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.