Page 26 of Unbreakable Love

“It’s fine with me,” Penny said quietly. “It’s okay, really.”

She tipped her head to the side, toward Josie, who was bouncing on her bottom in the seat with glee.

I turned to the server, Eloise, and shrugged. “Looks that way. We’ll have a couple of waters, please.”

“Sounds good.” She gave us all a grin and set down two fresh menus. Penny still had hers in front of her, a barely sipped from glass of a clear, bubbly soda of her own telling me she hadn’t been here that long. “I’ll be right back.”

Wonderful. I tossed Josie’s coat to the booth closest to the window and took a seat across from them. When I glanced up, I peered right into irritated but beautiful blue eyes.

EIGHT

PENNY

Well, this was not at all how I expected to spend my dinner. Crammed into a booth at Millie’s next to Josie wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but it was difficult to focus on the constant stream of rambling while across from us, Gavin was leaning back in the booth, eyes on his daughter with his arms crossed, looking like he was preparing for a trip to a guillotine.

Who knew offering to help someone out was so egregious. I certainly hadn’t but based on the man’s scowls coming from the other side of the booth, Gavin wasn’t over the offense.

Whatever. Like I’d told him, I’d done the right thing and offered.

I tore my gaze off his grumpy expression and slid my paper placemat closer to Josie. “Do you still like to play these games?” On the paper were crosswords and word find puzzles, tic-tac-toe, and coloring areas of a western, cartoonish-looking town. Perfect for New Haven.

“Yes!” She bounced in the booth, making both of us jiggle. “Do you have crayons? Or a pen?”

“Of course.” I dug into my purse that was crammed between my hip and the wall and pulled out a wrapped bundle of colored pencils.

“Thanks, Miss Pesco.” She took the pencils from my hand and went to work on the word find section, glancing up at her dad. “Isn’t she great, Dad?”

I dared to look at him over the top of my menu and found him wearing a smile I suspected he only ever showed to his daughter.

“That was nice of her, yes.”

But I wasn’t great. Not to him.

It shouldn’t have stung, but as he slowly moved to look in my direction, I buried my face, and hopefully my expression, in the menu.

I’d shown up at Millie’s dying for her homemade pot roast with carrots and mashed potatoes, the best kind of comfort meal on a cold night like we were having, and now I couldn’t wait to get out of there.

Gavin unsettled me in ways I’d never predicted happening, and now he was ruining my appetite.

“Am I still going to see you at Thanksgiving?”

“Of course.” Through the phone, Maize chomped on crackers or popcorn, something with a loud snap and crunch with every bite. “I’ll be there Wednesday sometime, probably late.”

I couldn’t wait to see her. She was two hours north of Kansas City and while I’d made the trip a handful of times to take her out for lunch, it wasn’t the same as getting to see her every day. At least she wasn’t going home to Mom’s. It’d be a toss-up if she was capable of remembering it was Thanksgiving to begin with. Although Maize was more likely to high-jump off a cliff without a safety harness than willingly spend any time with Mom.

“Good. I’m glad. Do you need money for gas and stuff to get here?”

“I’ll figure it out. Don’t worry about me.”

“Always, Maize.”

She chuckled through the phone, which was quickly followed by another chomp of her snack. With a mouth full of food, she asked, “What else is new besides school? Making friends yet? Meeting guys?”

I snorted. “Friends, yes. Guys, of course not.”

“My sweet older sister, you should have just joined a convent.”

“I don’t want to be a nun.”

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