Penny had been studying in the kitchen after her morning class when the front door had opened. At first she thought it was Sam, and she was still undecided on how long she was going to give him the cold shoulder, but it turned out to be Regan and her mother with the baby.
"Oh, thank goodness you're here," Regan sighed as she handed over the baby and then slumped onto the couch in the living room. Little Ian was only ten months old and Regan's first child. She was still having trouble adapting to the stress of motherhood.
"Hello Regan and Mrs. Evers," Penny said, trying not to sound surprised or caught off guard, was this something that Sam forgot to tell her.
"You're good, I'll give you that," Mrs. Evers said as she sat in the chair across from her daughter. Mrs. Evers had never been overly warm towards her, but then she wasn't overly warm towards her children either.
"Relax Penny, Sam doesn't even know we were coming, we only found out his morning. Aunt Maureen is getting married again and it's to happen this weekend. It's all very last minute, so we were ordered down here to help her get everything ready. She and Billy should be here later this evening."
"You'll need to make sure that all of the rooms are turned out and ready to go. Do you think the Billy will bring Celeste?" Regan asked softly and almost as an afterthought.
Carol Evers looked upset for only a moment before she quickly masked it. "Probably. We'll need a large supper because we will be planning a wedding all evening. Can you handle that?" She eyed Penny as she held Ian on her hip.
"Yes, but I'll need some time."
"You've got it." Regan rose and reached for Ian. "We're going to go and take a nap."
"Do you need help with the rooms?" Mrs. Evers asked.
"No they're ready," Penny said watching as the women both reached for their suitcases.
Mrs. Evers nodded and then led her daughter upstairs. "We'll put Celeste and Billy on the top floor."
As soon as they were upstairs Penny rushed back to the kitchen taking stock of what she could offer then made a quick list as she jumped into the car and drove to the store.
An hour later she was standing in front of the stove in her apron, with pots and pans boiling and her hair in a complete disarray, when Sam walked in the back door. She was so focused on what she was doing she didn't hear him and jumped when he said her name.
Turning down the burners on the stove she turned to see him standing behind her with a peach and grey little fur ball that was letting out a pathetic meow. Her eyes grew wide and she couldn't help but smile at the cuteness before her.
"Oh Sam!" She completely forgot she was mad at him as she sat her spoon down and reached to take the tiny little kitten. Her hand brushed his as she did so, causing a little spark to shoot through her. "It's precious."
Sam smiled, "She's for you, a peace offering, and maybe to help with the mouse problem?"
Penny blushed as she remembered her reaction to the mice from the night before. "We're going to keep her?" Penny cuddled her against her cheek. "What's her name?"
"I'll leave that you," Sam said, looking pleased as he took off his jacket in the warmth of the kitchen. "What's with all of the cooking." He walked over to the stove and peeked in the pots.
"Aunt Maureen is getting married again and it's happening this weekend." Penny watched Sam as he turned to her with an amused smile.
"Again?"
"Yes, and your mother and sister arrived about an hour ago and said that they have been called in to help her plan the wedding." Penny held the kitten close to her chest unable to understand why she felt a sudden sense of unease.
"Billy?" Sam asked, moving past her and grabbing a water from the fridge.
"Yes and he's bringing a friend."
Sam grew very still and he lost some of his color.
"Who?"
"Someone named Celeste?" Penny said it softly.
Sam let loose with a string of curse words and then turned his back to her as he took a sip of water.
"Regan and your mother seemed upset at the thought as well," Penny said, more for something to say then because she thought it would help. It wasn't any of her business, maybe if she changed the subject.
"I called to check on my father today and they said you were no longer his Doctor?"
Sam took so long to answer that she thought he didn't hear her, but when he turned around he seemed to have his emotions under control. "Yes, I thought it might be a conflict of interest so I passed his case on to one of my colleagues."
Penny nodded. "Thank you for the kitten."
He walked towards her quickly and before she had time to move he had blocked her in, his arms to either side of her with the kitchen island behind her. He looked into her eyes searchingly. "I am very sorry for last night." His voice was low and gruff.
Penny watched his gaze as it dropped to her lips and her heart sped up as she clutched the kitten closer to her. "I know and I said I forgave you."
"Do you really? Why?" He searched her eyes again looking for an answer.
"That's what friends do," she whispered and his gaze dropped down to her lips. He was so devastatingly handsome, a lock of his hair had fallen across his forehead and his brown eyes had darkened.
He placed his hand on her chest and neck, feeling her heartbeat.
She froze closing her eyes focusing on the feel of his hand, she was so focused on the feel of it that his lips taking hers caught her completely off guard and she couldn't help the little cry that escaped her. It only took a second before she was kissing him back, her free hand had wandered onto his neck and her fingers ran into his hair. She felt him shiver as he deepened the kiss, pulling her closer.
When the kitten gave a protesting cry they both broke the kiss looking down at the tiny little creature. Then they heard footsteps coming down the hall and Sam turned around reaching for his water. Penny dropped the kitten into her apron pocket where it landed softly, before she turned around and picked up her spoon. She just made it back to the stove as Regan entered with the baby on her hip.
Sam had picked up his jacket and was rolling up his sleeves.
"Sam, your home," Reagan said surprised.
"Yes, I was just asking Penny about all the extra food and she was filling me in on all our expected guests." He looked cool and collected and not in the least like he had just kissed her senseless.
Luckily Penny was standing over the hot stove so any redness in her cheeks could be blamed on the steam.
"Do you have a minute to talk?" Regan asked, looking concerned.
Penny didn't know who this Celeste was but she knew she wasn't good news.
"Sure talk," Sam said leaning against the table taking a sip of his water. Penny noted that he had instantly pulled back to being who he was before Sydney and Cole's visit. The change was so dramatic and quick it caught her off guard.
Regan looked over at Penny.
"Don't worry about Penny, she's worked for me for two years, I trust her." Maybe it was Penny's imagination but she thought she heard and extra stress placed on the word trust.
Regan still seemed unsure as she moved the baby to her other hip and Sam reached over to take him from her. "For goodness sake Regan the woman knows the color of my underwear," Sam joked.
Penny couldn't help the squeak that escaped. "Only because I wash them!" she hissed.
Sam looked amused by her increase of color before he turned his attention to the baby. "Say what you have to say, I need to check my messages and I want to change before dinner."
Regan looked from one to the other then seemed to dismiss whatever she had been thinking. Penny reached into her pocket and stroked the little kitten who had curled into a little ball and was purring away.
"Billy's bringing Celeste with him," she hissed, as if whispering would make it easier to tell.
"That's what Penny just told me."
"So Penny knows?" Regan looked between the two of them confused.
"Not that I know of, but I imagine that one of you mentioned her name and it was repeated to me."
"You're not upset?" Regan looked even more confused.
"Oh, I'm upset but showing that I am would only let Billy and her win, and I won't allow that." He gave an ugly smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Why would Billy bring her?" Regan looked sad.
"Billy has never liked me. He has always tried to take what was mine ever since we were children. As far as I'm concerned those two deserve each other."
Penny peeked over her shoulder at him and noted that he was thinking something other than what he was saying. His left eye had narrowed and it always narrowed when he was working on a hard question. Regan must have noticed the look too.
"What aren't you saying Sam?"
He shrugged, "I don't think this is Billy's idea. Celeste is up to something or I don't know my ex-wife." It was a very dramatic statement which seemed to counteract his suddenly playfulness with the baby.
Penny was floored and was glad her back was to both of them. Sam had been married? How had she not known about it? She suddenly had a lot of other questions, none of which were her business so she quickly pushed them away.
"Regan, if you bring the pack and play down here I'll keep an eye on Ian, dinner is just about under control," Penny offered at the tense silence that had developed.
"Would you, you're sure you don't mind?"
"Not at all." Penny smiled at her over her shoulder, her eyes bouncing off of Sam who was busy with the baby.
Reagan took off like a shot before she changed her mind, and Penny couldn't help but smile as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the kitten, holding the yawing fur ball close.
Sam was watching her. "I told you earlier about being haunted by my past, Celeste is it."
"It's none of my business Dr. Evers," she said, meeting his eyes.
"After last night it is, I owe you and explanation and it might be the only way I can ever make you understand why I behaved as badly as I did, and get you to call me Sam again." He sighed as he looked at the baby then back at her. "But it's going to have to wait."
He looked so handsome as she sat there cuddling the baby. What would it feel like to have that be their baby? She dropped her eyes from his before he could read her thoughts.
"Did you decide what you're going to name her?" He nodded to the kitten who had meowed loudly again so Penny slipped her back into her pocket, "I think Sentry is apt," she said just before Regan walked back into the kitchen.
She didn't know why she was hiding the cat. It was Sam's house and if he wanted to have a cat in it, who was anyone to object, but Sentry was more than a cat, she was a peace offering and a private moment between the two of them, and she wasn't willing to share that yet.