“I would like to be around to see.” He arched an eyebrow. “Or help.” He leaned forward. “We could be very bad together.”
She laughed and shook her head as she fastened her seatbelt. “No, you can’t, because you have Lilly and Sally to think about.”
Charlie shut the door and went around to the driver’s side. “You’re right.” He sat for a moment, staring at the cabin he’d built with his own two hands. “They will always be part of my life. They will always be my responsibility.”
“I know that.” Penny sat back in her seat. “They are your family.”
“They are.” Charlie turned the key and the engine started. Turning the heater up, he backed the truck around and drove toward town. They sat in silence as Charlie navigated the roads carefully. His truck handled the roads well, and Charlie had a lot of experience. Maybe he could teach her how to drive in these conditions since if she did live here with him, she didn’t want to be housebound in bad weather.
Wow. Was she actually taking him seriously? Hadn’t she learned her lesson from Laurence? Obviously, not.
Yet when she thought of being with Charlie, of living with him and loving him for the rest of her life, it felt so right it hurt. Which was crazy.
Perhaps a few hours alone might give her time to refocus.
“Here we are.” Charlie pulled up to the curb and glanced at her sideways. “You look deep in thought.”
“I was considering all my options.” She forced a smile onto her face. Damn, he was irresistible. A trip back home might be what she needed to get him out of her head. She couldn’t just fall for a man again. What would her parents say?
“That’s a good thing. Knowing you have options.” He opened the truck door and got out. Penny did the same, although it was icy underfoot and she had to hang onto the door to stop her feet sliding out from under her. “Whoa, steady there.”
He caught her elbow and stopped her from falling. “Thanks.” As his fingers made contact with her, a bolt of electricity passed through her, even through her clothes.
“Steady on your feet.” He held her until she had mastered the art of walking on ice.
“Do we walk into the schoolyard?” Penny asked. She shuffled along the road until they reached the sidewalk.
“We’ll wait outside the gate. Sally likes to walk out of school with her friends.” They joined a large group of parents who were also waiting for their kids. More than a few of them eyed Penny up, some with curiosity, others with a hint of jealousy.
“You are a popular guy.” Penny gave him a knowing smile. “Single man who looks after a woman and child. You’re a good catch.”
Charlie shuffled his feet and looked down at the sidewalk. “I told you, I’m a one-woman man and that woman is you, Lady Penelope Granger.”
She chuckled at him using her full name. “I still don’t get it. But every time you say it, I believe it a little more.”
“Then I’ll keep saying it.” He raised his eyes and looked her square in the face. “I am a one-woman man and that woman is you.”
A couple of the other people at the gate looked at Charlie and grinned. Penny’s eyes widened as Charlie took a deep breath. “Don’t.” She held her finger up to stop him, but he backed away. “Please, don’t.”
“But I want to tell the whole world,” he insisted.
“I think I have enough publicity for now, don’t you?” Penny asked.
He bobbed his head. “I suppose if you put it like that.”
“Thank you.” She glanced sideways at the other moms, but their attention was drawn to the students who were coming out of school. “I hope Sally doesn’t mind me being here with you.”
“Why should she?” Charlie asked.
Penny remembered Sally didn’t know anything about Lilly’s plans to move out of the cabin. “She’s used to having you all to yourself.”
“True. But there is plenty of me to go around,” Charlie joked. “There she is.” He waved at a young girl, who waved back energetically.
“Charlie.” She broke out into a run, her blue eyes bright with excitement and her blonde hair, tied into a ponytail, swinging.
“I’ve brought someone special to meet you.” He held out his arms and Sally launched herself at him. “Do you remember Penny from the hotel last night?” Charlie put his hand to his mouth and shielded his words from Penny as he whispered. “Her full name is Lady Penelope Granger.”
Sally gasped. “You’re a Lady!”
“Yes, she is. Lady Penelope Granger.” Charlie made a mock bow, which Sally thought was hilarious.
“Stop messing around.” Sally slid out of his arms. “Are you really a Lady?”
Penny sighed. “I am. But it’s just a title, it doesn’t make me special.”
“No, it doesn’t. But what does make Penny special is she is my mate.” Charlie watched Sally as her eyes widened.
“You told her?” Sally’s excitement surprised Penny.
“I did.”
Sally turned and looked at Charlie. “Did you tell her everything?”
“Not quite.” Charlie laughed awkwardly, averting his gaze. Whatever he was holding back, he didn’t plan on discussing here. “Come on, let’s get Penny back to the hotel. We can go and check in on your mom, too.”
“Great. Maybe Julius will have some of those little cakes, too. You know, the ones the guests have for afternoon tea.” Sally took hold of Penny’s hand and then reached for Charlie’s. “I bet you have afternoon tea all the time at your house.”
“Not often. I’m usually at work,” Penny told Sally. “But in the summer, we do have tea on the lawn on a Sunday. It’s kind of like a tradition.”
“Is your house really big, like a castle?” Sally asked.
“The house I live in, yes. But it’s not mine. It belongs to my parents.” Penny walked carefully on the sidewalk, trying to avoid any ice. If she fell down, she didn’t want to take Sally and Charlie with her. She envied their surefootedness.
“But one day it will be yours.” Sally looked up at Penny. “Can I see it?” Her eyes widened. “Will you get married there?”
Charlie glanced up apologetically. “Here’s the truck.”
“When it’s summer, why don’t you and your mom and Charlie come for a visit?” Penny asked.
“For afternoon tea?” Sally asked.
“For afternoon tea. My mom would love to meet you.” Penny waited for Sally to climb in the truck, and then got in beside her.
“So when you marry Charlie...does that mean you’ll live in your house?” Sally’s bottom lip trembled. “He won’t live in the cabin anymore?”
Penny watched as Charlie walked around to the driver’s side of the truck. “Sally, Charlie and I are not getting married.”
“But you will. One day soon,” Sally said with certainty. “You’re mates. Charlie said he told you.”
“He did, but that doesn’t mean we’ll get married.” Penny’s face flushed red as Charlie climbed into the truck.
Sally glanced at Charlie and then she nodded. “If you do, can I be a bridesmaid? I’ve never been a bridesmaid.”
Penny laughed. “Of course you can.” Sally was a young girl caught up in a fairy tale where people meet, know they are mates and then get married. It was a fanciful tale. Yet as Penny looked up at Charlie, it didn’t seem so fanciful at all.
Chapter Twelve – Charlie
Charlie had heard the conversation between Sally and Penny and had been unable to stop it. Luckily, Penny seemed to have taken it lightly, unaware of how much truth was in Sally’s words.
Yes, he fully intended to make her his wife. But circumstances, and Penny’s ex-husband, meant he had to take things slower than he liked.
Much slower.
“So no more school, Sally?” Penny steered the conversation away from mates and weddings toward Sally’s other favorite topic. Christmas.
“Yes! I can’t wait until Santa comes to visit. We hang up the stockings on the fireplace
. Charlie said he made the chimney good and wide when he built the house just to make sure Santa can get down with his sack full of presents.”
Penny giggled. “I’m sure that was the first thing Charlie thought of when he made plans for the cabin.”
“It was. I built the cabin for my family, even though I didn’t have any family back then.” He ruffled Sally’s hair affectionately. “But then you arrived, and Santa has been visiting ever since.”
“Does your house have a chimney?” Sally asked.
“It has four,” Penny informed her new friend. The two seemed very relaxed together, which was a huge relief for Charlie. He needed them to get along. Just as he needed Lilly and Penny to become friends. If not, life would be very complicated.
“Four! How does Santa know which one to come down?” Sally asked.
“Magic, I suppose. We hang up our stockings and he just knows.” Penny shrugged. “Just as he knows if you have been naughty or nice.”
Sally thought about this for a moment. “He is magic. Otherwise, the reindeer wouldn’t be able to fly.”
“Exactly.” Penny looked out of the window, the hotel was coming up on the right and soon she would be leaving his sight. He didn’t want to be parted from her, especially since she looked so happy and once she was alone, all thoughts of her ex-husband would come back to hurt her.
“Will you come and meet my mom?” Sally asked as Charlie parked the truck and switched off the ignition.
“Sure. Although I don’t want to disturb her if she’s working,” Penny replied.
“Julius is pretty good at letting Lilly say hi to Sally if we arrive when she’s working. As long as we don’t upset the guests.” Charlie got out of the truck and came around to help them both out. “No ice here, Julius always make sure the parking lot is ice-free.”
“When we have a lot of snow, Charlie drives the snowmobile and clears the snow from the parking lot. I sit on his lap and turn the wheel.” Sally ran off, turning her hands one way and the other as if she were driving.
“We should keep that piece of information to ourselves. I’m not sure Sally is supposed to help,” Charlie admitted.
“She’s a great kid.” Penny reached for his hand and interlaced her fingers with his.
“She is. Lilly is a great mom. Considering her own parents, that is an incredible achievement.” Charlie could still picture the distraught Lilly standing on his doorstep, four months pregnant and homeless. “They were mentally abusive and never supported her.”
“She had a good teacher in you,” Penny told him. “Don’t underestimate how much you’ve helped them both.”
“I don’t. Not really. But I’m certain Lilly would have made it work out even if she hadn’t found me. She’s strong and determined, a good role model for her daughter.” Charlie couldn’t keep the pride from his voice. “But I shouldn’t talk about them like that in front of you.”
“Why not?” Penny asked as they went around the side of the hotel, where Sally was waiting by the back door.
“You don’t mind me talking about her with such admiration?” he asked. Did he expect Penny to be jealous? Worse, did he want her to be jealous, so it showed she cared for him?
“No. Not at all. We should all cheer each other on.” She laughed. “You know what I mean.”
“Can we go inside?” Sally asked.
“Yes. You and Penny wait by the door and I’ll go find Mommy.” Charlie pulled the door open and they went inside. “I’ll be quick.”
“Charlie’s always fast, he has super speed,” Sally told Penny as they waited by the door. Charlie smiled to himself, he could trust Sally to talk him up.
“Charlie said he had super senses, he didn’t tell me he had super speed, too,” Penny replied as Charlie reached the doorway leading into the hotel lobby.
“All shifters have super senses and are super-fast,” Sally said absently as she turned around, her nose in the air. “I can smell cake.”
“So can I.” Penny held out her hand to Sally who was taking one step and then another away from the door. “But we have to stay here and wait for Charlie.”
Sally sighed and turned around, her small hand slipping into Penny’s. “I’m glad you and Charlie are mates. You know your children will be shifters. I wish I was a shifter.”
Damn it, Charlie turned around and went back along the hallway to where they were waiting. “Maybe we should all go together?” He couldn’t risk Sally telling Penny the whole truth, nor could he warn Sally not to say anything more without raising too many questions from Penny.
Penny had other ideas. “I should leave you to find Lilly. Just in case Julius doesn’t want all of us tramping around his hotel with wet feet.” She looked down at her feet, her shoes were wet from being out in the ice and snow.
“Don’t you want to meet Mommy?” Sally asked, taking her hand. “And see if Julius has cake?”
“Can I take a rain check? I really need to go and make a couple of phone calls.” Penny crouched down so she was Sally’s height. “Maybe I could come and see you tomorrow and you can show me your chimney and stocking.”
Sally’s face lit up in a smile. “Yes.”
Penny looked up at Charlie. “If that’s okay?”
“Of course it’s okay,” Sally answered for him. “You’re his mate.”
“It’s still polite to ask,” Charlie reminded Sally as a confused Penny got to her feet. “I can pick you up in the morning. I don’t think we’re due for much more snow overnight. How about ten?”
“Ten o’clock, that’s perfect.” Penny stood there, not really knowing what to do or say.
Neither did Charlie. He wanted to kiss her. He so badly wanted to kiss her. But not in front of Sally who already seemed taken with the idea of him and Penny being mates. With a quick smile, Penny leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “See you tomorrow,” he murmured as she pulled away.
“See you tomorrow. Both of you.” Then she took a deep breath and walked away, although when she reached the door leading into the lobby, she did pause and look back at him. Or them.
“I like her,” Sally told him.
“I’m happy my mate gets your seal of approval.” He bent down and picked her up. “Come on, let’s go find Mommy.”
“And cake?” Sally asked hopefully. “I’m starving.”
“Let’s find Mommy first.” They entered the hotel lobby where they were spotted by Julius, who came over to speak to Sally.
“Hi there. Finished school?” Julius loved kids, like most shifters, but had a particular soft spot for Sally, since she didn’t have a father. There was something about a mother raising a child alone that brought out the protective side in all the shifters Charlie knew. It could have resulted in Sally being spoiled, but Lilly made sure her daughter was grounded and appreciated everything people did for her.
“I have.” Sally put her hand in her pocket and pulled out a Christmas card with Julius’s name on it. “This is for you. I made it at school.”
“For me?” Julius asked.
“And Catherine, it has her name on it, too.” Sally pointed to the envelope.
“So it does. Can I open it now, or shall I open it with Catherine?” Julius asked.
“You can open it now. But make sure you show it to her,” Sally instructed.
“I will,” Julius promised solemnly as he carefully lifted the flap of the envelope and pulled out the card.
“I used glitter.” Sally pointed to the card. “Green for the Christmas tree, and then I used tissue paper for the presents under the tree.”
“Hey, baby.” Lilly came out of the dining room and headed over to them. “What are you guys doing here?” She kissed Sally on the cheek. “Nice card, Julius.”
“We brought Charlie’s mate home,” Sally announced as Julius read the card and smiled.
“Thank you, Sally.” Julius put the card back in the envelope then looked up at Charlie. “How is Penny?”
“Not good,” Charli
e said quietly and looked around the lobby. “But I don’t want to talk here.”
“My office?” Julius beckoned them along a corridor which led to his office and that of the other hotel manager.
“I should get back to work,” Lilly said.
“Take a quick break, Lilly,” Julius told her. “I suspect this has an effect on you, too.”
“Are you sure?” Lilly asked with uncertainty.
“Yes. It’s Christmas and your daughter has given me a wonderful card. I think we can all stop and spare a moment to give thanks for family.” Julius picked up his phone and pressed the screen. “Hello, Paula, can you please bring some cakes and sandwiches to my office? Yes, coffee and tea, too, please.”
“Julius, you don’t have to,” Lilly told her boss.
“No, but I want to. Christmas is so much more fun when children are around.” He opened the door to his office, and they went inside. “Besides, we have things to discuss.” He sat down in his seat behind his large wooden desk and indicated the other chairs. “Sit. And tell me what’s happening with Penny.”
“I’m not certain I should be talking about it,” Charlie said. “It was a private conversation.”
“And whatever you tell me won’t go any further,” Julius promised. He looked up as someone knocked on the door. “That was quick.”
“I’ll get it.” Lilly jumped up out of her chair, looking a little embarrassed. “Hi, Paula, I’ll take it from here.”
“Thanks.” Paula looked into the office and gave Sally a wave. “Merry Christmas, Sally.”
“Merry Christmas, Paula.” Sally waved back, then her gaze fixed on the cakes and sandwiches. “Oh, my, they are even more beautiful than I remember.”
Lilly laughed. “Your eyes are as big as saucers.”
Sally giggled. “Penny has invited us to her house for tea in the summer. Do you know she has four chimneys?”
“No, I didn’t know that,” Lilly placed the tray down on Julius’s desk. “Coffee, Julius?”
The Lion Loves a Lady Page 8
