Page 37 of Love, Untangled

Penelope had mentioned wanting an orchid. He considered it, wondering how hard it was to care for. His Sunshine already had her business and the alpaca. He didn’t want to add more work or stress.

Yeah. His Sunshine. His chest eased and he smiled.

He walked around the endcap toward the next aisle that had more orchids, though not one as stunning as the lavender and white beauty that had caught his eye. He went back and snatched it up, nearly running into a woman.

She tucked her dark blonde hair behind her ear and scowled at him as she shoved past him, nearly bumping the orchid’s delicate bloom along the way.

“Of course I’m getting that farm,” the woman said with absolute authority.

Carlo’s spine stiffened as he paused nearby. Something about her seemed familiar. He scowled, not liking her

“Oh, please! That girl is so naïve, she’ll never consider the possibility. Plus, apparently my uncle harassed her the day she moved in; can you believe that? I’ve already figured out how to use that to my advantage.” The woman laughed. It was a serrated, vicious sound that caused a shiver to race along Carlo’s spine.

He was sure he’d never met her, and she sounded self-absorbed at best, hostile at worst.

“Good thing I kept my daughter around, huh? I almost let her come back here years ago. Would have been easier.”

Carlo swallowed the bile that scorched his throat. He shook his head, unable to fathom such disdain for the woman’s own family. Who talked about their child like that? Worse, who wanted to manipulate their own kid in such a way—let alone steal from them.

He’d spent nearly two hours talking to his own mother, and she’d been so supportive. To have this woman in his life…she was much more poisonous than Cora, who’d only been shy, quiet, and unprepared for Carlo’s boisterous family.

He grabbed one of the pamphlets on orchid care before he realized he’d been thinking about Cora without recrimination. His smile returned.

He was well on his way to healing and he had a sweet girl full of sunshine to thank for that.

As he walked out of the store, he caught sight of the woman, who was still talking on her phone.

Carlo stopped.

She glanced up and raised her eyebrows—brows that were the same shade as Penelope’s. They were on the same oval face and sat above hair a few shades darker. But Carlo had no doubt that this was Penelope’s mother.

And she was here to make trouble.

Chapter 15

Penelope

Pen left Alpaca Man at the farm and headed into town after the granny gang left. She needed to make a deposit into her account and figure out her nana’s utility bills. She hated not knowing the right answers because her lack of knowledge reminded her of her unconventional upbringing. Still, there was no reason to postpone the inevitable.

Pen sucked in a long breath as she opened the door to the bank. You can do this. Whatever happens, you’ll be okay.

Marvin smiled and waved her over toward his small office the moment she entered the foyer. “Hi, Ms. Davis. Nice to see you again.”

“You too, Marvin. And please call me Pen.”

He dipped his head in acknowledgment, his smile widening. “Sure thing, Pen. What can I do for you?”

“I need to discuss my grandmother’s accounts. Her bills. I don’t really have a great handle on all that yet.”

Marvin chuckled. “You’re not the only one. Shiloh—my wife—postponed banking for as long as possible. But you’re being proactive.” He smiled. “I guess you and Carlo are good for each other.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

Marvin’s gaze warmed. “He came in to talk to me about doing some volunteering for the fire department. We’d be lucky to have him. He was pretty high up in his organization in Tahoe.”

Pen rubbed her hands on her thighs, her shoulders relaxing now that she knew Marvin wasn’t judging her. “He’s never worked with your department before?”

Marvin shook his head. “I didn’t even know he was trained until six months ago when he let it slip. And after what happened to him, well, it’s understandable that he’s struggling with getting back into firefighting.”

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