Delicious

by Susan Mallery

  “Good afternoon, Penny.”

  “Gloria. How nice to see you. I’m surprised to see you back here in the kitchen.”

  Gloria raised her perfectly plucked eyebrows. “You and Cal might think you’re in charge, but I still am the majority stockholder in the corporation.”

  A fact which probably explained the lack of a bonus system.

  “So you’re here officially?” Penny asked. “Let’s adjourn to my office.”

  While she didn’t want to be with Gloria under any circumstances, let alone in the close confines of her office, she wasn’t willing to take her on in public. Given what the old bat had dropped the last time she’d been here, who knew what havoc she wanted to wreak today?

  “Cal can’t join us,” Penny said. “He’s not here. Should we reschedule?” Unlikely, but a girl had to have dreams.

  “No. You’re the one I came to see.” Gloria paused and looked around at the large space. “Cal’s office is much smaller than this.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Shouldn’t he have had the larger office?”

  “Nope.”

  “Are you going to offer me something to drink?”

  “Do you want something?”

  “Not really.”

  “Then, no. I’m not.” Penny smiled. “Any other questions?”

  Gloria frowned. “I’m here because I’ve received several complaints about the food.”

  “Really? I’m surprised. We haven’t had any.”

  Which wasn’t precisely the truth. There were the usual number of people wanting their fish to taste like something it wasn’t or insisting on impossibly overcooked meals that were then not as good as they should have been. But nothing out of the ordinary.

  “You seem very proud of your fish and chips and yet I’ve been told the dish is very substandard. It’s really not the sort of thing we should be serving at a restaurant this elegant.”

  Penny was pretty happy with herself for continuing to see the humor in the situation.

  “Interesting point,” she said, “but here’s the thing. While you might be the major stockholder of the corporation, I don’t actually work for you. And even if I did, I have a funky little contract that contains a clause saying that I determine what’s served to our customers. Just me. I try to be open-minded and accept other people’s input, but it’s my name on the top of the menu.”

  Gloria glared at her. “I don’t know why Cal agreed to let you have that much control. It’s ridiculous.”

  “Maybe, but there we are. Now if you’re receiving complaints, that worries me. Why don’t you give me the names of the people who are unhappy and their phone numbers? I would love to talk to them personally and then invite them back for a free dinner.”

  She waited, fairly sure that Gloria couldn’t give her the information as the complaints weren’t real.

  Gloria leaned back in her chair. “He’s not going to marry you, you know. I don’t know if you thought you could appeal to him by being pregnant, but you can’t. You already left him once. Callister isn’t likely to be fooled again.”

  Penny bit down on her lower lip. It took all her moral character and inner strength not to tell the old woman that she and Cal had had sex. Not just once, but for a whole night. Over and over again. Like rabbits.

  But she held back. This being mature thing was starting to become a habit. Besides, she wasn’t interested in Cal—not in that way.

  “If he did show any interest in you,” Gloria continued. “I would be forced to cut him off.”

  “Financially,” Penny clarified.

  “Yes.”

  “As he’s made millions with The Daily Grind, I don’t see that as a big problem.” Penny stood. “I don’t know what you want, Gloria, but you’re not going to get it here. Go torture someone else. I’m not interested in your games.”

  Gloria rose. “You can’t dismiss me.”

  “Seems that she just did,” Naomi said from the doorway. “I couldn’t help overhearing some of that. Wow. It’s all so ugly.” Naomi smiled broadly. “While we’re sharing, I’ve slept with Reid and Walker. Not at the same time, of course, because that would be tacky. But both of them. That should give you something to chew on.”

  “Slut,” Gloria hissed.

  Naomi laughed. “If that’s the best you can do, I’m not sure why so many people are afraid of you.”

  Gloria grabbed her coat and walked out. Naomi moved over to the desk and she and Penny gave each other a high five.

  “Talk about someone needing an attitude adjustment,” Naomi said. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine.” Penny eyed her friend. “Are you really sleeping with Walker?”

  “I just saved your butt. How about thanking me and offering me a big raise?”

  “I appreciate the rescue, even if I didn’t need it. Are you really sleeping with Walker?”

  Naomi shrugged. “Just once. It was nice, but now it’s over.” She frowned. “We’re friends. Weird, because I don’t believe in guy friends, but there we are.”

  Penny didn’t know what to say. First of all, Naomi loved to talk about her conquests. She always said that was nearly the best part. Second, friends?

  “Don’t look so confused,” Naomi said. “He’s different. I like him.”

  “Like as in romantic affection?”

  “No. Just like as in like.” Her expression tightened. “This is private information and you are never to talk about it with anyone.”

  Penny grinned. “Blackmail material. Cool.”

  CAL RETURNED to the restaurant just before five. As he walked into the kitchen, he smiled at the familiar chaos that preceded the genius that was Penny’s menu.

  “How’s it going?” he asked, raising his voice to be heard over the noise.

  “Great,” Penny said.

  Naomi reached for two salads. “Your grandmother was here and threatened Penny.”

  He swore. “I warned her if she meddled, I would walk.”

  Penny shook her head, as if warning him off. Naomi rolled her eyes.

  “Oh, right. She acts up and you bail. So we’re stuck having to deal with her on our own. Very manly. Remind me to call you first in a crisis.”

  With that, she picked up a third salad, spun and walked out of the kitchen.

  “I haven’t even taken my coat off and I’ve lost a battle with her,” he said.

  Penny sighed. “With Naomi, it’s a real gift. She can make any man think he’s incapable of winning. I tried to get you to stop, but no. You had to keep talking.”

  He eyed her. “You seem plenty cheerful. Obviously Gloria didn’t do any serious damage.”

  “I held my own.”

  “Did Gloria stop by to see you or me?”

  “Me,” Penny said.

  “What did she want to talk about?”

  “The usual. How she was important and I wasn’t. Then Naomi popped in to tell her she was sleeping with Reid and Walker. I would say it was a draw.”

  “Remind me to thank her later.”

  He dumped his coat in his office, then toured the dining room. They were booked through nine, which wasn’t bad for a Wednesday night. The tables were already full and there were several couples waiting in the bar.

  He returned to the kitchen. “Looks good out there,” he told Penny. “Want to tell me the real reason Gloria stopped by?”

  “Not especially.”

  “Because?”

  “Because it doesn’t matter. She’s a bitter old woman and she wants everyone else in her sphere to be equally unhappy. I refuse.”

  “Good for you,” he told her. He sidestepped a cook lugging a huge pot of clam chowder. “I should get out of your way.”

  “Yes, you should,” she said, but she was smiling.

  There was something about her eyes, he thought. They were so pretty. And her smile. Before he realized what was going on, the wanting had returned. Funny how the past week had sort of sucked it out of him. Her anger, the baby, e
verything else. But now he could imagine taking her to bed.

  Talk about twisted, he told himself and started toward his office.

  Naomi stepped into the kitchen. “Cal, there’s someone here to see you. Tracy somebody. Are you dating her? Do I need to let the air out of your tires?”

  “Tracy?” He only knew one woman by that name. “Lindsey’s mom?”

  Penny moved to his side. “Does she come to see you often?”

  “Almost never. The last time was when Lindsey was sick. She wanted to tell me in person.” His insides clutched. Had the cancer returned?

  No. He shook off the fear. He’d seen her less than two weeks ago at the school play and she’d looked great. Without thinking, he took Penny’s hand.

  “Maybe she wants to meet me.” After all this time, maybe his daughter had decided she wanted to know about him.

  Still holding Penny’s hand, he walked out of the kitchen. She shuffled along behind him.

  “I shouldn’t be here,” she said.

  “Yes, you should. I was there for you, with the baby.”

  “This isn’t the same.”

  He glanced at her. “It might be the closest I’m going to get.”

  He recognized Tracy at once. She stood by the hostess station. But as he got closer, he saw the worry in her eyes and the pain in her expression.

  He swore. This was not a happy woman. This was a frightened mother.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  Tracy glanced from him to Penny. “It’s Lindsey. I’m sorry to come here like this. I called your office and they said I could find you here.”

  Cal gripped Penny’s hand harder. He knew. Just looking at Tracy, he knew the truth. “The cancer’s back.”

  Tracy paled. “Yes. There have been signs for a few weeks. Apparently Lindsey did her best to keep them from us. She was determined to star in her school play, but she collapsed after the show that night. They’ve been doing tests, but we all knew…” She twisted her hands together.

  “When it comes back like this,” she said, “so aggressively, they want to do more than chemo. They want to try a bone marrow transplant. I came here to find out if you’d be willing to be tested.”

  “Of course. Right away. I can get in touch with Alison as well.” Although he had no idea where the woman was, her parents still lived in Seattle.

  “Thank you.” Tracy shivered. “We love her so much. She’s our baby girl. When she was sick before and then got better, we were all so hopeful.” She swallowed. “Cal, you’ve been so good to us. You’ve never tried to get involved in her life.”

  “She didn’t want that.” It hurt him to speak the words.

  “I know, but you didn’t have to respect her wishes and you did. You’ve asked for so little. I…Tom and I have been talking and we think maybe it’s time for her to meet you.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “I WANT YOU TO KNOW this is the first time I’ve resented your pregnancy,” Naomi said as she reached for a tortilla chip covered in cheese.

  “I know,” Penny said from her place across the small table. “I understand completely. In your position, I’d feel the same way.”

  Naomi made an inelegant sound that was halfway between a scoff and a snort. “Oh, please. I’m a much better person than you are. In my position, you’d be making margaritas.”

  Penny laughed. “You’re probably right.”

  Her friend had arrived less than a hour ago, bearing the fixings for nachos. After announcing she was in the mood to get drunk, she’d handed the food over to Penny and told her to have at it. As Naomi wasn’t the type to drink alone, she would accept eating as a poor substitute.

  “I did my best with the nachos,” she said.

  “They’re good,” Naomi said grudgingly. “But I’m still deeply offended that you’re pregnant at a time when I really need alcohol and someone to share it with.”

  Penny didn’t point out that there was a massive list of men who would be oh-so-happy to indulge with Naomi. Penny had a feeling this was a “girls only” kind of thing.

  “Have you heard any more about Lindsey?” her friend asked.

  “Just that we’re waiting to find out if Cal’s a match. It shouldn’t be much longer. Another day or so. He’s really hoping he is. He wants to be the one to save his daughter.”

  “What father wouldn’t?”

  A fact that filled Penny with ambivalence. On the one hand, who could resent a man who loved the child he’d given up for adoption? On the other hand, who could trust a man who couldn’t open his heart to anyone else?

  If he’d just told her everything all those years ago. She would have understood…eventually. Instead he’d withdrawn until he hadn’t wanted her or their baby.

  “I hope it works out for Lindsey,” Penny said. “The poor kid has been through enough already. Apparently she had chemo when she was first diagnosed. That can’t have been fun. With the cancer returning, a bone marrow transplant is her best hope.”

  “Any news on the Alison front?”

  “She’s not a good match so everyone is hoping Cal is. If not him, they’ll have to look elsewhere, starting with his immediate family. At least if they find a donor, Lindsey will have a real chance of beating this once and for all.”

  “I know I’ve had my issues with Cal,” Naomi said, reaching for more chips. “But I hope he’s a match. He needs to save someone.”

  Penny looked at her. “Why do you say that?”

  “Near as I can figure, it’s a Buchanan family trait. Not that any of them have managed it yet. I think it comes from Gloria, the way she emotionally beat up on them when they were kids.”

  While Penny didn’t dispute Naomi’s assessment, she wondered about the source of her information. Had it come from Reid or Walker, or both?

  The temptation to ask was strong, but she resisted. If Naomi wanted to tell her, she would.

  “It’s just sad that they lost both their parents within a year of each other,” Penny said quietly. “I know Cal always felt he had to be the strong one. I never thought of it in terms of having to save anyone.” She remembered how he’d wanted to keep her out of the Buchanan dynasty because he’d been afraid of what Gloria would do. “Or maybe I didn’t see it.”

  “Dani’s the only one who keeps trying to please that bitch.”

  She was fighting a losing battle, Penny thought. Gloria would never accept Dani because she wasn’t a Buchanan.

  She wondered if Cal had told his sister the truth, then figured he hadn’t had the time. But he needed to and soon. If he didn’t, Penny had a bad feeling it would come back to bite him in the ass.

  “Just talking about Cal and his family makes me realize how normal I am,” Penny said. “Who would have thought that was possible?”

  “What are you talking about? You’re not so bad.”

  “I’m pregnant through a medical procedure by a man I’ll never meet, and working for my ex-husband.” Sleeping with him as well, she thought, although she didn’t say that. Naomi might have guessed, but she wouldn’t ask and Penny wouldn’t confirm anything.

  But speaking of people sleeping together…“How’s the friendship thing working out with you and Walker?” she asked.

  “Fine.”

  “Ha. Like I believe that. There’s something you’re not telling me.”

  There had to be. Naomi was actually squirming in her seat. Penny had never seen her act this way about a guy.

  “Are you in love with him?” she asked, trying not to sound too incredulous.

  “What? No. Of course not.” Naomi wrinkled her nose. “It’s not like that at all.”

  “Then what?”

  “Nothing. It’s nothing.” She sighed. “We don’t even have sex anymore.” She reached for her can of soda. “We’re friends, which is strange.”

  Penny didn’t know what to think. “When you say you’re not having sex, you mean…”

  Naomi shrugged. “No sex. Honestly, I can’t imagine u
s ever doing it again. We don’t…we…talk.”

  “Talking is good.”

  “No, it’s not. This isn’t natural. Friends with a man. Oh, please.”

  Penny did her best to keep from smiling. “So you’re having a relationship. That’s great.”

  “No, it’s odd. This is nothing romantic and yet I care about him. I don’t want to care about anyone.”

  “You care about me.”

  Her friend smiled. “Yes, I do, but girl love is different. Caring about a guy…”

  Her voice trailed off as sadness filled her eyes. She looked at Penny. “I might have to leave.”

  Penny had a feeling she didn’t just mean that evening. Panic and pain gripped her. She needed Naomi and she would miss her horribly if she went away.

  “Want to tell me why?”

  Her friend smiled. “Thanks for not instantly saying I can’t.”

  “I want to, but I’m holding back.”

  Naomi reached for another chip. “I have family back in Ohio. Parents. A couple of brothers and sisters. A husband.” She chewed then swallowed. “Actually, I’m not sure about the husband. He might have divorced me. I’ve been gone a long time.”

  Penny blinked. “I don’t know what to say. You never mentioned anyone.”

  “I didn’t just hatch.”

  Penny had always figured there had to be someone. But a whole family? A husband?

  “Something happened,” Naomi continued. “I don’t want to get into it, but I did something bad and I couldn’t live with myself. Or them. So I left. I just drove and I ended up here. I met you a few weeks later.”

  Penny felt her heart breaking. She didn’t want to lose her friend. “If you think you have to go back, it’s fine.”

  Naomi scowled at her. “You’re going to be brave, aren’t you? Dammit, I hate that. I don’t want to leave, but I think it’s time. I have to go mend some fences. I think I’m still in love with him. Talk about insane.”

  Penny nodded because if she spoke, she would start to cry.

  “I wouldn’t just leave you,” Naomi said. “I’d make sure there were some people in place. To help with the baby and at the restaurant.”