Penny had never been far from his thoughts or his desires. While he’d hooked up with a couple of women, he’d thought that having a girlfriend wasn’t even on his radar. But now he knew that wasn’t quite true. He and Penny were together often during that time, as they hung out with the same group of friends, and over those months his feelings for her had deepened, obliterating even the desire to look at another woman.
“Scotty, why is she taking us to that woman’s table?” Penny whispered.
“Because we’re having dinner with her,” he said.
Her eyes bloomed wide. “What? Why?”
He winked at the same time the hostess stopped walking and said, “Here you are,” and motioned for them to walk past her to Alyssa’s table. “Your waiter will be by momentarily.”
“Thank you,” Scott said as Alyssa pushed to her feet.
Before he could get another word out, Alyssa said, “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Beckley.” She offered her hand to Penny and said, “You must be Penny. I’m Alyssa Braden, the director of the Sweet ’n Savory Dessert Festival. Your relentless—and clever—boyfriend has been singing your praises for weeks.”
“Alyssa…” Penny said with disbelief as she shook her hand.
“Yes, Alyssa Braden,” she repeated.
“I know who you are. I’m sorry. I’m just in shock,” Penny said, flashing her killer smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Your parents founded the festival.”
“That’s right, sixteen years ago. You’ve done your homework,” Alyssa said.
“I’ve wanted to get into the festival for years. But I’m confused as to what’s going on.” Penny glanced curiously at Scott and said, “Scott contacted you?”
“I did. Why don’t we sit down and I’ll explain,” Scott said as he pulled out her chair and they sat down. “Some businesses look great on paper. But you are your business, Pen, and Alyssa was kind enough to grant us an hour so she can make her own assessment about allowing Luscious Licks into the festival.”
Penny’s cheeks pinked up as she whispered, “Scotty!”
Alyssa chuckled. “Don’t be embarrassed. You have quite a guy by your side.”
“Yes, I do,” she said, taking his hand under the table and squeezing it tight.
“Scott didn’t just contact me, Penny. He called my office every day for two weeks and sent daily emails praising you, complete with descriptions of your special mood-driven sundaes and the other unique items you create. He also sent a slew of recommendations and quotes from other Peaceful Harbor business owners and residents. And when I didn’t immediately respond, he printed them all out and overnighted them to my office.”
“Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry,” Penny said, giving Scott an incredulous look.
“Don’t be. It’s not often someone believes that strongly not only in someone else’s expertise but also in the personality of that person. I’m looking forward to getting to know you to see if the woman behind the business lives up to all the hype.”
Penny inhaled a deep breath, that incredulous look turning grateful, as she sat up taller, lifted her chin, and said, “I assure you, I do.”
Now, there was the Penny he knew and loved.
Penny launched into a detailed explanation of how she’d learned to make ice cream as a child and had made it for all her friends and classmates. “When I was ten, my parents paid for my first booth at a community parade so I could sell my ice cream. That was the year I began making special flavors and sundaes based on people’s moods…”
Penny had told Scott those stories, and still he was as captivated by her as Alyssa appeared to be. Over dinner, Penny talked about how Luscious Licks had come to be after her father had passed away almost four years ago and her mother had allowed her and Finlay to use the life insurance money to open their businesses.
Much later, as they left the restaurant, Alyssa said, “I’m impressed with your personalized approach and your passion for your business, and I am thrilled that Scott persevered. Penny, you are exactly the type of person we want at our festival. You can look forward to an invitation to exhibit at next year’s festival.”
Penny gasped, and her hand flew over her heart. “Really? Oh my gosh, thank you! Thank you so much!”
She turned that elated smile on Scott, and he wished he could take her into his arms and spin her around and tell the world how proud of her he was. “Congratulations, sweetheart.”
“I am curious about something,” Alyssa said with a serious expression. “Scott reached out to me after talking with Ace and Maisy, my relatives who own Mr. B’s microbrewery in Peaceful Harbor. I made a few calls, and I understand that you know several of my cousins from the Harbor and from Pleasant Hill, Maryland. Jillian said you make her wonderful sundaes after she has bad dates, and Tempest said she brings her little boy, Philip, to see you all the time, and you make sundaes for him on the spot. Since it’s clear that you did your homework on the festival, Penny, I’m sure you realized that I was related to your friends. Why didn’t you use your connections to reach out to me?”
“Because I didn’t think that was fair,” Penny said earnestly. “I wanted to be accepted on merit.”
“I can assure you that no one gets accepted into our festival on anything other than merit. But use your connections, Penny. In this busy world we live in, it’s hard to stand out among crowds. The more friends and colleagues we have, the better.” Alyssa shifted her attention to Scott and said, “You were right, Scott. Paper does not do Penny justice. Thank you for bringing her to my attention.”
They talked for a few more minutes, and then they said their goodbyes. After Alyssa had driven away, Penny let out a squeal and leaped into Scott’s arms, exclaiming, “I love y—that you did this for me! Thank you!”
His chest constricted as he spun her around. She had stumbled over those three special words a lot lately. As he pressed his lips to hers, he knew he’d been a fool to think kissing on a Ferris wheel could keep this extraordinary woman who had so much love to give she overflowed with it by his side forever.
Chapter Three
“DO YOU KNOW that this is one of my magical flavors?” Penny asked a towheaded boy Wednesday midmorning as she handed him a single scoop of rainbow sherbet in one of the kiddie-sized chocolate-dipped gingerbread cones that Josie made for the shop each week. Penny loved giving kids a little something extra, and after checking with the boy’s mother, she’d put chunks of chocolate and gold flakes in the bottom of his cone.
He shook his head and licked his sherbet.
Penny crouched before him and said, “When you get to the bottom of your cone, if you find chocolate or gold, it means you’re going to have good luck for a whole month. If you find both, you’ll have good luck forever.”
His eyes widened. “I hope I find them!”
“I hope you do, too,” Penny said, sharing a smile with the little boy’s mother and with Finlay, who had stopped by to show Penny the frilly pink dress she’d bought for her four-month-old daughter, Tallulah, to wear to Bones and Sarah’s wedding.