“I haven’t so much as jaywalked,” she gritted. “I even have a social security number.”
“Good. Come to lunch with me. I’ll pay. We can both use a few extra pounds.” Will put his hands down. “I’m lecturing again at the museum. They seem to have forgiven the lapse in having a notorious relative. And one of the universities is going to take me on for the fall semester. They like all of my publications. Especially the one I’m putting out in the Cultural Review in January. It’s a comparison of Christian ideas of hell versus American Indian ones. The publishers are very excited.”
“Congratulations,” she said listlessly. “But Will, I’m not really hungry.”
Will frowned. “I haven’t seen you in a month. I hear good things about you. I know your mother is doing all right. The children have been returned safely. The police seem to have lost interest. You even return your library books on time. So what’s the problem?”
Penelope found a smile somewhere that she guessed looked genuine. She shrugged. “I’m just not the same girl, am I? Life changes. It isn’t always easy to accept.”
“No,” he agreed quietly. “But you’re a strong woman. Stronger than I would have anticipated. You planned to take Anthony down, and you did it the only way you could.” Will stepped forward and touched the arm that had been injured. His fingers gently clasped her wrist and turned her forearm toward the light. “You’ve healed, but the scars will always remain.”
Penelope would have shaken him off, but his touch was addictive. She looked down at his fingers and tried to find the words for the moment. Finally, she looked up and saw that Will was staring at her in a way that made her go weak in the knees. “Uh, I, um,” she said feebly.
“What can I say to you to convince you that I’m interested in being more than your friend, Penelope?” Will said with a tender smile.
“I think you just said it,” she said, staring up at him. “I thought you didn’t like what I was, certainly it wasn’t something you could get past easily.”
Will leaned in closer and softly kissed her on the lips, tilting his head as they made contact. When he pulled back, he whispered, “I think I’ve changed too. It’s something to do with a woman giving up almost everything to save your life.”
“I gave back the jewelry and money to the tribe,” she said. Her knees suddenly felt like Jell-O, although it wasn’t exactly a bad feeling.
“And all the others you stole from?” he responded with a hint of amusement.
“You mean the drug dealers, the pimps, the blackmailers, and the other crooks?”
Will nodded.
“I already spent theirs,” she said simply.
Will shrugged. “I guess it will have to do. Now lunch? A real date? I’ll even open the doors for you so you don’t have to use liquid nitrogen on them.”
Penelope genuinely smiled for the first time. “That’s a deal I can get on board with.”
Will kissed her again and they didn’t come out of her tiny office for quite some time.
The End.
About the Author
C.L. Bevill has lived in Alabama, Virginia, Texas, Arizona, and Oregon. She once was in the U.S. Army and a graphic illustrator. She holds degrees in social psychology and counseling. She is the author of Bubba and the Dead Woman, Bubba and the 12 Deadly Days of Christmas, Bubba and the Missing Woman, Bayou Moon, and Shadow People, among others. Presently she lives with her husband and her daughter and continues to constantly write. She can be reached at www.clbevill.com or you can read her blog at www.carwoo.blogspot.com.
Other Novels by C.L. Bevill
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Mysteries:
Bubba and the Dead Woman
Bubba and the 12 Deadly Days of Christmas
Bubba and the Missing Woman
Brownie and the Dame
Bayou Moon
Paranormal Romance:
Veiled Eyes (Lake People)
Disembodied Bones (Lake People)
Arcanorum (Lake People)
The Moon Trilogy (Novellas):
Black Moon (The Moon Trilogy 1)
Amber Moon (The Moon Trilogy 2)
Silver Moon (The Moon Trilogy 3)
Cat Clan Novellas:
Harvest Moon
Blood Moon
Shadow People
Sea of Dreams
Suspense:
The Flight of the Scarlet Tanager
Black Comedy:
The Life and Death of Bayou Billy
Missile Rats
Chicklet:
Dial ‘M’ For Mascara
Shadow People Page 40
