But she and Quincy had always known better.
They’d become fast friends, but they’d never had the spine-tingling electricity between them that she and Scott had. The strange thing was, Penny hadn’t even realized how much she’d liked Scott until the night of the auction, when he’d strutted his badass self onstage, drawing the attention of every woman in the place. Penny would never forget the tightening of her stomach or the jealousy that had clawed at her as she’d watched women bid on him. She’d thought about bidding on Scott, but he had never seemed interested in her in that way. He’d seemed interested in Cassie Lawrence, who owned the bakery down the street from Penny’s ice cream shop. When Cassie had won the date with Scott, Penny had been shocked at how much it had bothered her. She’d been sure that Scott and Cassie would become an item, and that would be that.
But they hadn’t.
And her secret attraction to him had simmered and sparked inside her every time she was around him. But he’d given her no indication that he was interested until last November when he’d been babysitting for his sister Sarah and her fiancé Wayne “Bones” Whiskey’s three kids, Bradley, Lila, and Maggie Rose. Scott had called Penny asking if she would come help him with Maggie Rose, the baby. He’d sounded different, like a man who was interested in a woman, not just a buddy who needed help. The heat in his voice had gotten her all worked up. She’d done her best to play it cool, but after they’d put the kids to bed, he’d looked like a caged tiger, eyes blazing, restraint written in his taut muscles, and he’d practically growled, Are you into Quincy? His question had caught her off guard. Quincy had been hung up on his now-live-in girlfriend, Roni Wescott, for months, and she’d thought everyone knew it. When she’d said, No, Scotty. I’m into you, he’d hauled her into his arms and kissed the daylights out of her. And they’d been hot and heavy ever since.
“This is the life, isn’t it? You and me, no responsibilities. Clothing optional.” He brushed a kiss over her lips and said, “We could sail away and disappear for a few weeks, just the two of us.”
“That sounds wonderful.” She gazed up at his handsome face, getting drawn into his fantasy. He’d changed a lot from the closed-off guy he’d been when they’d met almost two years ago. Even his appearance had changed. His hair had been longer, blonder, too. Cut short, it looked more like dark chocolate than caramel swirl. His eyes were more relaxed, less hooded. She was pretty sure shadows of his abusive parents would always be hiding in those gorgeous dark eyes, and she wished she could take those memories away. Scott had warmed to Penny and their friends fairly quickly, but he’d opened up to her even more once they’d come together, letting her into his tortured, loving heart. A few weeks at sea with that brave, loyal, delicious man who deserved everything good in life would be heaven on earth.
“There’s nothing stopping us,” he said.
“As enticing as that would be, that little ice cream shop of mine won’t run itself.” Penny owned Luscious Licks in her quaint hometown of Peaceful Harbor, Maryland.
“You hired three people for the summer. They can handle it.”
He was right, they probably could. Penny had never needed permanent staff because she hadn’t minded working long hours, and Quincy and Josie had helped out when she was overloaded. But this summer she’d wanted evenings and weekends free to spend with Scott. The two teens and one twenty-two-year-old she’d hired had come highly recommended and had been doing an excellent job. She knew Scott was only kidding, but the idea was so appealing, part of her wished he wasn’t.
“I don’t think Roni and Quincy would mind if we missed dinner at their house tomorrow night, but Sarah would be upset if you missed her wedding next weekend,” she reminded him.
Penny couldn’t be happier for Sarah and Bones. While Scott and Josie had found their way to better lives after leaving home, Sarah had ended up in the hands of another abuser. When she and Bones had met, she’d had two young children and was pregnant with her third. Bones had fallen hard for Sarah and her children. He wanted to give Sarah the wedding she deserved, and he’d gone all out, booking the elegant Davenport Estate, forty-five minutes outside of Peaceful Harbor.
The wedding would be bittersweet for Penny. She’d watched her older sister, Finlay, and most of their friends fall in love, and just as it had for her with Scott, love had come fast. But while the rest of her friends had moved forward and were living together, getting engaged or married, and having babies, she was living out of one drawer in his house, shuffling clothes back and forth from her apartment above her ice cream shop, even though they were together every night. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him, but he hadn’t said those three magical words that took a couple to the next level to her yet. She didn’t want to say it first and put her heart on the line. Who was she kidding? Her heart was already on the line. But saying it first would make her feel more vulnerable, and every time she thought about why he hadn’t said it, which was a lot more often lately, she felt nauseous. She knew Scott loved her. She saw it in his eyes and felt it in everything he did. Even the way he was caressing her stomach right now was loving. But for a girl who wanted a family and a guy who didn’t, love might not be enough.
Scott rose on one elbow. “I am looking forward to seeing you in that sexy little dress you bought.” His eyes trailed down her body. “And to stripping it off you at the end of the night.”
Goose bumps chased up her skin.
He trailed his fingers around her nipples, bringing them to hard peaks, and his eyes heated. “It’s good to see you’re looking forward to that, too.”
God, she loved the things he said to her. “Who me?” She laughed softly. “I can’t wait to see you in your tux, walking Sarah down the aisle, and to hear them say their vows. They’re so in love. Aren’t you excited about the wedding itself?”
“Sure. I’m happy for Sarah. All I’ve ever wanted was for her and Josie to be safe and happy. With Bones and Jed, I know they’ll always be well cared for.” Josie had married Jed Moon in February in an intimate gathering at Bones and Sarah’s house, where they’d first set eyes on each other. Their seven-year-old son, Hail, had been the ring bearer.
“You’ll never have to worry about that again with the Whiskeys and the rest of our friends around,” Penny said.
“That’s true.” He brushed a kiss to her lips and said, “I have a surprise for you.”
“Is it anything like the surprise you just gave me? Because I don’t know if I can survive another yet.”
He chuckled. “You’re going to love this one. You know the dessert festival at Echo Beach?” Echo Beach was about an hour away from Peaceful Harbor.
“You know I do.” She’d told him all about the Sweet ’n Savory Dessert Festival, which took place three times a year, each time in a different part of the country. Being an exhibitor in the festival was so sought after, it was almost impossible to get a spot. Participants were hand-selected. Penny was always trying to increase visibility for her ice cream shop and offer new things for customers. She’d applied as a participant to the festival several times but had yet to be accepted. “I told you I’ve wanted to go for the last three years and I haven’t gotten accepted. I can’t even score tickets. They sell out—”