“I’m good.”
“You’re good to her.”
“She makes it easy,” I say. “But she has her priorities straight. She’s a good mom.”
Lochlan frowns, and I almost laugh when he tugs harshly on his tuxedo vest. It’s an odd habit I’ve grown accustomed to when he’s upset about something.
“She is a good mom. She gives everything she has to those kids,” he says quietly.
I nod because I already know this about Penny.
“But do you ever wonder who’s taking care of her?”
Every damned day.
CHAPTER4
PENNY
“Penny!” Lochlan bellows from behind his closed office door. Every stinking time he does that, I jump like someone threw a bunch of spiders at me.
The precious caffeine I was cradling in both hands sloshes out of the cup because I can’t help but fill it to the tippy top.
“Geez,” I hiss through clenched teeth as the hot, muddy-colored liquid drenches the front of my blouse for the second time today. Now I’ll be riding the train home with the delicious scent of coffee mocking me the entire way. Again.
It would also help my frazzled nerves if I could stop daydreaming about that dance with Dillon. Or how it felt to be held by him. No matter how many weeks pass, the memory won’t fade. It hurts.
Lochlan wrenches his door open, then stops short when he sees me.
“Bloody hell. I did it again, didn’t I?” The British lilt he got from his father is strong today despite the fact that he spent most of his life in the US.
“It’s a good thing you pay so well,” I mutter.
“Sorry, Penny. I’ll have some new tops sent up next week.”
I open my mouth to argue, but after three years, I know it’s pointless. Lochlan is a demanding boss, but he’s a good man. This is his way of making amends.
“Tilly’s pregnancy is turning me into a raging lunatic,” he grumbles.
He is one hundred percent right. He tugs on the bottom of his suit vest, and I fight a smile because I know he wouldn’t thank me for noticing.
“It’s okay, Lochlan. I’d be worried if you weren’t nervous about becoming a dad. But between you and me, I think you’re going to be an excellent father.”
His features soften, but he can’t hide the fear lurking in his eyes.
“Thanks, Penny. I was coming to say that you don’t have to stay late tonight. I’m going to head out soon to meet Tilly anyway. But…” He glances down at a folder in his hands, and his frown returns. “How do you feel about Dillon Henry? I know you’re friends, and my sister says he’s great. He’s technically my friend, but you’ve spent the most time with him. What do you think?”
My hands tremble, and I turn away to set my mug down. It gives me a chance to get myself under control. Blushing in front of my boss isn’t something I’m too keen on.
“Ah, Dillon’s great,” I say with my back to Lochlan. “We’ve become sort of friends, I think.” A nervous giggle escapes my throat, and I want to smack my palm to my forehead. Instead, I ball up a handful of tissues and squeeze them against my wet shirt.
“Good,” Lochlan says, but his tone doesn’t sound happy. “Would you be okay working closely with him, ah, more often?”
Okay. I’m pretty sure my heart just stopped. Or skipped. Or perhaps did a little jig? Whatever it did has me desperately wanting to gasp for a breath I can’t seem to take.
“What do you mean? Work with him how?”
“Ashton and I have been—brainstorming.” He says it like the words taste bitter on his tongue.
