Page 28 of The Damaged Hearts Bargain

“Hot is what happens when it’s thirty degrees outside and you have two industrial ovens on,” Pen said.

“And the crochet circle waits for no man,” added Ash, who was sitting at one of the small tables with George going over some bookshop paperwork.

“Where’ve you been, anyway?” George asked.

“Nowhere,” Lucy said automatically.

“Liar, liar, pants on fire,” said George. “You’ve been with your shoplifter, haven’t you?”

“She’s not a shoplifter,” protested Lucy.

“You attacked her like she was, and Pen probably dated her, so you ask her all about… what was her name again?”

Lucy sighed. “Cal,” she said. She turned to Ash. “Doesn’t it bother you that George seems to think your fiancée has dated every woman in town?”

Ash shrugged. “What Pen did before she met me is her own business. Just as long as she doesn’t plan on dating every newwoman in town, that’s fine by me.”

“You’re stuck with me,” Pen said, dropping a kiss on Ash’s head. “There’s no grumpy face I’d rather wake up next to than yours.”

“I’m not grumpy,” Ash said.

George pulled a face. “You’re like a cross between a dragon and the Aga Khan first thing in the morning.”

“I don’t think you mean the Aga Khan,” Lucy said. “He’s a religious leader.”

“Oh? Who do I mean then?” George asked, looking puzzled.

“Possibly Genghis Khan?” said Pen. “She does have a bit of a war lord look about her when she wakes up, doesn’t she?”

“I am right here,” Ash said. “If you don’t mind. And I don’t look like any Khans, thank you very much.”

“Whatever you say, my love,” said Pen. “And Lucy and I had better be going.”

“Enjoy,” said Ash. “And don’t forget, this is your last crochet circle before the wedding. So make sure everyone’s coming to the reception, and this time next week you’ll be in South America.”

“For mysterious purposes,” put in Lucy.

George rolled his eyes. “Get out of here you two.”

“Have fun tying complicated knots with sticks,” Ash added.

Pen looped her arm through Lucy’s and they went out into the evening sunshine. “Honestly, those two get worse the more time they spend together.”

Lucy snorted. “I don’t think George needs much encouragement, to be honest.”

“You’ll need to keep an eye on him while we’re away,” Pen said. “Fabio too.”

“Fabio will eat all the mice in both bakery and bookshop, and George will look after everything perfectly,” said Lucy. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. Everything will be fine here.”

“I know, I know. It’s just… it’s the first time I’ve left the bakery and I’m a bit worried is all.”

“I’m sure you’ve got bigger things to worry about,” said Lucy, thinking about the fact that coming home with a baby had to beat least a little bit nerve-wracking.

“Like what?” asked Pen.

Lucy cleared her throat. Maybe Pen and Ash didn’t want to talk about it just in case things didn’t work out with the adoption. These things could be tricky. “Oh, I don’t know, flying across a major ocean, that sort of thing. Malaria? Do they have malaria in South America?”

“Probably,” Pen said. “But not where we’re going.”

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