Losing Penny

by Kristy Tate

  They stood in the moonlight, Drake’s arms holding her against him. He looked down at her upturned face, his eyes as dark as the night sky. The thought of kissing Drake warmed her. She lifted her lips toward his, wanting to taste him, wanting him to want her.

  She hadn’t thought of Drake like this until now, but somewhere on the drive home her feelings had turned. Things had changed for her, and she saw in his eyes that things had changed for him too. His lips brushed against hers.

  A kiss would complicate things, because one kiss wouldn’t be enough—she knew that when his kiss deepened. There would have to be many, many kisses.

  “Drake?” A female voice called out.

  Drake flinched away from Penny like he had brushed against an open flame.

  “Melinda?” Penny whispered, bringing her fingertips to her lips where she still tasted Drake’s kiss.

  “Worse.” Drake shook his head, his eyes full of apology. He held her hand, but the distance between them gaped, and Penny shivered in the cold of his absence. “My mom.”

  Chapter 27

  Scientists once believed that people found kissing pleasurable because kissing generated an electrical current. This may not be true, but kissing can still be quite shocking. Kissing is actually good for you, so pucker up and let the smooching begin!

  From Losing Penny and Pounds

  “I didn’t mean…I guess I didn’t think you’d have company.” Drake’s mom not only sounded like an apology, but she looked like one as she stood on the porch, ringing her hands. She was middle-aged and tall with blonde wispy hair. The moonlight shone through her thin, cotton dress, and a sweater hung on her shoulders. She took an audible deep breath. “You must be Melinda,” she said with forced cheerfulness.

  Drake sighed and took Penny’s hand. “No, Mom, this is Penny. Penny, this is my mom, Mia.”

  Penny lifted her eyebrows at him, and Drake gave a small shake of his head and mouthed, “I can’t lie to my mom.”

  Drake stepped forward to give his mom a tight hug. Penny watched, smiling as Mia closed her eyes and leaned against Drake. Mia took two steps away, cocked her head, and considered Penny with a small smile on her lips.

  “Oh, and you two…” she motioned toward the beach house.

  Drake fished a house key from his pocket, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.

  “I sleep upstairs and Drake is camped out on the back porch,” Penny told her. “We just met two days ago. My aunt owns this cottage, and Drake and I are her matchmaking victims.” Penny smiled and limped toward the front porch.

  Mia visibly relaxed, her shoulders dropping a fraction as she walked into the tiny living room. She frowned at Penny’s shoes and socks lying in the center of the room and at the balled up quilt in the corner of the sofa. Her eyes traveled into the kitchen and took in the all the ingredients standing on the counter.

  Penny wondered why Drake’s mom was here and how long she planned on staying.

  Drake must have read her mind, because he said, “It’s late, Mom, is everything all right?”

  Mia stretched her lips across her teeth in a mock smile and her eyes welled with tears. “Of course, I just didn’t want you to be alone on your birthday.”

  “Today’s not my birthday.”

  “Well, I know that, silly. I was there when you were born. I remember it perfectly. It seems like only yesterday. It wasn’t late when I left, or when I arrived, of course. I’ve been waiting.” Her last sentence sounded like an accusation.

  Penny looked back and forth between mother and son. Drake clearly didn’t know what to do with his mom. “Well, it’s dark and late now. You have to stay,” Penny said. Maybe not until the birthday, whenever that might be, but for the night. “Drake and I were making some eggplant parmesan, would you like some?”

  Mia’s face brightened as Drake’s darkened. Obviously he didn’t like Penny’s idea as much as his mother did.

  “Eggplant parmesan? That sounds lovely. Did you say Drake was helping you?”

  Penny nodded. “Between the two of us, it shouldn’t take long now. Are you hungry?”

  Mia glanced at Drake who was leaning in the kitchen doorway. “I didn’t know you cooked, sweetie.”

  Drake nodded. “I took it up after—”

  He didn’t finish his sentence, but his mother nodded knowingly and patted his belly. “You had to learn to feed yourself after Blair left. My baby is growing up.”

  Penny cracked four eggs into a shallow bowl, hypersensitive to Mia’s eyes on her back. Mia must have questions whirring in her head, but Penny had some questions of her own. Like what would have happened if Mia hadn’t interrupted their moonlight moment? And, what was Drake’s secret? And—how could she get Mia to leave, without hurting her feelings, of course, so that she and Drake could continue whatever had started in the moonlight? And—was moonlight a necessary ingredient for romance? Could she get Drake to kiss her in the daylight? Before breakfast? After lunch? A pre-dinner snack? Penny picked up a whisk and beat the eggs as hard and as fast as she could.

  “Are you sure I won’t be in the way if I stay here?” Mia asked, as she settled down in a kitchen chair. Penny was sure that Mia meant “if I stay here forever.”

  Until when? Because Penny knew the one place she didn’t want to kiss Drake was in front of his mom. Mia had said, if I stay here—not if I stay the night, or the week, or the month. No, she’d definitely said, if I stay. A bit of the eggs slopped over the bowl’s edge and onto Penny’s fingers. She wiped them on her jeans and looked up to see Mia watching her with a scowl wedged between her eyebrows.

  Drake bit his lip, his gaze locked on his mom. “Where’s dad?”

  “Oh, you know your father, always traveling…” her voice trailed away as she picked up the bowl of seasoned bread crumbs. “Do you dip that in here?” she asked, motioning to the dripping eggplant slice hanging from Penny’s fork.

  Penny nodded. “Drake, could you get the casserole dish ready? It needs a couple of tablespoons of olive oil drizzled in the bottom.”

  Drake sighed like a martyr and did as he was told.

  ***

  The door exploded and shards of splintered wood flew through the cabin. She tightened her shawl around her head and crouched beneath the berth, trying to be as small and still as possible. The Pirate King burst into the room, wielding a wavy-bladed dagger. Tattoos covered his brawny chest and arms. When he caught sight of her he smiled and revealed his stained teeth that had been filed to sharp points. Shark teeth. His men crowded behind him, the lust in their eyes mirroring their King’s.

  She slowly stood, and the Pirate King’s gaze raked over her, judging her the way one might select fresh produce, searching for blemishes, bruises, and bee stings.

  Fresh produce? This is a dream! Penny’s mind revolted, struggling to wake.

  She flinched away as the Pirate King caressed her cheek with a coarse hand. The dagger clattered to the floor as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.

  “Penny!” Drake held her and she felt the now familiar thump of his heart and inhaled his scent. She wasn’t sure if paper had a smell, but if it did, it would smell like Drake. He whispered her name in her ear. “Hush.”

  Penny’s heart still raced, but her panic eased. “What are you doing in here?”

  “I think I’m saving you from pirates.” He chuckled as she slumped against him. “So, pirates have replaced the Lurk?”

  “I guess.” She shuddered, remembering the pirate and his dagger. “You know, that’s what you need.”

  He looked her in the eye. “I need pirates?”

  “Your story—your Viking story. So far the setup is good, but something needs to happen. You need pirates.”

  Drake frowned. “I don’t think they had pirates in the eleventh century.”

  “Of course they did. They might not have called them pirates—thieves or marauders maybe. I don’t know…I just know that you need them,” she added more forcefully.


  “Quiet,” he whispered. “My mom’s a light sleeper.”

  He looked through Penny’s open door to the one just beyond it. His mom’s door. “I can’t lie to my mom. I’ve never been able to lie to her, yet she’s lying to me.”

  “How do you know?”

  “My birthday is in a week.”

  That bit of information swirled in Penny’s belly. “Do you think she’ll stay the entire week?”

  “Or the entire summer. She’s impossible to read, which is so unfair, since she can read me like a comic book.” Drake lay down beside Penny and drew her close so that he could whisper in her ear. She curled against him. She might be safe from pirates and marauders, but she was still scared of Drake’s mom.

  “When I was little, I truly believed that she had a secret power—a mom power—that could detect the tiniest fib. If I even tried to exaggerate or bend the truth, she looked at me and I would know she knew. I thought she knew everything.”

  “Growing up, we had a beagle. My mom called him Bad Dog Bowser. My dad had bought the beagle because he wanted a running partner, and he had read that beagles could run for thirty miles without a break. Bowser couldn’t, or more likely wouldn’t, run for thirty seconds. Overweight and flatulent, Bowser was only driven by food. Bowser stole cookies, sandwiches, anything within beagle reach, but not me. I never stole anything. I tried to do everything right. Of course, I was just a kid, so I made mistakes and lived in fear of punishment. Bowser stole food and weathered the punishment like a man, but I didn’t have the guts of my dog.”

  “Is your dog still alive?” Penny asked.

  “No, he died a long time ago.”

  “Then you won.”

  Drake chuckled, his chest moving up and down in nearly silent laughter. “Is that how we win? We live?”

  “Of course—we live happily ever after.”

  “Without pirates.”

  “I didn’t say that. There will always be pirates.”

  Drake rested his chin on the top of her head. “And moms. My mom is a cranky morning person.”

  “Is it morning?” Penny looked out the window at the fading moon and winking stars.

  “Not quite.” Drake sat up and gently pushed Penny’s shoulders back against her pillow. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead like a parent kissing a child goodnight.

  “I don’t need pirates,” he murmured as he left the room, closing the door with a quiet but definite click, leaving Penny to wonder what he did need.

  ***

  “So, you must be Melinda?” Mia’s voice floated up the stairs.

  Penny pressed herself into the mattress and put her pillow over her head.

  “I’m Drake’s mom.”

  Melinda muttered something indistinguishable in return.

  “Maggie? Who’s Maggie?”

  Where was Drake? He needed to run interference.

  “Magdalena is here?” Mia said in the same tone she would have used to say “the city is overrun with rats?”

  Penny crawled from her bed, cracked open the door, and peeked out at the women in the middle of the living room. They looked like a queen and a princess in a face off. Mia wore a pair of white slacks, an apricot sweater set, and a pair of matching sandals, and Melinda wore an apricot pair of straight cotton pants, a white sweater set, and matching sandals. They were two peas in a pod—or pits in an apricot. No pit deserved to look so good in the morning.

  A door banged open. “Mom! Melinda?” Drake. Finally.

  “Drake, Melinda tells me that Magdalena is here.” Mia faced him, arms folded and eyebrows lowered.

  Drake swallowed heavily. “Mom, she was.” He held up his hands to stop her verbal barrage. “I can explain.”

  Melinda watched the mother son drama with a smile tugging at her lips. She fought to suppress it, but she wasn’t successful. Her eyes glowed with either victory or humor, Penny wasn’t sure which. Maybe both.

  Wolfgang, who had been snoozing on the rag rug beside her bed, scrambled up and headed toward the door. Penny tried to grab his collar, but he pushed passed her and clambered down the stairs. Penny leaned against the wall, her breath ragged.

  “What is that?” Mia asked, clearly horrified.

  “Maggie’s dog,” Melinda told her.

  Penny wondered how Mia didn’t see Wolfgang last night. She peeked out the door and saw Wolfgang nose Drake’s thigh. Drake scratched the dog’s ears. He smiled when looked up and caught Penny spying. Penny ducked back behind the door.

  This is stupid. This is what happens when I lie—the dog gets breakfast and I don’t, Penny thought.

  Chapter 28

  The ship climbed one mountainous wave after another. Pitching high and low, Hans barely registered the dangers of the roiling seas. His head and heart lingered with Ingrid, and his thoughts were so heavy, he barely noticed the creature rising up from the ocean’s deep.

  From Hans and the Sunstone

  Drake left the two women frowning at each other and opened the door for Wolfgang. The dog bolted and Drake wished he could go with him, even if it meant peeing on the side of the house.

  The only time he’d ever surprised his mom was when he’d married Magdalena, and as a result, Mia had never even tried to get to know Magdalena. And Mia had been cold, but polite to Blair. But last night she had actually warmed to Penny.

  Watching his mom go nose-to-nose with Melinda, he realized that what truly bothered his mom was not the fact that Melinda wasn’t cowed by her, but that she believed that Melinda knew something about Drake that she didn’t. That was flea in her panties. He had to talk to his mom in private—soon.

  But first he had to talk to his dad, a chore he usually avoided.

  “I tried calling, but you weren’t answering your phone.” Melinda made it sound like a recrimination.

  “I don’t take my phone running,” Drake told her.

  Melinda sniffed. “Well, I just came by to make sure you’re still on for lunch today with my dad. We’re going to the Club House and we’ll need reservations,” Melinda said. She turned to Mia. “You’re welcome to join us.”

  Drake fully expected his mom to say that she needed to get home. Typically his mom was a confirmed homebody, so he was surprised when she answered, “That would be lovely. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about your dad.”

  “From Drake?” Melinda glowed. “Has he told you about the book?”

  After Mia nodded, Melinda continued, “I’m really excited about it! Drake showed me his early chapters and it’s…” She waved her hands in the air as if trying to grab the correct superlative out of the air. “It’s just so, so—” Sighing with contentment she broke off. “It’s going to be the best surprise birthday gift ever.”

  Mia raised her eyebrows at Drake, smiling, and Drake repressed the desire to roll his eyes.

  “Well, before lunch, breakfast,” Mia said, heading into the kitchen. “I’m going to be making Drake some oatmeal. Would you like some, Melinda?”

  “No, thank you. I don’t eat carbs,” Melinda said.

  “Of course you don’t,” Mia said, pulling a bag of oatmeal from the cupboard that wasn’t there before. She must have brought it, which could only mean that she meant to stay. Drake wanted to pound his head against the wall.

  “And how about your friend, Penny? Will she be joining us?”

  “Who?” Melinda asked, her antennae up and alert.

  “Drake’s friend, Penny,” Mia said, pulling out a pot and filling it with water.

  “She won’t be coming by this morning,” Drake said.

  Mia shut off the water and turned to fix her “mom stare” at him. She had caught his lie, and she would use it against him if he didn’t get rid of Melinda soon.

  “You’ve made a new friend?” Melinda asked.

  “What can I say, I’m a friendly guy. Listen, Melinda,” he looked pointedly at his shorts and sweaty T-shirt. “I really need to shower, and I’m hoping to bang out a few more chapters this morning, s
o…”

  Melinda took the hint, said a polite goodbye to Mia, and left.

  Mia waited until Melinda was safely behind the hedge before rounding on Drake. He held up his hands to defend himself. “Mom, just listen before you start.”

  “What sort of game are you playing here, Drake?” She shook a wooden spoon at him.

  “It’s not what you think.”

  “You can’t keep using girls like they’re pieces of tissue to be used and thrown away!”

  Drake caught sight of Penny limping down the stairs, so he resisted yelling at his mom. Whispering went against his nature, but he really didn’t want Penny to hear his mother’s wrangling. He didn’t want to hear his mother’s wrangling. “Stop, please. Penny is…” he debated. He knew that his mom watched Penny’s show. She had watched it with him several times when he’d been so down after Blair and Magdalena. Still, that was Penny’s secret to share, not his. He caught Penny’s eye and she rescued him.

  “I have a stalker,” Penny said, coming into the kitchen. “I’m hiding from a stalker.”

  “Goodness,” Mia said, surprised.

  “Drake’s helping me,” Penny explained.

  Mia gave her son a slant-eyed look. “Yes, I could see he was being extremely helpful last night.”

  Penny blushed a lovely pink color. He hoped to make her blush again.

  “He’s been telling people I’m Maggie—short for Magdalena.”

  “But you’re nothing like Magdalena.”

  “Thank goodness,” Drake added.

  “Anyone can see—”

  “No one around here met Magdalena, including Melinda,” Drake said.

  Mia’s eyes widened with comprehension, and she pointed her spatula at Drake. “You’re doing this to throw off Melinda.”

  “No, I’m doing this to help Penny.” Drake sat down at the kitchen table.