“Of course, Dad.” Man, not another blush. She might as well paint herself red and go sit with the candy canes.
Harrison stepped forward. “Penny tells me you’re a manager at a meat packing plant. That sounds like an interesting job.”
Her dad shook his head. “It’s not.” He laughed. “But it pays the bills. By the way, Penny was evasive when I asked her what you did for a living.”
A deer-in-the-headlights look came onto Harrison’s face and he hesitated for a second, glancing at Penny. She hadn’t told them anything, since William had never answered her questions about work, so she shrugged.
“I work for an investment company.”
“Which one?” Her dad raised an eyebrow.
“Harrison Williams Investment Group.”
Seemingly impressed, her dad nodded. “That’s a large firm. What do you do there?”
Aw, crud. Of course he’d ask. And Harrison couldn’t tell the truth, that he was the CEO. Penny took her dad’s arm and tugged him toward the kitchen. “Enough boring stuff. Come see what William made for us tonight.”
Penny successfully dodged her father’s questions about Harrison all evening as they trimmed the tree and stuffed themselves on Chinese take-out. Then they all piled in the minivan and took to the streets to look at the amazing displays that some of the townsfolk put up this time of year.
It was quite nostalgic driving past old Henry McDermott’s house, decked out with the moving Santa display he put up every Christmas. And Mrs. Schmidt’s front yard, where she created a candy cane lane you could walk through. The best one was always the Hatchett farm, out by the railroad tracks. They bought a new item each year and kept expanding. They’d won the Best of State award for their display.
Harrison grabbed her hand when they turned around to go back home, and Penny wished she could take it back without it looking weird to her sister. She’d have to talk to Harrison later. This pretending was fine, but the physical contact was killing her. She’d make a new rule. No kissing, handholding, or anything else that made her stomach turn inside out.
When they got back home, her mother brought out the special glasses with the holly leaves on them, and they poured Harrison’s eggnog.
Kimmy raised her glass. “To William. For making my sister so happy.”
Everyone toasted, and Harrison’s ears grew pink. Penny turned away and ignored how cute he looked. In fact, she tried to ignore him all night, but it was impossible when he was constantly beside her, rubbing her back, or whispering in her ear.
By the time they went upstairs for bed, Penny was about ready to scream at him. They entered her childhood room and she shut the door and then turned to face him. “Okay, that’s enough.”
Harrison blinked. “What did I do?”
“I can’t take any more of this.” She ran her hands through her hair and had to restrain herself from tugging chunks of it out. “We need to set some rules.”
His eyebrows knit together. “What’s wrong?”
She ignored him and kept going. “One: No kissing.”
“Hey, wait a minute, you kissed me.” He put his hands up in a surrender position.
She glared at him, but continued. “Two: No handholding.”
“What—”
“Just let me finish!” Frustration welled in her. It wasn’t his fault, really. She knew she was acting like a crazy person, but she couldn’t stop herself. “Three: No rubbing my back.”
Harrison closed his mouth that had been hanging open after she’d interrupted him. He put his hands behind his back and cocked his head at her.
“Four: No more cologne.” She looked at him to see if he would object, but he just stood there, staring at her. “Five: No more whispering in my ear.” She folded her arms across her chest, trying to think of anything else that was bugging her. Nothing else came to mind, so she raised her chin. “Think you can handle that?”
Harrison frowned. “So, basically you want me to stop acting like we’re a married couple.”
Glad that he understood, Penny nodded. “Yes.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been bothering you, but is that wise?”
She didn’t care if it was wise or not. She couldn’t take any more of Harrison’s touch. “No one suspects a thing. It’ll be fine.”
His shoulders drooped and he looked tired. “Okay. If that’s what you want.”
“Yes, that’s what I want.”
A moment of silence filled the room before he spoke again. “Can I ask you one thing?”
“Yes.”
“What does my cologne have to do with it?”
She didn’t want to tell him the truth, so she lied. “I just don’t like it.”
“All right.”
He looked dejected, like she’d told him to quit annoying her or something, but she couldn’t explain to him what she was feeling. She couldn’t even explain it to herself. She just knew that if he kept touching her she’d go insane. “Good. Glad that’s settled. I’ll get my pajamas on in the bathroom, and you can change in here.”
By the time she got back, Harrison was curled up on the floor, asleep. She climbed into bed and turned out the lamp. Exhaustion seeped from her bones, but no matter how she would lie, she couldn’t get to sleep.
“Penny?”
His deep voice startled her and she peered down at him. “What?”
“I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable. That was not my intention.”
And there was Mr. Gentleman again, making her feel even worse for blowing up at him. “I know.” When he didn’t say anything else, she added, “Thanks, Harrison.”
Chapter 20
Harrison awoke with sore muscles from sleeping on the floor and a sour taste in his mouth. Penny wasn’t anywhere in sight, so he grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom. If he didn’t get rid of his grumpy demeanor, he’d end up snapping at everyone. After he showered and dressed, he wandered downstairs to the kitchen. Penny and her mother were deep in discussion when he entered.
Penny turned to him and offered a little smile. She looked amazing. His heart sank in his chest. She was the best thing that ever happened to him, and last night she’d made it clear she didn’t want him even touching her.
He swallowed and his throat felt like sandpaper. How was he going to get through the next few days? He needed to call his attorney and see how things were going with the trust fund. The sooner he could get out of this situation and away from Penny, the better. He plastered on a smile to mask his true feelings. “What’s up?”
“I was just telling Mom how good your omelets are. And I was wondering...” Penny let the sentence hang.
“Sure, I’ll make breakfast.”
“Thanks.” Penny opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs. “I’ll help. What do you need?”
He listed off his favorite ingredients and went in search of a pan. “Why don’t you sit and rest for a minute, Marci? We’ve got this.”
An appreciative smile took over her face. “Thank you, William. How nice of you two.”
Harrison was glad for the distraction. He found cooking so enjoyable that he was able to zone out and ignore the hole that had opened up in his chest. When he and Penny had finished, they sat down at the small table in the dining room and invited Kimmy and Marci to join them.
Marci took a bite. “This is delicious. How do you get your eggs so fluffy?”
“You beat the egg whites first, and then fold in the beaten yolks,” Harrison said.
“Brilliant. You’ll have to teach me all of your kitchen tricks.” Marci gave Harrison a warm smile.
“I keep telling him he needs to quit his miserable job and open up a restaurant,” Penny mumbled as she picked up her glass of water.
Harrison gave Penny a ‘what-are-you-doing’ look, and she blushed and looked away.
Marci’s smile turned stale. “You don’t like your job?”
Great. How was he supposed to dance around that subject? “It’s fine. I don’
t hate it.”
Penny snorted. “Yes you do. You’d be much happier if you could cook for a living.” She tossed a pointed look at Harrison, which he ignored.
Marci fiddled with her fork. “Owning your own business is risky, especially something as unstable as a restaurant. It won’t bring in steady income.”
“He didn’t say he was going to quit his job.” Kimmy scoffed and took another bite of her breakfast.
Unable to think of anything else to say, Harrison decided to change the subject. “What’s on the schedule for today?”
“The gingerbread house contest is tonight at the community hall,” Marci said. “I thought you three might like to enter something.”
“Penny told me about that. I guess some people get really into it.” He remembered Penny’s face as she talked about the different houses and how big and intricate they got. “I’d love to take a stab at it.”
“Awesome,” Kimmy said. “Maybe this year we’ll win.”
Harrison smiled but Penny avoided his gaze.
Marci studied them. “Everything okay between you guys?”
Penny’s cheeks turned pink. “We’re fine, Mom.”
Sure, fine. If Marci could see the strain between them now, he couldn’t imagine how they’d get through the next few days.
Marci’s eyes narrowed. “You know you can’t lie to me.”
Kimmy set her fork down with a clank. “Ma, let them be.”
Penny stared at her plate and Marci leaned back in her chair. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t stick my nose where it doesn’t belong. It just feels like you guys had a fight or something.”
Penny reached out and covered Harrison’s hand with her own. “Nothing’s going on. We’re fine.” She removed her hand quickly and tucked it into her lap.
“Have you two seen Fireproof?”
“Ma!” Kimmy stood and picked up her plate. “Give it a rest.”
Harrison stood as well and helped Kimmy clear the table. It was best to get out of that conversation. His phone chimed in his pocket, and he set down the plates on the kitchen counter. The display told him it was his attorney.
Finally. He swiped the screen and held it to his ear. “Michael. What’s up?”
The line crackled. “Harrison. I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”
He glanced at Kimmy, who was doing a bad job of pretending not to listen. He walked down the hallway to the bathroom and closed the door. “Tell me everything.”
“The good news is your stepmother has relinquished control of your trust fund.”
Harrison’s heart hammered in his chest. That was good news, right? He could pay Penny and get out of this situation. This was what he’d been hoping for, so why did his stomach feel like a cold ball of lead? “That’s great. What’s the bad?”
“The bad news is there’s only twenty five thousand dollars in there.”
PENNY SIGHED. THERE was no way they would win the contest. The walls to their gingerbread mansion were sagging, the columns she’d tried to stabilize leaned to the right, and the roof looked like it would slide off at any minute. At least they’d had fun putting it together. Well, she and Kimmy. Harrison had been distracted. When she pulled him aside and tried to talk about it, he brushed her off.
Harrison held the door open and Kimmy entered the community hall carrying their creation. Clay had stayed home, being the typical teen who was too embarrassed to be seen in public with the family. Penny followed Kimmy. Her mom and dad were already inside looking at the entries.
After they got their number and set up their display, they started down one side of the hall. Harrison had taken her at her word. He hadn’t held her hand or done any of the other things that drove her nuts. The problem was she missed it.
Stupid. That’s what she was. Why couldn’t she make up her mind? Did she want Harrison to leave her alone, or not? Her heart yearned for the closeness they’d come to share, but her head told her he was leaving soon and she needed to steel her heart before it broke in two.
Kimmy grabbed her arm and practically yanked it out of its socket. “Shh, don’t say anything, but Rob just entered the hall.”
Rob? Penny turned to look, and sure enough, Rob Curtis stood across the room. He wore a leather jacket and had a shaved head and metal piercings in his ears. When his gaze met Kimmy’s, he nodded and stuffed his fists in his jacket pockets.
Why was she involved with this loser? Penny wanted to be supportive, but she knew Rob was no good. He’d gotten into some trouble in high school and spent the rest of his senior year in a juvenile detention center. She wasn’t sure what he’d done, but she suspected it involved drugs.
Kimmy grinned like a cat with a mouse-tail hanging out of her mouth. “Isn’t he handsome?”
Oh, heavens. She had it bad. Penny sighed and shook her head. “Kimmy, do you think—”
“Hey,” Kimmy interrupted. “Cover for me, okay?” She patted Penny on the back and disappeared into the crowd. A moment later she emerged by Rob’s side. They kissed then ducked out of the building.
“She loves him, doesn’t she?” Harrison’s deep voice startled her.
Penny whipped around to face him. He had a sad sort of smile on his face, and his eyes held something she couldn’t pin down. “Yeah, I think so.”
“You don’t like him.”
She scoffed and motioned over her shoulder. “Did you see him?”
He shrugged one shoulder, staring into her eyes. “I did.”
“He’s no good for Kimmy.”
“Patrice thinks you’re no good for me.”
“That’s different.” Penny turned and started walking away, but Harrison stepped in front of her, blocking her. He put his hands on her shoulders.
“Is it? Do you love your sister?”
Penny yanked her shoulders away from Harrison’s grasp. “Of course I do.”
“Then you’ve got to let her make her own decisions. She’s an adult. If you try to break them up, you’ll just hurt your relationship with your sister.”
Penny blinked and stared at a gingerbread replica of the leaning tower of Pisa. He was right. She didn’t want to admit it, but Harrison made sense. “But he’s a criminal.”
“What did he do?”
“I don’t know. He got in trouble in high school.”
Harrison folded his arms across his chest. “That was a long time ago. You’ve got to trust your sister.”
She blew out a frustrated breath. “You’re right. I just don’t trust him.”
“Maybe you need to get to know him.”
“I can’t. Kimmy wants to keep him a secret from our parents. Does that sound like a healthy relationship to you?”
Harrison sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Maybe not. But it’s not up to you, is it?”
Man, he looked handsome, with his hair slightly disheveled and his five o-clock shadow. She had to look away. “No. It’s not.”
He placed his hand on her back and she stiffened. He removed it. “Come on. Let’s go look at the rest of the displays. We can talk about your sister later.”
Penny nodded, stuffed her conflicted feelings deep down inside, and followed Harrison along the rows of gingerbread houses.
Chapter 21
Harrison entered the jewelry store and rubbed the stubble forming on his face. They’d spent the morning baking goodies, and after lunch he’d managed to convince Penny they needed to go shopping for a few last minute Christmas gifts. They’d had a nice afternoon picking out things for Penny’s family.
He’d told Penny he needed a quick break and had left her browsing some role-playing games at the geek store. Now here he was, trying to decide if buying her a real ring was a good idea or not.
What he wanted to do was get the perfect ring, and then when they were alone together under a moonlit sky, get down on one knee and profess his love for her. What he feared he’d do would be carry around the ring in his pocket until he lost his nerve
and let the woman of his dreams go.
“Can I help you?” A man behind the counter placed his hands on the glass case containing wedding rings. “Anything you’d like to look at?”
Harrison swallowed. This was a bad idea. He didn’t even have enough money to give Penny what he’d promised her. And she’d been clear. No kissing. No touching. She couldn’t even stand his cologne. What made him think buying a ring would change her mind about him? He was such an idiot.
“No. This was a mistake.” He had turned to leave when he heard the man chuckle.
“Boy, if I had a dollar for every chum who walked in and then lost his nerve.”
Harrison waited for the man to finish, but it never came. He turned to face him. “You’d be rich?”
The man laughed. “Well, I’d have a few dollars.”
Harrison couldn’t help but smile at the man.
He motioned Harrison over. “Look, either you love her, or you don’t. It’s that simple. If you do, what are you waiting for?”
If only it were that simple. He loved her, he knew that. But how would she react to hearing it? He could have sworn she felt something when they kissed. How could she not have? The chemistry between them sizzled. And the time they spent together...he’d thought it meant something.
But these last couple of days she’d been acting funny. And with her new rules, he was more confused than ever. What should he do?
He stared down at the rings. “Could I see the one on the left?”
PENNY GLANCED OVER at Harrison for the tenth time that evening. Something was wrong, but she couldn’t weasel it out of him. After shopping at the mall he seemed more preoccupied than usual. He kept tugging on his shirt collar like it was choking him. No one else seemed to notice as the family sat around the living room enjoying another round of Harrison’s eggnog.
Her father set his glass down on the end table. “So how long are you two going to wait to give me a grandson?”
Penny nearly spat out a mouthful of eggnog. “Daddy!”
Harrison suddenly had something caught in his throat and had to leave the room.
[Anthology] A Clean Fake Marriage Romance Collection Page 45