The Secretary Gets Her Man

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“So, meet us at the fair,” Pam said. “You were always the daring one on the roller coasters and vomit rides. We’ll make you take our kids.”

“Oh, that’s just what she needs,” Kelly said. “Kids hanging on her back pocket. You ladies forget she’s our resident celebrity.”

“Get out of here,” Penny said. “Why in the world would you call me a celebrity?”

“Do you see anybody else coming back to town with this much excitement and mystery surrounding them? Dine on it, baby.”

“I’m not mysterious.”

“So pretend, for goodness sake. Lanie Dubois will be pea green with jealousy. She still thinks she’s better than anybody else. Do you know she actually showed up at the reunion with her pom-poms? Acting all cutsie and lording it over everybody else that her daddy was promoting her to Vice President of the bank—and of course telling us she didn’t have to work, but wanted to contribute something worthwhile to society.”

“Yeah,” Pam added. “She tried to make us feel like a bunch of house frumps.”

“You’re kidding.” Kelly and Janelle were business owners and Pam ran a small ranch, sat on just about every charity board imaginable, and sold real estate on the side. Added to that, all three were raising children.

House frumps? Not likely.

“So what do you want me to do? Wear my thirty-eight on my hip?”

“Can you?” Kelly asked, rubbing her hands together.

Penny laughed. “No. And don’t you all start with me. I’d just as soon keep a low profile while I’m here, okay?”

“Killjoy,” Pam said. “Once Joe Colter gets a look at you, low profile will be history. He’s as visible as they come and he’ll set his sights on you in a heartbeat.”

“Don’t even go there,” Penny said, making a great effort to keep her voice even and her smile pleasant. “Guys like Joe Colter just don’t do it for me anymore.”

She was lying through her teeth.

A quick glance at Kelly confirmed that her friend saw right through the lie. Kelly was the only one who knew that Penny had actually slept with Joe Colter. The rest of the town just thought he’d dated her on a bet. A charity case, so to speak.

Only Kelly knew the whole truth. That sixteen years ago, she’d given her virginity and her heart to Joe Colter—and neither one had meant a thing to him.

THE WARM JUNE AIR was redolent with the smell of popcorn, hot dogs, peanuts and cooking fires. Music played and children shrieked.

Carrying a cone of blue cotton candy, Penny walked around the fair grounds, smiling at folks who kept looking at her like they ought to know her but couldn’t quite place her.

For now, she didn’t go out of her way to introduce herself. She was content for the moment to let the memories pour over her, memories of other fairs here in Darby, fairs she, Kelly, Janelle and Pam had attended as girls.

Long, banquet-style tables draped with paper cloths were set up in the middle of a makeshift food court where booths emanated wonderful scents of both American and ethnic fare. The lights on the huge Ferris wheel lit the sky with neon colors. Screaming children rocked the top gondolas as the wheel slowly stopped and started, loading and unloading riders. Calliope music from the carousel vied with the dings and bangs of ringtoss and shooting booths. The Octopus and Tilt-a-whirl had long lines of children and adults waiting their turn to become walking candidates for chiropractic healthcare.

Off in the distance, the clack of roller-coaster cars climbing the grade then speeding around dips and curves called to her.

Penny loved roller coasters. She loved danger. The faster and scarier, the better.

Tossing her cotton candy cone in a trash barrel, she stopped at one of the food booths and ordered a beer.

“Hello stranger.”

Penny jolted and nearly spilled the paper cup of beer.

Joe, wearing his hat and an apron over his uniform shirt was serving up barbecue spareribs, slaw and corn.

His gaze raked her from head to foot, his eyes alight with pure male appreciation. “I saw the cotton candy. Did you decide it’s time for dinner, now?”

Penny made a deliberate effort to steady her nerves. “Hey, life’s short. We should all eat dessert first.”

“And keep a body like that?”

“Good genes,” she said and felt a pang. She didn’t come from good genes. In fact, there was a horrible, secret flaw in hers. But she wasn’t going to think about that now. “I thought you’d be out keeping the peace. How’d you end up with barbecue duty?”

“The mayor roped me into it. Said it was goodwill.”

“Doggone mayor must be some persuasive guy. Just talks you into all sorts of things, huh?”

“Seems that way.” His grin was that of a good sport. No one looking at Joe Colter would ever make the mistake of thinking he was a man who could be pushed around. He made his own choices. Perhaps some of them were governed by the wants and needs of others, but ultimately, it was his decision. “You here alone?”

“Yes. I’m looking for some friends.”

“Kelly, Pam and Janelle.”

She raised her brows. “Is there anything that gets by you?”

“Not much.” He pointed with his industrial size spatula. “Table over there in the corner by the pizza stand. They just got here a few minutes ago.”

“Thanks. I’ll go join them.”

“Want a plate of ribs to go?”

“Sure.” She unsnapped the small purse clipped to her belt, reached for her wallet.

“On the house,” Joe said.

“Whose house?”

“Mine. I donated the beef.”

“Isn’t the money going to a charity?”

“Yes. A women’s shelter.”

“Then—”

“Take the plate, Archer. I’ll donate a few extra bucks just in your honor.”

She grinned and put away her wallet, accepting the paper plate he held out to her. “Such a deal. The shelter and I thank you.”

With her heart still pumping over unexpectedly seeing Joe and trying her best to hide the trembling in her hands, she turned and wove her way through the tables.

Joe Colter was definitely going to be a distraction while she was here.

When she got to her friends’ table, she simply grinned, nodded and sat down to eat. Pam was mopping up spilled coke, Janelle was trying and failing to tie a suitable bow in her daughter’s hair, and Kelly was at war with her sons. Penny was thoroughly entertained.

“Please, mommy. I want to do the Thunder Rider,” ten-year-old Justin complained.

“Me, too,” Kevin said, putting his hands on his hips.

Penny licked her fingers and gave the little boy a wink. “Tough guy.”

“We already talked about this, boys,” Kelly said. “No big rides tonight. Daddy’s not coming until later and there’s nobody to go with you. Besides, you’ve just eaten. You’ll get sick.”

“No we won’t.”

“Yeah, Mom,” Penny butted in. “No, we won’t.”

Kelly glared at her. “Real cute, girlfriend.”

“Do you object to the ride for safety reasons, or do you just not want the boys to go alone?”

“The rides are safe—they’ve ridden them every single night for the past three nights. I just don’t like them to go alone.”

“Then, I’ll take them.”

“You just ate half a plate of barbecue.”

“So?”

“Yeah, so?” Justin and Kevin chimed in.

“Fine,” Kelly said. “It’s your stomach and whiplash.”

Penny grinned. “My stomach’s cast iron. Who’s going on Thunder Rider?”

A chorus of “me” sounded.

AS IT TURNED OUT, Penny ended up with Kelly’s two boys, Justin and Kevin, and one of Pam’s sons, Kyle. Steven was too young, Pam said, and earned herself a four-year-old with heartbroken tears tracking down his face.

“Honestly, Steven,” Pam admonished. “We’ve been through this every night.”

“But I’m older tonight.”

“Kid’s got a point,” Penny said only loud enough for Pam to hear. She knelt down in front of little Steven. “How are you at target practice, buddy?”

He sniffed and shrugged, but his round blue eyes brightened.

“Tell you what. Soon as we get back, I’ll take you over to the shoot-’em-up booth and we’ll win the biggest prize they’ve got. Okay?”

“’Kay.” Steven shot his brother and friends a “so there” look and everyone ended up happy.

“What about you, Lindsey?” Penny asked. “Want to come?”

“I’ll stay with Steven,” she said quietly. Shyly. Something about this child spoke to Penny. Lindsey reminded Penny a lot of herself at that age. Quiet and withdrawn.

Don’t act ugly, Penny, or your crazy mother will act even uglier. And then what, huh? Everyone will know just what hideous stock you come from.

She shook off the memory, passed a hand over Lindsey’s straight-as-a-board hair. “Promise to ride on the Ferris wheel with me? We can take Steven on that one, what do you say?”

Lindsey’s eyes came instantly alive, then she composed herself quickly. “Yes, ma’am. I’d like that.”

Penny met Janelle’s gaze. Sadness was there, a parent’s heartache when she knew the cause of hurt and was trying her best to fix it, but couldn’t seem to make a lot of headway.

“She’ll snap out of it,” Penny said to Janelle as she walked past. “Though I could clobber you for teaching her such good manners. I hate being called ma’am. Come on guys.”

After a turn on the Octopus, the Tilt-a-Whirl and two passes on Thunder Rider, Penny rendezvoused with Lindsey and Steven for the promised ride on the Ferris wheel and trip to the shooting booth. The kids were treating her like a favored aunt they’d known all their lives and Penny was having a ball.

Now, watching them as their energy wound down and as her girlfriends danced with their husbands who’d finally shown up, Penny felt something inside her crack with longing. She was thirty-four years old and the ticking of her biological clock was nearly deafening.