by Becky Lower
Her world spun as a voice she’d determined she’d never hear again rang in her ear. Penny’s knees buckled as she slumped over the counter. Ricky? What? How? “Hi, Ricky,” she managed to squeak out a reply. She took a deep breath and stood upright. Placing a hand on her heart, she hoped to slow the racing pattern as she attempted a light and casual tone. “Well, if this isn’t old home week. Great to hear your voice again. What’s the occasion for this call?”
Ricky’s laugh rumbled in her ear. “Do I need a reason to call the only woman I’ve ever really loved? But since you ask, I’m in Maine, in your neck of the woods, and I hoped we could meet for dinner. And for whatever happens after dinner“
His voice trailed off suggestively. Penny had trouble catching her breath. Ricky—with his many, many women over the course of the last several years, if she could believe the tabloids—told her she had been the only woman he’d ever really loved? “Tonight?” Her voice squeaked again, and she winced. She took a breath and spoke. “But I already have plans for the evening.”
Her mind immediately flew to Del and Sandra. No, she didn’t have any plans now. Her ideas for the evening had been botched by a bleached blonde who at this moment probably had begun to undress the man Penny hoped had become her new boyfriend. Sandra would be the first to christen Del’s house, in the king-size bed Penny had helped him arrange last night. And Ricky dangled himself on the other end of the line, the sexiest man in country music. She wrapped her fingers around the phone as she pondered his suggestion, and where things might lead.
“Can’t you clear your calendar? I’m only here for a few days, and then we hit the road again. We’ve got a gig in Portland tomorrow night. Come on, Pen. The boys and I are dying to see you again. I’ve got a little business proposition to discuss. And I want us to get totally reacquainted, if you get my drift. Too many years have passed since we’ve been together.”
Ricky let the sentence dangle in front of her, allowing her imagination to fill in the blanks. And she quickly did, recalling the torchy, tempestuous lives they used to have together. Ricky’s voice wrapped itself around her ear, and she swore her lobe palpitated in response. Even after all this time. Memories rushed back. How he always smelled of leather, which he favored wearing, along with a hint of spice from his aftershave. How he could always get her engine revving with a mere glance. How much she enjoyed staring at his beautiful face, and hearing his lovely, deep voice raised in song.
If Del could reconnect with his past for dinner, and probably have Sandra for dessert, so could she. Yes, Del had come back home to Lobster Cove, supposedly to win Penny’s hand. At least that had been the line he fed her last night. But he had left with Sandra tonight, not Penny. And Ricky had fallen into her lap. Penny took a deep breath as her curiosity won out. “I don’t care to see your entourage, though. If you swear dinner will be just you and me, I’ll see what I can do about getting out of my plans.”
Ricky’s voice caressed her ear. “Well, darlin’, how can we possibly get reacquainted if I have a crowd with me?”
“I don’t recall the crowd ever stopping you before.” She cringed as she recalled how close his band mates had come on several occasions to catching Ricky and her in the act. Nothing much could be left to the imagination on a tour bus. A couple of the guys warned her Ricky played her for a fool just to get her songs. A couple more tried to line up to be her next partner. At least a few of them were honest. The others only put up with her so they could be assured of steady employment.
“I swear, Penny, dinner will be you and me only.” He rattled off the name of a fancy Bar Harbor restaurant.
He breathed sensually into the phone, and she bit back a gasp. “Okay, I’ll meet you. I’m anxious to hear this ‘business proposition’ of yours.” Besides, the restaurant was one she’d been dying to try. She hung up the phone, vacuumed the aisles, and made her way back to the office, where Abbey had been wrapping things up for the night. Penny flung herself into her chair with a sigh.
Abbey grinned. “Long day, eh? But we made some decent money again, so our exhaustion is well worthwhile.”
Penny twisted her hands as she glanced at Abbey. “My sore feet aren’t the reason for my sigh. I just got a phone call from Ricky, of all people. He’s in Bar Harbor for the night and has invited me to dinner. So my bunny slippers will have to wait a while. Lordy, I’m tired, though.”
Abbey’s startled gaze searched her face. “You mean you accepted that scumbag’s invite to dinner? Why in the world?”
Penny grimaced and twisted her hands even harder. “Because he has a business proposition. Maybe he will finally make good on all the promises he made me.”
Abbey slammed her hand on the desk, causing a harsh metallic sound to ring through the air. “And maybe he will take advantage of you again. Get another song while he dangles the idea of you becoming a star. Penny, I hate what that man does to you. Strips you of all your backbone.”
Penny’s head jerked as her chin rose. “Do you have so little faith in me?”
“I keep going back in my mind to the wounded bird you were when you returned from Nashville. I don’t ever want to see that side of you again. So, my fear is not because I have so little faith, but because I’m well aware of how magnetic Ricky is. Be careful, that’s all.” Abbey slumped into her chair.
Chapter Ten
Penny’s good feeling about the day left her with Del’s departure and Ricky’s phone call. Or amped up. She couldn’t decide. Del had rarely been out of her mind all day, even with all the customers in the store. She had been riding on an insane high of being kissed senseless every night, and her body hummed all day, anticipating another evening together. And now this.
Ricky had dangled the idea of them getting back together. The one constant in her life with Ricky was their great chemistry together. That connection kept her going back time and again, even when she had nothing left but a trail of broken promises. But their crazy attraction to each other ultimately wasn’t enough before. And now? She had already answered her question. In no way would she return to the role of head groupie. But maybe for once, he’d offer her more. Maybe his own situation had become so desperate he’d help her in exchange for giving him a boost.
Her tortured musings continued while she made a mad dash upstairs and got herself ready for her date. How many women got the chance to say she’d been out with country music’s sexiest star? This would be one hot date.
No, not a hot date. For cripe’s sake. She reminded herself of a Pavlov dog, where the mere sound of Ricky’s voice got her salivating. Six years had passed since they’d spent any quality time together, so she lectured herself they were merely old friends. Not two people who had torn up the sheets each night of their relationship. Even when she had become aware of his other women, she still cherished their time together. But things had changed in the intervening six years. Ricky’s time had been spent in the country music stratosphere, and she had become a greeting card saleswoman. Abbey’s admonition rang in her ears. Be careful.
She contemplated the shop’s next big holiday as she followed Dixie around the little strip of grass next to the shop. Valentine’s Day was only six weeks away, and the displays would go up right after Christmas, all pretty in red and pink. Del’s cards would once again take center stage, offering a more edgy option. Maybe Del would return for another autograph session, now that everyone in town knew a local boy was the talent behind the cards.
Quite possibly, though, she’d seen the last of him, despite all their fun evenings together. No, not that many. They’d only had a handful of evenings, after all. Not much of a record on which to build a relationship. If she harbored the notion she and Del had any kind of relationship going, then she had been making a mountain out of a molehill.
Especially since tonight Sandra was his dinner date, and she would be with Ricky shortly. Their pasts had caught up with them.
Her heart rate picked up as she put Dixie back into the house, took off the leash, and picked
up her purse before tugging out her lipstick. She had been right about one thing. She couldn’t escape her past. A past in which Ricky had played a prominent role. Could he play a part in her future? She chewed her lip before she applied a final swipe of gloss to her mouth.
This is just Ricky, Pen. You’ll be all right. Her words rang hollow even in her own head. For several years, Ricky had been her whole life.
Abbey sure didn’t see him in Penny’s future. After she had berated Penny for even agreeing to meet him for dinner, she shook her head. “I don’t get you sometimes. Del’s here now. He’s your future. Not Ricky.”
Penny made a last feeble attempt to put Abbey at peace with her decision. “I need to see him one more time. To tell myself I did the right thing when I left him.”
“And I don’t suppose this has anything to do with Del being with Sandra tonight?” Abbey again shook her head and raked her gaze over Penny.
Penny chewed her lower lip. “If he hadn’t agreed to take her to dinner, then I’d have been his date. So yes, I suppose this does have something to do with the fact Del’s with his ex. But I’m not being vindictive, if that’s what you’re implying.”
Abbey made a noise in her throat. “Please keep a clear head then, when you see Ricky.”
“Del right now is with his ex-wife, who wants to rekindle their romance. Why shouldn’t I get together with my old boyfriend?” Penny bristled.
Abbey pointed a finger. “See? Right there. Vindictiveness all over the place. Don’t let your emotions rule when dealing with the snake, Ricky. Penny, you do worry me.”
Penny threw her arm around her sister. “Quit being such a clucking mother hen. I’ll be fine.”
Abbey and Penny put on their coats and left out the back door. As they neared Abbey’s car, Penny could tell Abbey wanted to burst out with another argument. But her sister surprised her by remaining silent. Until she opened her car door, anyway.
“I’ll back you up in whatever you decide to do, Penny.” Abbey’s voice wavered as she tried to hold back her tears. “But my heart can’t take another of your disappointments.”
Penny’s breath caught in her throat. She ran around the car and grabbed Abbey in a big hug. “Thanks. I can always count on you. Even when I do something stupid.”
Abbey wiped her hand over her damp cheeks. “Well then, there’s your answer. Don’t do anything stupid with Ricky. Be careful.”
****
Even though Penny had given him an ‘okay’ signal as Sandra wrapped her body around him, the last thing Del had in mind for the evening had been to leave with his ex. He would have preferred to take pretty Penny into his arms, as he had last night, and kiss her until that little growl happened in the back of her throat again. The sound about drove him crazy.
Last night, they had wrestled his big bed into position in his new bedroom, and she helped him put the sheets and blankets on the mattress. Del’s mind kept conjuring images of the two of them in the bed together, wrestling with each other instead, and tangling those crisp sheets as they made passionate love to each other. He remained quiet as they worked, glad she took up a spot on the other side of the big bed and was out of arm’s reach. Way too early to even be thinking about tumbling into bed, even though he’d returned to Maine for that specific reason. A forever relationship with her had been a part of his plan for a long time. He needed to give her time to catch up.
After she told him what had happened when she was with Ricky, and the Christmas wedding debacle from last year, his focus became laser-sharp. His goal now was to make her forget all about Max and how he’d been such a cad. And to make her forget about Ricky the country star, too. He planned to make himself, Del Madison, the center of her universe. A pretty ambitious undertaking, for sure, but he’d take it one step, one date, one evening at a time.
His ideas for their future together really didn’t surprise him. After all, he’d done a bit of checking into her past before he made the decision to return to Lobster Cove. Even if he didn’t have all the details about her life before now, he at least had made certain she was unattached before he bought the house down the street from her parents. He’d carried a torch for her for years, and she’d entered his mind often.
He and Sandra settled in at Mariner’s Fish Fry at the north end of the harbor, known for the best lobster in town. Although the selections for which the restaurant had become famous hadn’t changed in years, Del hid behind the menu as long as he could, hoping to hide his resentment at not being with the right woman. But he couldn’t ignore his ex. The perfume she wore slapped him in the face, even from across the table. And although the lights were soft, she was harsh.
“So…” Sandra purred as she brushed her leg against his under the table. “Why are you hanging out with poor, pathetic Penny? Do you feel sorry for her? Is that what’s causing you to lose your better sense?”
Del set his menu on the table and glared across the small space. “Penny is neither poor nor pathetic. She’s done more with her life than you ever have.”
Sandra met his glare with one of her own. “How can you even compare the two of us? Her husband-to-be cheated on her right before their wedding last year, making her a laughing stock in Lobster Cove. Obviously, he didn’t get what he needed at home.”
Hearing her snide tone, Del clenched his teeth. “Better to cheat before the wedding than after. Recall why I left you in the first place. You couldn’t even wait until we’d unpacked from our honeymoon to start up with some other guy. Where are you now in your marriage-go-round? Husband number four? Or are you up to five? Honestly, I haven’t been keeping track.”
Del could feel Sandra’s shoe moving onto his upper thigh, and he slid his chair back slightly.
Sandra batted her eyelashes. “I still can arouse a man, Del. More than one can say for poor, pathetic Penny. That is, unless you need some chemical enhancement first. I’ve never had a problem arousing you before.”
Del slid his chair all the way back, taking great pleasure in hearing Sandra’s foot fall heavily to the floor. He stood, tossing his napkin on the table. “I’ll try to forget what you said, Sandra.”
Sandra’s big brown eyes peered upward from under her bleached blonde bangs. “Sit down, Del. No need to cause a scene.” She glanced around the room at the other patrons.
Del had a sneaking suspicion she would relish being part of a scene. Against his better judgment, he sat again.
Sandra grabbed for his hand.
But he jerked away from her grasp.
“I didn’t mean to be insensitive, Del. Some men, as they get older, need a bit of help, that’s all. And if I can’t get you going, no one can.”
Del cast a sidelong glance at her as his mouth curled with distaste. “Men are the ones who are supposed to be past their prime earlier than women. But in our case, I beg to differ.”
Eyes rounding, Sandra gasped. “You think I’m past my prime?” She manufactured huge crocodile tears.
Something he recalled, too late, she had been awfully good at doing. He bit back a noise of disgust.
“Del, you’re now the one being insensitive.”
For the final time, he scraped his chair back from the table. “We’re done here.”
“But we haven’t even ordered yet!” Sandra whimpered.
He threw a twenty-dollar bill on the table. “Then order something. I’m done. And don’t bother me again, okay?” Her startled face made him grin as he stood and stalked out.
Chapter Eleven
Music streamed from under the door at a loud volume, and the crowd noise competed with the music as Penny wandered into the fancy Bar Harbor restaurant. Of course the place was loud and raucous. After all, Ricky did have an image to maintain. She elbowed her way through the throng around him. Even if his career had faded a bit, he still commanded a presence in any room.
“Penny!” His voice boomed across the room when she finally worked her way into his line of sight. “Come join the party.” He scooped her i
nto his arms and kissed her. He then tugged her into the midst of the crowd and made a few introductions, with his arm still around her waist. After a few minutes, he excused himself from the crowd, and led her, and only her, into a private room off the main floor.
Inside, she found a table set for two, with fancy napkins folded to resemble swans, and fresh flowers in the center. Penny glanced around to make sure no cameras were present, catching this as a shock TV prank. They were alone, except for a waiter with a bottle of champagne, and an Oysters Rockefeller appetizer. So far, Ricky had kept his word. She wondered how long the façade would last. “What’s going on, Ricky?”
In response, he picked up the appetizer plate. “Heck, darlin’. Can’t I try to sweep my girl off her feet every now and then? Here, have an oyster. They’re supposed to be an aphrodisiac, so let’s see if they work.” He leaned in again for another kiss.
Vaguely, Penny registered the kiss and her reaction. Or rather, her lack of reaction. She used to long for his kisses. Dream of his kisses. Get her motor going by merely thinking about his kisses. She had returned time and again after he’d been unfaithful because she couldn’t get enough of this man. He was her drug of choice, and she couldn’t have been hooked harder than if she’d been mainlining. The lovemaking remained stupendous, and his kisses made her melt. He’d glance her way, and she’d be a puddle at his feet.
Finally six years ago, she’d used every ounce of strength she had to break away. On Christmas Eve, he didn’t call her as he’d promised. Penny dialed his number after midnight, and instead of Ricky answering, a breathy woman picked up. Her mind numb, she packed up her belongings and drove home from Nashville as her tears fell. She asked herself if she’d done the right thing ever since. For years afterward, she suffered from Ricky withdrawal, crying each time one of his songs came over the radio, and wondering how anyone could get beyond such a tortured craving.
So, why did she not melt now?
Backing away, she raised the menu, her mind screeching in discord. She wasn’t melting, or otherwise reacting to Ricky. But instead of confusion, she understood suddenly with clarity why a shift occurred in her reaction. He was no longer what she needed. She had finally broken free from the mesmerizing hold he’d had. Ricky was her past. She didn’t have a clue where this new relationship with Del was headed, but she wanted to find out. She surprised herself with the direction her thoughts were taking her. Maybe dinner with Ricky had been a good thing after all, despite Abbey’s reluctance about their get-together.
