Chapter Nine
Abbey hadn’t yet picked up on Penny’s Del-induced happiness, which had been going on for days, a fact which surprised her. Maybe the craziness of the Christmas season gave them little time to think of anything else. That, plus the constant stream of merchandise that had to be logged into the computer, priced, and placed on the store floor.
“Is Del still in town, Penny?”
Abbey’s voice drifted to her from the shelves of extra Christmas ornaments. Of course, the moment Penny determined she was in the clear, Abbey started asking questions. Penny grimaced. “Yeah, Mom said the moving van parked in front of his house a few days ago, so I guess he’s now living in his old home.”
Carrying a basket full of ornaments, Abbey came alongside Penny, who was seated in front of the computer. “Have you seen him?”
“We bowled one night last week, and we bumped into each other at the town’s Christmas caroling at the gazebo last night. I’m sorry Charlie, Jr. bumped his head yesterday, and you spent the evening in the hospital instead of joining the singing.” Secretly, she had breathed a sigh of relief when Abbey got the frantic call from her husband yesterday and left work early. Glad the incident turned out to be minor for little Charlie, Penny still appreciated not having to explain to her sister how she and Del were progressing with their relationship. How the entire time they joined the rest of the town in raising their voices in the crystal clear cold air, he’d kept his arm around her waist, and she rested her head on his shoulder. She didn’t yet tell Abbey about how, after unpacking boxes at work all day, she helped Del open and unpack boxes at his home each night. Her mother must have seen Penny’s car in his driveway, but she hadn’t said anything yet. So, she’d keep Abbey in the dark as long as possible and cross her fingers in hopes her mother would remain quiet.
Abbey put the heavy basket on top of the desk and leaned over, staring into Penny’s eyes. “Beyond that, you have no further plans to get together? Baxter probably will send him out on the road again soon. Quit wasting time, Penny, and go for him.”
Penny shrugged. “No plans now.” Except for having dinner again tonight. And maybe some more of his heavenly kisses. Or trying out Del’s king-size bed, if Penny got lucky. She had helped him position it in the master bedroom just last night.
Abbey straightened and swung the basket off the desk. “Oh, too bad. Well, hopefully you’ll see him next time you go over to Mom’s.”
Penny sensed the regret in Abbey’s voice. She squirmed as a little twinge of remorse ran through her body at deflating her sister’s well-planned matchmaking efforts. After all, Abbey only wanted her happiness. But Penny needed to see where the relationship headed before she raised her sister’s hopes. “Enough Del talk. We’re getting down to the wire on Christmas, and things will be crazy in here. Let’s get the door open, and try to sell everything red or green.”
People filed in immediately, buying their holiday trinkets, ornaments, nautical Christmas-themed goodies, and greeting cards. Lots of cards. They’d had no more time to discuss how Penny spent her evenings as merchandise flew out of the store. After many long, hectic hours, Penny muscled Hans and Solo inside the shop and then returned to the door to flip the sign from “Open” to “Closed.” The door handle got ripped from her hand as a final customer barreled into the shop. One with a large chest and enough perfume to knock over an elephant. Penny’s worst nightmare had found her way to the shop. She forced a smile onto her face. “Oh, hello, Sandra. I haven’t seen you in quite a while. What can I get for you?”
Sandra Shockey faced her, with a narrowed gaze. “You can get me my husband. The rumor is he’s been wasting his time hanging out with you.”
With that statement, they were in high school all over again, the most popular girl and the bookworm facing off. But this time, the most popular girl had lost some of her sparkle. The years had not been kind to Sandra. Her double-Ds hung to her navel despite the heroic efforts of a push-up bra, and her backside had mushroomed from a cute round behind to something resembling one of the Kardashians. Her hair had changed, too. No longer did she have pretty golden tresses that cascaded in loose waves around her face. Now the color came from a bottle, and her roots were showing, big time.
Advantage Penny. Her stomach may be churning, but she decided it was past time for a showdown with Sandra. “Del has been here. Your spies are right, Sandra. He signed cards in the store a while ago, and we had dinner together to repay him for his efforts. All strictly business. But he’s not here now, and the shop is about to close. So, if you’re not here to buy something, I have to ask you to leave.”
Penny returned to the door again, hoping Sandra would take the hint, but the woman didn’t budge. The door handle flew from her grasp again, as another person entered the shop. Penny didn’t have a moment to see the new customer, since Sandra suddenly vaulted forward, disrupting her line of vision. Into the arms of Del, with whom Penny had been supposed to have dinner.
But Sandra stood between them, literally as well as figuratively, as she fawned over Del. “Oh, you are here. Penny lied to me. I had hoped to see you before you left town again so we can have a chance to talk.” She layered kisses on Del, who stood with his arms at his sides, glancing apologetically at Penny, his eyes wide.
Finally, he took a step back from his ex-wife, keeping her at arm’s length. “Enough, Sandra. As I explained when you called a while back, my moving back here doesn’t mean we have even a remote chance of getting together again.”
Sandra batted her eyelashes and rubbed her droopy chest against him. “Before you dismiss the idea altogether, maybe we should talk first. After all, many years have passed since we’ve spent any time together. You’ve changed, and so have I. Why don’t you take me to dinner so we can get reacquainted?”
Del glanced over at Penny and shrugged.
Go on, she mouthed silently.
He nodded. “Maybe we should go to dinner, Sandra, so we can get some things straightened out. But this is the last time I’ll have anything to talk to you about.”
Sandra’s hands roamed over him, almost slipping below his belt as she feathered her fingers down his front. “Would you prefer to do something other than talk, then? I can be all over that idea. Maybe you can show me your new house.” She glanced over at Penny, still standing in the doorway, and smirked. “And your new bedroom.” Sandra’s voice became even more sensual as she wrapped her arms around Del’s neck.
Penny squirmed. Sandra’s remark might have been directed to Del, but Penny got the warning loud and clear.
Del ushered Sandra from the store, and Penny finally locked the door for good, a bit surprised he didn’t put up more resistance.
Abbey had been running the final report on the register while she stretched to catch glimpses of the scene unfolding at the doorway. “Did Del come here to take you to dinner?”
Penny nodded, and then blinked back the sudden tears blurring her vision. “Yes, but Sandra got in the way. Just like she always did when I was in high school.”
Abbey shook her head. “You should have insisted he leave with you and put Sandra in her place. Too late now. Well, he’ll get rid of her, and be back for dinner tomorrow. Unlike high school, Del’s no longer a randy teenager who thinks a large chest is all a woman needs.”
“Maybe, maybe not.” Penny glanced out the window and away from Abbey so she couldn’t see her teary eyes. “He is still a guy, after all.” In the reflection, she spotted Abbey hurry to the back room to put their profits from the day into the safe. Penny relived the scene between Del and Sandra. He hadn’t moved back from Sandra’s embrace quickly enough to satisfy Penny. Maybe Sandra could still tempt him. Penny wasn’t so sure he’d be back for dinner with her—tomorrow or any other night. She shook herself to stop her rampant thoughts. After all, she had a shop to run. She’d better clear her vision and get busy vacuuming the aisles.
The phone rang as Penny returned to the counter. When she picked up, she sighed. This person probably wanted her to hold the shop open for a last-minute purchase. Special requests always happened around this time of year and had become one of the things she expected about retail. She pasted a smile on her face as she answered, hoping the smile would be in her voice, even if she didn’t enjoy the inconvenience of staying open later.
“Penny, honey? This is your old buddy, Ricky.”
Her world spun as a voice she’d determined she’d never hear again rang in her ear. Penny’s knees buckled as she slumped over the counter. Ricky? What? How? “Hi, Ricky,” she managed to squeak out a reply. She took a deep breath and stood upright. Placing a hand on her heart, she hoped to slow the racing pattern as she attempted a light and casual tone. “Well, if this isn’t old home week. Great to hear your voice again. What’s the occasion for this call?”
Ricky’s laugh rumbled in her ear. “Do I need a reason to call the only woman I’ve ever really loved? But since you ask, I’m in Maine, in your neck of the woods, and I hoped we could meet for dinner. And for whatever happens after dinner“
His voice trailed off suggestively. Penny had trouble catching her breath. Ricky—with his many, many women over the course of the last several years, if she could believe the tabloids—told her she had been the only woman he’d ever really loved? “Tonight?” Her voice squeaked again, and she winced. She took a breath and spoke. “But I already have plans for the evening.”
Her mind immediately flew to Del and Sandra. No, she didn’t have any plans now. Her ideas for the evening had been botched by a bleached blonde who at this moment probably had begun to undress the man Penny hoped had become her new boyfriend. Sandra would be the first to christen Del’s house, in the king-size bed Penny had helped him arrange last night. And Ricky dangled himself on the other end of the line, the sexiest man in country music. She wrapped her fingers around the phone as she pondered his suggestion, and where things might lead.
“Can’t you clear your calendar? I’m only here for a few days, and then we hit the road again. We’ve got a gig in Portland tomorrow night. Come on, Pen. The boys and I are dying to see you again. I’ve got a little business proposition to discuss. And I want us to get totally reacquainted, if you get my drift. Too many years have passed since we’ve been together.”
Ricky let the sentence dangle in front of her, allowing her imagination to fill in the blanks. And she quickly did, recalling the torchy, tempestuous lives they used to have together. Ricky’s voice wrapped itself around her ear, and she swore her lobe palpitated in response. Even after all this time. Memories rushed back. How he always smelled of leather, which he favored wearing, along with a hint of spice from his aftershave. How he could always get her engine revving with a mere glance. How much she enjoyed staring at his beautiful face, and hearing his lovely, deep voice raised in song.
If Del could reconnect with his past for dinner, and probably have Sandra for dessert, so could she. Yes, Del had come back home to Lobster Cove, supposedly to win Penny’s hand. At least that had been the line he fed her last night. But he had left with Sandra tonight, not Penny. And Ricky had fallen into her lap. Penny took a deep breath as her curiosity won out. “I don’t care to see your entourage, though. If you swear dinner will be just you and me, I’ll see what I can do about getting out of my plans.”
Ricky’s voice caressed her ear. “Well, darlin’, how can we possibly get reacquainted if I have a crowd with me?”
“I don’t recall the crowd ever stopping you before.” She cringed as she recalled how close his band mates had come on several occasions to catching Ricky and her in the act. Nothing much could be left to the imagination on a tour bus. A couple of the guys warned her Ricky played her for a fool just to get her songs. A couple more tried to line up to be her next partner. At least a few of them were honest. The others only put up with her so they could be assured of steady employment.
“I swear, Penny, dinner will be you and me only.” He rattled off the name of a fancy Bar Harbor restaurant.
He breathed sensually into the phone, and she bit back a gasp. “Okay, I’ll meet you. I’m anxious to hear this ‘business proposition’ of yours.” Besides, the restaurant was one she’d been dying to try. She hung up the phone, vacuumed the aisles, and made her way back to the office, where Abbey had been wrapping things up for the night. Penny flung herself into her chair with a sigh.
Abbey grinned. “Long day, eh? But we made some decent money again, so our exhaustion is well worthwhile.”
Penny twisted her hands as she glanced at Abbey. “My sore feet aren’t the reason for my sigh. I just got a phone call from Ricky, of all people. He’s in Bar Harbor for the night and has invited me to dinner. So my bunny slippers will have to wait a while. Lordy, I’m tired, though.”
Abbey’s startled gaze searched her face. “You mean you accepted that scumbag’s invite to dinner? Why in the world?”
Penny grimaced and twisted her hands even harder. “Because he has a business proposition. Maybe he will finally make good on all the promises he made me.”
Abbey slammed her hand on the desk, causing a harsh metallic sound to ring through the air. “And maybe he will take advantage of you again. Get another song while he dangles the idea of you becoming a star. Penny, I hate what that man does to you. Strips you of all your backbone.”
Penny’s head jerked as her chin rose. “Do you have so little faith in me?”
“I keep going back in my mind to the wounded bird you were when you returned from Nashville. I don’t ever want to see that side of you again. So, my fear is not because I have so little faith, but because I’m well aware of how magnetic Ricky is. Be careful, that’s all.” Abbey slumped into her chair.