As Colt hung up the phone, his heart swelled with gratitude and elated anticipation. Thanks to his unexpected ally, he’d be able to give Penny the epic first date she deserved.
Stuffing his cell in his back pocket, he pushed through the front door of Thistle & Thorn.
Glancing up from a history book laid open on the checkout counter, Bree flushed a pale pink that matched her bubblegum-colored poodle skirt. “Hi,” she said with a shy smile. “Penny’s not here right now.”
“I know.” Colt flashed a mischievous grin. He’d asked Cassie to lure her from the store for a few minutes so he could talk to Bree alone. “I’m actually looking for you.”
“Y-you are?” she stammered in surprise.
“Yep.” He sidestepped a large wooden butter churn and approached the counter. “You know how Penny asked you to build a sandcastle for her when you move to Santa Barbara?”
“Yeah…” She cocked her head curiously.
“For our date on Saturday, I’d like to take her somewhere to build her own. Do you know if she has a favorite beach?”
“What a great idea!” Bree beamed, before pinching her brows in contemplation. “I don’t recall her ever mentioning a specific beach. But…” She trailed off, tapping a finger to her lips.
“But what?”
“Well, she has this photograph of a beach hanging in her kitchen. It stood out to me because the rest of her artwork is either a painting or a tapestry. So, the photograph seems personal, you know?”
Colt nodded, his heartbeat accelerating.
“I asked her about it,”—Bree continued with a small shrug—“but all she said was something vague about it being her happy place.”
Deep in thought, Colt ran a hand through his hair. Penny’s happy place sounded perfect, but how would he find out where the photograph was taken? Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he leaned across the counter eagerly. “Bree, can you do me a huge favor?”
“Maybe.” She squinted through thick eyelashes. “What kind of favor?”
“I need you to stand guard while I sneak into Penny’s apartment for a peek at that photo.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, I don’t know…”
“I admit, it’s a long shot,” he said in a rush, his adrenaline pumping now. “But I have an idea. And if it works, I’m sure Penny won’t mind the brief intrusion.”
Chewing her bottom lip, she glanced at the front door. “But what if she comes back while you’re up there?”
“I’m sure you’ll think of some way to stall her. I can be in and out in less than ten minutes,” he assured her.
“I guess it would be pretty special if you could find the same beach,” Bree admitted slowly, a smile lighting her eyes. “Okay, I’ll be lookout.”
“Perfect! Thank you.” Excitement rising in his chest, he strode toward the back of the shop.
“Wait! One more thing.” Bree leveled a serious gaze on him. “Make sure you close the door behind you. The frame is warped and it won’t shut all the way unless you really give it a good shove.”
“I’ll be in and out so quickly, I figured I’d just leave it open.”
“Don’t do that!” she gasped in horror. “Chip’ll get out.”
“Chip?”
“Penny’s pet tortoise.” She sounded surprised the name didn’t register.
“Right, got it.” He made a mental note to learn all there was to know about Penny during their date on Saturday. With the way he felt about her, he should be intimately acquainted with details like having a pet tortoise. “I’ll make sure it’s closed.”
Satisfied, Bree turned to face the entrance, keeping her eyes peeled for Penny.
As Colt made his way through the back of the shop and up the narrow staircase, his pulse quickened. While he’d prefer not to visit Penny’s apartment for the first time without her, the opportunity was too serendipitous to pass up. He only hoped his efforts paid off.
After finagling his way through the finicky front door with an exaggerated nudge, his jaw dropped. The interior of Penny’s home mirrored her personality—warm, vibrant, and completely captivating—from the boho-chic style to the inviting scent of sweet tea leaves that lingered in the air. He longed to explore every inch of the enticing space, but time—and his anti-snooping conscience—kept him on track.
He needed to find the photograph.
After ensuring the front door was latched securely, he quickly scanned the walls of the tiny kitchen, finally landing on a framed photograph of two young girls building a sandcastle on the beach. Bingo.
Gently lifting it off the wall, he laid it facedown on the tile counter.
He froze when he heard a faint rustling of leaves.
Following the sound, he marveled as a large tortoise emerged through a thicket of house plants.
The curious animal seemed to glare at him through narrowed eyelids.
“You must be Chip. Sorry, pal. I’ll be out of your hair in a second. I’m just—” He paused. Why in the world was he explaining himself to a reptile?
Exhaling a jittery laugh, he returned his attention to the task at hand.
His fingers tingled with hopeful expectation as he turned the tabs holding the backing in place. As he removed it, he flashed back to the afternoon in the storage room when Penny showed him the inscription, regaling him with the bewitching story about the woman in the picture. He could still envision the shimmer in her eyes as she discovered the hidden message.
Colt peeled back the flimsy sheet of cardboard, holding his breath as his eyes strained to locate the object of his search.
Eureka!
There, in the lower right-hand corner, he found exactly what he was looking for.
But before he could whoop in triumph, a vibration in his back pocket disrupted the moment.
Slipping out his cell phone, his heartbeat stalled at the text on the screen.
Good news! The opportunity you’ve been waiting for has just opened up….
Gazing across the counter at Cassie and Eliza, Penny licked a smear of chocolate sauce off her bottom lip. “This is incredible! But what exactly am I tasting?”
“It’s a chocolate peanut butter pie with a mochaccino mousse.” Eliza’s dark eyes glowed with pride. “It’s for the Fourth of July pie contest.”
“If it were up to me, I’d give you the blue ribbon right now.” Penny dug her fork into the creamy filling, eager for another bite.
“That’s what I told her.” Cassie smiled, turning from her copper espresso machine with a fresh latte in hand. “But she wanted a second opinion.”
“Cassie loves anything with coffee in it, so she’s biased,” Eliza explained with a good-natured grin. “But if you like it, even as a non-coffee drinker, I know it’s a winner.”
“I love it,” Penny told her sincerely. “The coffee flavor is subtle and pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the peanut butter and chocolate.”
“Hooray! I’m so happy to hear that.” Eliza clasped her hands together, bouncing on her toes. “I’m determined to top Frida Connelly’s cinnamon pecan pie. Although, I’m pretty sure she bribes the judges since she wins every year.”
“You’re probably right,” Penny laughed. “But this is definitely delicious enough to take first place.” Savoring another bite, she mumbled, “I can’t believe it’s almost July. It seems like only yesterday you were a June Bride.”
Cassie beamed. “I know! Time flies, doesn’t it? But I’m looking forward to my first Fourth of July in Poppy Creek. Luke says after the festivities in the town square, there are fireworks at Willow Lake.”
“That’s my favorite part,” Penny admitted, wondering what it would be like to watch the stunning display with Colt by her side. Involuntary chills ran down her spine at the thought.
“Remember Colt’s last Fourth of July picnic?” Eliza snickered.
Penny groaned, wrenched from her pleasant reverie. “Don’t remind me.”
“What happened?” Cassie asked, glancing between them.
“Colt used to be quite the prankster,” Eliza said with a bemused shake of her head. “For some reason, he thought it would be funny to set off the sprinklers in the town square. Everything got soaked, including the pie tent. No one won a blue ribbon that year.”
“Oh no! That’s terrible,” Cassie gasped.
“People were pretty upset about it.” Penny cringed at the memory. “Especially Mayor Burns. It was his first year in office.” Truthfully, she’d never seen the man look so upset. “To this day, they keep all the tents off the lawn. They close off the streets to through traffic and set them up there, instead.”
“Well, I’m sure Colt learned his lesson,” Cassie said kindly. “I doubt he’d do something like that now.”
“He’s changed a lot since our childhood years,” Eliza agreed. “Especially since you two started hanging out.”
Penny flushed as Eliza smirked in her direction.
“To think,” Eliza continued, “none of this would have happened if Cassie hadn’t told Mayor Burns to pair the two of you together.”
“What?” Startled, Penny darted her gaze from Eliza to Cassie. “It was your idea?”
Cassie’s cheeks turned the same bright red as her apron. “I didn’t tell him to, exactly. I overheard him mentioning the change he wanted to make to the article’s topic. And I merely suggested Colt had a lot of experience in that area. I had no idea he’d be so excited about it. I actually got the impression he knew Colt wouldn’t be thrilled, which is why he found the idea so appealing.”
“That’s no surprise,” Eliza snorted. “He probably figured it was payback for all of Colt’s antics back in high school. Little did he realize he’d be the catalyst for Colt’s happily ever after.”
Her friends turned affectionate gazes in her direction, and Penny shifted on the barstool.
It seemed like everyone had their future all planned out.
If only she had the same level of certainty.