Quinn stopped her before she could start forward, though. He was holding her tennis shoes.
She looked down at her bare feet and flushed.
She put out one hand for her shoes, but Quinn ignored it. Instead, he dropped down on his knee, holding out one shoe for her.
“Come on,” he said above the noise of the mower. “Stick your foot in.”
Feeling like an idiot, she tucked her foot into the shoe.
He tied it and gave her a pointed look. “Now the other.”
She glanced around. Mrs. Wachowski, the elderly woman who lived in the triplex across from Penny’s house, was fussing with the petunias growing in front of her unit and looking over her shoulder at them every ninety seconds. Dori Wells, whom Penny had quickly learned was one of the biggest gossips in town, was standing in her driveway a couple houses down, either flirting with Howard Grimes or arguing with him. It was hard to tell which. But her bright red-haired head was practically revolving as she kept sending Penny and Quinn furtive glances.
Since Penny had first understood that her family situation was ripe cause for talk, she’d hated feeling the subject of gossip.
And now, Quinn and his Prince Charming act over her tennis shoes was sure to cause exactly that.
“Just let me do it,” she muttered, letting go of the mower handle again, which caused the engine to die. She reached down to grab the shoe out of his hand, but he held on to it. “Quinn. Come on.” She peered over his head. Dori’s curly head whipped around to face Howard again. “People are noticing.”
“Yeah, because you’re making a big deal out of this.”
She huffed and crouched down to his level, only to realize his eyes were full of amusement. “Give me my damn shoe, Quinn.”
The corner of his lips kicked up. “Ah. So that girl’s still inside you, after all. Thought maybe you’d forgotten how to swear altogether.”
Heat ran under her skin. Rejected by him at fifteen, she’d tossed every foul word she’d ever known at his head. Given her erstwhile mother’s example to learn from, the list had been long. “I learned how to choose better vocabulary,” she said through her teeth. She held out her hand, palm up. “And I refuse to play tug of war over my own tennis shoe.”
His lips twitched. “I’ll give it to you for a price.”
She rolled her eyes. “Save me.” They were still crouched like fools next to the lawn mower. “How much?”
“Only one.”
“One what?”
“Kiss.”
She glared. “Now I know you’re just messing with me.”
“Why? Because seeing that video of us kissing to seal the deal got me curious? Aren’t you curious?”
She pushed to her feet and crossed her arms. The toes of her bare foot curled into the thick grass. She wasn’t going to admit to any such thing whether it was true or not.
And it hadn’t taken a video to get you curious, either.
She ignored the taunting voice inside her head.
Quinn straightened, too. Standing as close to her as he was, she felt dwarfed by his height. She unclenched her arms and grabbed the mower handle just to steady herself.
He dangled her shoe by the laces. “Well?”
“No, I am not curious.”
“You’re a bad liar, Penny.” He lightly touched her collarbone where she could feel her flush rising up her throat. “This blush gives you away every time.”
“That’s not a blush,” she lied. “That’s annoyance.”
His smile widened. He trailed his finger up the center of her neck, beneath her jaw and to her chin, which he nudged upward. “You’re curious. Just like I am. Curious whether it was just the situation, or whether it was something more.”
She pressed her lips together. She wanted to deny it. But he’d know that for the lie it was, too.
“Okay, then.” His head slowly lowered toward hers.
Her heart rate went a little crazy. Every cell in her body felt poised for something momentous. She swallowed. Barely managed to stop herself from moistening her lips.
“Here you go,” he whispered.
She felt something against her midriff and realized he was pushing the tennis shoe into her hand.
Then he straightened. Gave her a quick, knowing wink.
She suddenly felt like throwing the shoe at his handsome head.
“I’ll be out of town for a while,” he said as he walked away toward the motorcycle at the curb. “I’ll see you when I get back. Try not to get into too much trouble while I’m gone.”
She launched the shoe at him. It landed yards short.
His smile flashed as he threw his leg over the big bike.
And then with a roar, he drove away.
Chapter Nine
The following Monday, Penny had to force herself to go to work.
It had been two days since Vivian let on that she knew about their Vegas wedding. Penny hadn’t seen or talked to Vivian since then. And who knew what sort of mood she’d be walking into now.
The first person she saw as she let herself in one of the side doors was Montrose.
He was carrying Vivian’s preferred silver coffee service and he gave Penny his usual sneer. Neither better nor worse than usual.
In Penny’s estimation, Vivian tended to tell Montrose most everything. But maybe she hadn’t shared this particular news. That surely would have merited a deeper level of sneerage.
“Good morning, Montrose,” she greeted. “Nice to see you looking so cheerful on a Monday morning. How is Mrs. Templeton today?”
“Ask her yourself. She’s in the conservatory.” He stomped past her and disappeared through the doorway leading to the kitchen.
“Always a pleasure,” she murmured after his ramrod-straight back.
She went upstairs to Vivian’s office and left her purse there before going back downstairs to the sunroom. She took her laptop with her. Vivian was talking on the phone and pacing the room as far as the long corded phone would allow when Penny got there. Her boss waved her in, pointing to the plate of breakfast muffins sitting on a side table.
The food didn’t appeal to her. Maybe because Quinn’s ball cap with the USAF embroidered on the front was also sitting on the table. She felt an alarming jolt at the sight of it, wondering if he was there, until she remembered that he’d left it behind the previous week when he’d delivered the mulch.
She filled a glass of water from the crystal pitcher—no plastic water bottles where Vivian was concerned—and flipped open Vivian’s leather-bound calendar. Her boss had neatly penciled in several items and since Vivian was still involved with her phone conversation, Penny booted up the laptop and added the notes to the calendar that she kept there, which would also sync with Penny’s cell phone calendar.
Vivian had made no secret of her dislike for cell phones. She tolerated Penny’s, but she refused to use one herself. She wouldn’t even use a cordless phone for the two landlines that ran to the house. Called them all security hazards.
And Vivian considered her town council opponent to be stuck in his ways.
Penny was almost done when Vivian finished her call.
Her nerves tightened when Vivian sat down in the chair opposite her and crossed her ankles. “How was your weekend, dear?”
Penny hesitated. She gave her boss a wary look. It wasn’t possible that Vivian would have forgotten. Except that she did have a brain tumor. She studied Vivian’s face a little more closely. But the woman’s face was as composed as ever. Perfectly, subtly made up in a manner complementing her age. “It was...all right,” she said cautiously. “And yours?”
“Stewart thinks he may have found a buyer for Templeton Manor.” Vivian waved languidly at the phone she’d left sitting across the room. “That was h
im just now. He wants me to come to Pittsburgh to meet them.”
Penny closed her laptop. The longer Vivian went without some comment about Penny and Quinn, the more concerned she felt. “Is that usual? I didn’t think home buyers generally met the home sellers.”
Vivian’s lips curved humorously. “Perhaps smaller homes,” she said. “Estates like Templeton Manor are a bit different.”
Penny would have to take her boss’s word for that. One day she hoped to be able to buy her own house. For now, though, she had to be content with renting. “Would you like me to arrange your flight?”
“Our flight, dear,” Vivian corrected. “As my assistant, naturally I’d like you to accompany me.”
“To Pittsburgh?”
“No, dear.” Vivian looked amused. “To Neptune.” Her smile turned sly. “That is, of course, if your husband can bear to spare you so soon after the nuptials.”
Penny’s shoulders sank.
Vivian’s eyebrows lifted. “Did you think I wouldn’t mention it?”
“No,” Penny assured. “I was getting a little concerned that you hadn’t.”
Vivian made an impatient sound. “I wish everyone would stop worrying that I’m on the verge of losing my wits. The rude thing squatting in my head hasn’t changed even a fraction of a millimeter in the past two years.”
Penny spread her hands peaceably. “I’m sorry. No more worrying.”
Vivian’s lips compressed. But her expression was wry. “I appreciate the sentiment, at least. Now. I’d like to leave in the morning. Is that a problem?”
“Of course not.”
“Perhaps you should check with your husband before deciding.”
Penny shifted, feeling hot and awkward. “Please don’t call him that, Mrs. Templeton.”
“Why not? It’s what Quinn is, is he not?”
“Technically, I suppose, but—” She broke off, hearing Montrose’s approach. She knew it was him even before he entered the sunroom, because his footsteps were deliberately loud and excessively measured. He filled Vivian’s coffee cup from the silver pot he’d been carrying earlier. Then he gave Penny a bored look and set the pot down with a loud clank.
No courteous coffee pour for the likes of her.
She smiled sweetly at him. “Thanks, Mr. Montrose.”
His lip curled downward and he left the room once more.
“He truly detests you,” Vivian said brightly.
“And I him,” Penny assured.
“All in all, a good day in the Templeton household.” Vivian’s eyes sparkled. She seemed at her very happiest when Montrose was wallowing in his beloved snarkiness.
It was weird.
But Penny could see that the balance worked equally well for both Montrose and Vivian.
“Back to your trip tomorrow,” she prompted.
“Our trip,” Vivian corrected. “Assuming Quinn won’t mind, of course.”
“Whether he minds or not is irrelevant. And unnecessary, since he told me he’s going to be away for a while.”
“Away where?”
“He didn’t say.”
Vivian’s brown eyes narrowed. “Didn’t you ask?”
“No.” She conveniently chose to overlook the fact that she’d wanted to. Not that Quinn had given her an opportunity to, anyway. She shifted again. “Mrs. Templeton, you don’t need to worry.”
“That’s good, dear. Worry causes wrinkles and I already have more than my share. If I get any more, I’m afraid my dear Arthur won’t recognize me when I finally join him. But what exactly do I need not worry about?”
Penny mentally shook her head a little. She still wasn’t entirely used to Vivian’s references to her deceased husband. “A, uh, about me. And your grandson. You see, it was all just an unfortunate mistake. We’re going to untangle the legalities just as quickly as we can.”
“That seems a shame when you’re so well suited to one another. You would make beautiful children together, no doubt.”
Penny couldn’t stem the sound of disbelief that rose in her throat.
Vivian picked up her delicate coffee cup and peered at her over the edge. “What’s that, dear?”
Penny shook her head. “Nothing, Mrs. Templeton.” She grabbed her water glass and took a swig.
“I believe I prefer Grandmother over Mrs. Templeton.”
Penny choked on a swallow. Water spilled down the glass and onto her blue sundress. Before starting to work with Vivian, she’d bought a month’s worth of dresses, since Dr. Templeton had warned her that his mother preferred her female employees dress like females. Which, in Vivian-speak, meant dresses. Or skirts. Or anything besides pants.
Vivian plucked a linen napkin from the arrangement of them next to the coffeepot and leaned forward to hand it to Penny. “A truly heartwarming response,” she said drily.
Penny flushed. She wiped her wet hand and the wet glass and set it on the little table beside her chair. “I swallowed wrong.”
“So I witnessed.” Vivian looked unusually relaxed as she leaned back in her chair. She picked up Quinn’s cap and turned it in her hands. Studying the front of it. Studying the back of it where Penny saw the letters “PJ” imprinted. Then Vivian studied Penny from below her half-mast eyelids. “Do you have any grandparents, dear?”
Talk about a left turn. Vivian had never shown any interest like this before. “No. I never knew them. I also never knew my father.”
“And your mother, poor dear, was worse than useless. Do you have any contact with her?”
Penny shook her head. Her mother had disappeared for good the year Penny had been placed with the Bennetts. Neither the state nor anyone else had made a very concerted effort to find her.
“She had a problem with alcohol, didn’t she?”
Penny hesitated. “Did Dr. Templeton tell you that?” It seemed unlikely.
Vivian made a dismissive gesture. “David doesn’t tell me anything. He and Carter are equally annoying that way. No, I simply had you investigated.”
Penny felt herself pale. “I beg your pardon?”
“Don’t look so distraught, darling. Tom Hook did the work for me last year before I hired you. In my position, I can’t afford to hire people simply for the sheer pleasure of spiking one of my son’s guns.” She smiled. “Tempting though that is. And despite the cowboy boots Mr. Hook wears that I find entirely inappropriate for an attorney, he is reliably discreet.”
“Great,” Penny said weakly. “Why are you just telling me this now?”
“Because it’s relevant now,” Vivian said as if it ought to be obvious. “So I know enough about your unfortunate mother. And that poor boy you were supposed to marry. You were very young.”
Could this morning get any worse? “Eighteen.”
“I was only nineteen when I married Quinn’s grandfather,” Vivian said. “But I knew I wanted to spend my entire life with him.” Her smile turned bittersweet. “The unshakeable certainty of youthful love. After he gave me three sons, though, he left me just like your young man left you. Death is death.”
“Mrs. Templeton—”
“If you can’t manage Grandmother, then at least try Vivian.”
“Vivian,” Penny complied. “I don’t know what impression you’ve gotten, but Quinn and I fully intend to rectify the situation. And we, uh, well mainly I prefer to keep it from becoming common knowledge. I’d hoped that no one would need to know.”
“I know he appears quite hale and hearty now, but Quinn was very seriously injured, you know.” Vivian set the ball cap on the coffee table in front of them.
Penny opened her mouth to respond. Only she didn’t know what to say. She nodded. Her gaze kept drifting to the hat.
“I know what it’s like to lose a son. I don’t want David or Ca
rter to have to ever know what that feels like.”
Penny’s wits scattered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Thatcher was my eldest.” Vivian sighed faintly. “But he is a story for another day. My point is that Quinn needs a reason to stay home. You could be that reason.”
Penny shook her head. “Mrs. Templeton, trust me. I could never be that reason. Nor do I want to be.” She’d vowed never to fall for another military man. Because in her heart, she knew that she would always be their second choice. Andy had enlisted even though he’d had plenty of other options to pursue. His grades had been high enough to get him into most any college he wanted on scholarship. And even though Penny had pleaded with him to choose something else, he’d told her he’d be back for her. Everything would be fine. They’d spend their life together just like they’d planned.
And Quinn—
She broke off the thought. She wasn’t falling for Quinn. So thinking of him in that context was pointless.
“I’ve never been reason enough for someone to want to stay with me,” she said. The father who hadn’t wanted her. The mother who’d chosen booze over her. The foster families who sent her “back” because they thought she was too unruly. The fiancé who’d never come back to her. “It’s just the way it is. I’ve always known it and it’s not going to change.” Her life had become a lot simpler when she’d finally accepted that fact. As far as she was concerned, longing for things a person was never going to have was a quick trip to unhappiness. That kind of unhappiness had ruled her mother. And Penny never wanted to be anything like her mother.
Vivian’s head angled as she studied Penny’s face. “What sort of a life you must have had to make you think such a thing,” she said quietly.
Penny wished she’d kept her mouth shut. “I wasn’t looking for sympathy, Mrs. Templeton. I’m just realistic. Even if Quinn cared about me that way, which he doesn’t,” she emphasized, “I would only be some sort of sad consolation prize in comparison to his lost military career.”
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