Ask Anyone

“Well, there’s certainly no question that you’ll stand out in a crowd. Was that what you were hoping?” she inquired, knowing perfectly well that Darcy much preferred to blend in. Usually these little displays were designed solely to drive her mother up the wall. Darcy knew her mother would insist they be corrected by the time she went out in public.

“Yes,” Darcy said stubbornly.

“Good.” Jenna made a quick decision, one she hoped might impart a stronger lesson than the usual punishment she doled out, apparently rather ineffectively since the misbehavior kept recurring. “Run on upstairs and pack your clothes.”

Darcy’s eyes widened. Her lower lip quivered. “You’re sending me away?”

“No, I’m taking you away,” Jenna corrected, her expression as cheerful as if nothing at all were amiss. “We’re going on vacation first thing tomorrow.”

Her daughter blinked at that. “You’re letting me go like this?”

“It is the unique look you wanted, isn’t it?” Jenna asked innocently.

“But…”

“But what?”

“You usually take me straight over to Rene’s and make her fix it.”

Jenna smiled. “Not this time. Besides, you’ve already cut your hair pretty short. I’m not sure what a hairdresser could do to correct it.”

A horrified expression crossed Darcy’s face. “You’re making me keep it like this?”

“Yep,” Jenna said as Mrs. Jamison turned away to hide a smile.

Tears pooled in Darcy’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “I hate you,” she shouted, and ran from the kitchen.

Jenna sighed.

“You’re doing the right thing,” Mrs. Jamison reassured her. “It’s a good lesson in living with the consequences of her actions.”

“I know, but you haven’t been to Trinity Harbor,” Jenna said, voicing her one regret about the plan. “Darcy is going to stand out like a sore thumb.”

“Then she won’t be so quick to do something impulsive like this again,” the housekeeper said.

Jenna looked at the woman who’d raised her brothers and done her best to be a mother to Jenna on her rare visits home. “Why does she do things like this? She’s only nine. What on earth will she be doing when she hits her teens?”

“Maybe she’ll have it all out of her system by then,” Mrs. Jamison suggested soothingly.

“Or maybe she’ll be in a juvenile detention facility,” Jenna said wearily.

“You weren’t, were you?”

“I never did anything like this,” Jenna insisted.

“Didn’t you? Maybe you never touched your hair, but then it was your pride and joy because it was red like your mama’s. I do seem to recall that you came close to giving your daddy a heart attack when you came home from school sporting a snake tattoo one year, and that was some years before tattoos were all the rage among respectable people.”

“It was temporary,” Jenna reminded her.

“Your father didn’t know that.” The housekeeper grinned and patted Jenna’s hand. “Darcy’s hair is temporary, too. It will grow and the color will wash out eventually.”

“I was really hoping she’d have a good time in Trinity Harbor. How can she if everyone keeps their kids away from her because she looks like a pint-sized member of a grunge band?”

“Is this really about Darcy being accepted, or about you?” Mrs. Jamison asked with her usual insight.

Jenna heaved a resigned sigh. The wise woman had nailed it on the head again. “A little of both,” she admitted.

After all, what kind of an impression would Darcy make on uptight Bobby Spencer? He was likely to take one look at Jenna’s child and conclude that a woman who had no better control over her daughter couldn’t possibly be entrusted with a million-dollar development plan.

“What kind of people make judgments based on appearances?” Mrs. Jamison asked.

Jenna considered the validity of this point and nodded. Bobby hadn’t exactly held her disheveled appearance against her on the morning of their meeting, had he? Maybe he’d be generous where Darcy was concerned as well.

“You’re absolutely right, Mrs. Jamison.” Why would she even want to work for someone who held a little girl’s appearance against her? “Where’s my father, by the way?”

“Out for the evening. He said he’d catch up with you at breakfast.”

Jenna didn’t bother trying to hide her relief. “Has he gotten a glimpse of Darcy?”

“Not yet. Even she was smart enough to stay in her room when he came back to change for dinner.”

“Good. Maybe I can get both of us out of town before he wakes up in the morning.”

Mrs. Jamison didn’t even pretend to hide her dismay. “You’re leaving without talking it over with him? Do you think that’s wise, Jenna?”

“I think this might be one of those times when a note is smarter than a direct confrontation,” Jenna assured her.

Besides, if she could sneak away, there would be less of a chance that he’d pry her secret mission out of her. She wanted a signed contract in her hand the next time she saw her father. It might mute his disapproval of her underhanded tactics in leaving him out of the loop on this project. She didn’t exactly have the authority to commit Pennington and Sons’s resources to this deal.

As for abandoning him at the office with no notice, to her very deep regret, she acknowledged that he probably wouldn’t even notice.

Bobby looked across his desk into the fascinated gaze of Anna-Louise Walton and winced. “You don’t approve of me trying to buy Jenna off, do you?”

“That depends on why you decided to try it,” the pastor said, amusement dancing in her eyes. “Care to explain your thinking?”

“No good could come of having her here,” Bobby said flatly. “None.”

“Because she’s a woman?” Anna-Louise asked mildly.

“Watch it,” her husband warned Bobby. “Think about your response very, very carefully. You’re about to get a sermon on being a sexist pig unless you answer this exactly right.”

“Yeah, I can see the trap,” Bobby conceded.

Anna-Louise frowned at both of them, then addressed Bobby. “Do you doubt Jenna’s qualifications?”

Bobby shook his head. “Her firm has solid credentials, though I got the impression this is her first big presentation. She all but admitted she had something to prove.”

“Okay, then,” Anna-Louise said approvingly. “And what about the plan itself? Didn’t you like it?”

“She didn’t have preliminary sketches or anything, but in terms of concept, it was actually right on target,” Bobby admitted, knowing that he was digging a very deep hole for himself.

“So you tried to get rid of her just because she’s a woman and therefore what? Not in need of a job? Not smart enough?” Anna-Louise pressed.

“Of course not,” Bobby denied heatedly. That sort of blatant discrimination was wrong. Even he could see that, though at the moment it was darned inconvenient. Besides, Jenna had made it plain that she was ambitious and smart, both admirable traits in his book.

Anna-Louise grinned. “Then it must be because you were attracted to her and that scared the living daylights out of you. You did swear off relationships after Ann-Marie ran off with Lonnie four weeks before your wedding, right?”

The mention of Ann-Marie and Lonnie still had the capacity to stir up a cold rage in Bobby. Anna-Louise wouldn’t have touched that topic if she had a grain of sense in her head, but then she hadn’t been here at the time. She hadn’t witnessed his humiliation firsthand. She only knew that the prospect of bumping into the two traitors had kept Bobby away from church ever since, and no amount of pressure or cajoling had been able to woo him back.

“I know your heart’s in the right place, Anna-Louise, but I do not want to discuss those two with you,” he said tightly. “Not ever.”

“Or with anyone else, it seems.” The minister regarded him with compassion. “Maybe it’s time you discussed your feelings about what happened with someone. Until you forgive them and let go of the past, you’ll never be able to move on with your life.”

“Not going to happen,” Bobby insisted. He’d fry in hell first.

“The only person you’re hurting is yourself,” she said softly.

Bobby sighed. That was probably true enough. He certainly hadn’t seen much evidence that Ann-Marie and Lonnie were suffering any pangs of guilt over what they’d done. The only place in town they avoided was the yacht center. Other than that, they paraded around town hand in hand, flaunting the fact that they were madly in love and seemingly oblivious to the fact that they’d betrayed Bobby to be together.

Their children were less circumspect. They turned up on the docks with their friends and invaded the kitchen for snacks whenever they could get away with it. No matter how many times Bobby told Tommy that his restaurant kitchen was off-limits to him and his friends, Daisy’s adopted son continued to treat it as if it contained his own personal stash of treats. Ann-Marie’s boy, J.C., was usually among the interlopers.

Even so, the yacht center and restaurant were still about the only places left where Bobby felt reasonably safe from unexpected encounters with the two people responsible for breaking his heart. Not that he intended to admit any of that to Anna-Louise. He just sat there stonily, enduring her expectant stare.

Richard finally took pity on him and spoke to his wife. “Hon, maybe you shouldn’t push this. Besides, I’m not sure we’re entitled to know why Bobby doesn’t want to work with Jenna. It’s his project and his money.”

“I thought he might feel better if he made a confession about his real reasons for trying to avoid working with her,” Anna-Louise said unrepentantly.

“Wrong church,” Richard pointed out. “He needs a priest for that.”

“I can listen,” Anna-Louise protested. “And offer comfort and forgiveness. The mechanics might be different, but the principle’s the same no matter which church I belong to.”

Bobby chuckled despite himself. “Sorry, Anna-Louise. I’m not in need of either one. I’m perfectly comfortable with my decision. The only thing I regret is that it didn’t work. The woman’s stubborn as a mule.” Spencers knew all about stubbornness, it didn’t take much for them to recognize it in others. And Jenna had it in spades.

The pastor’s eyes brightened. “Then she is coming back? Good! I can hardly wait to meet her. Daisy and I will host a little get-together so she can get acquainted with a few people.”

Richard groaned. “You just want a chance to cross-examine her and see how she measures up as a candidate for Bobby’s love life.”

“I most certainly do not,” Anna-Louise said indignantly. “I’m perfectly content to leave the matchmaking to King. Although the way I hear it, Jenna does look an awful lot like Ann-Marie. Is that so, Bobby?”

The observation seemed to suck the breath right out of him. He hadn’t considered it consciously before, but it was true. Jenna did bear a remarkable resemblance to the woman who had broken his heart and humiliated him in the process. Maybe that was why he’d reacted so violently the first time he’d seen her. Maybe it had nothing to do with the commotion on his lawn at all.

“I refuse to answer,” he said blandly.

“Which must mean she does,” Anna-Louise said complacently. “King is going to be in hog heaven when he hears that little tidbit.”

“Not an especially reassuring thought,” Bobby noted. He glanced hopefully at Richard. “Can you stop this?”

“Not a chance. My wife is an independent woman. So is your sister. You don’t have a prayer, my friend.”

Bobby scowled at Anna-Louise. “I could pray about this, couldn’t I? And a benevolent God would take pity on me, right?”

She grinned. “Maybe. Maybe not. It all depends on what He has in mind for you. He might have sent Jenna down here in the first place just to shake you out of the doldrums.”

“If He did, it was a mean trick,” Bobby retorted.

“No, in that case, it was a divine plan,” she countered. “Pay attention to it.”

Bobby shot a commiserating look at Richard. “And you live with this kind of reasoning all the time? I feel for you.”

Richard chuckled and put an arm around his wife’s waist as he steered her toward the door. “It has its compensations,” he said. “And since we’re already married, she doesn’t have to meddle in my love life.”

Bobby laughed as he watched them leave, but as soon as they were out of sight, his expression sobered. For all of his tart comments, he envied what they had. He truly did.

He just wasn’t sure he was ready to take the risks involved in trying to find something like it for himself. And even if he were, Jenna Kennedy would be the last person on earth he’d choose. He liked serenity, and the way he felt around her was anything but serene.

As he always did when he was stressed, Bobby retreated to the kitchen at the yacht center. The dinner rush was only an hour away, and he’d been in the middle of preparations when Richard had come by, ostensibly to get information about the stolen carousel horse. Since he’d come with Anna-Louise in tow, Bobby was a little suspicious of his real motives. Precious little of their time together had been spent talking about the theft. Once the conversation had veered off-course to the topic of Jenna, it had never gotten back on track again.

As he walked into the kitchen, he found the air thick with the spicy scent of steamed shrimp and crabs. The pungent aroma of garlic for the night’s scampi special added to his sense of well-being. Based on the aromas alone, he was reassured that the food tonight would be incredible.

This was his milieu. There was nothing he liked better than experimenting with ingredients, adding a dash of this herb or a sprinkling of that one to bring out the flavor of a dish in a whole new way.

For a man who liked his life to be peaceful and calm, the commotion of a restaurant kitchen just before the crowds descended should have been disconcerting, but it suited him. He liked the bustle, the camaraderie, even the temperamental outbursts of his pastry chef, who was a perfectionist and tolerated nothing less from anyone coming into contact with the pies and cakes and light-as-air confections he created. The concept of great meals being orchestrated out of confusion was satisfying to him.

Bobby moved from counter to gleaming counter, from oven to oven, to check on the progress of the night’s specials. Everything looked as delicious as it smelled. He clapped his hands and caught everyone’s attention.

“We’re booked to capacity tonight,” he announced. “Let’s everybody stay calm and focused and make this a memorable evening all the way around.”

Suddenly the eyes that had been trained on him shifted their focus at the sound of a door opening.

“So, this is where you spend your time when you’re not trying to bribe people into leaving town,” a honeyed voice said.

He’d discovered all too recently that only one person had a voice like that, only one had the capacity to make his blood pound, only one had the temerity to invade his space—Jenna. How could she possibly be back already? Bobby had been counting on having at least a few days to mentally prepare for her return. Her overnight return caught him totally off-guard.

As his entire staff feigned a sudden interest in the food preparation that was already under control, he turned slowly. “Back already, Jenna?”

“What can I say? I felt so welcome here, I rushed right back. Can we talk?”

“Not now,” he said emphatically. He tucked a hand under her elbow and escorted her back to the dining room. “No one besides staff is allowed back here.”

She peered around his shoulder for one last glimpse of the kitchen. “Don’t want the customers to see what you’re doing to their food? Are you using some preservative that will eventually kill them all?”

He scowled at her. “That isn’t even mildly amusing. No one is allowed back here, first, because I say so, and, second, because it’s dangerous. They get in the way. They can get burned. Fair warning, Ms. Kennedy.”

“Duly noted,” she said, not looking the least bit chastened. “When can we talk?”

“Where are you staying? I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“I meant tonight,” she said.

“I’m sure you did. Tomorrow will have to do.”

Her gaze met his. “Is everything between us going to be a battle?”

“Pretty much,” he said unrepentantly. “It’s your choice to be here. I can’t ban you from the town, but I don’t have to deal with you on your terms.”

“But you do have to deal with me,” she said just as emphatically. “I’m not going away until you do. What time do you close?”

“On a weeknight, the last of the customers are gone by ten, except at the bar. I’m finished cleaning up in the kitchen about an hour later.”

“I’ll be here,” she said, her gaze unflinching.

Bobby had to admire her grit. Most people would have wilted and accepted his terms. Most would have seen the sense in giving him a tiny, albeit meaningless, victory. Jenna apparently didn’t intend to give an inch.

“Whatever,” he said, resigned. He headed for the kitchen.

“And don’t try sneaking out the back door,” she called after him.

Bobby flushed guiltily at that. It was exactly what he had been contemplating. He turned back slowly and, as if the thought had never crossed his mind, said, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

She laughed. “Then you aren’t half as sneaky as you’ve wanted me to believe. I’ll see you around eleven.”

“I wish I could say I’ll be looking forward to it,” Bobby retorted, then pushed open the kitchen door and retreated.

Safely inside, he leaned for a moment against the counter, drew in a deep breath and prayed for patience.

While he was at it, he added a little prayer for help in resisting temptation, because for the last ten minutes—ever since Jenna Kennedy had appeared in his kitchen—all he’d been able to think about was kissing the annoying woman senseless.

6

J enna felt triumphant as she went back to the table where Darcy was waiting, her expression sullen.

“There’s nothing on this menu I like,” Darcy complained as Jenna sat down.

“You love crabcakes,” Jenna said, refusing to be goaded into an argument. “And hamburgers and French fries.”

“Not anymore,” Darcy insisted in the lofty tone of someone twice her age.

“Then sit there while I eat.”

Darcy stared at Jenna with a shocked expression. “You’re going to let me starve?”

“You won’t starve if you miss one meal,” Jenna said, holding firm for once. “Besides, it’s your decision not to eat, not mine.”

Her daughter seemed taken aback. “Mommy, what’s happened to you? You never used to be like this.”

“I developed a backbone,” Jenna said, realizing that it was true. For too long she had catered to Darcy’s every whim—to say nothing of Randall Pennington’s—out of guilt over divorcing Nick. She had paid and paid and paid. Well, no more. It hadn’t done any good that she could see, anyway.

Astonishingly, the shift in her thinking had happened after she’d had her first encounter with the impossible Bobby Spencer. He had solidified every ounce of resolve she’d ever possessed. Someday, when he stopped annoying her, she would thank him for that.

“I don’t like it,” Darcy said, pouting.

Jenna grinned at her. “No, I imagine you don’t, but get used to it, because this is the way it’s going to be from now on. We’re turning over a new leaf while we’re in Trinity Harbor.”

“What does that mean?” Darcy asked suspiciously.

“It means you don’t run the show, I do,” Jenna told her. “It’ll be a new experience for both of us.”

Just then a waitress approached and asked to take their orders. Jenna looked at Darcy. “Are you just having water, or have you reconsidered?”

“I’ll have a hamburger,” Darcy said meekly. “And French fries.”

Jenna hid a smile, then ordered the shrimp scampi for herself along with a salad of arugula, endive, blue cheese and walnuts. “I’ll have water to drink for now and coffee after dinner.” She glanced at Darcy. “What would you like to drink?”

“A soda,” Darcy said at once, regarding Jenna with a defiant look.

Since she’d won the earlier battle over the food, Jenna gave in on the soda. Normally, she restricted her daughter’s intake of sodas to one a day, and Darcy was already well over that limit; she’d begged to stop for a drink three times en route to Trinity Harbor.

“Since this is the first night of our vacation, you can have it,” Jenna agreed. “But don’t press your luck tomorrow.”

As soon as the waitress had brought the drinks, Jenna spotted a woman heading straight toward them, a man and boy in tow. Belatedly she realized the man was the same sheriff’s deputy she’d met on Sunday at Bobby Spencer’s. He nodded at Jenna.

“Ms. Kennedy, I don’t know if you remember me,” he said.

“Of course, I do. It’s Walker Ames, isn’t it?”

“Good memory.”

“It was a memorable occasion,” she said dryly.

His grin transformed his somber face. “That it was. The impatient woman beside me is my wife, Daisy. And this is our son, Tommy.”

As Jenna was about to acknowledge the introduction, Walker held up a silencing hand. “And just so you know, Daisy is a Spencer. She’s Bobby’s sister.”

Daisy frowned at her husband. “You didn’t have to say that like she needs to be warned.”

“Oh, yes, I did,” Walker said with a sympathetic look at Jenna. “Prepare yourself. Daisy has questions.”

“A million of them,” Daisy agreed. “Will you be in town long?”

“For as long as it takes,” Jenna told her.

“Have you considered buying a house and thinking ahead toward retirement?” Daisy said wryly. “My brother can be difficult.”

“So I’ve gathered,” Jenna said, her tone just as dry.

Tommy was eyeing Darcy with evident fascination. “Cool haircut,” he said admiringly.

“Don’t even think about it,” Walker said emphatically.

Daisy rolled her eyes. “Long story, but Tommy is actually Walker’s nephew. Walker is still adapting to his new role as Tommy’s father. He hasn’t quite grasped the concept that forbidding something only makes it more alluring.”

Jenna laughed and gestured at Darcy. “Sweetheart, tell Deputy Ames what I told you right before you dyed your hair green.”

“She told me I couldn’t dye it purple,” Darcy said, then added with a proud lift of her chin, “and I didn’t.”

Daisy bit back a smile. “Ah, the loophole defense. I’m a teacher. I hear that one quite often.” She tucked an arm around Tommy’s shoulders, then added pointedly, “It doesn’t work with me.”

Tommy shrugged. “I’ve figured that out.” His gaze went back to Darcy. “You want to come by and see my boat sometime? Walker and me have been working on it for a really long time. It’s almost ready to go in the water.”

Darcy nodded at once, her sullen expression vanishing at the prospect of finding a friend and having an adventure. “Sure. Mom, would it be okay?”

“Please,” Daisy said at once. “Jenna, you and I could chat.”

Walker groaned. “Agree at your own peril,” he warned Jenna. “My wife is not known for the subtlety of her grilling.”

Jenna was undaunted by that. “Neither am I,” she said at once.

Daisy laughed. “You and I are going to get along very well,” she said. “What about tomorrow at noon? We can have lunch.”

“I’d love it,” Jenna said, already envisioning the million and one tips she could get on handling Daisy’s brother. “We’ll be there.”

“I don’t suppose there’s any chance at all that Bobby’s name won’t come up,” Walker said in one last display of masculine loyalty.

“None,” Jenna and Daisy agreed in chorus.

“Then I’d better go in the kitchen and warn him he might want to consider abandoning any thought of developing the riverfront and concentrate on leaving town,” Walker said, heading off in that direction.

Tommy looked up at Daisy. “Why would Uncle Bobby want to leave town?”

“That’s just Walker’s way of being a smart aleck,” Daisy told him. “It is not an attractive quality. Don’t even think about emulating him.”