12. Penny #2
"I keep it locked away in the hotel's private storage garages to keep it out of the salty coastal air," Martin admitted, a soft, deeply emotional warmth creeping into his voice.
"I don't take it out much these days. It was actually a milestone birthday present from my late wife, Suzi, six years ago.
She knew exactly how much I loved classic cars, especially this specific model, and she spent months tracking down a numbers-matching Holiday Sedan in pristine condition just to surprise me. "
For a brief second, a thick wave of raw emotion flared in his eyes, a quiet testament to the heavy memories attached to the vehicle.
Penny stood there, awestruck, her heart doing a strange, sympathetic flutter at his vulnerability.
She looked from the pristine chrome of the car back to the subtle sadness lingering on his face, seeing a completely different side to the structured wealth manager.
"You should absolutely take Penny out for a drive, Martin," Sophia piped up suddenly, breaking the quiet moment with a thoroughly helpful, bright grin.
"Yes, definitely," Emma added instantly, stepping forward to lean against the porch railing.
"Martin, you have no idea. Penny absolutely loves classic cars.
She actually took me to her father's massive classic car restoration business back in Miami when I was only eight years old, and it was the coolest thing ever. "
"What?" Martin’s brows shot up in absolute surprise, his gaze snapping back to Penny. "Your father used to restore classic cars?"
Penny let out a soft, nostalgic laugh, her shoulders dropping as she leaned her hip against the driver's side door.
"Oh, yes. He had a sports car sales franchise and an auto repair business, but vintage restoration was his absolute life's passion.
I practically grew up under the chassis of old Mustangs and Corvettes, helping him turn wrenches and trace electrical grounds.
When he passed away five years ago, it broke my heart, but I had to sell the corporate franchise side of the business because the legal work in Miami was just too demanding.
I kept all his old personal tools, though.
That's where I learned how to do all my own wiring and bodywork. "
"You should really have a ride in it right now, Penny," Lily encouraged her, practically beaming as she gave her cousin a subtle, victorious nudge.
Martin looked at Penny, the corner of his mouth tugging upward into a warm, genuinely inviting smile. "Do you want to go for a quick drive down the coastal road?"
"Is that even a real question?" Penny said, a bright, excited grin breaking across her face as she immediately started walking around to the passenger side of the car.
"You can actually drive it if you want to," Martin called out over the roof, jingling the keys in his hand.
"Wait, what?" Jake choked out, his eyes widening in total disbelief as he stared at his uncle. "Didn't you strictly tell Uncle Michael and Owen last week that absolutely no one ever gets to?—"
Jake didn't get to finish his sentence because Penny missed the sharp, aggressive nudge Sophia slammed right into her brother's shoulder, accompanied by a fierce glare that silently told him to shut his mouth.
"I think that is a truly great idea," Lily said smoothly, stepping in front of Jake to block him from view.
"Yeah, Penny is a really great driver, Martin," Emma chimed in with a decisive nod.
"I’d absolutely love to drive," Penny told him, her excitement overriding her usual cautious nature as she walked right back to the driver's side.
Martin stepped forward, holding the heavy steel door open for her with a chivalrous nod, and she smoothly slid into the low, pristine vinyl bucket seat, the nostalgic smell of old leather and gasoline instantly wrapping around her.
Martin walked around the front bumper, opening the passenger door and sliding into the seat beside her. He glanced back out the window at the teenagers standing on the gravel. "You kids coming along with us?"
"Uh..." Jake said, getting aggressively nudged forward by Sophia again. He let out a loud, thoroughly fake cough, rubbing his stomach dramatically. "I don't think I can get back into a car for a while, Martin. I am suddenly feeling a little car sick from the drive over here."
"Me too," Lily agreed instantly, holding her stomach in solidarity.
"Yeah, we will just stay right here and start unpacking some of the tools in the dining room," Emma suggested with a bright, entirely innocent smile.
Penny’s eyes narrowed in deep, sudden suspicion as she looked at the five of them through the windshield.
It was glaringly obvious. This was, undeniably, another massive setup orchestrated by a pack of teenagers.
But as her fingers gripped the thin, classic steering wheel and she looked over at Martin’s handsome, smiling face, she realized she really didn't care about their plotting at all.
She turned the key in the ignition, and the powerful V8 engine roared to life with a satisfying, deep growl that drowned out the kids' giggles entirely.
Penny didn’t hesitate for a single second.
She gripped the thin, classic steering wheel with absolute confidence, shifted the Cutlass into gear, and pressed down firmly on the accelerator.
The massive V8 engine responded with a magnificent, deep roar that vibrated right through the floorboards, throwing them back into their pristine vinyl seats as the heavy sedan shot down the gravel driveway and onto the open coastal highway.
A thrill of elation surged through Penny's chest. She rolled her window all the way down, letting the warm, salty gulf breeze instantly whip through her hair, tangling the loose strands as a wide, triumphant grin broke across her face. It had been years since she’d been behind the wheel of a machine this powerful, and the sheer, tactile responsiveness of the vintage throttle made her feel more alive than she had in a very long time.
She expertly worked the gas pedal, guiding the beautiful car through the initial sweeping bends of the road with an effortless grace born from a childhood spent test-driving her dad’s custom projects.
Martin
Beside her, Martin’s eyes were wide as he gripped the passenger door handle, his jaw slightly slack.
He’d expected her to be hesitant, perhaps a little intimidated by the sheer size and heavy mechanical steering of a classic 1970 muscle car, but watching her shift lanes with smooth, razor-sharp precision left him pleasantly stunned.
"Wow," Martin breathed, a massive laugh of genuine surprise and admiration breaking through his initial shock as he looked over at her. "Penny, you aren't just a good driver. You handle this thing better than Owen or Michael ever could. You're barely even breaking a sweat."
"I told you I grew up under a chassis, Mr. Wealth Manager!
" Penny shouted back over the glorious, throaty rumble of the exhaust, her eyes flashing with joy as she glanced at him. "You’ve got to let a machine like this stretch its legs, Martin. It’s a crime to keep it cooped up in a garage doing forty miles an hour. "
"Then by all means, let it stretch!" Martin laughed, relaxing back into his seat, all the lingering stiffness from his morning financial work evaporating into the fresh ocean air. "Show me what you’ve got."
Penny laughed, a bright, musical sound that perfectly matched the sunny, carefree morning. The road opened up into a long, flat straightaway that hugged the sparkling emerald water of the bay, the causeway visible in the far distance.
She pressed the pedal down further, letting the Cutlass fully unlock its power. The car surged forward, roaring along the coastline like a golden bullet, the engine singing a beautiful, throaty mechanical symphony that echoed off the palms lining the road.
They flew past the dunes, relaxed in each other's presence, the shared passion for the vehicle instantly melting away all the artificial walls and professional boundaries they’d spent weeks maintaining.
For the next twenty minutes, it was pure, unadulterated fun.
They talked shop over the noise of the wind, Penny pointing out the perfect tuning of the carburetor while Martin explained the exact suspension upgrades he’d meticulously installed himself.
Looking over at her vibrant, dust-smudged face and hearing her speak with such fierce, joyful authority about torque and engine blocks, Martin realized his heart was thumping for a completely new reason.
The teenagers' matchmaking scheme had been transparent, but soaring down the highway with Penny at the wheel, he couldn't help but feel that the kids had given him the greatest ride of his life heading toward a new destiny.