“Time for what?”
Kurt didn’t answer. He scanned her desk, abstracted. “You got those bank details?”
Penny sensed he was back in Head-of-White-River mode. In spite of the casual jeans and T-shirt that moulded his frame, he had his professional, aloof hat on. She pulled out the files he’d requested and logged him on to the shop’s banking system before leaving him at her desk, deep in concentration over her paperwork.
The day flew by. Saturdays were always busy, and the steady stream of customers kept Penny’s thoughts from turning too often to the scene with David that lay ahead. Even so, she occasionally caught herself battling nerves. She disliked confrontation at the best of times, and her last conversation with David had been almost frightening. His towering rage and his accusation that she was too ridiculously romantic to run a business still played out in her mind, no matter how she tried to prevent it. From time to time, she glanced over to her desk where the sight of Kurt, handsome head bent in unhurried concentration, was a solid reassurance.
When the time finally came to lock up, Kurt put down his pen and lifted his arms above his head in a final stretch. Penny tried not to stare, bringing her gaze to somewhere round the stack of papers which Kurt had now organised into neat piles. Tehmeena had left for the day, leaving just the two of them. The shop seemed extraordinarily small. Penny approached Kurt’s desk, and he stood, drawing his frame to its full height.
“Nervous?” he asked, looking down at her with such harshness in his normally warm expression that Penny stared and almost said yes but not for the reasons he thought. There was something in the way the muscles on his arms were flexed, bunched hard in a rigid mass that spoke of intense repressed anger. His normally impassive features were intimidatingly grim. She realised he was asking her if she were nervous of the coming confrontation, and she shook her head without speaking. All of a sudden, David’s bullying was no longer something to be feared. With Kurt beside her, she felt she could face anything.
He softened and smiled briefly. “Good,” he said. “There’s nothing for you to worry about.” He picked up his coffee mug from the table. “Shall I make you a cup of tea? I guess that’s the British answer to everything.”
He gave her a wide smile, relaxing his forbidding expression, and Penny nodded. She watched him disappear into their little kitchen just as David’s silhouette appeared outside the shop door.
Chapter Seven
“So,” David picked up one of the files from Penny’s desk and started flicking through the pages. “You’ve got White River in to do your books. And how are you managing to pay someone like Kurt Bold for his services?” He swept Penny a glance that left her in no doubt of the way his mind was working.
Penny retreated behind her desk. How had her grandfather ever grown to trust this man? The mask of charm had fallen totally, and he was looming over her with a sneer and a hint of threat that she would have found frightening were it not for Kurt’s presence in the kitchen.
“You’re offensive, David. And it’s none of your business, but actually, you’re right. I am paying in kind,” she said truthfully, thinking of the work she had done on Kurt’s house. David’s sneer deepened.
“He must be getting an excellent service.”
Penny didn’t bother to rise to the bait. She lifted her chin. “Let’s just finish what we need to. I’ve made a list of the papers that will need signing and the money you’re owed from the business. If you’d like to check through them, I’ll have our solicitor draw up the documents.” She made for an envelope on her desk, but David caught hold of her arm in a tight grip.
“And what if I’ve changed my mind? This shop’s been a nice little earner for me. Maybe I’m not ready to leave, after all.”
“You wouldn’t,” she gasped. “You can’t stay here now.”
“Can’t I? We’re equal partners, remember? Maybe you’re the one who ought to be leaving, not me. If I leave, you’ll never make a go of it on your own. You’ve no head for business. You’re a pathetic dreamer, Penny.”
There was the sound of a quiet footfall behind them, and the atmosphere in the room changed perceptibly. David said nothing, but his grip on Penny’s arm loosened immediately. He was breathing heavily. He stared intimidatingly into Penny’s shocked face before releasing her arm and turning around.
Kurt was leaning against the far wall, arms folded.
“Guess you may want to think through what you just said.” He gave the words his usual slow, measured delivery. “And I guess you owe Penny an apology. Guess you should take a look through those documents she gave you and think about what you need to sign. I draw the line at any money coming to you, though.” He pulled away from the wall and unfolded his arms, dropping them to his sides. “Unless it’s the money you owe Penny.”
David turned white. “This isn’t your business.” He turned to Penny. “What the hell’s this guy doing here?”
“Penny’s business is my business.” Kurt dropped his gaze to David’s clenched fist, his only acknowledgement of it a slight narrowing of the eyes. “Unless you’d like me to make it a matter for the police,” he continued evenly. “I’m sure if I tell them what I’ve found in those books there, they’ll be happy to take it up.”
Penny gasped, and David’s face flooded crimson with rage. He reached forward impotently as Penny took several hurried steps toward Kurt, who caught hold of her and drew her to him.
“I’m sorry, Penny.” He looked over her head at David. “Your partner’s been stealing from the business for years. In your grandfather’s day, he was careful not to let anyone guess. He hid his tracks pretty well, but once you took over, seems he got a little careless. Seems he underestimated you. You guessed something was wrong.”
“Yes, but not this.” Penny stared over her shoulder at David, horror-struck. “I never guessed he’d been stealing. How could you do this? How could you do this to Granddad? After everything he did for you.”
David gave a short, contemptuous laugh. “This shop was going nowhere without me. It was me who brought the biggest customers in. Your granddad was bad enough, but you’ve got your head in the clouds. You’ll never make a go of it without me.”
Penny’s face felt tight and stiff.
“You’ve said enough.” Kurt didn’t move. A terrifying coldness entered his expression. “What did you think?” His eyes raked David contemptuously. “That you could afford to get careless? Did you think Penny was too stupid to guess something was wrong?” He watched David’s sneer falter and took a step forward. “Time to call the police.”
He stretched out a hand to where his phone lay on the desk and was about to pick it up, when Penny leapt for his arm with a cry.
“No.” She put her hand over his urgently. “No, don’t. Don’t get the police in. It will kill Granddad.”
Kurt’s eyes were hard on hers, his arm unbending under her fingers.
“Think about it,” she urged in a low, quick voice. “It will drag our shop’s reputation in the mud, and worse than that, my granddad will be made to look a fool when he’s just a generous, trusting man.”
Kurt said nothing for several seconds. He looked into Penny’s stricken face for what seemed an age before lowering his arm slowly. He turned to David, his expression one of stony contempt. “It sickens me to do this, but I’ll make you a deal. You sign every damn paper Penny’s solicitor sends to you. Then you never, ever set foot in this shop again. The day you so much as whisper a word to Penny or her granddad is the day I call the cops and have you slapped in jail for theft. Understood?”
David curled his mouth in an attempt at derision. “I just took what was owed me. There’s no way Penny can run a business. I told her, she’s a pathetic romantic. She— “
“Get out.” Kurt didn’t raise his voice. He stood perfectly still, but a terrifying sense of threat emanated from every inch of his solid frame.
David backed away toward the door, the sneer not leaving his face. The bell ja
ngled as he pulled the door open, and he lifted his head to look one last time at Penny. “Don’t imagine this guy’s interested in a nobody like you,” he said. “Your mother was somebody. But you? You’re nothing and nobody.”
“Get out.” Kurt moved forward with such icy ruthlessness that Penny leapt to clutch at him, to hold him back—but there was no need. The shop bell clanged furiously as it slammed shut. They listened to David’s hasty footsteps retreating down the street, and then there was silence, broken only by the sound of Kurt’s quick breathing.
Penny put her hands over her face. For a moment or two, Kurt didn’t move, and then his strong arms enfolded her. She stood stiff and unyielding with her eyes squeezed shut beneath her hands. Kurt held her, pulling her resistant body towards him until her cheek rested on his chest.
“It’s okay. It’s all right now,” he said.
She felt his warm breath flutter over her head. She didn’t speak. David’s words were like physical blows. Your mother was somebody, but you’re nothing and nobody. A rush of nausea swept over her, making her feel faint. She knew she should be stronger—should find the courage to stand tall and pull away from Kurt’s embrace—but she was afraid that if she moved so much as an inch she would dissolve into tears. She thought of the years of contempt in which her grandfather’s partner had held them both—years when they had shown David nothing but generosity and kindness—and the feeling of nausea strengthened and became so overpowering, she sagged against Kurt’s chest.
“Here, come and sit down.”
She felt herself being pushed gently into a chair. She laid her head down on her desk and heard Kurt retreat into the kitchen.
Your mother was somebody. But you’re nobody. The words pounded in her head with every beat of her pulse.
“Drink this.” Kurt gave her a gentle shake. He had returned with a glass of water. She lifted her head dizzily and took a few sips until the swimming sensation subsided, and she could try and pull herself upright.
“Take your time.” Kurt hunkered down beside her and took one of her hands in his. “I’m sorry.” He was looking up at her anxiously. “I would never have allowed him into the shop if I’d guessed. Was he always like this?”
“No.” Penny shook her head a little too vehemently, and the dizziness returned. She leaned back in her chair. “No. When he first started working for Granddad, he was great. Always charming and chatty in the shop. No one would have guessed at this.” Her voice broke, and she took another sip of water, trying to control herself. “But the whole time, he was lying in our faces. I don’t know what I’m going to tell Granddad. He really trusted him.” Her face began to crumple, and she felt Kurt tighten his grip on her fingers. She lifted her eyes to find him gazing over her shoulder at the door where David had just left, his expression so intensely grim she recoiled. He caught her movement and turned his head. Instantly, he softened.
“Don’t worry,” he said, catching her shocked expression. “I’m not going after him. But it would give me great satisfaction to give him the beating he deserves.” His eyes darkened, and he glanced longingly at the door. “But I guess that isn’t going to help you much.” He focused his gaze on her, relaxing his grip on her hand. “You need to tell your granddad the truth,” he said.
She nodded. “I know. If there were any way I could keep it from him…” She wiped her wet cheek with her sleeve. “But he has to know. We couldn’t possibly hide it from him. But oh, Kurt—he’ll be devastated.” She raised her head, eyes blurred with tears. “And then he worries about me so much. This will just make it worse.”
Kurt looked down at their joined hands and turned her fingers over in his, frowning. Then he gripped her hand reassuringly and looked up.
“How about I go with you? To tell your granddad, that is.”
“Would you?” Penny stared at him. “You don’t have to but…” She left her sentence unfinished. Having Kurt to support her would relieve her of so much of the anxiety of breaking the news. Her granddad would stop worrying about her—or at least, wouldn’t worry about her quite as much—if he thought she had Kurt’s support.
Kurt heard her unspoken words and nodded.
“No problem. We’ll go together.” He got to his feet and drew her up after him. “Okay?”
She nodded her relief. “Thank you. Granddad’s out tonight. With some friends. And I’m going to an auction tomorrow. How about if we speak to him tomorrow evening? You can stay for dinner if you like?”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
They stood and looked at each other a little awkwardly. It sounded as though Penny had just given Kurt an invitation to meet the parents.
In a rush to break the awkwardness, she said the first thing she thought of. “Shall I buy you a drink? I feel like I owe you one.” As soon as she’d said the words, the heat mounted to her cheeks. Now it sounded like she was asking him out on a date, for goodness sake. And acting awkward made it seem even more of an issue, but the realisation just heightened her embarrassment.
Kurt looked equally ill at ease. “Well, that would be great, but actually, I need to get going. I have plans for tonight.”
“Oh, of course.” Penny turned to tidy her desk as though their conversation were the most natural thing in the world. Of course he had a real date with a real girlfriend. He was still on his quest to find a wife—he didn’t have time to waste socialising with Penny.
“And how is the dating going?” She cursed herself furiously. How is the dating going? What sort of an inane question was that? She carried on righting the files David had turned over, her mind whirling. On Monday morning, she would probably find out they were all in totally the wrong order.
Kurt cleared his throat. “Actually, I’m not on a date tonight. I’m meeting Cass.”
She turned, brows raised in surprise. “The girl we met out riding?”
He nodded. “I’m sponsoring a charitable project. It involves the stables. Cass offered to help.” There was a hint of earnest emphasis to his explanation. “It’s kind of a business meeting,” he added.
“Sounds interesting. Hope it works out.” Penny accompanied her words with a smile that barely matched the emptiness she felt. “Granddad and I will just have to cook you something special. It’s the least we can do.”
She congratulated herself on her answer. It had just the right amount of cool friendliness. They spent the next ten minutes companionably shutting up the shop, and it wasn’t until Penny was alone on the tube on the way home that she allowed herself the luxury of feeling miserable. In the space of an hour, she’d found out her business partner was a liar and a thief, she’d come on to a guy she was falling in love with and been given a brush off because he was meeting someone else, and now she was going home to pretend everything was fine to a grandfather who worried too much.
By anyone’s reckoning, it had been a dreadful day.
* * * *
Later that evening, Kurt saw Cass into a cab after their productive meeting and headed home to his apartment. It was a cold, clear night. As clear as it ever would be in London’s neon-lit streets. It was at times like these he missed Wyoming. At this time of year, the sky arched over the plains, clear and heady, exuberant with stars whirling away into infinity. It was the sort of wildly romantic landscape which would appeal so strongly to Penny. He could imagine her, eyes wide with silent wonder, gazing up into the firmament. For a moment, he had an intense longing to be there beside her, sharing her wild joy in the night’s rich landscape.
Then he looked down at the littered street and kicked an empty takeaway box into the gutter. He’d discovered the hard way that life wasn’t all stars and romance. It was the only lesson his father had ever taught him. He’d watched his father reach for the stars, only to find them crashing around his ears, leaving him a broken man and his children shattered. Kurt had long since determined never to follow the same path. The arc of his life since leaving home had followed a safe, predictable trajectory. He’d worked
hard in a sensible business, where the numbers he dealt in every day followed a totally logical pattern. Now he wanted to find someone to share that ordered life with him. But that someone would have to conform to his ideal, be happy to lead the same secure, predictable life at home as he’d forged for himself in the workplace. Not someone who made his heart leap uncontrollably whenever he saw her. Not someone who made him feel dangerously out of control as soon as his arms were around her. Not someone who had fragile dreams of her own which he was in danger of shattering by acting selfishly.
His house would soon be ready to occupy, but other than that, he had fallen far behind in his ordered life plans. Trouble was, whenever he thought of the effort of getting back on the dating circuit and meeting other women, everything seemed flat and lacklustre. Maybe when he’d moved into his new house and Penny was no longer part of his life. Maybe then he’d be able to move forward.
He shrugged his shoulders against a sudden biting draught of wind and strode home, without looking up at the sky again.
* * * *
Penny finished laying the dining-room table for Sunday dinner and took a step back.
“Lovely,” said her grandfather. He paused on the threshold to survey the freshly laundered tablecloth, the cutlery and glasses, all exactly aligned. “But maybe you should move the flowers another centimetre to the left.” He looked serious, but there was a definite twinkle in his eyes when they rested on her.
Penny coloured. Her attempt not to give her granddad any idea how nervous she was about the evening failed. He knew her too well. She’d fretted with slightly too much intensity over what to serve and whether to put out her mother’s china service before finally deciding it would be better to be informal. An inordinately long time had been spent deciding what to wear. She had just changed out of a slightly too formal black dress to come downstairs in dark jeans and a blue cashmere top. Now, for the last ten minutes, she had fussed about arranging and re-arranging the dining table so that everything was to her satisfaction.
The Antique Love Page 10