“Hold on. When—”
“Sorry, I’ve got to go. Bye!” he said as the knock came again. “Come in,” he said with relief.
A turn of the knob brought in pretty Penny. Her arms were laden with a tray filled with supper, a tall glass of iced tea, and what looked like two pieces of pie.
This afternoon she had on a pretty coral-colored dress, which did amazing things to her blond curls, her lightly tanned skin, and her mesmerizing eyes. But beyond her looks, it was her sweet, almost demure temperament that had trapped his heart. He liked how shy she was. He liked that she seemed to see him for who he was, not for what he was.
“Penny! You are my favorite person in the world,” he declared, intentionally making his voice sound effusive so she’d do the next thing he absolutely loved to see. As he’d hoped, she blushed prettily, and two seconds later, that darling dimple made an appearance.
Adorable.
“I have a feeling you say that to all the girls who bring you pie,” she teased.
He pressed a hand to his chest in mock distress. “No I don’t.”
“Nee?”
“Lately, I only say that to girls who bring me pie and supper. And Beverly’s iced tea.”
She closed the door behind her with one hand before crossing the room to him. A faint smile played on her lips. “Then I must remember to thank the Lord tonight when I say my prayers. Because it seems I am blessed enough to be that girl today.”
He winked. “Amen to that.”
But instead of another dimple appearance, her eyes widened. Obviously, he’d gone too far with his wink.
“Hey,” he said as she approached awkwardly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so forward.”
“It’s all right. I suppose you can’t help yourself.”
“What does that mean?”
She set his tray down on the bedside table, then expertly shook out a linen napkin and handed it to him. After he took it from her, she continued. “Nothing. It’s just that I’m fairly sure you’re used to women bringing you supper.”
“No.” When she tilted her head to one side, he patted the side of his bed. “Have a seat, wouldja?”
Instead of sitting where he’d gestured, she pulled over the chair. “What is wrong?”
“Penny, I want you to understand something. This isn’t my life. I don’t sit in bed and ask to be waited on. That’s not who I am.”
“Michael, what you do is none of my business.”
“We’re friends now, right?” With obvious reluctance, she nodded. “Then it is your business. When I’m on tour with my family, we are usually traveling to our new stop, preparing to speak, or sleeping. I’m not complaining or saying it’s a terrible way of life. It’s not. Not at all. But I don’t sit around and hope someone will wait on me.”
“I see.”
“I hope so.” Then, before he lost his nerve, he added, “And furthermore, I hope it’s not going to be my life forever.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I want to stop touring. I want to simply be Michael Knoxx, the guy who lives down the road.”
She stared at him hard. Then, to his surprise, her lips twitched. Right before she burst into giggles.
“What?”
“What? You!” Still giggling, she leaned close and grabbed his hand. The one that was still raised in the air, ready to make a grand point.
Almost against his will, his fingers immediately linked through hers. His lips seemed to take on a life of their own, too, because he started smiling, though he wasn’t even sure what he was smiling about. “Talk to me.”
“Michael, you will never simply be that guy down the street. It’s not going to happen.”
“Sure it can. When I stop touring, everyone will forget about me being some kind of celebrity.”
She shook her head. “No one is going to forget. You shine so brightly, it would be impossible for anyone to forget you.” Looking down at their linked fingers, she gave his hand a little squeeze. “For now and forever, you are Michael Knoxx. That is all there is to it.”
He liked the way their hands were joined. He liked the feel of her slim fingers threaded through his own. He liked how soft the fragile skin over the top of her knuckles was. But most of all, he loved that she’d reached for him. And how she seemed to enjoy the feel of her hand in his as much as he did.
Just then, the door opened. “Excuse me, Michael. Is Penny in—” Beverly paused as she took in how they were sitting. The way Penny was leaning toward him.
And most of all, how they were holding hands.
As far as compromising situations went, theirs was hardly noteworthy, Michael knew that. But as far as the two of them—especially with Penny not only working for Beverly but being Amish—this was not good. He knew it, Beverly knew it, and by the way Penny dropped his hand, jumped to her feet, and nearly toppled his tray, it was very obvious that she knew it, too.
“I should go,” she whispered.
Beverly’s expression was as angry as he’d ever seen it. “Yes, Penny, you should. Go down to the kitchen, if you would. We need to have a talk.”
Penny nodded and rushed out of the room.
“Beverly, don’t be upset with her. What happened is my fault.”
“That’s big of you to say. And you might even be correct,” she replied. “But it doesn’t change what I saw.”
“All you saw was two people sitting together. Holding hands. It wasn’t like we were in some passionate embrace. She wasn’t even sitting on my bed,” he added for good measure, pushing away the knowledge that he’d tried to get her to sit there in the first place.
“She was hired to bring you meals. To get things you need. To help you hop over to the bathroom. She was not hired to flirt with you at your bedside.”
“She wasn’t flirting. She wasn’t being inappropriate.”
“I’ve been an innkeeper for over three years now, Michael. I think I have a better idea of how my employees should conduct themselves than you do.”
“It wasn’t like that,” he said again.
“I’m not blaming you. Though I must say if you are used to picking up women in hotels, you’ve definitely come to the wrong place.”
“Don’t,” he bit out. “Don’t make this into something like that.”
“I don’t need to make it into anything,” she replied, her voice turning frigid. “I know what I saw.”
“It was nothing like that.” He couldn’t help it, but his voice rose.
He never lost his temper. Sometime around the twelfth hour of sitting in that ravine, he’d decided to stop sweating the small stuff. He’d also decided that “small stuff” included everything that wasn’t being trapped in a ravine, pain shooting through his leg, and feeling like he’d give up a hand, too, if he could simply have one tall glass of water.
But now—for reasons he wasn’t a hundred percent sure he was ready to investigate—his temper returned with a vengeance.
“Beverly, first of all, don’t make me into something I am not. I don’t flirt with hotel workers. I don’t take advantage of women. Ever.”
She blinked. Maybe it was his tone or maybe she’d finally realized how ludicrous she was being, because when she stared at him again, there was a new softness in her green eyes. “I realize, of course, that you are pretty much held captive here. I know your surgery has made you helpless. I know you couldn’t have moved away from her even if you had wanted to.”
Captive? Helpless? “I am not helpless.”
She flinched. “Nee. No, of course not.”
“And I was not being held captive in my bed, at the mercy of Penny Troyer.” He ran a hand through his hair, grabbing a chunk and pulling hard. “Where are you coming up with this stuff?”
She flinched again. “Perhaps I misspoke.”
“You did more than that,” he retorted, still hating, hating the way she’d portrayed Penny. “This is sweet Penny Troyer we’re talking about. You know what she’s like. I mean, I thought
you did.”
Beverly stiffened her spine. “I’m not saying that she isn’t sweet. But she did, however, overstep her boundaries.”
“No she didn’t. Penny isn’t like that.”
“Forgive me, but you don’t really know her all that well.”
“I know her far better than you do. Beverly, what you walked in on was nothing more than two people talking.”
“I’m not blind and I’m not a fool.”
He tried again. More softly, he added, “Penny and I are becoming close. What is happening between Penny and me is special. That is what you walked in on.”
“She works here.”
“She has to work somewhere, Beverly.”
Now she looked like the one who wanted to pull out her hair. “You’re right. She needed this job. And that is precisely why she should have been more professional.” With a sigh, she continued before he could respond to that. “And as far as what you two have being special? Michael, forgive my bluntness, but how could that be? She is a small-town girl who lives in Pinecraft. In a couple of weeks, you’ll be back to being who you are.”
“And who am I?”
“Don’t start playing games. We both know who you are and what you do. It’s a fact. It canna be changed. And if you think it can, then you need to consider how it could. One day very soon you will be back on your way and she’ll still be here. Pining for you.” Her eyes flashed. “Or something worse.”
“Worse?”
“Yes, worse. You’ll leave behind a vulnerable girl who’s a little shy and a little awkward. You’ll move on to another city, maybe even another country. A year from now you’ll probably have forgotten her name. But Penny won’t have forgotten a minute of your time together. She’ll have a head and heart filled with regrets. Long after you’ve forgotten her, she’ll be bearing the consequences,” she said softly. Then she turned away and walked out his door.
Leaving him staring at the empty chair by his bedside and his empty right hand.
He was so aggravated, he was tempted to raise his hand and shove that whole tray off the table. He was also alone. Unable to go after Penny. Unable to make her any promises.
As much as it pained him to admit it, he knew that some of what Beverly had said was true. He would be moving on, and she would stay here. He was a little more worldly. Okay, he was about a thousand times more worldly than her, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t perfect the way she was.
Yet, knowing that didn’t really matter.
He picked up one of the pillows beside him, closed his right hand in a fist, and punched it hard. It wasn’t even close to what he yearned to do, but sometimes a man had to know his limits.
And sometimes a man had to make do with what he had. And at the moment, he was willing to only harm a down pillow in his frustration.
Still, it was better than nothing.
CHAPTER 19
Fuming and feeling like every step was yet another obstacle, Beverly stormed down the stairs.
She was mad. Mad about what had happened between Penny and Michael.
Mad at the way she’d handled it.
But more than both of those things, she was mad that her little speech had served to remind her of her own pain. It was becoming obvious that she hadn’t yet dealt with everything that had happened between her and Marvin.
It was becoming obvious? Even that seemed like an understatement! And what a shame that was.
She was a grown, independent woman in her thirties who operated a successful business. Yet, it seemed she only needed a fresh reminder of how emotions could get the best of a person and then all that awful hurt and betrayal—feelings she’d thought she held firmly at bay—rushed forth as if from a faucet.
When was she going to stop being a jilted bride? When was she going to realize, in her heart, that being betrayed by Marvin and Regina before their marriage had been for the best?
She would not be the same person if she were living back in Sugarcreek as Marvin’s wife. Perhaps she wouldn’t even be very happy. Looking back on it, it was hard to ignore his selfish ways. When she’d been engaged to him, she’d thought she admired a man who looked out for himself. But then, he really only ever looked out for himself.
Never her.
Beverly stopped at the foot of the stairs, closed her eyes, and asked the Lord for yet more help. More opportunities to grow and strengthen. And, yes, to help her find the right words to apologize to both Penny and Michael. As she stood quietly, praying for help and guidance, she felt the tension ease in her shoulders as a newfound sense of peace surrounded her. She needed to remember to ask for help more often. Nothing good happened when she attempted to fix everything on her own.
Her temper and emotions were much more firmly in check by the time she got to the kitchen. After first wondering where Penny was—after all, she was pretty sure she’d told Penny to wait for her there—Beverly decided to give herself a couple more minutes to cool off and brew a cup of chamomile tea. She knew the soothing properties of the tea, mixed with a couple of her favorite almond shortbread cookies, would settle her spirit and give her just the boost she needed to go back upstairs, apologize to Michael, and then go talk things over with Penny.
“Feeling better?” Eric said.
Beverly jumped a good two inches off the floor. “Eric!” she called out, at last locating him lounging against the counter next to the refrigerator. “You startled me.”
He smiled tightly, though his gaze was devoid of any humor. “Looks like it. Sorry, I thought you saw me.”
“Obviously, I did not.” After catching her breath, she said, “I’m, uh, going to make a cup of tea. Would you like one?” She really hoped he’d say no. He was staring at her with a bit of distaste, almost as if she had a stain across the front of her dress.
“No, thanks.”
“All right,” she said, growing a little uncomfortable with the way he was still staring at her. “Well . . .”
“The last thing I want right now is a cup of”—he paused to read the label of the tea bag she’d just pulled out of a drawer—“soothing chamomile.” His voice was laced with sarcasm.
Beverly really didn’t know how to respond. What she wanted—no, needed—was to keep a tight rein on her emotions so she didn’t burst into tears in front of her new boss. “Okay.”
But unfortunately, her easy acquiescence didn’t seem to appease him. His eyes narrowed. “See, I’ve just spent the last ten minutes attempting to calm Penny down.”
Valiantly pretending her cheeks weren’t turning beet red, she kept her eye on the kettle. “Oh? Why?”
“You know why, Beverly. Actually, she was so upset I sent her home.”
Beverly flinched. She hated that she’d made Penny so upset, but she didn’t appreciate that Eric was acting like he had every right to chastise her for behaving badly.
How she ran the inn and talked to her employees wasn’t any of his business. Not yet. Right now he was simply a guest at the inn. Happy to watch and observe. He had no desire to help manage things. He’d said so several times. Besides, this was a personal problem, one between her and Penny and Michael. Eric butting in wouldn’t help anything.
But when he continued to stare at her, she knew she was going to have to talk to him about Penny whether she wanted to or not. “You’re right. I know why Penny was upset.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“Ask you to let me handle it,” she replied pertly, still looking at that teakettle. Surely it would start whistling soon. “I made a mistake. I also might have overreacted a bit. I’ll talk to her in the morning.”
“I doubt that is gonna happen.”
His words were so laced with derision, his tone so matter-of-fact, that she lifted her chin and turned to him. “Why is that?”
“Because I’m fairly sure that you embarrassed Penny so much, she isn’t going to come back to work,” he replied as he folded his arms over his chest. The pale blue T-shirt he was wearing st
retched across his shoulders, hinting at the muscles underneath.
She really, really wished she hadn’t just noticed that.
“She can’t just quit, Eric,” Beverly retorted.
His expression turned thunderous. “Sure she can. And once more, I wouldn’t blame her.” He paused. “You know, it took me forever, but I finally got the gist of what happened from her. Did you really accuse that sweet girl of making a move on one of your guests?”
“It wasn’t one of my guests, it was Michael Knoxx.”
“So?”
“Eric, you wouldn’t understand this, but he is a very handsome young man. Charming, too. It’s no wonder that she let down her guard. But she can’t do that. She’s here to do a job, not flirt with the guests.”
“Beverly.”
“When I walked in, they were holding hands.”
“So this handsome and charming Michael is so helpless that he can’t pull his hand away from the conniving and brazen Penny?”
The kettle started whistling. Grabbing a towel, she pulled it from the burner, then filled her mug. Hopefully Eric didn’t notice that her hand was shaking. “I don’t know what, exactly, is going on between them, but Michael has already given me an earful. I don’t need to hear it from you, too.”
“I think you do.” He shifted, dropping his hands to rest on the counter. She glanced at him again, noticing that his faded jeans were almost the same color as his T-shirt. And that he was barefoot.
“Eric, stay out of this.”
“You’re going to have to go to her house in the morning and apologize.”
“I’m sure Penny will have realized I let my temper get the best of me by tomorrow morning,” she replied, trying to remain businesslike but likely failing. She hated what had happened. Hated feeling so guilty. And hated that Eric was now pointing out how badly she’d behaved. “Plus, I know she needs this job. She’ll be here.”
His expression solemn, Eric shook his head. “I really don’t think so.” More softly, he added, “I saw how she was with him at the hospital. I heard the doctors and nurses say that he asked for her. Clearly, there’s a bit of a romance brewing. What’s wrong with that?”
The Proposal at Siesta Key Page 15
