"Hey, Martin!" they chorused in perfect unison, their eyes dropping straight to the steaming package. "You brought dinner!"
"Oh, thank goodness," Jake moaned, dramatically patting his stomach. "I am absolutely starving."
"Yeah, I was honestly about to start attacking the fruit bowl," Toby admitted with a grin.
"Come on in," Jake said, stepping aside to let him pass. "Everyone's in the kitchen."
Martin followed the boys down the hallway, the savory warmth of the food filling the air as they walked. But the moment he stepped through the kitchen archway, he stopped dead in his tracks. Penny was standing by the counter, her mug of hot cocoa suspended halfway to her mouth, staring blankly at the teenage girls.
Martin’s heart gave a sudden, involuntary lurch at the sight of her. But as he looked closer, a worried frown marred his brow.
"Martin!" the girls cried out happily, jumping up from their stools as the boys swooped in to take the heavy boxes of food from his arms.
"Hi, everyone," Martin greeted them, though his focus remained entirely on Penny. He stepped closer to her, his voice softening. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, yes, hi," Penny greeted him, snapping out of her trance and quickly plopping her mug onto the counter. She blinked up at him, gesturing toward the table. "I see you brought food."
"Yup," Martin said with a nod, keeping his eyes on her.
"Hope you're staying for dinner?" Sophia called out, looking over at Martin with a sweet smile. "I think Chef must have packed an extra portion for you."
Martin turned his head to watch Sophia as she began unpacking the warm boxes onto the kitchen table. Emma and Lily were already busy pulling plates from the cabinets, while Toby and Jake collected silverware, water pitchers, and glasses.
"Yeah, she put a little something in there for me," Martin confirmed, turning back to Penny with a soft chuckle. "But I can easily just take my share and go back to my room if you need some quiet."
"No!" Penny said suddenly. The sheer urgency in her voice made him frown with worry once again.
"Are you sure you're okay?" He leaned down a bit closer, keeping his voice strictly for her ears. "You seem a little shell-shocked."
Penny let out a low, breathy laugh and leaned in toward him. "That is because in the space of less than two hours, I have been systematically lulled into a false sense of security. I’ve had my own profession's integrity used against me by being manipulated into making a pinky promise. I was slyly interrogated, and..." Her eyes narrowed at the teens, who were currently setting the table with angelic precision. "I think I was set up without even realizing it. Those little angels over there have terrifyingly cunning minds."
"Mmm," Martin murmured, nodding as a sharp pang of sympathy hit him. "I did warn you not to volunteer to keep an eye on the kids tonight." He gave a small shake of his head, his lips twitching. "They have good hearts, and they mean well, Penny. They're just very sneaky. And like you said, frighteningly cunning." He gave a soft, rumbling laugh. "And now we know justhowcunning, considering they were able to trick a world-class attorney like you, Penny."
“Trust me, no one is more embarrassed that I walked right into their trap with slap me written all over my face.” Penny's cheeks instantly flamed a pretty shade of pink. To hide her embarrassment, she reached into her cocoa mug, picked out a stray mini marshmallow, and popped it into her mouth. After she finished chewing, she slowly licked the sweet chocolate from her fingers.
Martin’s heart gave another sudden, hard lurch. His gut clenched, and his eyes lingered for a long moment over her beautiful, flushed face. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this utterly enchanted by someone, not since Suzi, his late wife. Martin gave himself a firm mental shake, telling himself to stop staring, but it was a losing battle. Whenever Penny was in the room, his gaze always seemed to gravitate right back to her.
"Dinner is served!" Sophia called out, pulling out a chair.
As Martin and Penny walked over to the table, Martin instantly noticed how the kids had arranged themselves, and the two empty seats left waiting for them. The seat at the head of the table was open, and the chair immediately to the right of it was empty, too. Traditionally, the partner or guest of honor was always placed to the right of the host, and the kids had laid the trap perfectly.
"I kept you the seat at the head of the table, Martin," Lily told him with a perfectly sweet, wide-eyed look. She was sitting directly to the left, opposite the open spot, making it clear which seating positions were for him and Penny.
Penny leaned in slightly toward Martin as they approached the chairs.
"You know exactly what they're doing right now, right?" she whispered.
"Yeah," Martin said with a low nod. "I knew it the moment Chef told me she hadn't even started on my dinner, only to magically produce a packed box of food, including my dinner order, that I was clearly meant to bring over here."
"Is it just me, or are you a little scared, too?" Penny gave a quiet, self-deprecating snort. "I've realized now that I have to be a lot sharper around these kids."
"It's best never to let your guard down around them. Trust me," Martin advised, pulling out the chair to the right of the head of the table for her. "Before, when it was just the four of them, they were bad enough." His eyes drifted across the table, landing affectionately on Emma. "But now they have a new recruit. And who would have guessed that sweet little Emma was just as sharp and cunning as the rest of the pack?"
Penny blew out a long breath, gratefully sliding into the chair Martin held for her.
"Actually, a few minutes ago, I was quietly worrying about them eventually going into law or politics. But looking at them now..." She offered him a dry, highly amused look as he took his seat at the head of the table. "I'm thinking we should do everything inour power to ensure they never pursue a military career. They'd take over a country before breakfast."
"Hey, as long as they're on our side, we'll be okay," Martin teased, a warm smile breaking across his handsome features.
