“Thanks,” Penelope said shyly. “I’m glad you were with me, though. I don’t know what I would have done by myself.”
“So Rose will probably go to jail for involuntary manslaughter because she was worried about a little competition from Emilio?”
“I guess, or she just couldn’t handle all of the changes that are happening on the island,” Penelope said. “I talked to Emilio and he said the charges against him have been dropped. He also said he’s going to make Shane agree to have a portion of the restaurant’s business be devoted to teaching. He wants to teach cooking classes for the local kids here, free of charge.”
“Well, that’s one good thing to come out of this mess,” Joey said.
“I’m so relived Rebekkah woke up,” Penelope said.
“Was she able to tell the police anything?” Joey asked.
“She confirmed the story that Emilio told, about them going to the house after the party, then leaving in a panic when they realized how far from home they were in a strange man’s house. They got scared and ran.”
Joey shook his head sadly. “Emilio might be a little reckless, but they were safer inside with him.”
“She’s still traumatized by the whole thing, mostly by losing her best friend. I hope that eventually she’ll be okay. Arlena visited Rebekkah in the hospital, offered to help her start the drama club they had talked about on the set, if that’s still something Rebekkah wants to do.”
“Maybe that will be something good for her, when she’s back on her feet at school,” Joey offered.
They were quiet for a moment, thinking about everything that had happened and listening to the waves lapping against the dock.
“I’m going to miss you,” Penelope said after a minute. She laid her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat.
“Me too, Penny Blue,” Joey said, gazing out at the water. “Listen, I know we’re both busy and our schedules are crazy, but when you get home, I’d like to see you more often.”
Penelope’s heart fluttered in her chest, but she kept her expression neutral.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Joey said, a bit bashfully. “If you want to, and we both feel that way in a couple of months, I would like us to get more serious, take our relationship to the next level.”
Waves started lapping against the dock as the ferry approached the slip, the captain slowing down to ease it up to the dock. Penelope saw a few expectant faces, happy beachgoers who were going to spend their Saturday experiencing some of Andrea Island’s Old Florida charm.
“That sounds really nice, Joey,” Penelope said, moving in to kiss him.
Joey kissed her back and then pulled away, looking into her eyes. “I don’t want you to feel pressured or make any promises you don’t want to keep. I just want to be with you.”
Penelope smiled and kissed him again as the ferry passengers began to disembark onto the dock around them. “Joey, I want to be with you too,” she said.
Joey’s eyes flicked to the Isn’t She Lovely in the furthest slip on the dock. He raised his arm and waved at Arlena and Max, who stood on the top deck watching them. They returned his wave and he said, “Because if you’re interested in anyone else, I’m not looking for that kind of relationship. I want to be exclusive with the right person, and I feel like the right person for me is you.”
Penelope looked at him, not sure how to respond. Finally she settled on, “Joey, I’m not interested in anyone else.”
Joey smiled and shook his head. “Tell you what. You think about it for the rest of the time you’re down here. And then we’ll talk when you get back, see where we are.”
Penelope nodded and said, “That sounds fair. I can’t wait until this movie wraps and we can all get home.”
“Are you tired of living in paradise, Penny Blue?”
“Paradise is much more than warm weather and sandy beaches. For me, it’s being with the people you care about the most. You can be in paradise wherever you are if you have that.”
The horn sounded behind them and Joey kissed Penelope again, then pulled away to gaze at her face.
“Okay, that’s my cue,” Joey said, picking up his suitcase and heading towards the ferry.
“Call me when you land, okay?” Penelope called to him. A warm aching sensation spread through her chest as he walked away.
Joey turned and waved. “Will do. I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too,” Penelope said, swallowing a lump in her throat.
The ferry pulled away from the dock and headed out to sea. Penelope watched it go for as long as she could still see it. When the ferry disappeared from sight, she turned and walked slowly down the dock to the Isn’t She Lovely, smiling contently and waving lazily at the old fishermen as she passed by.
About the Author
Shawn Reilly Simmons was born in Indiana, grew up in Florida, and began her professional career in New York City as a sales executive after graduating from the University of Maryland with a BA in English. Since then Shawn has worked as a bookstore manager, fiction editor, convention organizer, wine consultant and caterer. She has been on the Board of Directors of Malice Domestic since 2003, and is a founding member of The Dames of Detection. Cooking behind the scenes on movie sets perfectly combined two of her great loves, movies and food, and provides the inspiration for her series.
The Red Carpet Catering Mystery Series
By Shawn Reilly Simmons
Read all about them and/or grab the book from Amazon
MURDER ON A SILVER PLATTER (#1)
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MURDER ON THE HALF SHELL (#2)
MURDER ON A DESIGNER DIET (#3)
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Henery Press Mystery Books
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Murder on the Half Shell (A Red Carpet Catering Mystery Book 2) Page 19