7. Martin #2
"Are you sure you're okay?" He leaned down a bit closer, keeping his voice strictly for her ears. "You seem a little shell-shocked."
Penny let out a low, breathy laugh and leaned in toward him.
"That is because in the space of less than two hours, I have been systematically lulled into a false sense of security. I’ve had my own profession's integrity used against me by being manipulated into making a pinky promise.
I was slyly interrogated, and..." Her eyes narrowed at the teens, who were currently setting the table with angelic precision.
"I think I was set up without even realizing it.
Those little angels over there have terrifyingly cunning minds. "
"Mmm," Martin murmured, nodding as a sharp pang of sympathy hit him.
"I did warn you not to volunteer to keep an eye on the kids tonight.
" He gave a small shake of his head, his lips twitching.
"They have good hearts, and they mean well, Penny.
They're just very sneaky. And like you said, frighteningly cunning.
" He gave a soft, rumbling laugh. "And now we know just how cunning, considering they were able to trick a world-class attorney like you, Penny. "
“Trust me, no one is more embarrassed that I walked right into their trap with slap me written all over my face.” Penny's cheeks instantly flamed a pretty shade of pink.
To hide her embarrassment, she reached into her cocoa mug, picked out a stray mini marshmallow, and popped it into her mouth.
After she finished chewing, she slowly licked the sweet chocolate from her fingers.
Martin’s heart gave another sudden, hard lurch.
His gut clenched, and his eyes lingered for a long moment over her beautiful, flushed face.
He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this utterly enchanted by someone, not since Suzi, his late wife.
Martin gave himself a firm mental shake, telling himself to stop staring, but it was a losing battle.
Whenever Penny was in the room, his gaze always seemed to gravitate right back to her.
"Dinner is served!" Sophia called out, pulling out a chair.
As Martin and Penny walked over to the table, Martin instantly noticed how the kids had arranged themselves, and the two empty seats left waiting for them.
The seat at the head of the table was open, and the chair immediately to the right of it was empty, too.
Traditionally, the partner or guest of honor was always placed to the right of the host, and the kids had laid the trap perfectly.
"I kept you the seat at the head of the table, Martin," Lily told him with a perfectly sweet, wide-eyed look. She was sitting directly to the left, opposite the open spot, making it clear which seating positions were for him and Penny.
Penny leaned in slightly toward Martin as they approached the chairs.
"You know exactly what they're doing right now, right?" she whispered.
"Yeah," Martin said with a low nod. "I knew it the moment Chef told me she hadn't even started on my dinner, only to magically produce a packed box of food, including my dinner order, that I was clearly meant to bring over here."
"Is it just me, or are you a little scared, too?" Penny gave a quiet, self-deprecating snort. "I've realized now that I have to be a lot sharper around these kids."
"It's best never to let your guard down around them.
Trust me," Martin advised, pulling out the chair to the right of the head of the table for her.
"Before, when it was just the four of them, they were bad enough.
" His eyes drifted across the table, landing affectionately on Emma.
"But now they have a new recruit. And who would have guessed that sweet little Emma was just as sharp and cunning as the rest of the pack? "
Penny blew out a long breath, gratefully sliding into the chair Martin held for her.
"Actually, a few minutes ago, I was quietly worrying about them eventually going into law or politics.
But looking at them now..." She offered him a dry, highly amused look as he took his seat at the head of the table.
"I'm thinking we should do everything in our power to ensure they never pursue a military career.
They'd take over a country before breakfast."
"Hey, as long as they're on our side, we'll be okay," Martin teased, a warm smile breaking across his handsome features.
"True," Penny whispered back, leaning a fraction closer as the kids began passing around the pizza and garlic bread. "Maybe we should just get the five of them to sort out the Winebergs for us."
"Now that is a very good idea," Martin agreed with a grin.
He settled into his seat, trying to relax.
Martin knew he should have felt like the head of the house sitting at the top of the table, but looking at the five pairs of bright, intensely observant eyes staring back at him, he had a very distinct feeling he had just sat down in the prime interrogation chair.
They all dug in, loading their plates with the hot pizza and garlic bread.
Martin tried his absolute best to act cool, relaxed, and seemingly unaffected, as if he wasn’t hyper-aware that he and Penny were currently the main targets of a highly coordinated setup.
Inside, his stomach clenched tightly, and he was by no means fooled by the easy-flowing light and happy chatter echoing around the table.
He was just waiting for the other shoe to drop, and as it turned out, he didn’t have to wait very long at all. Lily suddenly turned to him, a wide, thoroughly innocent smile on her face.
"Why aren't you out with..." Lily paused, her brow furrowing in deep thought. "What was her name again?"
She turned her head toward Sophia, who was seated right beside her, silently prompting her cousin for the answer.
"Carrie," Sophia supplied instantly, not missing a single beat.
"Yeah, she was hot," Jake chimed in from his spot beside Penny, right across from Sophia.
"Great legs," Toby added with a solemn nod, sitting beside Jake and trying to sound like a seasoned man of the world.
"Is she the woman in the photo on the yacht with all of you last summer?" Emma asked, leaning forward from her seat beside Sophia.
"Yes, that's her," Sophia confirmed, tossing a quick, knowing look across the table.
"She had lovely hair," Emma added with a sweet sigh.
"With everyone out on a date night," Lily continued, her bright eyes executing a slow, deliberate glance back and forth between Martin and Penny, "that's where they all are, right?"
"Uh..." Penny said, her words catching in her throat. Her eyes immediately flew to Martin, practically screaming for backup as she reached a slightly trembling hand toward her glass of water. "I..."
"They are all out with each other, yes," Martin hedged, trying to keep his voice sounding flat and neutral.
"Like on dates," Sophia pushed for absolute confirmation, leaning her elbows on the table. "We already know my gran is out with Darius on their second date."
"We can pretty much ascertain that my gran is out with Lily's grandad, Michael," Toby added, crossing his arms and looking entirely too smug for a pre-teen boy.
"Aunt Anna went to the hospital to see Uncle George," Jake told them, taking a large bite of his pizza. "They were married once. Rumor has it they could get back together."
"Jake!" Sophia hissed warningly, kicking him lightly under the table. "We don't know that for sure. But I really do wish it would happen."
"Yeah, Uncle George definitely needs someone like Aunt Anna in his life," Lily agreed, her expression softening into sweet sincerity.
"And my gran is with Owen," Emma added proudly, rounding out the headcount of the missing adults.
"It's like a dating virus has hit Sweet Blossom Bay," Toby said with a dramatic grimace of disgust, making all three of the girls instantly burst into giggles.
"We think it's romantic, Toby," Lily told him, giving him a playful glare.
"I guess," Jake shrugged, though a small smile tugged at his lips. "It's nice that our elders can find new partners at their age."
"Yeah," Toby agreed, nodding sagely. "At least we know if we get as old as them and are still single, there may still be a chance for us."