Celeste and Billy had arrived about half an hour after Sam had left the kitchen to get cleaned up for dinner. Whatever Penny had been expecting in an ex-wife of Sam's it was not someone like Celeste. She was tall and lithe, almost like a dancer, she had jet black hair which she had swept back into high ponytail giving her cheekbones a dramatic look. Her face was artfully made up with her eyebrows almost a work of art. She was wearing a tight black sleeveless dress that stopped mid-thigh and bright red heels that had at least four inch heels. She was almost as tall as Sam.
Sam had stayed in his study with his door closed as Penny had escorted Billy and Celeste up to their rooms on the third floor. Aunt Maureen was staying in the fourth room on the second floor.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Celeste said as she looked at the small little room. "There must be some mistake girl, I should be on the second floor in my bedroom."
"I placed you where I was asked to," Penny said calmly, doing her best to keep a serene smile on her face. She hadn't had time to freshen up before they arrived so she knew she was looking hot and tired.
"And who asked you to place me here?" She walked over to the window and looked down at the street through the small little window.
"Mrs. Evers." Penny noted a gratified smile on Celeste's face at her answer.
"As long as it wasn't Sam," she purred as she turned to look at her, nodding at what she saw, as if she approved.
Sensing she had been dismissed she turned to return to the kitchen placing her hand on the kitten, who was being as good as she possibly could as she snuggled into her pocket purring. She would have to land her somewhere soon. She couldn't serve dinner with a kitten in her pocket, or could she? She rather liked the idea.
She had just made it to the second floor hallway when Sam opened his office door and noticed her with a raised eyebrow.
"Everyone is accounted for," she said, giving him her easy smile, keeping her thoughts on Celeste to herself.
"Even Sentry?" he asked softly.
She pulled the kitten, who blinked at the sudden light, out of her pocket. "I was just wondering how bad it would be if I served dinner with her in my pocket?" She rested her back in her hiding place.
"I won't tell." He smiled, but she noted it didn't reach his eyes as he turned and went back into his office closing the door behind him. Penny wished there was something she could do for him as she hurried down to finish setting up for dinner, which Regan and Mrs. Evers's had been decided should be served on the porch.
She had to hustle but she had the table set and the drinks ready as Regan appeared. "Oh, Penny it looks beautiful." She put her arm across her shoulders.
Penny had wanted it to look good for Sam. She wanted Celeste to know that he was well taken care of, had everything together, and didn't miss her in the least. While she had her doubts on the last one, at least she was able to cover the first two.
"Drinks are over there and there are cold appetizers under the dome in the center of the table. I'll have dinner out promptly at half past eight." Penny nodded at Billy and Celeste as they stepped out onto the patio before she retreated back into the house. She had opened a window in both the living room and the dining room to make it easier to enter and exit onto the porch.
Penny had stopped at the dining room sideboard and was making sure that she had just enough plates when she heard Celeste's comment.
"You did a good job picking her Regan, she's plain and quiet and seems to know her place. If Sam ever marries again she won't present any kind of threat to his new wife."
"You're talking about Penny I assume?" Regan asked with a calm tone. "Tell me Celeste do you envision yourself in the role as Sam's wife, because if I remember correctly you already tried that and it didn't go so well."
Regan's comment was met with silence for a moment. "All I'm trying to say is that the girl is a non-entity who blends into the background very well." Celeste voice had a sharp edge to it.
Penny turned to leave, having heard enough. She knew she wasn't much to look at but she had never heard anyone say it aloud before. She walked right into Sam's chest and he reached out and grabbed her, stopping her retreat.
"I disagree," he said softly as he dropped a quick and hard kiss on her lips.
"I don't know, she's a curvy little thing, got a killer figure," Billy said through a mouth full of food.
"And I do agree with that," he said dropping another kiss on her lips before brushing some hair out of her face and stepping away from her, "and I should know, I've seen more of it than he has."
Penny blushed to the roots of her hair remembering how she had caught him looking at her in the mirror after he had dropped her on the bed. She wasn't exactly sure how much he had seen and how much he hadn't. She was about to ask, but before she could he was stepping through the window and out onto the porch.
Penny had no clue that he had a lovely image of her in his mind and that's what he was thinking about as he greeted his ex-wife, whom he hadn't seen in over five years.
Penny listened as he made his way over to the drinks cart, greeting Billy and Regan as well, and she went back to checking her tableware so that she could listen for a few minutes more.
"Do you still not drink Sam, even after all these years?" Celeste laughed as if she had said something terribly witty.
"Especially after all these years, I'm not as young as I once was."
A carriage tour came clopping down the street with the guide spouting tales about the neighborhood. It was still too early for the ghost tours so the information was only on the general history of the city.
"Are they still allowing them to do that, I can remember how much it used to irritate me to listen to it at night, especially during a dinner party."
"I guess when you grow up with it you stop noticing it," Regan said, and the conversation moved on to more general topics.
Realizing that she had to go and check on dinner she turned and made her way down the hall. Regan had put the baby to bed earlier and she said he should sleep fine, but there was a baby monitor in the dining room just in case, so that they could hear if the baby woke.
Aunt Maureen and Mrs. Evers eventually joined the others and dinner went off without a hitch. The talk seemed to stay light and revolved mostly around the wedding. Just as Penny was serving dessert Sam's phone buzzed and he looked at it with a frown. Penny knew the signs and skipped putting dessert on his plate.
"Do you really have to go dear, we're enjoying ourselves so much?" Celeste asked, placing her hand on his arm. Penny had noted that Celeste had started calling him dear halfway through the dinner. She had let one slip and when no one had corrected her she had continued.
"Unfortunately, heart attacks can't be put on hold." He rose and gave his sister, mother, and aunt a kiss on the cheek before turning to leave. "Thank you for a wonderful dinner Penny, save me some dessert?"
She nodded not letting her face betray the fact that she was happy he remembered her in his goodbyes. "I'll put it in the fridge." she said to his retreating back, knowing that he had heard her. He always did.
When she reached Billy's plate he was looking at her as if she was fair game and Penny had to keep from rolling her eyes. He had had a little too much to drink but who could blame him, he had brought a date with him who had spent the whole of the evening hitting on her ex-husband.
*******
It was almost one in the morning, she had fed the kitten and made her a little bed on the armchair by the desk where she was content to sleep, taken a shower, and was now finishing up the dishes. If it had been just her she would have been wearing her robe and pajamas, but with so many people in the house she was dressed in an old pair of blue jeans and one of the t-shirts that she wore when she cleaned the house. She had tied her wet hair back in a low ponytail and was barefoot because her feet ached from being on them for most of the day.
Her stomach rumbled and she was debating what to make herself to eat since she hadn't had anything since lunch. Drying her hands, she was walking to the fridge when Sam entered looking worn out. Having, herself, not slept the night before Penny knew how he felt.
As he entered the kitchen she watched him frown as he took in her appearance and she quickly turned away knowing that he was comparing her to Celeste. She didn't doubt that when they were married Celeste had always met him in a pretty negligée and high heel slippers.
She reached into the fridge and started to pull out the makings for a sandwich. "Are you hungry? I was just about to make something." She looked over her shoulder at him and noticed he had thrown his coat over one of the benches and was rolling up his sleeves.
"What are you still doing up and haven't you eaten yet?"
"I just finished the dishes, and no I haven't eaten yet, hence the sandwich. Would you care for one?" She could tell by the way his hands were in his pockets that that he had something on his mind. The set of his shoulders told her something had happened to upset him.
Did a few shared kisses mean she had the right to ask? He had probably only kissed her because he was trying to distract himself from the arrival of his ex-wife, but she'd take the kisses, they would probably be all she ever got.
He nodded thinking hard about something as he walked over to the armchair and picked up the kitten sitting down with Sentry resting in his lap. Penny could hear the purring from across the room. Lucky cat! She kept sneaking glances at his gentle hands as the held the tiny little creature.
He was silent and she sensed he didn't want to talk so she quietly made their sandwiches and pulled out the left over mousse that she had made for dessert. It was hazelnut and she knew that it was one of his favorite flavors.
When she had the food at the table he rose carrying Sentry with him and placing her on the bench between them while they ate. "Did everything go alright at the hospital?"
"No," he said softly.
"I'm sorry," she said reaching out and squeezing his hand. She didn't know why she did it but it had felt like the natural thing to do, and it felt right when he took his hand and placed it over hers and linking their fingers squeezed back.
"His name is Colten and he's ten years old. We managed to save him, but he needs a new heart and..." he shook his head, unable or unwilling to say more as he reached for his iced tea with his free hand since his other hand was still holding hers. She was holding on tight because he was.
"I would like you to meet him, would you be willing to go and visit him with me one day?"
Penny flushed with pleasure that he had included her in something so important. "I would like that," she said softly just as Sentry gave a gentle cry and they looked at each other, both releasing the other ones hand at the same time. "I'll pray for you both," she said softly as she picked up Sentry and placed her in the cradle of her lap just before Celeste entered the kitchen, dressed exactly as Penny had imagined.
Penny didn't know why she felt the need to shield the kitten. Maybe it was because she was such a tiny little thing, or maybe it was because she didn't trust or like Celeste, but either way Sam made no comment as she scooped the kitten to safety.
"Sam, I heard you drive up, I wondered what was taking you so long." Penny turned back to her meal remaining silent as she started on the mousse.
"Were you waiting for me?" He sounded surprised. He ate his last bite of sandwich before he rose carrying his plate to the sink.
"Yes, I thought we could talk." Celeste gave him a charming smile Penny noted as she watched her reflection in the glass of the window.
"We can if you want but I really see no point." Penny watched Sam as he rinsed his plate his broad shoulders and narrow waist holding her attention. She tore her gaze away to look at Celeste who was watching him as well, but she looked put out by the fact that he wasn't jumping to join her.
He walked towards her and motioned for her to proceed him through the kitchen door and Penny couldn't help but notice that they made a striking pair. She was almost as tall as he was and they fit together well as Celeste tucked her arm through his.
Once they had left the kitchen Penny picked up Sentry and placed her in the middle of her bed before returning to the kitchen, where she straightened everything and then made Sam a cup of coffee and picked up his dessert. The door to the living room was closed as she passed it without stopping, climbing the stairs to his office. She turned on his lamps and placed the coffee and dessert on his desk then went into his room and turned on his light and turned down his bed.
Penny was exiting his room when Regan stuck her head out of her door. She looked surprised at the sight of Penny. "Where's Sam?"
"He's downstairs talking to Celeste, he only got home about half an hour ago."
Her eyes narrowed. "Why are you in his room?"
"I brought him up some coffee and thought I would turn on a light for him." Penny smiled her calm smile then walked towards the stairs.
"I'm sorry if I sounded suspicious just now, but Celeste always puts me on edge. I wonder what she wanted to talk to him about?" Regan frowned as she thought of all of the possibilities.
"I got the impression that she didn't want to do much talking," Penny said before she turned with a goodnight and returned to her room where she changed into her pajamas and, finally to worn out to think, fell into bed.