by Bess McBride
“No, thanks, I’m fine.”
He sank into the office chair behind his desk and gazed at her with a half smile and a furrowed brow. Penny tried to meet his eyes but failed miserably, settling instead for a perusal of the top of his desk.
“I can’t believe you’re here in Gulf Shores. How long have you been here?”
Penny couldn’t believe it either. “Since the beginning of November. I-I’m here through March, another month.” She glanced up at him quickly, but couldn’t read his expression. He often wore a pleasant though enigmatic smile which he hadn’t lost, but she had no idea what he really thought. Not now and not then.
“How is your wife? Any children?” She might as well get the pleasantries out of the way.
Matt pressed his full lips together and looked away for a moment.
“I’m...uh...divorced. No children. We didn’t have any. She’s in Gulfport.”
Penny’s heart sped up from its already erratic thumping. Divorced?
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, Matt.” She tried to be sincere. She wanted to be sincere...but she didn’t want him to be married, and her heart thumped an elated beat to find out he wasn’t.
His cheeks bronzed under his tanned skin. “Yeah, well, things happen. When did I talk to you last anyway?”
“I called you about eight years ago...to see how you were doing. You were actually getting married the next day. It was a strange coincidence.”
Matt gave her a quick startled glance and then rubbed the back of his neck. “Wow, that long...” He shook his head and picked up the statement.
“So what’s the story with this phone call, Penny?”
Penny blinked at the sudden change of subject. She hoped he wouldn’t notice the quick moisture that sprang to her eyes. He hadn’t even asked about her, what she’d been doing or what had happened to her since they’d been together. It seemed likely he’d never even missed her...not like she had him. But then, she’d always known she was the one who was the most “in love” in their relationship.
She cleared her throat and repeated the story.
“And you don’t think this could have been some kind of prank?”
Penny shrugged, unable to shake her disappointment at the impersonal tone of the meeting she’d dreamed about for years. She had expected more.
“I don’t know. Could be. He knew my name though. I don’t know anyone who would call and threaten me like that.”
“What about...” Matt’s green eyes softened, and he hesitated. “What about Travis...or a friend of his?”
Penny grimaced at the thought. She shook her head vehemently. “Travis wouldn’t do something like that...not after...” She bit her lip before she said too much. “Well, he just wouldn’t, that’s all. Besides, he’s got a girlfriend now. He’s way too busy to waste his time playing practical jokes on his mother.”
Matt nodded understanding.
“A girlfriend! I can’t believe he’s that old. What is he doing now?”
Penny beamed. “He’s staying with his father now, going to college in Los Angeles, in love.”
“Good. That’s a good place to be,” Matt murmured.
“In Los Angeles?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.” He flashed her one of his engaging smiles before dropping his gaze to the statement dangling limply from his fingers.
The phone rang, and he leaned over to pick it up.
“Chief Williams.”
While he was on the phone, Penny watched him like a schoolgirl worshiping her favorite football hero. He seemed so businesslike and confident. He’d certainly grown up in the intervening years, even if she apparently had not.
She searched his desk for photos, clues to his present life, but nothing personal presented itself. Mounds of paper covered each side of the wooden surface.
“Yup, okay! Let me know. Yeah... Bye!”
Penny raised her eyes to Matt’s as he put down the phone and looked at her.
“Sorry about that.” He pushed the statement form across the desk toward her. “So, I guess you’d better fill one of these things out, or Patty will have my head.” His infectious grin brought a smile to her face. He handed Penny his pen.
She leaned on the desk and bent her head to the paper, hoping her hands wouldn’t shake. She had no idea what he was doing, but she heard no sounds, and she desperately hoped he wasn’t watching her. Her hand jerked mercilessly across the paper.
“Umm...Penny...I was wondering. Have you eaten yet? Would you like to get some dinner? You know...catch up?”
Penny’s eyes flew to Matt’s. He smiled sheepishly, but his mouth drooped on meeting her eyes. He pushed his chair back restlessly.
“Oh, man, I didn’t even think. Are you...?” He ran his fingers through his thick dark hair. “Are you married now? I can’t believe I didn’t ask.”
Penny burst out laughing. The panic in his eyes was nothing compared to her own anxiety.
“No, no, not me. Nope. Not once.”
He leaned forward, his elbows on the table. “You haven’t married? In all these years?”
Penny’s face flamed. She tightened her lips.
“Well, no.” She dropped her eyes to the statement and concentrated on the task at hand. How humiliating! Didn’t he realize she’d been busy dancing with movie stars and dining with princes? Or had she been dining with movie stars and dancing with princes?
She tried to concentrate on the statement, this time fully aware he watched her. She had to scratch the word “dinner” out once. Penny had hardly forgotten his unexpected invitation. Wasn’t he involved with someone? How could such a handsome man be available?
She kept her eyes on the paper and forced herself to slide her pen across the paper. Chances were if he was unattached, it was for the same reasons he’d always been truly unavailable. And she had never figured those reasons out--not for all the wailing and sobbing in the world when they’d parted fifteen years ago.
She finished the statement, signed it and handed it to Matt with a shaky hand. He read it over, his dark brows narrowing as he scanned the page, and he laid it down on the desk with a frown.
“I’m not sure what we can do about this at the moment, Penny. If you think of anyone who has a grudge against you or who hates you enough to make such a phone call, let me know. I’ll send someone out to check your apartment to make sure everything is okay.” He tilted his head and grinned. “In fact, I’ll do it myself. After dinner?” he prompted.
“Dinner?” she mumbled, locking her gaze on the hollow of his throat.
“Yeah, dinner, remember?” He ducked his head to meet her eyes, his tentative smile genuine.
“Umm...sure,” Penny continued to mumble ungracefully. She dropped her eyes to her lap and fidgeted with the straps of her shoulder bag.
Why was it she behaved in such a surly fashion when what she truly wanted to do was jump up and shriek with joy, “Yes, yes, yes!” It had been one of his few complaints about her, and though she thought she’d changed and learned to open up to people, she had reverted right back to her bad habits...in under two hours. She’d learned nothing in four years of psychology classes. Nothing!
“Good. Let’s go. I’m starving.” Matt pushed back his chair and stood. He came around the desk and held out a hand to Penny.
She looked at his hand for a moment and melted. She’d forgotten his hands--how sturdy and capable they looked...and were. Her face flamed as she put her hand in his and rose.
“It’s good to see you, Penelope,” Matt said, lowering his head once again to meet her eyes, his lips softening into a sweet smile as he led her to the door.“You too, Matthew.” Penny managed a crooked grin as she preceded him out of his office. She passed back through the desks stiffly aware that the few officers on the night shift eyed the woman accompanying their chief with curiosity.
Matt dropped the statement off on Officer Jenkins’ desk. “I’m going to take off for a while, Patty. I’ll be back.”
/> “See you later, Chief.” Penny did her best to ignore Patty’s mischievous grin.
Matt stepped forward and pushed open the door for Penny. They stepped outside into the warm and humid night. Parking lot lamps reflected the moisture in the air. Only a few cars sat in the lot. A cruiser parked in front of the door.
“This way. Let’s take my car.” He led the way to a nearby black SUV.
“What happened to your big diesel truck?” Penny asked as Matt opened the passenger door.
He chuckled and gave her a wry smile. “Oh, I got rid of that a long time ago. Too much truck for this little town...and a gas guzzler.”
She slid into the plush upholstered seat, and he shut the door. A radio crackled on the console. Matt came around to the driver’s side and hopped in. He turned down the volume on the radio. The years disappeared as she remembered sitting beside him on a long and crazy cross-country drive from New Orleans to Missoula, Montana after she had dropped her car off at the port for shipment to Europe.
They’d driven long and hard to get back so she could pick Travis up from her mother’s house. Well, Matt had done most of the driving, but she’d kept him awake and amused with foolish chatter. They’d listened to the same songs over and over and eaten cheese and crackers till they were blue in the face.
“Do you remember that drive back from New Orleans?” she mused.
Matt put the key in the ignition and turned to her with a slow nod.
“I do.” He cleared his throat and started the SUV. “What would you like to eat?”
“It’s up to you.” Though she held back from blatantly ogling him, she watched him out of the corner of her eye while they drove.
Matt’s cell phone rang. He pulled it off a clip on his belt.
“Chief Williams.”
Penny did her best to avoid eavesdropping, and she turned away, blinking at a pair of headlights that blinded her in the passenger side mirror. She glanced at the speedometer. Matt’s speed slowed while he focused on the phone...at least five miles under the speed limit. With no other cars on the dark street at the moment, she would have jumped into the other lane and passed. But not the car behind. The headlights stayed behind them, the driver obviously content to amble down the road at a leisurely pace. She shrugged. Matt drove in the right lane. Maybe the car behind them planned to turn soon.
“Yes. I’ll be right there.” Matt clicked his phone shut and turned to her with a frustrated and apologetic smile. “I was afraid of this. I’m going to have to postpone dinner. I’ve got to get back over to the bank. We had a robbery there earlier today. That’s where I’ve been all day.”
Penny’s heart plummeted. She bit her lip, disappointed with herself that she’d gotten her hopes up.
“Oh, sure,” she mumbled as she returned her eyes to the headlights in the side mirror.
“Unless... Do you want to come with me? It probably won’t take long.”
Penny swung her head to face him. He cast her a quick sideways glance before returning his eyes to the road.
“Yes! Yes, I do!” She clamped her eager lips shut. Too much. Slow down. “I mean, yes, that would be interesting. Sure.”
Matt laughed...the first laugh she’d heard from him in fifteen years outside of her dreams. She had once craved the warmly unaffected sound of his laugh. It seemed she still did. Her toes curled in delight.
“You haven’t changed, Penny.” He continued to chuckle as he shook his head.
“I’ve tried,” she offered helpfully.
“Not too much, I hope.” Matt threw her a quick smile before he returned his attention to the road. He made an unexpected U-turn in the road and picked up speed. They barreled back the way they had come, along the Gulf Beach Highway toward the center of town. The bright lights of the high-rise hotels and vacation condominiums bordering the beach spread a cheery light on the highway. It seems like Christmas every day down here, she thought.
“Here we are.” Matt pulled into the parking lot of a local bank next to a grocery store. Police cruisers flooded the parking lot, several with lights flashing. She opened her door and stepped out. Matt came around to her side of the car and closed it behind her.
A uniformed officer walked up to them.
“Hey, Chief. I know you just left here less than an hour ago, but you said you wanted to know if we found anything. It’s this way.”
“No, that’s fine, Brad. How are you guys doing? Need anything?” Matt turned around apparently to be sure Penny followed. Brad held up yellow crime scene tape for Matt and Penny to pass under.
The tall, husky, young man with the heavy Southern accent laughed. “Yeah, we’re doing okay. How about you? Did you manage to grab some dinner?”
Matt chuckled and shook his head. “Not yet. We were just headed that way. Brad, this is a friend of mine, Penny Brown.”
“Miss Brown.” Brad tipped a finger to his forehead in Penny’s direction.
“Nice to meet you.” Penny gaped at the crowd of onlookers behind the yellow police tape. The scene looked like one straight out of a television crime drama. An occasional camera flash from reporters caught her eye. Several video crews pressed up against the barricade, cameras apparently filming the outside of the bank and the multitude of law enforcement people who milled about.
Instead of entering the bank, Brad led them down the sidewalk away from the bank and toward the grocery store. They came to a stop in front of a large garbage bin.
“This is what I thought you should see.”
Penny ogled a small pistol which lay on the ground near a small green canvas bag.
Matt bent down on his knees and examined the gun closely.
“It’s plastic!” He looked up at Brad who shook his head and rested large hands on his holstered hips.
“I know, Chief. Can you believe it?”
“So, what? The guy didn’t even have a gun?”
Brad clicked his teeth. “Doesn’t look like it.”
Matt straightened. “Is this the bag from the bank? Did the bank manager identify it?”
Brad scratched his head. “Yeah, he said that’s the one the teller filled. I guess the perp must have transferred the money into something else.”
Matt straightened up and looked around. He signaled for a technician who took pictures, retrieved the toy gun and bag and placed them in evidence bags. Penny ogled Matt as he casually directed the scene. Her hero worship increased twofold.
“Okay, what else?” Matt turned back to Brad and moved toward the entrance of the bank. Penny hesitated, uncertain whether she should follow. Matt turned back and signaled her forward.
Just outside the glass doors, a tall, slender man in his middle fifties walked up and slapped Matt on the back.
“Hey, Matt, this is something else, isn’t it? I can’t even remember the last time we had a bank hit here in Gulf Shores.” His pleasantly pitched voice held a note of excitement. Brad moved away to reenter the building.
Penny peered at the back of the newcomer’s jacket which read “FBI.”
“Hey, Cliff. I wondered when you guys were going to show up.”
Cliff, tanned and outdoorsy with striking salt and pepper hair, chuckled.
“We’ve been here. Where have you been?”
Matt grinned. “Back at the station. I had some stuff to take care of.” He nodded in the direction of the bank. “Does this fit any patterns?”
Cliff turned to face the bank and shook his head. “No, I don’t think we’ve seen this guy before. He doesn’t sound familiar, but with the ski mask on, who knows?” He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged.
Penny clasped her hands behind her back and stared down at the sidewalk in what she hoped was a disappearing pose. Cliff had already sent several curious looks her way.
“Cliff, this is a friend of mine. Penny Brown.”
Cliff, in the act of extending a slender browned hand to Penny, stilled. Penny stuck her hand in his, belatedly aware that he hadn’t actually re
ached for hers. An awkward handshake disconnect. She blushed. He seemed to recover and gave her hand a polite squeeze.
“Penny Brown... How do you do? It’s nice to meet you.” The narrowed crease between his eyes seemed at odds with his words. He gave her a hard stare for a moment before his face lightened and he smiled widely. “Any friend of Matt’s...”
Penny returned his smile though she wondered at his initial hesitation. Had Matt ever mentioned her to him? Her heart sped up for a moment. Had Matt spoken of her to someone else? Perhaps he hadn’t forgotten her after all.
“Watch out for this guy, Penny,” Matt said with a grin. “So, we don’t have any other evidence right now, do we? No footprints. No getaway car. A plastic gun. You knew about that, right? The dogs haven’t even picked up a trail.”
Cliff shook his head. “No, nothing. We’ve got the film from the security camera, but it doesn’t really tell us much...just a tall guy with a dark mask over his face. Maybe this will be one of those times a family member or friend gives the guy up.”
Matt nodded. “That would be nice.”
“Well, I’m gonna take off, got to get my beauty sleep. I’ll let your guys handle the rest tonight.” He turned to Penny. “It was nice to meet you, Penny. I don’t think you’re a local by your accent. Are you visiting?”
“Yes, for a few months.”
Cliff eyed her speculatively for a moment. Penny squirmed until he grinned and nodded. “Well, then I hope to see you again soon.”
Penny nodded jerkily and gave him a crooked smile. Did he know about Matt and her? Their past? He wasn’t looking at her as a suspect, was he? She’d been too busy with her own trauma on the beach.
“See you in the morning, Cliff,” Matt called out to Cliff’s retreating back, before he turned to stare at the bank, seemingly lost in thought.
“I’ll be right back. I need to talk to Brad for a minute, and then we’ll go.” Penny followed his gaze to Brad, visible now inside the bank behind the counter.
“Okay,” she murmured.
She watched Matt enter the bank. How well she remembered that walk, a relaxed gait with an extra lift at the end of his toes. She turned away to watch the crowd of onlookers who seemed to swell at times and ebb to only a few ardent crime drama fans.