger at her. “Oh my God, she’s lying.”
Cecilia’s brows rose. “Penelope?”
Her drunkenness had only increased as the alcohol made its way into her blood. She raised her hand. “All right, all right! I’ll tell you.”
Her friends all looked at her, expressions filled with questions, except for Gracie’s. No, Gracie wore an expression of maniacal glee.
Penelope took a deep breath and lied. “Okay, fine, if you must know, I want to sleep with Logan.”
“Really now?” Maddie said.
Sophie giggled. “You little slut.”
Cecilia smiled and nodded. “I can see how that would be difficult for you.”
Gracie straightened from the door frame she’d been lounging against. “She’s going with him to the benefit tomorrow night and she doesn’t know how to tell him her feelings have changed.”
All three women’s expressions eased in understanding, and Penelope jumped on the Logan express with the zeal afforded any good buzz. “Now do you see why I couldn’t say anything? I can’t risk Shane finding out.”
“What can’t I find out?” Shane asked, having made his way up the stairs in all the commotion.
Penelope shrieked and pointed at him. “Get out!”
Shane’s expression went wide and he cocked a grin. “Should I mention that this is my house?”
Cecilia sighed and hurried over to him, taking him by the shoulder and trying to turn him around. “I’ve got this covered.”
“You women are acting crazy,” Shane said, gaze narrowed on his wife. “You keep going up but nobody seems to be coming down. And what can’t I know, Pen?”
Oh God, no. This was a disaster. Penelope scrambled for an excuse only to say lamely, “Nothing. Nothing at all. I was . . . um . . . thinking of taking a vacation.”
“What?” Shane said.
Cecilia pushed him toward the stairs. “We were just trying to tell her it’s okay not to be a workaholic, but she won’t listen.”
“You don’t actually think I’m buying this, do you?” Shane’s tone was filled with amusement.
“Boundaries, Shane,” Penelope said, pointing at him. “I’m having a conversation with my girlfriends, and as my boss, you’re not invited.”
Cecilia nodded. “I’ve got this. Go.”
“You and I will be talking later,” Shane said.
Cecilia lifted up to her tiptoes and whispered something in his ear. He pulled away, gave her a quick, hard kiss. “Deal.”
A second later he was gone.
Gracie grinned and winked. “Impressive. What did you say?”
Cecilia’s lips curved in a graceful smile. “I’ve learned, in relationships, that there’s not much that can’t be resolved with the promise of a blow job.”
Maddie’s face scrunched. “Ewwww, yuck, that’s my brother.”
“Oh please,” Cecilia said. “I’ve seen the way you operate. You don’t fool me.”
“How would you like it if I started giving you details about Mitch?”
“Ha!” Cecilia rolled her eyes. “You stay at my house, I hear things.”
Sophie shushed them. “Yeah, yeah, you’re all one big inappropriate family. Let’s get back to the point.”
“There is no point,” Penelope said, waving her hand widely in the air. “Let’s go back downstairs so they don’t get any more ideas.”
Maddie’s attention shifted back to Penelope. “Okay, here’s what you do. Tomorrow at the benefit, you’ll need to flirt.”
Sophie jostled Maddie’s shoulders and jutted her head toward Penelope. “She doesn’t know how to flirt. We’ll have to teach her.”
“I know how to flirt,” Penelope interjected.
Maddie clucked her tongue. “No, Soph’s right. We’ll need an emergency session.”
“I don’t need lessons in flirting.”
They ignored her. Maddie turned to Gracie. “We’ll need you, obviously. Are you available tomorrow morning?”
Penelope put her fingers into her mouth and whistled. They all stopped talking.
“Enough. I’ve got this.” That was a lie, she had nothing, but at least they’d latched on to what they thought her problem was, and her odd behavior would be excused for at least a couple of days. “Let’s go downstairs. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”
Maddie snapped her fingers. “You know what you can do? You can practice on Evan.”
Sophie jumped up and down. “That’s a great idea. If anyone can teach you how to handle a guy like Logan, it’s him.”
God help her.
* * *
“I have no idea what’s going on,” Shane said, coming back to sit on the couch. Mitch and James had sent him upstairs to investigate why all the women had chased after Penelope, but none of them had come down.
Even though Evan knew perfectly well what was going on with Penelope, he wasn’t supposed to be interested, and he’d kept quiet on the subject, contemplating silently if driving Penelope to drink was a good thing, or a bad thing.
At the moment he was choosing good.
Mitch cast a glance at the back stairs. “You want me to try?”
Shane grinned. “Your sister offered all sorts of depravity to get me to leave, so it’s worth a try.”
Mitch smirked, and raised a brow at James. “You want in on this?”
“I’m good.” James picked up the remote and turned the channel from baseball to the History Channel. “I can get depravity whenever I want.”
“Don’t brag,” Mitch said.
James gave him a long, steady stare from behind his glasses. “I assure you that I am not.”
Before Mitch could stand, the women all tumbled down the stairs, and Penelope shot Evan an evil death glare.
Okay, maybe he should choose bad.
“Hey, Gracie,” Shane said, looking at James. “Jimmy here says that you’ll give him whatever he wants, whenever he wants.”
Gracie tilted her head at James, a curl flopping into her eye. “Really now?”
“Does that sound like me?” James asked, his tone calm.
“Nope,” Gracie said, then winked at Shane. “Even though it’s true.”
James didn’t say anything, letting the I-told-you-so hang in the air.
Evan turned his attention on the woman who occupied all his thoughts. “Everything okay?”
Penelope frowned, and twisted her hands. She looked confused, adorable, and so goddamn hot he wanted to take her against the first available flat surface.
She rubbed her head, blew out a breath and gave him a hard stare. As though she was trying to tell him something through mental telepathy.
Sophie cleared her throat. “Um, Evan, could you help Penelope?”
Penelope gave him a look of helpless dismay.
Had she told them? That didn’t sound like her. In fact, she was working damn hard trying to figure out how to act normal. “Penelope?”
She shifted on the balls of her feet and shook her head.
Sophie continued. “She needs someone to lift . . . um . . . something.”
Maddie grinned at him. “Yeah, do her a solid and help her out.”
“Regular Show!” Gracie yelled out of nowhere, snapping her fingers.
James gave her an approving nod. “Very impressive.”
Evan had no idea what they were talking about and didn’t care.
Penelope jerked her head toward the back door.
He had no idea what was going on, but h
e wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to be alone with her. With Shane and Cecilia’s open floor plan and all of them so nosy, chances like this didn’t come along very often.
“Sure,” he said, and rose from the couch.
They stepped out onto the small deck. The late spring air was cool and mild. That perfect weather that settled in on Chicago before it turned humid and hot.
He closed the door behind him.
“Is everything okay, Pen?”
She whirled on him. “No, everything is not okay. And it’s all your fault.”
He decided in that moment he liked her intoxicated. She was more forthcoming and a lot less composed. He cocked his head. “I have been on my best behavior for days.”
“Exactly.” She jabbed a finger in his chest. “Now look what you did.”
“I think the champagne is making you miss a few points in that explanation.” He glanced at the house. He could clearly see the group in the living room, which meant they could see him and Penelope. He grabbed her hand. “Come with me.”
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere we don’t have an audience.”
He pulled her down the steps and around the side of the house. It was dark and secluded. Perfect. “Now tell me what I’ve done.”
She blinked up at him. “You’re driving me crazy.”
He stepped closer to her. He should keep his distance but didn’t, even though it made executing his plan much more difficult. “How?”
She craned her neck. “You know how. We’re in some sort of standoff. I haven’t eaten. I drank too much. I don’t know how to act around you.”
“Go on.” He slipped his arm around her waist and she shuddered.
She leaned against the brick of the house, and he pressed close, sucking in her fresh, clean scent that cloaked all the wildness he knew lurked beneath. “Everyone got suspicious and I had to tell them something.”
“And what did you tell them?” He slipped his hand around her neck, tangling his hands in that hair he could never resist.
Glassy-eyed, she looked at him and licked her lips. “You’re not going to be happy.”
She was there in front of him, and he had his arms around her; there wasn’t a lot she could say to upset him. “Tell me anyway.”
She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and put her hands on his forearms, her fingers flexing so her nails dug slightly into his skin like a cat. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
As Good as New Page 13
