Page 40 of Love, Untangled

“Hey,” he called.

She placed her hand to her chest with a yelp. “Oh, Carlo. You scared me.”

“Why?”

Pen waved off the question, but her lips and forehead remained puckered. “Maybe tonight isn’t the best idea. I’m not feeling great.”

He swallowed his disappointment. “You sure?”

Right. He’d made her dinner. Her expression wavered, then her shoulders slumped. She didn’t want to disappoint him, but she wasn’t good company.

“I got some bad news today, but I think I can fix it. Well, part of it,” she rushed to say.

“Oh?” Did she know her mother was in town?

“My mother took all the money from my nana’s accounts. It’s all gone.”

Carlo’s mouth went dry. “She stole from you?”

Pen’s jaw tightened. Alpaca Man, sensing her distress, butted his head against her shoulder. She reached over and scratched his head between his ears. “Yes. And it’s not the first time.”

“Well, hell. I don’t think you’re going to like what I have to tell you.”

“Just get it over with.” She slung her arm around Alpaca Man’s neck and leaned against the animal.

Carlo wished she’d lean on him, both literally and figuratively. He was going to have to give her time to trust him. But she was talking to him, so that was a good sign. Carlo sucked in a breath. “I’m pretty sure I saw your mother in Summerfield.”

Penelope grimaced. “Well, that wouldn’t be surprising. She needed to be nearby to use one of the bank’s branches.”

“She was talking about taking the farm from you.”

Pen tipped her head back, her face a mask of frustrated misery. “That doesn’t shock me either. My mother’s…difficult.”

“She sounded greedy and hateful. It was weird because she looks all angelic—a slightly shorter and older version of you.”

Pen snorted but it turned a bit watery. “That about sums her up.”

Unable to stand it any longer, Carlo shuffled forward and wrapped her in his arms. “I’m sorry, Sunshine. So sorry.”

“Not as sorry as I am. I can’t believe my own mother…but I can.” She rested her head against his pectoral muscle and held on tighter. They stood there, the late afternoon sun filtering through clouds so that it drifted in and out of shadow. Alpaca Man, bored, wandered off to graze.

“Joanna asked me to do a class at Bottles of Bliss. And I have the one at the café.”

“And your lessons with Birdie, Hattie, and Trixie.”

“I’m going to have to set up more classes though. I thought…I thought Nana’s money would manage this place. Without it…”

“We’ll figure it out.”

Pen nodded. “Okay,” she whispered.

He loved her agreement, that she placed her trust in him. He wouldn’t let her down. In fact, right then Carlo vowed to do everything possible to be Penelope’s hero.

She was so young and lively and…yes, responsible. She was kind and thoughtful too. And he wanted nothing more than to make sure that the light in her eyes didn’t fade.

Whatever she wanted from him, he’d give her.

And probably more because he wanted her happy.

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