Read Online Where You Least Expect It by Tori Carrington - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Tori Carrington
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rebuilding of the Johansen house. She passed it every day on her walk home.
“See you later, Penelope.”
“Hmm. Yes, ‘bye! Goodbye, Ellie.”
“Goodbye, Miss Moon.”
After the pair was out of sight, Penelope rounded the counter and went to stand in front of the windows overlooking Lucas Circle. How familiar everything looked. How reassuring. She’d grown up in this town, but she’d never really taken a good look at it or the people who inhabited it. That she was doing so now…
Spot rubbed against her right ankle and meowed.
Penelope stared down at the restless cat. “What is it, girl? Do you want to go outside?”
She opened the door, expecting the cat to dart out, but instead Spot sat down and stared up at her.
That’s odd…
“Afternoon, Penelope.”
She nearly jumped out of her skin as she looked up to find Aidan standing in the open doorway.
Spot got up then and sauntered through the door, both Penelope and Aidan watching her.
“Um, hi,” she said, feeling the heat return to her cheeks.
“Was that Jolie I just saw leaving?”
She nodded and turned away from the door, leaving him to catch it and decide whether or not to come in. After last night’s debacle and what she’d said, she wasn’t sure which she wanted him to do. But she was relieved when the bells sounded as the door closed and he was inside rather than out.
She busied herself with picking up the two boxes that had been delivered earlier and putting them on the counter.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it.”
She made a face. “Pardon me?”
He gestured toward the windows. “I was just saying it was a nice day. Much too nice to be inside. Especially on a Saturday.”
She located the box cutters and opened the first package. “Saturday’s when I do my best business.”
Actually, the past few days she’d done more business than she had in the entire previous month. This morning, she’d taken in enough to nicely add to the little nest egg she’d been building ever since she’d started working at the shop. Her first profits went straight to the running of the store. Second went to the upkeep on the house she and Mavis shared. The rest, well, the rest she quietly tucked away for a rainy day. Only, she wasn’t sure what constituted a rainy day and what she would do with the funds once she figured it out.
Of course, she preferred not to think about the reason behind the pickup in business. It seemed that while she’d been at the planning committee meeting, Mavis had been spotted in town wearing her most hideous housecoat and the fluffy pink slippers Penelope had bought her as a gag gift one Christmas. She’d reportedly been picking through the red and white annuals planted in half-barrels every ten feet or so, and pinching off dead blooms, all the while talking to herself.
“Have you ever taken a vacation, Penelope?”
She blinked at him as if he were speaking a foreign language. “Vacation?”
“Mmm-hmm.” He grinned. “You know, as in taking time off, away from the shop.”
“Who would pay the electric bill at the house?”
Assuming that someone actually used the electricity at the house. Last night it had taken her a half an hour and a flickering flashlight to discover that Mavis had turned off all the switches in the fuse box. Penelope had turned them all back on, then placed a lock on the fuse box when she was done, hoping that in the morning her electric alarm clock would still be working and would wake her up.
“Everyone needs a little time off,” Aidan said quietly.
“Do they?” She sifted through green packing peanuts and took out boxes of Mountain Tea she’d ordered from Greece. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Have dinner with me.”
Her gaze riveted to his face. “What?”
The little crinkles around his rich brown eyes deepened as he grinned. “I asked if you would do me the pleasure of having dinner with me. Tonight. Take time out from being yourself for just an hour or two.”
“If I’m not
“See you later, Penelope.”
“Hmm. Yes, ‘bye! Goodbye, Ellie.”
“Goodbye, Miss Moon.”
After the pair was out of sight, Penelope rounded the counter and went to stand in front of the windows overlooking Lucas Circle. How familiar everything looked. How reassuring. She’d grown up in this town, but she’d never really taken a good look at it or the people who inhabited it. That she was doing so now…
Spot rubbed against her right ankle and meowed.
Penelope stared down at the restless cat. “What is it, girl? Do you want to go outside?”
She opened the door, expecting the cat to dart out, but instead Spot sat down and stared up at her.
That’s odd…
“Afternoon, Penelope.”
She nearly jumped out of her skin as she looked up to find Aidan standing in the open doorway.
Spot got up then and sauntered through the door, both Penelope and Aidan watching her.
“Um, hi,” she said, feeling the heat return to her cheeks.
“Was that Jolie I just saw leaving?”
She nodded and turned away from the door, leaving him to catch it and decide whether or not to come in. After last night’s debacle and what she’d said, she wasn’t sure which she wanted him to do. But she was relieved when the bells sounded as the door closed and he was inside rather than out.
She busied herself with picking up the two boxes that had been delivered earlier and putting them on the counter.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it.”
She made a face. “Pardon me?”
He gestured toward the windows. “I was just saying it was a nice day. Much too nice to be inside. Especially on a Saturday.”
She located the box cutters and opened the first package. “Saturday’s when I do my best business.”
Actually, the past few days she’d done more business than she had in the entire previous month. This morning, she’d taken in enough to nicely add to the little nest egg she’d been building ever since she’d started working at the shop. Her first profits went straight to the running of the store. Second went to the upkeep on the house she and Mavis shared. The rest, well, the rest she quietly tucked away for a rainy day. Only, she wasn’t sure what constituted a rainy day and what she would do with the funds once she figured it out.
Of course, she preferred not to think about the reason behind the pickup in business. It seemed that while she’d been at the planning committee meeting, Mavis had been spotted in town wearing her most hideous housecoat and the fluffy pink slippers Penelope had bought her as a gag gift one Christmas. She’d reportedly been picking through the red and white annuals planted in half-barrels every ten feet or so, and pinching off dead blooms, all the while talking to herself.
“Have you ever taken a vacation, Penelope?”
She blinked at him as if he were speaking a foreign language. “Vacation?”
“Mmm-hmm.” He grinned. “You know, as in taking time off, away from the shop.”
“Who would pay the electric bill at the house?”
Assuming that someone actually used the electricity at the house. Last night it had taken her a half an hour and a flickering flashlight to discover that Mavis had turned off all the switches in the fuse box. Penelope had turned them all back on, then placed a lock on the fuse box when she was done, hoping that in the morning her electric alarm clock would still be working and would wake her up.
“Everyone needs a little time off,” Aidan said quietly.
“Do they?” She sifted through green packing peanuts and took out boxes of Mountain Tea she’d ordered from Greece. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Have dinner with me.”
Her gaze riveted to his face. “What?”
The little crinkles around his rich brown eyes deepened as he grinned. “I asked if you would do me the pleasure of having dinner with me. Tonight. Take time out from being yourself for just an hour or two.”
“If I’m not
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